Need some safeties and matches, please and thank you

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Im a rising senior at the top of my class and I need help creating a sensible college list. I think I might major in computer science and most likely will be limited to schools in northern California, although I am open to suggestions from SoCal. Thanks! :)</p>

<p>Stats
-4.40 W GPA
-3.87 UW GPA (3Bs in English classes)
-1940 SAT, but that WILL be 2100-ish, if not higher in October, according to practice tests and my current studying methods
-770 Math II, 760 USH, 750 Chem
--> will these scores lower my chances into engineering programs?
-I will try the ACT
-AP scores: Chem (3, probably won't report), Eng Lang (4), USH (5)
-Rank 6/343 (top 2%)
-Senior course load: 4, if not 5 APs</p>

<p>-for private schools, I think the recs will be good
-for essays, I can talk about graphic design, family situation, my like for computers, technology's potency, My bg (Afghan female going into engineering-rare), my love for directing and leading in group projects or debates (especially in my Cc psych class), my like for debate and speaking up, inspring individuals I came across, a whole array of passionate topics basically (haha)</p>

<p>-director of PR for Interact club
-winner of international logo design contest
-photography
-graphic design
-design logos and t-shirts
-member of CSF, Key Club
-comm service and volunteering for athletic booster club, PTSA
-tutoring
-tutoring job (10-11)
-summer class at the CC
-KHS Ambassador
-no sports
-Yrbk editor, initiated several traditions
-art selected for display at District Art Show
-creator of apushsurvivalguide.webs.com (intended for my teacher's classes)
-misc that probably won't make it onto applications</p>

<p>Thanks again so much!</p>

2

<p>San Jose state</p>

<p>Santa Clara</p>

<p>UC Davis</p>

<p>USF</p>

<p>Cal Poly SLO</p>

<p>Matches and safeties can be hard because most don’t give great FA. Do you know what your budget is?</p>

<p>For Southern Cal…</p>

<p>Cal State Long Beach or Fullerton</p>

<p>Cal Poly Pomona</p>

<p>USD</p>

<p>LMU</p>

<p>UC Irvine</p>

<p>UC Riverside</p>

<p>UC Santa Barbara (that may be considered central Calif.)</p>

3

<p>UC Santa Cruz also in northern California.</p>

<p>Note that UCs and CSUs have a specific method of calculating high school GPA for admissions purposes:</p>

<p>[CSUMentor</a> - Plan for College - High School Students - GPA Calculator](<a href=“Cal State Apply | CSU”>Cal State Apply | CSU)</p>

<p>CSU also combines GPA with test scores to make an eligibility index:</p>

<p>[CSUMentor</a> - Plan for College - High School Students - Calculate Your Eligibility Index](<a href=“Cal State Apply | CSU”>Cal State Apply | CSU)</p>

<p>SJSU has a chart indicating what CSU EI was needed to be admitted to each major in the most recent admissions cycle:</p>

<p>[SJSU</a> Admission](<a href=“http://info.sjsu.edu/web-dbgen/narr/admission/rec-1199.html]SJSU”>http://info.sjsu.edu/web-dbgen/narr/admission/rec-1199.html)</p>

<p>Other CSU impaction information is here:</p>

<p>[CSU</a> Campus Impaction Information | Student Academic Support | CSU](<a href=“http://www.calstate.edu/SAS/impaction-campus-info.shtml]CSU”>http://www.calstate.edu/SAS/impaction-campus-info.shtml)</p>

4

<p>Thanks for the suggestions! Hopefully, some true safeties will offer some merit aid. Where do you think UC Berkeley, UCLA, and USC stand on my list?</p>

<p>And since my family makes less than average income, I was hoping I could get grants from the institution and from state and federal grants (Aid programs of the ivies and Stanford made this seem almost like a given to me), although I am willing to take out significant student loans if necessary.</p>

5

<p>

This is wrong in so many ways. First, you can’t compare colleges in general to Stanford and the Ivies. They have EXCEPTIONAL aid. And your SATs don’t support getting into those schools. What is your EFC? That’s the only way to tell if you even qualify for Federal Grants. Most students only qualify for federal loans. If your family is low income then why would you load up on debt?? Do you know how much you would have to take on and how long it will take to pay back?</p>

6

<p>I meant that its not a given anymore. </p>

<p>I’m not worried about FA or costs. And I never asked if my SAT was on par with Stanford or the ivies, I’ve already done months of research on the topic and am well aware of my “low” score. I’m asking for safeties and matches that go along with my stats, not for ivy chances. Thanks, though!</p>

7

<p>IMO, I think UCLA, UCB, or USC would be fair matches. Your safeties would be typical UC’s or CSU’s. For CS, you might even look into Cal-Tech as a reach.</p>

