College Selection Help

College Search & Selection
1

Hello Everybody!

I am a Rising Junior (male) from New Jersey. I am Caucasian (Russian) and Middle Class.

I put together a list of colleges I want to apply to using the “Reach-Fit-Safety” model. I’m applying to a total of 15 schools and I changed the numbers on each section to max my chances of getting into a top tier school. Here’s the list:

Reach: Stanford, Princeton, Carnegie Mellon, Johns Hopkins, Cornell, MIT, Urbana-Champaign, UC Berkeley, UPenn, Columbia

Fit: Georgia Tech, U of Maryland, UT Austin

Safety: Rutgers, Penn State, Stevens (Maybe)

My primary interest is Computer Science, so I am applying to each of these schools for Comp Sci primarily. Biomedical Engineering is another interest of mine, so I will also be applying to the Biomed programs at Johns Hopkins, Carnegie Mellon, Georgia Tech and Rutgers. I’ve been to about half of the schools on this list, and I liked all of them.

I need some feedback on this list. I’m not really sure if I made some bad choices, missed some good choices, or if i overestimated myself with my fit schools. For reference, here is my info (This will change by the time I’m applying, and I used the template for the admissions threads.)

SAT I: 2270 (720 CR, 760 M, 790 WR)
ACT: Not taken yet
SAT II: 750 Bio, 800 Math I, 800 Math II
Unweighted GPA: 4.0
Rank: None (school don’t do it)
AP: 5 in Calc AB
Major Awards: None (yet)

Extracurriculars: (Boy Scouts), (Math League), Varsity Track, Science Olympiad, FBLA, Robotics, (Student Council)
Work: Boy Scout Camp and Intern at Software Company
Volunteering: Boy Scouts primarily
Summer Activities: Work + Boy Scout Trips
Essays: None (yet)

Other stuff that may or may not help includes that I go to my county’s vocational/technical school, that my parents are immigrants and that my first language was Russian.

Please note that I still have Junior Year ahead of me (which is why my APs, ACTs, Subject Tests and Awards are slightly lacking.) Please give me some feedback and thanks!

2

What is your financial situation? You have some expensive OOS public schools on your list where you will not get good financial aid if you need it.

3

My financial situation is decent, but I will need aid. What’s the situation with OOS financial aid?

4

You won’t get jack squat from the OOS you listed. Forget them. The private schools you listed give good aid to even upper middle class families.

Some state schools down south like Alabama will give you a free tuition ride.

5

Penn State for an OOS applicant is not a “safety.” UT Austin and Georgia Tech, as an OOS applicant, may not be the “fit” that you think.

6

OOS for Penn State is 36% (vs 50 something in-state), and OOS for Georgia Tech is 36 percent (vs 39 percent instate) Penn State is a pretty big difference, but Georgia Tech isn’t huge.

7

And you still have to pay the OOS rates. No merit or financial aid.

8

U of Michigan and UVA are a couple of out of state publics that do give better aid to OOS students (a recent change at Michigan). Run the net price calculators on the financial aid pages of each school’s website to get a sense of what your aid might look like. Drop the schools that don’t look affordable. The publics you have listed now aren’t going to be affordable. But UVA and U of M are also going to be reaches. And I agree that G Tech and UT Austin are also reaches, not matches, because you are OOS.

You need more matches and fewer reaches. If cost is an issue, Rutgers may be the only school on your list you are likely to be admitted to and could afford.

9

Might want to get rid of UC, since they don’t give aid.

10

UMich and UVA give good aid if you’re low income, not if your family would just like some aid. And UVA would probably still be a reach since you’re OOS.

11

Well, that is going to be true of lots of places on the OP’s list.

12

Someone from NJ whose “financial situation is decent” will not net much at those public Us. Possibly Princeton and Stanford since they are very generous. The OP should run the net price calculators on each school’s web site.

13

i think its a close call on many of your reach , fit and even safety schools. If you have interest in biomedical program you should try TCNJ but its extremely competitive and in addition to being reasonable priced , merit aid is given out to
all that meet the threshold that year.