@AlmostThere2018 Thank you so much for this information! This helped me a lot and I think it’s a good strategy.
What is your actual fafsa EFC.?
You are an ORM, so unfortunately that is no help.
You sound like a good fit for Rice if it is affordable for you. Rice does not have Greek life, it has residential colleges instead. Anyone admitted to the university can major In computer science. Rice is located in Houston and has around 4000 undergrads and about 3000 graduate students. Rice has a robust financial aid initiative called the Rice Investment. Run the NPC at Rice to see what it reflects. https://financialaid.rice.edu/thericeinvestment
Being Indian-American can be an admissions boost at top liberal arts colleges if any are of interest to you .
Probably not URM at most colleges (there may be a few). You are not normally considered “first generation to college” if you have parents who have bachelor’s degrees from any country, even though they may not be familiar with US colleges and universities like those who have degrees from US colleges and universities.
Many “top liberal arts colleges” (e.g. Amherst, Williams, Swarthmore, Pomona) have Asian American enrollment considerably higher than the 5-6% among high school students and the US population generally. You may find a few with lower than 5-6% Asian American enrollment (e.g. Bates, Oberlin, and Washington & Lee) where there is at least a theoretical possibility of being considered URM.
I think it would be useful to remind people that the designations, URM and ORM, are purely technical terms. Being a URM, or a member of an under-represented minority has implications for how far and wide an adcom may have to search for and recruit qualified members of that group; and, those applications, once received, may, in many cases, be pooled separately from other applications and, in effect, be treated as a “hook”.
However, some of these schools are still pretty white when compared to the country as a whole and it is difficult to imagine that a small college located in the whitest part of the country, would be so complacent about their overall diversity as to totally ignore the fact that the applicant, in this particular case, is a highly qualified woman of color from an underrepresented state.
I agree @circuitrider – I think being a woman of color in STEM from SC will be a hook at many colleges, esp. with her stats. And tThere are lots of LACs that work hard to attract more Asian students – Hamilton, Middlebury, Carleton, etc.
OP: do you have any interest in women’s colleges? I’m thinking Wellesley, which has a partnership with MIT, might be a good fit.
@AlmostThere2018 One issue with LACs and computer science that I’ve come across is that the departments might be small and the course offerings aren’t as regular. With regards to Women’s colleges, I haven’t really looked into those, but would consider them.
I am not sure OP has the $$ down yet. It seems very vague.
I have talked with my parents about money, and we have come to an agreement. Now that I know their expected contribution, I will keep that in mind. Thanks again to everyone for the suggestions and advice!
I wouldn’t be so quick to tell OP South Carolina is an underrepresented state. Nor implying that having no math-sci ECs is a non-issue for a highly competitive college.
OP, it seems you are looking at course offerings and open to ideas. That’s good. You’ll need to be careful to dig deep into what any target top colleges look for, so you can know your match and then actively show it in the app and supps. I agree the womens college can be the best to offer you opportunity, as a bright and determined student.
@lookingforward, What would you suggest? Hollins? Spelman? Sweet Briar?
@lookingforward I’m not looking for a highly selective school. I know with my application + the competitiveness of other candidates at my school, it would be a long shot. I am looking for a school that can give good merit aid, has a strong CS department, and has access to a good location for jobs (city situated)
Earlier in this discussion, someone mentioned UT Dallas, and I have looked into their NM Scholars Program. Do you think that would be a good fit?
IIRC, the computer science major at UT-Dallas is offered through its engineering school. Are you sure you want to go that route?
[quote] @EdgeoftheDark One issue with LACs and computer science that I've come across is that the departments might be small and the course offerings aren't as regular.
I am looking for a school that can give good merit aid, has a strong CS department, and has access to a good location for jobs (city situated)
[/quote]
On the first point, sometimes there is difficulty getting a class, but bear in mind one reason the departments/offerings are smaller is that the student body - and the demand - is correspondingly smaller. My D attended a LAC with fewer than 2k students and never had trouble getting a class - in CS or any subject. A large U may have more classes and sections but it also has more students wanting to take them. I think that’s a wash.
To the second point, you don’t have to be IN a city to get a job in a city. Recruiters go lots of places, in person and online. Again my D had several great job offers in large cities and none were near her college town. That said, in a rural or suburban area your school year internships will be limited, but your summer and long break ones won’t be.
Mount Holyoke or Smith may be two women’s colleges worth looking at. They offer some merit, good need-based aid are also part of a 5 college consortium so you can take classes at any of the 5, with free bus transportation and easy registration.
@circuitrider I’m not completely sure what you mean by that? Could you tell me the difference between a CS program offered through and engineering school vs otherwise?
@OHMomof2 Thank you for that clarification! I do see your point with small colleges vs bigger ones. I will look into the schools you have mentioned.
So you need merit, but have no demonstrable finial need? If that is the case many schools discussed here should be scrubbed if you have a limited budget. How much do you have in your budget?
@EdgeoftheDark , National Merit Finalist status and the resulting large college-sponsored scholarships at some universities do not hinge on other NMFs at your HS. You are actually in a very good position. You should apply to several schools which give large, automatic NMF awards and are good in CS. For example, you would receive full cost of attendance to U of Florida (a top ten public school) and U of Central Fla (good CS and good honors college). UT-Dallas and Tex A&M are also great options. With those in hand along with your state schools, you can take a flyer on schools like Rice or selective LACs. Good luck and don’t diminish your achievements by comparing yourself to others at your high achieving HS. Great opportunities await you!