<p>AAARGH, WIndyCitay, let me guess: you’re in high school and going through the process yourself.
No, URM status does not offset GPA. Universities don’t look at someone’s race and hit “admit” if they see a URM. I can’t tell you how many kids here heard something like what WindyCitay said and got disappointed.
URM status can offset a lower SAT/ACT score, especially if the student is from a lower-income family, because lower-income students rarely prep, often take the test only once (twice tops), and almost never have a prep tutor. Since all three factors increase test scores, URM/lower income students get some leeway on that account.
URM status only one factor among many and the student must be within the university’s range to get in.</p>
<p>@Someone1234:
You’re taking a VERY rigorous schedule. Check with your guidance counselor to make sure she’ll check the “most rigorous” box on her recommendation. Start preparing a list of your achievement. If you want to go into CS, “(I’ve also done programming classes on the weekends for the last 4 years. Even went to a national competition.)” would be key: what classes and languages? To what level? What national competition and did you rank? Have you ever “done” something with your programming (created an app with a friend, helped your uncle’s business, whatever)? All of this matters greatly and is seen very favorably.
If you read what I wrote above, you’ll see that if (unlike many lower-income kids) you prep actively*, even try to find a tutor (if there aren’t any at your school, ask your counselor to ask colleagues at another school), you can reap big benefits from scoring high since it’ll set you apart from other URM students with a similar GPA. What will set you apart also is your very rigorous schedule - however, be careful: if you see you’re not getting at least a B in one of these classes, backtrack to a lower-level class. NO one’s impressed with a C in a hard class. Up to B- in a hard class and you’re fine. Rigorous schedule + Strong ACT score = LOTS of schools are within reach for you because the strong ACT score offsets the low-ish GPA. Rigorous schedule + average ACT score = fewer schools but still at shot at pretty good schools.</p>
<p>For UMN Twin Cities, you MUST have at least a 25 composite on the ACT and at least 27 on the math section.
However, because you’re EFC0, it may be useful for you to apply widely, including schools that want to increase diversity (such as Rose Hulman, typically seen as #1 for non-doctoral engineering in the US, or Lawrence, good in the sciences), schools with a low-ish tuition to start with (UMN-M, SDSM), and especially schools that meet 100% need (such as St Olaf.)
UMN-Morris has a good CS curriculum (and after two years, if you’re bored, you can transfer to UMN-TC fairly easily).
Check out Gustavus Adolphus, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology (ey, Google recruits there), Rose Hulman, RIT, Beloit, Lawrence, Earlham; as reaches RPI, Case Western Reserve, St Olaf (good stuff in CS!)
Run the Net Price Calculator on each and see how much you’d be expected to pay.
The #1 source of scholarships is the college itself; #2 is the federal government and the state. </p>
<ul>
<li>start with “Up your score” and “Get your ACT together”. They should be available at your public or school library, or from your guidance counselor (if not, ask your counselor to see if the school library can acquire them). Register with “question of the day” with both the ACT and the SAT (regardless of the test you intend to take, the questions are similar enough that getting two questions a day sent to your phone is a neat practice trick… and it’s free.) Register with “number2.com” (it’s free) and review the info on Khan Academy’s website. Work every day.Then buy the “red book” of “Real ACT’s” and take one test, untimed. Review your mistakes carefully, work on problems related to these. Work with another prep book (Kaplan’s or Princeton Review’s or Barron’s). Take another test, untimed. Review your mistakes carefully. Take another test and time yourself this time. Review each mistake and keep going. Aim at taking the test in December, and work your calendar backwards (if I need this to be done by Day 14, then I must have Z done by Day 12. To have Z done by Day 12, I need to have X completed by Day 10. etc…)</li>
</ul>