Category:International Student
Nationality:Indian
Major:BSc in Computer Science
Academic Details
New SAT:1400 planning to give SAT again @ Oct 1 (May get around 1500)
SAT Subject : 790 in Math II,Will give Math II and Chem in Nov
In India we don’t have GPA ,just percentages,out of which grade 10th and grade 12th matter the most.
Grade 10th:92.6%
Grade 12th:92.5 Both ICSE/ISC Board
Budget :$25,000 per year after scholarships
Have great recommendation letters.
EC:
Badminton team captain
Science Club Head
Programming Club Head
Volleyball Team
Regional Mathematics Olympiad Qualified
I think I wrote a pretty good personal statement
Planning to apply to following colleges :
1)Cornell University
2)University of Massachusetts Amherst
3)Indiana University Bloomington
4)Texas A&M
5)University of Arizona
6)University of Minnesota Twin Cities
7)Boston University
Safe:
8)University of Texas Dallas
9)University of Texas Arlington
Need suggestion,should I change any university/upgrade to better ones.
With some of the top ranked schools like Cornell its hard to tell, You’re definitely a contender with any of those schools one thing I would like to add is that computer science is a field where unless you’re trying to get recruited from silicon valley, you don’t need to go top tier private school that will put you in debt. This of course is void if you can afford to pay for school in cash.
The issue is financial. Most universities on your list do not “meet need”, so luck will play a big role. The only university where you have a good shot due to finances is UMN Twin Cities (fortunately for you, it’s an excellent university). You should apply to CollegiumV at UT Dallas, and if you do reach 1500, apply to mcDermott scholars.
Thanks for your suggestions.I probably have added so many Texas Uni’s to my list as I get a shot at the Out Of State Tuition waiver which will let me pay the In-State Rates which definitely fit my budget.
The main question you need to answer is as follows: Are you chasing prestige, or just a CS degree?
If you are chasing prestige, then getting into a place like Cornell will be difficult with your profile. The reason is that there are several thousand applicants from India alone each year who apply. A large majority are applying for CS or engineering fields. A majority of these applicants will have much higher scores, grades and notable ECs than you.
However as others have posted, getting a degree from anywhere with CS should be enough for you to get a decent job. Since your budget is $25K per year, this will cover roughly half the expenses at most US colleges. Simply then try to find schools where your SAT scores are >75th percentile. There are many schools that offer CS, where your scores will be at the upper end. Use the Supermatch tool on CC to find some more schools.
