Hi, my brother will be a high school senior in the fall. He has good ACT scores, but very few extracurriculars. He wants to major in CS.
Background info:
Intended Major: CS
State: California
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Male
Test scores:
ACT: 34, 36, 33, 36
SAT I: 1500
SAT II: Math Level 2 (800), Physics (730)
AP: CS (5), Calc BC (5), Physics 1 (5), Physics 2 (5)
Extracurriculars:
Game development: He makes games by himself. My parents say he spends a lot of time on this, but he doesn’t have much to show the admissions officers. (e.g., no mobile apps, nothing released, no interaction with other game developers)
Math team: He attends the meetings, and participates in some contests. (e.g., he has taken the AMC but has not make it to AIME.)
We were discussing what schools for him to apply to. He lives in California, so some obvious schools to try are the UCs. Are there any other schools? In particular, are there schools which satisfy some (or all) of the following?
Good place to study CS
Doesn't care very much about lack of ECs
Gives scholarships to students with good ACT scores
Lots of UCs and CSUs are good places to study CS, but admission selectivity for CS majors is often higher than for the schools in general, so be careful.
The Cal States do not consider EC’s in their admission decisions, so admission is just based on CSU/UC GPA and test scores. He has excellent test scores so he might want to consider an Honor’s College at one of the Cal States along with any UC’s depending upon his UC GPA.
Cal Poly SLO CS is a tough admit, but an excellent school. Other Cal states to consider would be San Jose State, San Diego State, Cal Poly Pomona and Cal state Long Beach.
Santa Clara, Harvey Mudd, USC are also worth looking at depending upon budget. Each school’s website has a Net Price Calculator which can give you an estimate of costs (if applicable).
Thanks for the responses! Those are some good schools and some good points to think about.
GPA: 3.83 (unweighted), 4.10 (weighted)
Budget: My parents say they would be willing to support him if he attends a private school. But they would like to avoid paying that much unless it is worth it.
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Santa Clara, Harvey Mudd, USC are also worth looking at depending upon budget.
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Harvey Mudd did come to my mind, but I had the impression that it is quite selective, and would probably care a lot about ECs. Would you say this is true?
I’ve heard less about SCU and USC, but what would be some reasons to attend these schools over UCs/CSUs? (What would he get in return for the higher tuition? Do they offer scholarships based on good test scores?)
Private schools tend to offer smaller classes and more personal attention (not all, though; some privates are large). Is it “worth it”? Hard to say, its a judgement call. If you’re basing a decision on outcomes then there may be more recruiting and interest in grads from a place like Caltech or Stanford because of the known quality of kids that get admitted, but with few ECs your brother is probably not a realistic candidate.
The world of engineering and CS is pretty flat in terms of recruiting with the exceptions listed above. You graduate with specific skills that can be demonstrated in interviews, so employers aren’t taking the same chance they are in trying to find good kids for their management program and hiring liberal-arts majors. So no worries about going to a UC or a CSU (although recruiting will be stronger at more prestigous campuses).
However you say that he spends a lot of time on games but hasn’t actually produced anything that can be shown. This is a bit of a red flag. A key to getting a good job after graduating is internship experience, and when hiring for internships they are going to ask “what have you done?” The kid that has something to show is a stronger candidate than one that can’t.
Yes, *some/i private schools may have less of an “economy class” feel[1] that public schools often have (good public schools can have strong curricula with extensive options and opportunities, delivered in an “economy class” manner). Whether that is worth the higher price (or sometimes other compromises, like in the breadth or depth of offerings) is something that each student must decide.
[1] E.g. large classes, instructor interaction has to be sought out (though it is typically readily available if one seeks it) instead of it coming to you automatically, less face-to-face advising comes to you by default (though often there is extensive written advising material on web pages), etc…
Your suspicion is right, Harvey Mudd puts a lot of emphasis on ECs, especially STEM ECs.
