Need help finalizing college list

College Search & Selection
1

I’m looking for some help deciding what colleges to apply to. I’d just like to make the disclaimer that my grades are kinda low because I moved to India a week before high school, and the curriculum at my new school is different. 9th and 10th is the IGCSE curriculum, 11th and 12th is the IB.

SAT: 1520 (750 R, 770 M, 16 Essay)
SAT II: Haven’t gotten score back for Math II, expecting between 700-800
Unweighted GPA: School does not provide GPA
Rank: School does not provide rank
Senior Year Course Load: IB Math HL, IB Computer Science HL, IB Economics HL, IB French ab initio SL, IB ESS SL, IB English SL
IB Predicted Grade: Hasn’t been confirmed, but it is around 33/42. Yeah I know it’s bad. Trying to change it but haven’t had much success.

  • Computer Science, French, English, ESS is a 6
  • Eco is a 5
  • Math…. It’ll either be a 4 or a 5. Yeah this is my main problem. If he gives a 5 then my predicted will be 34/42.

EC’s:
-Leo Club (11-12th grade)- We hold fundraisers at my school throughout the year to put into a scholarship fund. At the end of the year, we provide scholarships to the children of the janitorial staff. These staff members earn the minimum wage and live in poverty.
-English tutor (11-12th grade)- I go to a local government school in India to teach English to the students. These children come from families with low incomes and English is their third language.
-UVA Advance - Attended a 4 week summer program at the University of Virginia. Earned 6 undergraduate credits in Politics and Philosophy.
-Habitat for Humanity Volunteer (11th grade)- Went to a city in Northern India and painted an orphanage for a week
-TiE Intern (10th grade)- Unpaid internship at TiE Bangalore for one week
-Violin Player (9th-10th) - Part of the high school ensemble
-Classical Indian dancer (9th-11th grade)- Practiced an classical Indian dance form since I was six and danced at various recitals in India and Virginia
-Joy of Giving (11th grade) - Held fundraisers over the course of a month to donate to various charities.
-Winter Drive (11th grade)- Held fundraisers over the course of a month to donate to various charities.
-MUN (12th grade)- Participated in MUN. I had to write daily reports, guide delegates on their agenda, and create a newsletter at the end.
-Terry Fox Run (11th grade)- Helped disabled kids complete a walk at my school where all money raised went to the Terry Fox Foundation
By the application deadline I would have around 150+ hours of community service

Awards:
-Cambridge ICE Certificate: This is a certificate awarded to students who pass the IGCSE exams taken in 10th grade. I received the certificate in the distinction category, which is the highest category.
-Habitat for Humanity Award: Received this for painting an orphanage.
-Highest in Business Exam: Honestly this isn’t a significant award, it’s just one I got for getting the highest in Business in 9th grade.

Common app essay is between good-very good, teacher recommendations are decent (pretty good one from Comp teacher especially, this is also my intended major. I have a letter from my math teacher but I feel that it won’t be strong)

List of schools (Applying for CS at their Engineering schools unless otherwise stated):
UVA
William and Mary
VCU (applied early for scholarship and Honors College)
Boston University
UCLA - Undeclared L&S (already applied)
UCB - Undeclared L&S (already applied)
USC - I may go undeclared
Georgia Tech
GWU
NYU

The list above probably seems like they’re all reaches for me, but my parents are super keen on me applying to schools in top 50, with a few exceptions (VCU).

-I’m an Indian born in America, and I lived and attended school in Virginia until I was fourteen. Then, my mom and I moved to India. My dad still lives in Virginia, has a job, lists me as a dependent on his taxes. Both my parents are citizens.

-I don’t think I’ll qualify as an international applicant due to my American citizenship, the fact that my permanent address is in America, and I lived in Virginia for a long time.

-My family income is more than 150k, so the chances of me qualifying for financial aid are low.

-Any help would be appreciated! I’m very worried as the college deadlines are coming up, and my college list is not confirmed. I’m also looking for some additional safeties along with VCU, preferably on the East Coast.

-In Virginia, I’m not looking to apply to colleges other than UVA, W&M, and VCU. I’m considering UR, but it is competitive and I don’t think their computer science program particularly stands out.

2

It seems like a reasonable list, though I agree a little reach-y. I really consider VCU to be a much better school than rankings would indicate. Great location, great outcomes, really strong in some areas.

It looks like you prefer urban locations. All schools except UVA and W&M, state publics, are urban. These may seem like some strange recommendations and may not appeal. I think, though, they offer some positives for you. They are urban. They would be much less expensive than GWU and NYU, and those are very expensive even with a robust salary in the 150-300k range. Admissions are relatively less competitive, perhaps, and you would be at major research universities with many of the tip-top students from these states:

University of Nebraska–yes, it has an urban campus. Check out aid for OOS students.

University of Iowa–yes, it has an urban campus. Check out aid for OOS students.

Both have lower sticker prices than GWU and NYU and lower cost of living. You might get aid. Again, great programs and great students. Not Top 50 but excellent schools.

University of Kansas or Kansas State–more college towns than urban locations but excellent ones. Otherwise, the same comments as above.

Or University of Tennessee in Knoxville–much the same. Cool town, near VA. Would be a more southern option, if that appeals or not. Weather would be better than Nebraska and Iowa, though in mountains so still can be cold.

A couple of other OOS state flagships would suit–not super competitive like UCB, UNC Michigan, depending on what type of culture would best suit you. Colorado? Massachusetts (Amherst)? Vermont (GREAT town)? Arizona?

Again, some definite advantages to these in terms of cost (over GWU, NYU, UCB, USC, UCLA). Not Top 50s but great students and excellent faculty working at major research universities.

