Chances of being a finalist/being matched?

Paying for College Access Programs (Questbridge, Posse)
1

<p>Not too sure where I stand on the National College Match. I'm planning on majoring in computer engineering, so I'm going for colleges like MIT, Cal Tech, Yale, Stanford, Brown, and USC. I feel like it's impossible, but I'm not typically confident anyways.</p>

<p>U/W GPA: 3.78/4.00
W GPA: 4.39/(5.00?)
Ranked top 3%, 26/825.</p>

<p>Took 4 APs so far, all 4s (Psych., USH, Eng. Comp., Chem.). Current schedule includes 7 APs (Spanish, Lit., Econ., Gov., Calc BC., Physics, Art History).</p>

<p>SAT I: 620 CR, 660 Math, 630 Writing (1910)
2nd SAT I: 600 CR, 690 Math, 680 Writing (1970)
SAT II: 740 Chemistry, 700 US History, 650 Math Level II (did not prepare, will definitely be retaking come October)</p>

<p>Mediocre ECs/activities - pretty much some 80-90 hours of community service, build computers from time to time (which is amateurish anyways).</p>

<p>Parent had 19k income, unemployed now. Asian, California resident.</p>

2

<p>it’s really hard to tell based on stats alone. with Questbridge, it all comes down to your essays I think, it’s a lot more personal than the regular admissions process. it doesn’t hurt to apply, so I say do it!</p>

3

<p>You have two separate issues here: becoming a QB finalist and getting into one or more of the schools you listed. You may well be able to become a finalist with an outstanding essay, but your chances of getting placed at most of the top schools you list is small (maybe USC).</p>

<p>My son is a computer science/applied math major and applied via QB last year. He had a perfect 36 ACT, two 800 SAT IIs, a class rank of 1/400 and multiple leadership roles in ECs and community service. Nevertheless, MIT and Yale turned him down. He didn’t apply to CalTech, but CalTech is stats-driven and is unlikely to accept anyone with a Math II SAT much less than 780-800 (the curve is lenient and 11% of test takers get a perfect score).</p>

<p>He did get into Brown (and 3 others), but Brown puts a strong emphasis on ECs and especially community service, where you appear to lack strength.</p>

<p>It might be different if you were female or a URM; females get into MIT at twice the rate that males do.</p>

<p>Of course you should try. But you also need to apply to a staggered assortment of schools that are not impossibly hard to get into, including many outside of QB. Note that good grades in a field like computer science will likely land you a decent job regardless of where you attend college; with a more general liberal arts degree the prestige school is more likely to give you an employment edge.</p>