If most CS programs tend to be more selective than the overall school, would it make more sense to apply undeclared, get good freshman/sophomore grades at the school, and then go to the CS department?
I would be very wary of assuming that your school is different from all the other schools in FL. I have been in FL for quite a few admissions cycles. My kids go to a very very well regarded private school and 3.35 weighted will not be good enough for UF. UF is very numbers oriented and GPA is much more important to UF than test scores. The average GPA of admitted students from your school is 3.65 but you don’t have 3.65.
You have a much better chance at UCF than UF but you are not a slam dunk there. UCF is a good choice for you because UCF values test scores more than UF and your test scores are good.
I would forget Cornell, TX, CMU, Michigan, Wisconsin, Penn and find schools where you can be accepted. A very high test score does not make up for a lackluster academic record.
I mean… it’s not very hard to conclude considering the average UF freshman GPA is ~4.5 and the average GPA from my school is 3.63.
Also, you’re right, a 3.35 is not a 3.63. However, even though I am at the bottom of the average for GPA, my ACT which is 6 points above their average should account for the low GPA. I’m not saying that I’m guaranteed admissions by any means (considering UF is very holistic), but I think I have a good chance. Honestly, I will be able to walk into UCF. Not only do they have rolling admissions, but their average GPA/ACT from my school is 3.27 and a 26 ACT. I’m more than over-qualified for UCF.
As for “forgetting about” Cornell, TX, CMU, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Penn, I disagree with you for the most part. The average student getting into Cornell from my school is a 3.83W 31 ACT. It’s worth applying, especially ED. CMU is nearly the same as Cornell except for the GPA average being .04 lower, plus CMU does not consider freshman grades so my recalculated GPA would be ~3.7, making me a very competitive applicant.
Wisconsin is a 3.53W 28 ACT from my school. With a 3.35 and an ACT that is 7 points above their average, I’d say my chances are good.
Also, I wouldn’t go as far as saying my academic record is “lackluster”. Although there is no way for you to know this, but the average GPA at my school is 3.31. The downside of being at a private school is the lack of grade inflation that you will find at most public schools.
TCU for CS is a poor recommendation. They do not have a strong CS program.
Is the OP only interested in large schools?
@ColdinMinny I like the idea of a large school, but it’s not a necessity. If there is a top school with good CS that is 2000 students, I’d definitely still be interested.
If it is more selective for frosh admission, it is likely to have some sort of selective admission process to enter the major later. See http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/discussion/comment/19854939/#Comment_19854939 for examples.
Maybe so, but a TCU level program would give the OP significant merit money, and I am not sure that the in-state options are any better at CS.
Here is a ranking of CS schools by faculty placement. Rochester looks like a promising candidate for merit.
Didn’t you already apply for UF? When my kids were seniors, the first application date was 10/16 (which I learned of about 2 days before, but it didn’t matter because they weren’t applying). Almost half the senior class that was applying to UF, UCF or FSU applied by that early date. I think the kids started hearing back in December.
My kid is OOS at UW, and I have followed admissions cycles there for 4 years. While not impossible, UW is unlikely to take an OOS student with below a 3.5. Michigan the same. That’s why I suggested Purdue, IU Bloomington and Case.
High test scores and lower gpa tells a school – right or wrong – that a student is an underachiever. Not a category of admits they are looking to bump up.
Look more broadly if you want options in the spring outside of your regional Florida schools.
@Spinny99 Please review my post at #8 on page 1.
Trinity has a merit aid program that is absolutely straightforward and transparent. You plug in your grades and ACT score, and that is what they will give you.
School has 2400 students, gorgeous campus overlooking downtown San Antonio, and excellent in CS. They have 100% job placement for all of their CS grads.
Good luck!
Just checked out their merit aid matrix. @Spinny99 would receive $17K per year, or $68K total from Trinity. If you can get your grades up to a 3.5, you would get $21K per year.
^ I have a friend whose daughter goes there. And work with someone who went to Trinity Univ for their undergrad. And a work friend had a son who graduated from Trinity then went on to UVA business school. All have only positive things to say.
They roll out the red carpet for their open house. Highly recommend a visit.
Does your school have Naviance? If so, has anyone with your GPA been accepted to UF? Also it’s not hard to recalculate your GPA to the scale UF uses. I believe the 25-75 percentiles for UF last year were 4.1-4.6 based on their recalculated GPA scale. UF only counts academic classes and adds .5 for honors and 1 for AP’s and IB’s. They do not count pluses and minus’ and use a base 4.0 scale. So an A in an honors class is a 4.5, a B in an AP class is a 4 etc. Recalculate your GPA and see where you fall in.
OP-If the average GPA at your school is 3.31 and you are at 3.35 you are just about average. That is not good enough for the kinds of schools you are targeting. Whether you call it lackluster or not the truth is that in your little corner of the world your academic record is less than outstanding. You need to be outstanding.
I live in FL and my kids also go to a private school so I understand about GPAs being inflated at the public schools. My son is not applying to any large universities so I am not conversing with you because I am trying to keep the competition away from my kids.
I hope that I am wrong and that you can write back to me in the spring and tell me that you got in everywhere you wanted to get in. I would be happy to hear that news from you. I just don’t see UF happening with a sub 3.5W.
@Proudpatriot @loulou13 @Zinhead @Midwestmomofboys @ColdinMinny @TribeAspirer2021 @STEM2017
Just remembered this thread and figured that I’d provide an update for those who find it in the future.
Like most of you said, UF did not work out. UF admissions were rough this year- only 6 admitted students out of 120 in my class! On the bright side, I was accepted to the University of Miami with a moderate scholarship and also to the University of Texas at Austin. Although I’m still waiting on my last decision (Michigan), I plan on matriculating to UT. Looking forward to becoming a longhorn! I’m just so happy that everything worked out and I wanted to thank everyone for all of the help!
I hear great things about UT! Congratulations on your acceptances.