<p>Major: Computer Science
GPA: 3.52 UW 3.94W (4 APs everything else CP or Honors)
SAT: 1940 super
ACT 30 (should be 32 after October)</p>
<p>EC's:
Started software company at 15, should hopefully push me over the top (net ~$25,000/year since start)
Lead Programmer for my schools FRC team
Captain Varsity Baseball 2 years
Varsity Soccer 2 years
Nothing much else to speak of</p>
<p>Home state: California (Out-of-state tuition is not an issue)</p>
<p>Current List:
SUNY Binghamton (I assume a match)
Cal Poly SLO (I assume a reach)
UC Santa Cruz (I assume a reach)
University Colorado, Colorado Springs (I assume safety)
Rutgers New Brunswick (I assume a match)
SUNY Stony Brook (I am edging away from it now because it seems campus life is pretty bad)</p>
<p>Requirements: > 3,000 students
West Coast or Northeast
Decent campus life</p>
<p>Hey, I’m still a senior so I can’t really help with your list, but I do have another piece if advice. Nearly everything I’ve read and heard from admissions counselors is that they prefer reading an essay over something they wouldn’t find anywhere else in your application. So is maybe back away from “all your essays” being over that.</p>
<p>SUNY Binghamton is a good match for your SAT/grades, but your ECs are great. They’re not numerous but they’re focused and they show a lot of passion and dedication. Assuming you have a good essay (you sound like you have a lot to write about) I would look at Binghamton/Rutgers as low matches because of your ECs. Santa Cruz would be a great match if you could just raise your GPA a little bit. Their average GPA is 3.82 but your SAT scores are above average for them. I think a higher GPA coupled with your ECs would push you over the match line for Cal Poly/Santa Cruz.</p>
<p>@merlion I am surprised to hear that my EC’s are great. Everyone has told me my lack of community service hours and diversity in EC’s will hurt me so it is good to hear. </p>
<p>Unfortunately I don’t think I will be able to raise my GPA much higher.
Current grades:
AP Environmental Science: 94%
AP Psychology: 89%
AP Government: 91%
English 4 CP: 98%
IB Math SL: 91%
Elective: 97%</p>
<p>I’m not sure if I will be able to hold them at this point (I’m hoping for 3As and 3Bs). I know Cal Poly is not holisitic so my EC’s won’t have any impact on admissions which is why I call it a reach (average GPA for Computer Science majors was like 3.96 last year). </p>
<p>CMU has always been my dream school but it’s unfortunate that my ACT is mid to low range and my GPA obviously significantly low. </p>
<p>Your list of public California universities should be broadened to include at least 2 additional UCs, perhaps UCSB and UCD. It’s not a lot of extra work to do that.</p>
<p>I don’t quite understand your thinking re the 4 OOS publics especially since you point out that OOS tuition is not an issue. If your main objective is to stay in California then by applying to the UCs and possibly one additional CSU you should land an offer or two. But if you’re genuinely interested in studying in the Northeast and possibly the Mid-Atlantic region then I recommend that you replace the OOS publics with mid-size private universities. Several come to mind. CS is taught at a compelling level in many mid-level universities. Do a bit of research and discuss your options with your high school counselor.</p>
<p>And by the way, your ECs are stronger than average. Colleges are looking for ECs that demonstrate leadership and you have such ECs.</p>
<p>@fogcity My budget for college is around $40,000 a year total excluding extra expenses. I will not qualify for any financial aid due to my parents income and net worth. I am hoping to study in the Mid-Atlantic with California being a fallback if necessary. </p>
<p>I’ll talk to my college counselor more about midsize private schools and hope for scholarships to bring down the costs slightly. Thanks for the help :)</p>
<p>UCs and CSUs usually quote UC/CSU-weighted high school GPAs in their admission stats. See <a href=“Cal State Apply | CSU”>Cal State Apply | CSU; for the calculation. You can compare your own UC/CSU-weighted high school GPA more easily to the quoted number.</p>
<p>But be careful in the UCs and CSUs may admit by division or major (check each campus). CS is a popular major at many campuses, and may therefore be difficult to get admitted to. For example, SJSU is probably a near-safety for you for most majors, but may be a reach for you for CS, based on last year’s admission thresholds at <a href=“http://info.sjsu.edu/static/admission/impaction.html”>http://info.sjsu.edu/static/admission/impaction.html</a> (but note that the similar software engineering major is less selective than the CS major).</p>
<p>@Assume I personally don’t think lack of community service hours will hurt you. Diversity in ECs is important, but admissions almost prefers (imo) to see dedication/passion. They can tell when you just take ECs to get into college and when you’re actually doing them out of interest. I’m not sure how much time you have left until application but you can always start doing CS now. If you have time, you could look into something like a computer science internship in California.</p>
<p>I also didn’t know Cal Poly wasn’t holistic, so you’re right in saying it’s a reach</p>
<p>Hi I’m a senior from pittsburgh looking for comp sci with slightly lower scores than you and my list is currently</p>
<p>Syracuse
Rochester university
RIT
binghamton
Stony brook
Pitt
Allegheny
Ohio north
Miami oh
Dayton
Case
Virginia tech
Purdue
James Madison
American </p>
<p>@merlion I am planning on getting Oracle Java Professional or Associate certified in the next month or so. I think this will help push me even farther (most get it after their Bachelors and some after their Masters). I know it’s a lame excuse but I don’t think I have time to get any internships. I get to school at 7am and don’t get home until 8pm on an average day. </p>