Hi everyone,
Major: CS or Engineering (whichever is easier to get into)
I don’t know how much of a chance I have of getting into these schools so I just wanted some input from you guys. For Cal, I was thinking of applying to L&S b/c I have absolutely no chance of getting into EECS.
Indian female from CA, very competitive public school (born and raised in CA)
my mom didn’t go to college. my dad went to college in India.
UC gpa - 3.89
Weighted gpa - 4.1944
UW gpa - 3.6944
Rank - N/A
ACT - 34 single score, 35 superscored
SAT II - math: 780, physics: 790
Courses + Grades:
9th:
Freshman bio - A/A
Freshman english - A/A
Algebra 2 - A/A
Freshman PE - A/A
Health/World geography - A/A
spanish 2 - A/A
10th:
AP Euro: B/B
Honors precalc: B/B
honors physics: A/B
sophomore english: A/A
yoga: A/A
spanish 3: A/A
11th (predicting my grades for this semester):
APUSH: B/A
AP calc AB: B/B
AP Lit: B+/A
AP Psych: B+/A
AP Physics C: B/A - my school offers only Mech, but I’m self studying for the E&M exam as well
APCS: A/A
My classes for next year are:
-AP Calc BC
-AP Gov
-AP Macroecon
-AP Microecon
-AP Chem
-AP Lang
-Principles of Engineering
EC’s:
- Piano from 2008 to present. completed the Certificate of Merit levels up to 10
- Nonprofit that teaches coding to underprivileged. Intern (summer 2016), staff member (2016-present), leader developer (2017-present), VP (2017-present)
- i’m doing 2 internships this summer that are both related to CS (one is IT and the other is AI)
- Founder and president of Cybersecurity club at my school
-California Scholarship federation active member and will be receiving the 100% member award
-will be receiving PVSA gold this year
-Physics Club member since sophomore year
- Girls who code member since freshman year
Essays/Recs: I am a great writer and I am liked by most, if not all, of my teachers, so these should be stellar
do you have any suggestions on what I could do to improve my chances, or what schools I would have a better chance at?
thank you!!
I also forgot to mention this, but I took 3 classes outside of school if that makes a difference. Chemistry, Intro to Java, and Music Appreciation at a CC (got A’s in all)
Also, this summer I’m planning on coding a game/useful app. And another school I’d like to get chanced on is UMich.
Your grades are slightly below average for top ten CS schools. Your test scores are good as well. You also demonstrate deep achievement in the area of computer science through your ECs.
Your summer looks a little busy: two internships and creating an app / game (plan to spend 200 - 500 hours on your game - I know this from experience). You might not get the chance to finish your app. Be sure to spend time wisely.
You have excellent test scores, good/average ECs, and slightly lackluster grades. I’d say:
UCLA - R/WL (GPA)
Cal - R/WL (GPA)
CMU - A/WL
GaTech - WL (OOS)
NYU - A/WL
UT Austin - ??
U Wash - A/WL
UIUC - A
The problem with people like us who take tons of AP courses is that the UC GPA shafts us. They cap the number of weighted points, and even a few Bs can seriously screw you over… Which sucks since GPA is the most important aspect for a UC application. If you can make yourself a compelling applicant for CMU I think you can get in. Same with NYU.
thank you!! @collegeboundprogrammer @beepybeetle
@beepybeetle regarding your chance for UIUC, was that for engineering or CS? cuz CS is really hard to get into, i think the acceptance rate is like 6%. UWash as well: i think it’s harder to get into CS than into engineering.
For engineering (which is still challenging), but I think you are competitive for CS nonetheless. If you want, you might also want to try for UCSD. They have strong programs too and you should be able to get into UCSD IMHO
@beepybeetle thanks!! I didn’t think I was even close to competitive at any of the schools because of my GPA. And I thought my extracurriculars are kinda weak. Can you chance me on UMich? I don’t know how competitive their CS/engineering programs are
^^ its very. I think your grades might keep you out of the running but mostly the B’s you received in math classes. For CS, math is the most important class.
@kjake2000 but they’re weighted and my school is really really competitive. will a 5 on the AP calc AB test help in any way?
I understand your situation, but I’m sure other students in your school got A’s in those math classes. The top competitive schools will want these top students.
This doesn’t put you out of the running, don’t give up, you still have a very good shot. This is honestly the only thing I could find deficient with your app.
You should look at Cal Poly if you haven’t already.
@kjake2000 Thank you!!
@washugrad Cal Poly is my last resort if I don’t get into any other school. I’m not working this hard to go to one of my low safeties
having just been through the process myself and having lots of friends in your prospective majors, I think you can get into NYU, UT Austin, and UDub (but as pre-engineering, meaning later you only have 30% chance of getting in, not as direct admit). For the rest, just being honest, I think you will be either rejected or waitlisted, just because of how competitive cs and engineering is these days. I’m from CA as well, and my friends with at most 2 Bs their whole high school career have also been rejected by the rest of the schools you have listed. I think you should add Cal Poly SLO to the list, its engineering is very good but also very competitive, and all the UCs.
@cjchasinglife thanks for the suggestions!
do you guys think I can get into Purdue, Rice, or RPI for engineering, or UCSD or UCD for CS?
Your scores are really good, your GPA is pretty high for most of these schools, but your ec’s are somewhat lacking. I think that your chances for RPI, Purdue, Rice, & UCD are pretty good.
is UDub university of dublin?
University of Washington-Seattle, not Dublin.
UCSD for CS is very impacted, so that may be difficult, as well as Rice for engineering. As for RPI, Purdue, and UCD, I believe you have a good chance!
thank you everyone!! for UIUC, would it be easier if i applied to LAS for a CS+X major?
You need to review your attitude. CPP has been denying a number of strong applicants because they are impacted in the CS disciplines. GPA is crucial.
Your UW GPA will affect where you get in, especially since your B’s are in pivotal math courses. This, in combination with your ECs, may affect your admissions chances. Adcoms may wonder why you are spending time in EC’s at the expense of those math grades.
The UC’s will look at 10th and 11th grades.
AP scores aren’t really considered for admission.
You are targeting some OOS publics that won’t give you a dime in financial aid and won’t prioritize your application as an OOS student. Your parents may be paying ~$60K per year at some of these schools with no aid, if you get in.