Santa Clara is a great suggestion. He should consider Cal Poly SLO and SJSU but CS is a tough major for admissions so he might not have the gpa for Cal Poly. Do you know what his UC gpa is? Would he (and your parents) be willing to consider UC Riverside? They might be pleasantly surprised.
Good schools in the mid-west would love to have him and he would probably get some merit money with his scores at some very good colleges. Many California kids are heading in that direction.
What UC’s consider important on their application review, courtesy of another CC poster:
Berkeley
Very important: Academic GPA, Application essay, Rigor of secondary school record, Standardized test scores
Important: Extracurricular activities, Volunteer work, Work experience
Considered: Character/personal qualities, First generation college student, State residency
Note: Thorough review of academic performance; likely contribution to intellectual and cultural vitality of the campus; diversity in personal background and experience; demonstrated qualities in leadership, motivation, concern for others and community; non-academic achievement in the performing arts, athletics or employment; demonstrated interest in major.
LOR's by invitation only as of 2017
Davis
Very important: Academic GPA, Application essay, Rigor of secondary school record, Standardized test scores
Important: Character/personal qualities, Extracurricular activities, Talent/ability, Volunteer work
Considered: First generation college student, Geographical residence, State residency, Work experience
Note: Scholastic achievement most important, followed by school and community activities, academic interests, special circumstances, special achievements and awards
Irvine
Very important: Academic GPA, Application essay, Extracurricular activities, Level of applicant's interest, Rigor of secondary school record, Standardized test scores, Talent/ability, Volunteer work, Work experience
Important: Character/personal qualities, Class rank
Considered: First generation college student, Geographical residence, State residency
Note: Demonstrated record of academic preparation, educational engagement, talent and skills important.
Los Angeles
Very important: Academic GPA, Application essay, Rigor of secondary school record, Standardized test scores
Important: Character/personal qualities, Extracurricular activities, Talent/ability, Volunteer work, Work experience
Considered: First generation college student, Geographical residence
Note: GPA, test scores, course work, number of and performance in honors and AP courses most important. Essay considered. Strong senior program important. Extracurricular activities, honors and awards also reviewed.
Merced
Very important: Academic GPA, Application essay, Rigor of secondary school record, Standardized test scores
Important: Class rank, Extracurricular activities, Talent/ability
Considered: Character/personal qualities, First generation college student, Geographical residence, Level of applicant's interest, Recommendations, State residency, Volunteer work, Work experience
Note: Academic record and test scores determine eligibility.
Riverside
Very important: Academic GPA, Application essay, Rigor of secondary school record, Standardized test scores
Considered: Character/personal qualities, Extracurricular activities, First generation college student, State residency, Talent/ability, Volunteer work, Work experience
Note: A fixed weight point system comprehensive review model that culminates in an Academic Index Score to determine admission for incoming freshmen.
San Diego
Very important: Academic GPA, Application essay, Rigor of secondary school record, Standardized test scores
Important: Character/personal qualities, Extracurricular activities, First generation college student, State residency, Talent/ability, Volunteer work, Work experience
Note: High school course pattern, GPA, essay and test scores most important. Admission for out-of-state applicants more selective than for residents.
Santa Barbara
Very important: Academic GPA, Application essay, Rigor of secondary school record, Standardized test scores
Considered: Character/personal qualities, Class rank, Extracurricular activities, First generation college student, Level of applicant's interest, State residency, Talent/ability, Volunteer work, Work experience
Note: Eligibility established by high school GPA, course requirement, and SAT scores. Special consideration for disadvantaged students.
Santa Cruz
Very important: Academic GPA, Application essay, Rigor of secondary school record, Standardized test scores, State residency
Important: Character/personal qualities, Extracurricular activities, First generation college student, Geographical residence, Talent/ability
Considered: Volunteer work, Work experience
Note: Test scores, GPA in required subjects most important. Personal statement very important.