Just some ideas.

Good luck! You’ll do well!

3

Lehigh, the University of Rochester, Northeastern, UMass, SUNY-Buffalo, SUNY-Binghamton? RIT as a safer admit?

4

Agree with the list in #2, and that’s two votes for U Mass Amherst. Nice town and area too. Is very cold. And I’d add WPI, seems like a good fit, nice campus in Worcester, which is actually 2nd or 3rd largest city in New England. It has some of the highest starting salaries of any university (mostly STEM grads after all, and close ties to regional/national companies). Rochester is top notch. I view it as more or less a NY state version of W&M–size, academics, students, etc. Lehigh a more STEM version of the same. Rochester and Lehigh are still very competitive as are some of these other recs. Good luck!

5

From a CS standpoint, picking BU but not liking Rochester’s CS department seems odd as I’d put them in the same category for CS strength. For CS in Boston, Northeastern offers a much more robust CS program comparatively with a similar level of competitiveness to BU in terms of admissions. The only big difference between the two schools beyond CS programs is Northeastern’s co-op program, which is a great pro for some but not something everyone wants. If you don’t want co-op but want a city school in Boston then BU makes sense.

Seconding UMass Amherst as a great match option, and RIT (also a co-op school) as a good safety. I’d also check out WPI as suggested, which is practically focused but not co-op based.

It looks like from your list being in a city is important? Given that, I would apply to BU still, add URochester and Northeastern, and add UMass for the CS strength despite not being in a city.

If you don’t care about urban location, I would swap BU/UR for Lehigh and then add SUNY Stony Brook or Binghamton as a safety.

Note: I am a current Northeastern CS student who also applied to BU and UR and looked pretty deep into their departments, also wanting an urban school. Very happy with my choice and wouldn’t pick differently but all 3 are solid programs in the end. RIT and WPI also made my list when I applied.

6

Highest starting salaries, might impress your parents,

https://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/slideshows/10-national-universities-where-grads-make-highest-starting-salaries?slide=13

https://www.payscale.com/college-salary-report/bachelors

7

The 4 in Math is going to hurt a lot (for people not up to date with IB results, it’s a bit like applying for CS with 2 C/C+'s in calculus). Any chance you can take Math at SL (I suppose you’d have a shot at a 6?)
Your best results are in your SLs and CS. Your two HL quantitative classes (Math and Eco) are not 6s. All of that will be read as a red flag. Keep in mind that you’re applying for the most competitive major currently (CS).
A 33-34 won’t cut it for CS at UVA, W&M, UCLA, UCB, USC, GTech. A 36 would give you a shot for UVA/W&M, BU. The 4 in math will likely sound the death knell at the other, more selective colleges (such as UCB, UCLA, GTech).
Right now your only likely choice is VCU. While it’s decent, you should look into GMU and UMD College Park (government contracts for CS majors), respectively a match and a low reach. SUNY Buffalo is a good match. Penn State may be a possibility (IST data science or cybersecurity= match, CS engineering= low reach. So my advice would be to apply for IST unless you like VCU better).

UMass Amherst, UWisconsin are possible reaches. Northeastern> BU for CS but another reach.
Seconding WPI and RIT.

8

Umass Amherst has great CS. And out of state is a very tough ticket recently. Beautiful area and a lot of building on campus. Just talked to two cs frosh at Massachusetts from India just yesterday. They have been shocked at how challenging it’s been. How smart the other students are and both love going there fwiw.

9

If you are shopping for some outstanding programs, take MYOS1634’s advice drop below the arbitrary number of fifty. Many of these CS programs are probably stronger than some of the programs you have selected from the top 50 list. None of these numbers mean that you cannot or will not be a very successful Computer Scientist and find remarkable employment opportunities from some other CS program. Objectivity is very difficult to calculate.

What are you looking for? I encourage applicants to check employment placement, average salary and graduate school placement by major if and when available. Show it to your parents.

What do you need in the course of a demanding day to make your workload seem lighter? Some need to dance, some to run, some to play the violin with good friends. The right balance will optimize your performance. The universities ranking by US NEWS or anyone else may not reflect this.

What do you see yourself doing with a CS degree?

10

GMU is strong in computer science, right outside DC, and in-state if you are considered a Virginia resident.

11

Haha, I should have been a bit more specific. I meant top 50 for CS, not top 50 overall. I obviously knew I would not get into high ones like MIT, Stanford etc.

12

Hey, I really liked your Northeastern suggestion. I called up admissions and they said they wouldn’t consider my SAT score, regardless of whether I’m a US citizen. I had to make the tough choice and not apply. I was quite sad as I really liked Northeasterns co-op program and the fact that they have a whole school dedicated for CS

13

@PengsPhils ^^^

14

@MYOS1634 yeah I know the 4 will be the death of me! Hopefully they will consider the rigor of the courseload! I applied to VCU with an earlier set of predicted (5 in math) and got accepted to CS.

Thankfully my CS predicted is a 6 so it will help.

I know some UVA and W&M admissions counselors and they did tell me that my in-state status will help with admissions. So cheers to that!

For some of the elite ones (UC’s and others) I applied undeclared & not to their engineering schools. No harm in applying!

15

And to everyone else, I got a recommendation letter from my math teacher (which my college counselor says is good). My teacher states that the school prevented him from predicting a higher grade (which is actually true) & that he believes I definitely have the potential to do good in Math HL

16

That’s good. A predicted 5 will really help.

17

With U.S. News as the source, categories don’t exist for either undergraduate schools in general or undergraduate CS programs specifically.