This may not exist, but here is what I am looking for.
DD is a rising senior. She definitely wants CS. But she is also worried that she won’t get in anywhere and would feel less stressed with an admission somewhere as early as possible. So she doesn’t want to apply to our chosen safeties yet, but needs an admission to feel less stressed in general.
Texas resident, but we don’t have rank yet. Unlikely to be top 10%, but a decent chance of top 25% which would make some state schools guaranteed.
4.47 WGPA. I used a calculator somewhere online that gave me about 3.97 UW. SAT once - 1420 (700M/720V).
LGBTQ F. Prefers a city, but not necessary for what I am asking about today. No small schools (probably 4000 and up). Somewhere with sufficient depth in CS. Deep South is out (so no Alabama, MS, FL etc). I don’t want to debate the details of local vs state vs campus politics. Soft financial cap of $60K per year, but less is always good. Near an airport is also a plus.
TLDR - are there any CS schools that are guaranteed admit that she can apply to and hear from in the next few weeks to take some of the pressure off? Arizona is the only one I have come up with (and please correct me if I am wrong about that one!).
Pitt isn’t a guarantee but a match, and they have rolling admission. Apply the second the application opens and there should be an answer in 4-6 weeks.
Maybe not in her preferred location, but with Iowa State University you hear back in 72 hours.
UMN you can hear back very fast (sometimes 2 weeks) but it is variable-sometimes you don’t hear back for months. Would be a good choice though – city, very LGBT friendly, good CS, she would get merit.
In addition to applying to schools that give a quick response, where else is your D planning to apply? Once a safety is locked in early, she should have a good choice of schools to choose from next spring.
Surprisingly, the University of Utah would be worth a look. It’s in a vibrant city, admits 95% of its applicants, is in a pretty location with a major airport, and ranks 4.5/5.0 on Campus Pride Index. She’ll likely get good money there, and if she stays over her first summer, will qualify to switch to instate tuition.
U of Arizona, ASU (I believe), Indiana U and likely many more in addition wo what’s been described.
If she wants a city, is LGBTQ, and solid CS, seems to me Pitt is a winner and I’m going to say is a likely.
U of Arizona - Tucson is very blue and Arizona now has a dem governor but is a split sort of state. Great school and city. Total safety. Quick response - within two weeks.
Michigan State and Kansas have early action deadlines but I believe (correct me someone if I’m wrong) - that come out with answers quickly. Lansing is the state capital and Lawrence Kansas is one of the top college towns.
Both are safeties regardless. Michigan is obviously blue. Kansas has a democrat governor and last year (or two years ago) had a vote and now has reproductive access granted into the state constitution. It also has a very strong 4.5 campus pride index score.
There are just certain schools with your kid’s scores and I get wanting the early in - my daughter did - but certain schools are just gimmes regardless of date and your daughter should know that.
We are struggling a little with figuring out all of the schools on her list but have a few thoughts.
Right now the in-state schools on the list are:
UT
UT-Dallas and UTSA
Out of state :
Col School of Mines
CU Boulder and Univ. of Denver.
Pitt and WPI
We are also considering looking at DC schools and California schools, but haven’t confirmed any. Guidance counselor suggested some other likely/target schools such as Illinois Inst. Tech, Hofstra, Stony Brook, Drexel, but I have concerns about commuter reputations.
So, yes, I am open to suggestions as to her regular list, but also hoping to find her a sure thing to take some of the pressure off!
UTD and UTSA are safeties and Trinity is a likely with your scores - and merit.
Mines is likely - and all three can be done in that trip. If you have another 1/2 day you can try CSU too. DU is a safety and CU Boulder is a safety/likely.
While Colorado is "drivable from some parts of Texas (hello Amarillo), assuming you’re not from there - there’s really no farther distance to Pitt and or WPI (Pitt easier to get to) - you’re flying either way.
All those you mention are safeties.
All come at different price points - but some will come with big merit.
I don’t think your daughter has to worry about “getting in somewhere” and you have time to develop the list.
But my guess is if she likes Mines (but go visit), she’s not going to like the big state schools.
Also, note a school like Mines (and others like it) will have a HUGE gender imbalance - so if that bothers her…
I was also going to suggest U of MN. Certainly a match. Merit a possibility, not a guarentee. Doing CS through CLA is an easier admit than CSE. Rolling admit, can be really fast. I think both my kids heard within 2 weeks. Sometimes OOS admits take a little longer.
Great suggestions, thank you! And thank you all for trying to calm our nerves a bit. I think a smaller school would be better for DD, but so many of the stronger CS schools tend to be bigger schools. I also have worries about the gender imbalance at the tech schools, so we are looking into that. I don’t think there is a perfect school, but I think there are plenty that could end up working out.
I will run some of these by her as ones that should give her an answer quickly and have her pick a couple for a quick application - thank you for the suggestions. Hopefully that will give her a confidence boost and make her less anxious about the process. She will likely add a few reaches to her list, but so far I have been trying to get her excited about schools that seem more likely (and more likely to give $).
Another vote for Iowa State, and I would look at Kansas State also. Any interest in Tx Tech? Would be a safety with auto-merit. Lubbock is pretty remote and not for everyone, so maybe you’ve already ruled it out.
Pitt has 18274 undergrads. A UT has more than double.
So you can get a school that pays big $$ that aren’t immensely big. KU is 18k undergrad.
And will be others - some large and others super sized.
Iowa is interesting. Very red and the Governor has called a special session to pass laws to restrict abortion bcuz the Supreme Court in the state said no. And the Governor is beloved. But 60%+ of the population supports reproductive rights. But not knowing why the south is out but I’m assuming for similar reasons.
There are no perfect schools. Every school, like every locale has its issues. The best school is to go to the school that loves you back.
If you truly want a safety that you know that you are in and will get money, you cannot beat Iowa State. Admission is based on the Regency Index set by the State of Iowa. In other words, if you meet certain criteria, you are auto-admitted to your program. When S22 applied (I do not think there was an essay), he hit submit. The computer thought. He was admitted with a $12K/year scholarship. He did that on July 1st. He knew he had a place in college. Everything else was gravy. Great school. We visited it. Has a national laboratory on campus. Everyone would want to go except for the fact its in Iowa.
I think a smaller school would be better for DD, but so many of the stronger CS schools tend to be bigger schools. I also have worries about the gender imbalance at the tech schools, so we are looking into that. I don’t think there is a perfect school, but I think there are plenty that could end up working out.