8

<p>Take a look at this list, and see if anything would work for you: <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/848226-important-links-automatic-guaranteed-merit-scholarships.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/848226-important-links-automatic-guaranteed-merit-scholarships.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>If you need serious aid, read through these two threads for research strategies:
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/148852-what-i-ve-learned-about-full-ride-scholarships.html?highlight=what+I’ve+learned+about[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/148852-what-i-ve-learned-about-full-ride-scholarships.html?highlight=what+I’ve+learned+about&lt;/a&gt;
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/291483-update-what-i-learned-about-free-ride-scholarships.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/291483-update-what-i-learned-about-free-ride-scholarships.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

9

<p>Note that Berkeley admissions selectivity can differ based on whether you apply to the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) major in the College of Engineering, or to the College of Letters and Science, where you can major in Computer Science (L&S CS; same Computer Science courses to choose from for both majors). Generally, EECS is considered more difficult to gain admission to than L&S.</p>

10

<p>Thank you everyone for the great responses!</p>

<p>@ucbalumnus Do L&S CS and EECS have the same professors? Is there a difference to potential employers? If I apply L&S, are my chances significantly higher since I don’t have the any HS-level awards or ECs in math or science like plenty of other applicants? Thanks again!</p>

11

<p>

</p>

<p>Yes, same faculty and CS courses.</p>

<p><a href=“http://www-inst.eecs.berkeley.edu/classes-eecs.html[/url]”>http://www-inst.eecs.berkeley.edu/classes-eecs.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>

</p>

<p>Apparently little or none (unless you do EECS emphasizing EE rather than CS):</p>

<p><a href=“https://career.berkeley.edu/Major/CompSci.stm[/url]”>https://career.berkeley.edu/Major/CompSci.stm&lt;/a&gt;
<a href=“https://career.berkeley.edu/Major/EECS.stm[/url]”>https://career.berkeley.edu/Major/EECS.stm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>

</p>

<p>L&S is usually thought to be less difficult to get admitted to than EECS at Berkeley.</p>

<p>Note: all entering freshmen in L&S enter as undeclared to declare their major after about two years. Some majors are capped and one must apply to declare them with a higher GPA than needed to avoid academic probation, but L&S CS is currently not capped (it used to be, though).</p>

<p>Description of the Berkeley EECS (“Electrical and Computer Engineering” and “Computer Science and Engineering”) and L&S CS (“Bachelor of Arts”) major programs:</p>

<p>[Degree</a> Programs | EECS at UC Berkeley](<a href=“http://www.eecs.berkeley.edu/education/degrees.shtml]Degree”>http://www.eecs.berkeley.edu/education/degrees.shtml)</p>

12

<p>I’m asking for safeties and matches that go along with my stats,</p>

<p>Your current stats aren’t high enough for significant merit at Calif schools with good CS programs.</p>

<p>Frankly, Calif safety schools (with CS) aren’t really great with merit…at least enough to make attending cheaper than full freight at a public. And, it sounds like that’s what you want/need.</p>

<p>What is your situation? How much will your parents pay?</p>

<p>Commuting to a CSU that has a good CS program could be a safety.</p>

<p>If you get at least a 1400 M+CR SAT, then I think USanDiego will give you a scholarship that brings their cost down to about $30k per year…but if your parents won’t pay that much, then that’s not a safety for you. (my nephew was offered that scholarship this last season, so I’m going by that)</p>

<p>We really need to know how much your family will pay. If they can’t pay much, then you need BIG merit…not just a “good scholarship” that still leaves your family with too much to pay. </p>

<p>Do you know what your EFC would be? A rough estimate would be about 24% of family income. It would be higher if your family has a good bit of assets/savings/investments.</p>

13

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</p>

<p>$30k per year is nearly as much as UC at full price, and more than CSU at full price, for in-state students (though there is significant risk of in-state tuition increases as UC and CSU are defunded).</p>

<p>If willing to go out of state, University of Minnesota Twin Cities and Virginia Tech out-of-state full price is competitive with UC in-state full price.</p>

14

<p>you’re in at schools like UC Irvine. Schools like UC Berkley or UCLA I would consider high match/low reach. Like you said, take the SAT again. A 2100+ would be ideal for applying to these schools. Keep in mind though that just because you consistently score in the 2100 range on practice tests, you may not score that on the actual test. You are tired, you are nervous. This can bring down your score. I consistently took practice tests prior to my first taking of the SAT, but on the actual test day I scored about 50-80 less points of what I should have gotten. without I doubt you can score 2000+ next time, 2100+ is possible, but don’t count on it. just tell yourself to stay calm during testing day</p>

15

<p>Thanks, guys! Will take that that into consideration :)</p>