We will be looking for colleges that are good in computer science/mathematics and give financial need based aid or merit based aid. Student with excellent track record as follows
Pros:
• >1500 in SAT math while still in 7th grade.
• Course will include multivariable calculus while still in high school,
• Toughest course load and among top 5% in school but school does not rank.
• Math/science/foreign language/English/History - a very competitive public school that places more than multiple kids in each of the HYPMS and Ivies.
• Excellent recommendations as past recommendation have helped her get in prestigious summer programs
• Attended top notch summer program math/computer science/writing programs and qualified for maximum possible need based scholarships in each summer program.
• Active in leadership positions in various clubs
• Some national/state/ regional awards in math/humanities/ and volunteering
Cons:
• Will need based financial aid (merit aid if we are lucky) to attend college.
• 90% financial need
• Chinese Kid (BWRKs)
• H and Y are out as not good fit as she wants to major in computer science.
We are exploring our options. Her curent GPA is above 3.95 without any weights. This includes some APs but will have many more APs and will include some Independent study course when she will graduate.
She has published two papers in mathematics through independent work study.
No geographic preference.
CMU is very good in computer science but not familiar with fin aid. Harvey mud is great for math, will check for computer science.
I second @thumper1 comment about the SAT score. I believe there is a 5 year limit on SAT scores, so your daughter might have slipped out of that time frame.
Harvard actually had a great CS program.
Carnegie Mellon, Stanford, Rice, WashU, Harvey Mudd, MIT, Cal Tech, Cornell, and Columbia are all great CS schools.
All the schools mentioned are fantastic schools, but also very competitive. I think the first thing of business should be finding an affordable safety, preferably 100% needs met school. After that, you can start worrying about the top ranked school.
That have an admit rate of at least 40% (some say 50% -- the higher, the safer).
Where the applicant's stats (GPA, SAT/ACT) are at or above the 75% figures among admits. (check last year's CDS)
That you can afford, and
That the applicant wouldn't mind attending.
There are plenty of high-quality reaches and low reaches mentioned already. Aside from at least one safety, maybe find a match or two as well. For general reference, typical match schools for high-stat kids will have acceptance rates of about 25-50%. Generally speaking, the lower the acceptance rate, the more impressive the applicant’s stats need to be relative to admits’ stats on the CDS, in order to be able to call it a match. And if you are looking at OOS public schools, the admit rate for OOS applicants typically is lower than the overall admit rate, since in-state applicants are admitted at a (sometimes substantially) higher rate.
@Jpgranier, You’re correct that some colleges have time limits for test scores. My son is taking a winter course at a different college and transferring it into his home university (it’s a prereq for something he wants to take in the spring). The college he’s taking it at said his scores couldn’t be more than 3 year’s old. OP should check individual college policies to be sure what their rules are.
CMU stinks for need based financial aid. D is a national merit finalist, our efc is 5000, & the aid package (need & merit) presented to her only covered half of tuition, room & board.