Computer science major schools

College Search & Selection
1

Hey can you guys help me figure out which schools are the best for me? I have compiled a list of schools that I’m planning to apply to but I am not sure if they are the right fit for me.

My stats:
My school is very competitive as it is in the top 3% of the nation. I am in the top 15% and my GPA is 4.20.
My SAT superscored SAT is 1490 and regular is 1470. (National merit commended student)
I have taken three SAT subject tests: 800 in math 2, 770 in US History, and physics (taken in october)
This year I am taking 4 AP classes (Physics C, Calc BC, Chinese 4, Econ/Gov), Dual credit english, and 2 honors classes (Computer Science 3, Band 4)

I have been in the band program for about 6 years now. I am an officer in band and help coordinate cluster activities.
I worked at a restaurant for junior summer year and am currently working at a boba shop and hold a management position there.
Clubs I’m in: Habitat for Humanity, Mu Alpha Thetha (Math honor society), Computer club (competitions), Key club, and NHS.
Oh and I created a club during sophomore year as president which averaged 30 members. The club was about promoting pop culture by playing pop tunes on band and orchestra instruments.

During junior year, I had a 100 in AP Computer Science throughout the year and I currently have a 99 in Honors CS3. (Not sure if this helps at all)

My GPA is low because I didn’t try in school up until sophomore year which dropped my GPA by .15-.20. I have mentioned this in my essay and explained its reasoning (economic situation of my parents)

My college list is currently:

Reach:
Rice University
University of Southern California
Georgia Tech
New York University

Normal:
UT Austin
Colorado School of Mimes
University of Michigan
Rochester Institute of Tech
University of Illinois
University of Washington

Safeties:
University of Texas at Dallas
University of Massachusetts–Amherst
Case Western Reserve University

I am a resident of Texas and lived here my whole life.

I am looking for a diverse school that my parents can relatively afford (<70k). Its location, religion, ethnicity, and size do not really matter. I am going to be living on campus.

I dropped CalTech and Cornell because of its environment and cost of attendance.

Is my college list good? Are there any colleges you would recommend me to add or delete?
What are some good colleges that don’t have high grade deflation but are relatively good schools for CS?

2

Not sure I’d classify Case as a safety. More likely a match (or as you listed, normal.).

Illinois for CS is a reach. So is direct admission into the CS program at Washington.

All the schools listed are fine for CS.

3

UT Austin CS is a reach.

4

What would be some good safety schools for CS for me?

5

University of Washington is a reach too for CS, it is their most selective program. And University of Michigan is a reach too.

And as said above Case is a match, not a safety.

6

I’d think that outside of UT-Austin, any public university in Texas would be a safety.

7

Here’s College Transitions list of best computer science schools - there’s a good mix of public and private schools, and in all areas of the country

Amherst College
Brown University
California Institute of Technology
Carleton College
Carnegie Mellon University
Columbia University
Cornell University
Dartmouth College
DePauw University
Duke University
Georgia Institute of Technology
Harvard University
Harvey Mudd College
Johns Hopkins University
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
New Jersey Institute of Technology
Northeastern University
Penn State University
Pomona College
Princeton University
Purdue University
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Rochester Institute of Technology
Stanford University
Stevens Institute of Technology
Swarthmore College
United State Military Academy
University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Los Angeles
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
University of Maryland
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
University of Massachusetts Amherst
University of Michigan
University of Minnesota
University of Pennsylvania
University of Southern California
University of Texas at Austin
University of Texas at Dallas
University of Tulsa
University of Virginia
University of Washington
University of Wisconsin - Madison
Washington University in St. Louis
Williams College
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Yale University

8

^^ what is College Transition?

9

I don’t think NYU will be affordable if Caltech and Cornell would not be.

The list you have has lots of great CS schools but as others have mentioned, many are not accurately classified for CS.

Your reclassified list (at least closer):

Reach:
Rice University
University of Southern California
Georgia Tech
University of Michigan
University of Illinois
University of Washington
UT Austin

Match:
University of Massachusetts–Amherst
Case Western Reserve University
New York University

Safeties:
University of Texas at Dallas
Colorado School of Mimes (had to keep this typo, love it)
Rochester Institute of Tech

Some suggestions:
Northeastern, WPI, and RPI would be good match schools, with WPI bleeding into a safety.
I think NYU’s chances of affordability are very slim - I would remove that.
Consider cutting a few reaches for a few matches.

Are there really no location / size / environment preferences at all?

I think this just sounds like excuses - I don’t think mentioning this is a good idea - tell them about why they want you, not reasons you weren’t perfect in 9th grade. Focus on how you’ve grown from then.

10

UMich is definitely a reach for OP from OOS even for LSA. SAT 1470 is only around. the admission average and the OOS admission rate is around 20%.

11

As a computer professional, the school you attend really won’t matter. I would go straight for a scholarship, even if it’s a less “glamorous” school. UT Dallas is a top tech school and it’s right in the middle of Dallas, where there are internships and jobs everywhere. That will give you an edge as well as any elite school ever could. You could probably get a full scholarship at Alabama or Auburn with those SAT scores.

12

They can afford anything less than $70K/year?
If so, then especially after adding “self help” (student loans, work-study), you can afford the full sticker price at any college in the country.

If you mean they can afford $70K total for all 4 years, then you may need to re-think some of your choices. NYU and some of the OOS public schools may not give you the aid you need.

Or is “<70K” just your way of saying “not super expensive”?