I live in Ohio, so there are very few options for in-school cs…
I think even UCLA is a reach. You need to lower your expectation somewhat (sorry but MIT and the sort, are too hard to reach).
Case, OSU, Oberlin, Dayton, Cincinnati???
@ScrubStudent You need to also apply to safeties. They are a must.
What do you mean you skipped 10th grade? For our school, English is really the only course that has separate classes for each year. Other classes can be taken in various years. You could take some other English course to have 4 years of English, which most colleges are going to want and be able to bring up your GPA and take more courses. (For example, at our HS if you took 9th grade English, AP Lang & Comp, and AP English Lit, you could still take one of Mythology, Mexican-American Lit, or Dual-Enrollment Composition in the 4th year.
I’m not sure how UCLA and the other UCs would treat your not having a 10th grade year. They normally do not count 9th grade in the UC GPA, but if you only have 9th and 11th when you apply, I’m guessing they will count those years in your GPA. It would be to your advantage to attend 4 years of HS so that the UCs would not look at your freshman year grades.
Are you in California so that applying to UCs and CSUs would make sense? If so, you need to meet the A-G requirements, which include 4 years of English. If you don’t meet the A-G requirements, you aren’t eligible for admission.
For the requirements, see https://www.ucop.edu/agguide/a-g-requirements/
For the classes you have taken and how the UC/CSUs count those, see
https://hs-articulation.ucop.edu/agcourselist#/list/search/institution
To calculate your UC GPA, see https://rogerhub.com/gpa-calculator-uc/
Ynotgo - Indeed, I did. Here, we don’t use integrated courses, so that would never have been a conflict. Nonetheless, I will be taking more courses this summer and next year and should be able to bring up my unweighted and weighted GPAs, significantly.
Update: I did get my ACT back, and it was a 33. Will this help to counter a below-average (for CMU, etcetera) GPA? Also, I plan to take the SAT and SAT II subject tests during the summer, as well as another ACT.
Last question: do colleges take unweighted or weighted GPA into account, more? My weighted GPA is substantially better than the former, so I’d like to know in advance.
First, congrats to your ACT score 33. Instead of making standardized test score close to perfect. Spend time to do something you can talk about in application essay.
Some schools look at UW GPA, some schools look at Weighted. Some cap your number of AP courses for Weighted formula. You need to check with the school you apply. Do your due diligent. Don’t rely on this thread to get accurate answer. Last but not least, you think your Weighted GPA looks better. Whose Weighted GPA is not better than their UW GPA?
I get what you mean by that. For safety schools I’ve been looking into something like University of Illinois. By extracurriculars which you think would be helpful, what do you mean? I do some things, (mostly relating to programming) but I don’t know what else there is in which I might partake.
Also, thanks.
UIUC CS should not be considered a safety. CS admission is much more competitive than general admission to UIUC.
Your ACT and GPA seem to be below average for all three programs. Admission is still possible, but please have some matches and safeties.
Like everyone has said, these schools are very competitive. You need to focus on your SAT 1 & 2 Scores and improving your GPA. There is a lot more that will be considered than just the scores, but scores are very important. Also if you have not yet taken your PSAT focus on that to qualify for National merit, that has a lot of weight in many schools. Most applicants to MIT are at least semi finalists for National Merit. Your grades, scores, community service, leadership, EC’s, awards, internship/research all these are viewed holistically so it is very hard to predict your chances.
I randomly found your username while scrolling around. Glad that there’s another Elon Musk fan around! 
“I live in Ohio, so there are very few options for in-school cs…”
Doesn’t The Ohio State University have computer science?
Given your somewhat unusual high school record, I would think that your best chance at MIT, CMU, Stanford, or comparable schools is probably to get a bachelor’s degree elsewhere, and then go on to a top school for a masters.
Of course, in computer science you don’t actually need a master’s.
Update: June SAT came back as a 1490, so I’ve just missed a 1500. Additionally, I’m currently taking some summer classes; however, my GPA is now a 3.6 W and 3.35 UW.
You’re a good candidate with a strong story, so I would definitely emphasize that in your essays. It would be awesome if you could find a way to weave your ECs with how you helped improve your mental health. As a current Stanford undergrad, I would say you definitely have a chance, but make sure you apply to match and safety schools as well.
Thread was reopened. My gpa is a 3.45 UW, 3.65 W, and I would like to add more details as per ECs, etcetera.
@AdmitLab stop spamming in order to get gullible customers
I have some other schools of interest including OSU, CWRU, University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, etcetera.
Full list of ECs which come to mind:
NHS
4H (7 years of robotics, during which I won every county fair)
Requested help from library to start my own programming class at which I teach about machine learning and python at three different levels. (3-6 hours per week for 20 weeks)
YouTube channel where I post tutorials and updates surrounding my programming projects.
Academic challenge for 3 years
2 years of tennis (one of which was varsity)
GitHub with applications of machine learning on which I’ve been working.
Volunteer for 8 hours each week at habitat for humanity
Mentor a freshman with issues regarding attendance and responsibility
I realize that these ECs may be weak, but I’ve worked with what my community has to offer and hope that they are an adequate representation of who I am and my passion for programmimg.
Final query: I am autistic and have a severe anxiety disorder. Will said information hurt my chances when it comes of admission?
I wouldn’t mention the autism or anxiety disorder, but it is okay to have your guidance counselor mention it in their LOR. I think your ECs are very interesting, but your GPA is very low for the schools you mention. You probably shouldn’t have skipped sophomore year, because had you gotten all A’s, that would have helped lift your GPA.
Check out Ohio State, Rensselaer Polytec or Case Western for undergraduate work instead (and you’ll probably need more matches and safeties, since CS is a very competitive major) and try for one of those T20 schools for grad school.
Thanks for the advice! As per my grade skip, it was necessary that I skip a grade in order to advance in classes, and, in addition, my best friend is currently a Senior. With regards to the GPA, though, there is an extenuating circumstance in that my mother was diagnosed with a terminal illness during that year, leading to such bad anxiety that my grades fell to nearly all Bs and Cs.
Last year, my GPA improved but is still being weighed down by freshman year. Since my chances are so dubious with top-tier CS schools, what would you suggest in terms of universities with good offerings for research? I want to try, should I not get into MiT or CMU, to apply for a master’s in machine learning, so I want to find colleges at which I can research it in the meantime. (haven’t found many others that actually provide a good selection of those types of courses)
I have looked at OSU, since my mother once attended it; however, we aren’t sure that it would be the best for me due to my issues with social interactions in large groups.
Obviously, I wish I were competitive at schools like CMU, but I didn’t have the organization/drive needed during high school and now have to pay the price. I seem to have gained some sense of both focus (I have attention issues and often forget to write down homework assignments) and foresight, so I want to try for getting a higher GPA in college and applying for selective universities for my master’s and/or PhD. (still pondering working in the field of research regarding machine learning)
Bump - any ideas?
Also, I would like to note that I’ll be receiving sat 2 subject test scores in four days and will update you all, then. (math 2, physics, and us history)