[Computer Science] Safety, Possible, or Reach?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Hello everyone! As college application deadlines are getting closer and closer, I am just becoming more anxious. I have had a passion of coding since I began teaching myself Java at the age of 10. Ever since, I have been fascinated with programming and have self taught myself multiple coding languages. Computer science has been something I loved and I am very confident to major in the field of Computer Science. I would appreciate if anyone could give me honest feedback on whether any of the schools I am applying to are either safety, safety-possible, possible, possible-reach, or reach. I greatly appreciate the help, as it may either open my eyes or relieve stress.</p>

<p>Freshman GPA: 2.85
Sophomore GPA: 3.05
Junior GPA: 3.80 (Advanced PreCalculus (B), AP Computer Science (A+))
Senior GPA: 3.85 (AP Calculus (A-), AP Economics (A-), AP Literature (B), Advanced Biology (B+) (So far)</p>

<p>The reason behind my GPA is that, I just moved to a school a few years before Freshman year and it was a very tough transition for me. I moved from a school that gave A's for little effort to a highly competitive high school (Boston Latin School, highly ranked in the U.S.) where I experienced more than 20x the work load and very challenging classes. This new school was a challenge to me, but I worked very hard to develop the skills I need to improve my GPA and over all performance. I began to get the hang of things Junior year and I am trying to make the best out of my GPA. There is an upwards slope which I do hope helps me. There was an AP available Sophmore year, however I did not have the confidence to take it yet since I was fighting to raise my GPA. Although, over Junior and Senior year when I began to get the hang of things, I was able to push myself and take more challenging classes.</p>

<p>SAT Scores:</p>

<p>Super Score:
Critical Reading (580)
Mathematics (730)
Writing (780)</p>

<p>Subject Tests:
Math Level 1: 760
Math Level 2: 780
Biology E: -waiting results-</p>

<p>AP Scores:
Computer Science: 4
Literature and Composition: -waiting for test-
Calculus AB: -waiting for test-
Micro Economics: -waiting for test-
Macro Economics: -waiting for test-</p>

<p>Extra Curriculars:
-U.S. Swim Team (travel meats across the country)
-Clarinet since the age of 9 (Symphonic Band)
-Alto Saxophone since the age of 14 (Junior Jazz Band)
-Piano since the age of 5 (Personal)
-Teach Java lessons via Google Docs (100+ participants)
-Computer Science Club (1 year)
-Various volunteer works (Church/Community Centers/Assistant Coach)
-Game Development (run a server with 200+ active users)</p>

<p>As you can already tell by my post, I am very passionate about going to a school for computer science. What are my chances for the ones I am applying for currently?</p>

<p>(I am a Massachusettes resident)</p>

<p>Northeastern University (Tour/Admissions Session)
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (Tour/Admissions Session)
Worcester Polytechnic Institute (Tour/Admissions Session)
Rochester Institute of Technology (Tour/Admissions Session)
McGill University (Tour/Admissions Session)
UMASS Amherst (Tour/Admissions Session)
UMASS Lowell
MIT (Tour/Admissions Session/Shadowing)</p>

<p>Also, please recommend any computer science colleges that are not on my list. I am very interested to hear of others that you may find a good suit for me. Thanks!</p>

2

<p>MIT: Reach
UMass Lowell: Safety
UMass Amherst: Low match
RIT: Low match/Match
WPI: Low match
RPI: Match
NEU: High match
McGill CS: Unreachable (660 on CR would have rendered it a safety though; should have tried UToronto or Waterloo instead)</p>

3

<p>Thanks for the reply! What do you mean by Low Match and High Match? By Low Match do you mean that I have a low chance of getting in or a low chance of getting denied?</p>

4

<p>The CC parlance of reach, match and safety is a spectrum. Low match means that your chances of being admitted are less than if it was a match or high match. </p>

<p>Catria is right, McGill is unforgiving if one of the minimum requirements is not met. </p>

5

<p>Oh that is a shame. I find that odd, because my guidance teacher has told me that NEU is a reach school for me and that UMASS Amherst is a safety school for me.</p>

6

<p>You should apply to Georgia Tech, they have the nations top 10 computer science program (rank #9 nationally), and they have an extremely good internship program as well as having faculties all around the world. </p>

7

<p>saying swim “meats” made me judge you so much</p>

8

<p>@Unitize‌
What do you think my chances are of getting accepted?</p>

<p>@whuffy‌
My phone must have auto corrected it since I use the word ‘meat’ very often. Either way, embarrassing mistake that I will fix.</p>

9

<p>Your GPA is a tad low for GT, but I think your extra curriculars more than make up for it and you should definetley apply. GT has LOTS of connections for you to take advantage of once you graduate, so you will be able to land yourself a well paying job after. </p>

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<p>@Unitize‌
My GPA I know is a negative factor to my application. I originally had GT on my list, but then I removed it because I thought I might not be able to get in to it. Do you think I should still apply based on my current list? And also, do you think that my extra curriculars are valid examples? I felt that mentioning things like my online game or java lessons I do on Google Docs might not count as an extra curricular.</p>

11

<p>The big unstated factor is, can you afford each school?</p>

<p>If the school is not affordable at list price, with need-based financial aid (see the net price calculator), or with automatic-for-stats merit scholarships, then you need to re-evaluate your chances based on getting sufficiently large competitive merit scholarships at each school.</p>

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<p>@ucbalumnus‌
I can in fact afford these colleges.</p>

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<p>If you’re able to afford the schools tuition, you’re chance of getting accepted rises significantly. And do list your passion for coding as an extracurricular, because making an online game shows initiative and Georgia Tech likes to see that. I’ve done 5+ hours of research on GTech and I’m hoping to attend it for the computer science program just like you next year, it has an extremely good reputation as a leading institute in technologies (world class level), and constantly rated one of the top 20 public institutions in the country. Also, if you apply early action for GT, your chance will rise by 200% which is what I’m going to do. Good luck on your choice !</p>

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<p>@Unitize‌
That sounds great! However isn’t it too late to apply for early action?</p>

15

<p>@TomSrOfBoston‌ is incorrect. You have a better chance at getting into a “low match” than a “high match”. Think of it like a scale:</p>

<p>High Reach
Reach
Low Reach</p>

<p>High Match
Match
Low Match</p>

<p>Safety</p>

<p>Obviously this is quibbling over terminology, but it will help you understand chances threads better. </p>

16

<p>@wchuck‌
Thanks for the clear up, I was slightly confused because that seemed like the opposite my guidance teacher was telling me, especially with UMASS Amherst being a safety school for me. </p>

17

<p>@wchuck OOPS you are correct</p>

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<p>I can not tell you much about the CS programs you are currently applying to, however, two good CS schools you could consider along with Georgia Tech are the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor) and the University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign).</p>

19

<p>I’m a junior now and I’m going to apply next year, anyways I think you have a very good chance of getting accepted, in fact I would be shocked if you didn’t. Just show your motivation for coding.</p>

20

<p>Thanks for the kind words you guys and I will do more research on the suggested schools :)</p>