<p>Sorry to bump this up, but I was gone for a few days - school trip.</p>
<p>My current CS experience is my C++ Programming 2 class (never took Programming 1, got teacher consent to skip to 2, with the promise that I would drop it if I was too far behind to catch up). And at SSP this summer, programming is used in determining the orbit of my chosen asteriod ([SSP</a> - Summer Science Program](<a href=“http://www.summerscience.org/home/index.php]SSP”>SSP International "The educational experience of a lifetime"...since 1959 An experience of a lifetime since 1959)). I love my programming and math classes, which is why CS is my choice for a major right now. If it doesn’t work out, then I’ll switch to another science/math major - which is why my schools are all strong in science.</p>
<p>I don’t think that WI has reciprocity with UMich. I know that we have it with MN, but that seems to be the limit. I’ll ask my GC about that…</p>
<p>I’ll definitely check out Harvey Mudd. I’ve heard it mentioned before, but never really made the connection to me Hopefully on the way back from SSP in NM, we can take a huge detour to Caltech and Harvey Mudd. </p>
<p>I can’t change my courses at UWL - the school board already approved my current ones, and doesn’t consider revisions. I placed my requests way back in January - when I thought I was going to be a physics major. I was also looking for college courses that correspond with AP tests so that I won’t have to worry about transfer credits when I try to place into classes at college.</p>
<p>As for my Math IIC, I need to retake it, because as far as my standarized tests show, I’m relatively weak in math. I would retake the SAT I, but it (and the Subject tests) are only offered within two hours of my house in January and June. I took the subject tests last June, the SAT this January for National Merit, and still need a science subject test - so I have to take subject tests this June. Next January will be too late to send scores for admissions. (I hope that made sense :))</p>
<p>Scheduling for me is messed up becuase of my college classes, but I’ll dust off my persuasive skills and see if I can get into an afternoon German class. </p>
<p>Thanks for the links! and all of the feedback!</p>
<p>Book_worm,
OK, now your list and your plans make a lot more sense. Congrats on SSP! I would definitely recommend you take a serious look at Mudd. Chicago with your interests in physics also makes more sense.</p>
<p>Be sure your experiences w/programming figure into an essay somewhere along the way.</p>
<p>Wow, you’re rural enough that the nearest SAT center is 2 hrs away and even that is only offered twice a year? I bet the colleges will sit up and take notice. Definitely look into the HYPS group to see if you find something that attracts you.</p>
<p>Caltech’s average math SAT I score is 800; you have a really great SAT score but math is your lowest, and at extremely selective science schools like Caltech or MIT, it will make a difference. You sound like you are realy good at english related things, according to your writing and history scores, better than the maths! Why are you interested in computer science?</p>
<p>As far as I know, Carnegie Mellon has one of the top and most well known CS programs. Are you picking schools for prestige or for their programs? I thought that Case Western, U of Chicago, and Johns Hopkins’ schools were better for medical related majors. Im not sure though…</p>
<p>You should have taken physics or chem or a similiar science than Biology, both for your classes and for the SAT II youre taking! They are definitely more related to computer science than Bio. :]</p>
<p>Caltech is a risky place IMHO, because there’s no “plan B” for you there. If you discover that math/science is not for you, you are stuck. And at Caltech you have to take 4 or 5 semesters of physics no matter what is your major, which can be a drag if you don’t love physics… They also don’t give any AP credits, btw - but you probably know that…
Not that it’s not a great school - it obviously is. But it’s not for everyone. And if you want to explore areas outside of hard sciences, it is not the best place to be.
Harvey Mudd is similar in many ways, but it has the consortium, so it will greatly improve your options in humanities, etc.
(Same is true for MIT, though it has Harvard next door where you can take classes)</p>
<p>book_worm,
VERY impressive stats. Don’t let these math/science jocks scare you off. I’ll bet few if any of them have nailed 770 SAT CR, 36 ACT E, 36 ACT R, 800 SAT II US History.</p>
<p>BUT that raises the big question. Given your obvious strength in humanities & social sciences, why CS? I don’t mean to suggest you can’t do it; your math test scores are impressive and will likely to you into all but the very top schools in those fields—and even there it’s not impossible. But on the humanities/social science side you’re outstanding, definitely material for the Ivies, Stanford, Chicago, Amherst-Williams-Swarthmore, etc—not to say you’d get into all of them, but definitely could be in the running. So my question is not whether you’re strong enough on the math/science side to compete for the top schools, but rather why narrow yourself to tech when broader intellectual horizons might await you?</p>
<p>I would agree that you probably will not be among the most competitive applicants to MIT or Caltech because (a) your perfectly respectable SAT math score unfortunately is not high enough, and (b) you do not show a strong enough background or interests in computer programming.</p>
<p>Keep in mind however that computer science covers more than programming. I would not expect a student from a rural high school in Wisconsin to have much, if any, exposure to computer science. In fact I would not expect it from very many applicants anywhere.</p>
<p>In my opinion a solid background in mathematics and the physical sciences is a more desirable high school background, for a future Computer Scientist, than programming skills. Programming languages and applications will change in 10 years. The science fundamentals will not. Nor will the need for broadly educated people with excellent communications and teaming skills. The most highly paid IT professionals often are not, first and foremost, active programmers (which is not to say they don’t understand programming or cannot do it).</p>
<p>I don’t know if the admissions people ar Caltech or MIT will see it quite that way or not. They may have their pick of applicants who are strong in both the science and the technology.</p>
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<p>Or rather, make it less weighted towards the technology powerhouses, and more toward excellent liberal arts colleges and universities that do also have strong CS programs. Stanford is a CS powerhouse, but it also is strong in the liberal arts. Hopkins, Chicago, all of the Ivies, maybe the Claremont colleges - a bunch of places, really - are strong in CS and in the liberal arts as well. My number 1 probably would be Stanford (for all-around excellence, CS strength, climate, and financial aid).</p>
<p>To give you more ideas, here is a link to the most recent NRC rankings of CS departments I could find on the Internet:
[NRC</a> Rankings in Computer Science](<a href=“http://www.stat.tamu.edu/~jnewton/nrc_rankings/area29.html]NRC”>http://www.stat.tamu.edu/~jnewton/nrc_rankings/area29.html)
Take it with a grain of salt because it may not be up to date, and because it is a ranking of graduate departments. Some kids will thrive better at #55 Dartmouth than at #1 Stanford. Some will thrive better at a Liberal Arts College that is not even on the list.</p>
<p>“I would not expect a student from a rural high school in Wisconsin to have much, if any, exposure to computer science. In fact I would not expect it from very many applicants anywhere.”</p>
<p>With MIT OCW and Ars Digita, anyone in the world with internet access has access to computer science. Berkeley open courses is pretty extensive for CS and EE courses and Harvard and Stanford have several CS courses online for free too.</p>
<p>Since you need financial aid, perhaps your focus should be on getting into the best CS school that would offer you an opportunity to take Econ and give you significant merit aid.</p>
Hopefully on the way back from SSP in NM, we can take a huge detour to Caltech and Harvey Mudd. </p>