I’ve just begun making my college list, and I’m not sure if I’m in the right direction as to where I’m thinking of applying. Any help is appreciated for me to edit my list.
Junior thinking about majoring in CS.
What are my chances at UIUC, UM Ann Arbor, CMU, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, Purdue, and UT Austin?
Education:
Taken 2 AP courses last year (APCS and APUSH, 5s)
Taking 5 this year (Calc AB, Psych, Stats, Lang, and Micro/Macroeconomics)
Planning on 3 college level next year (Calc BC, Physics, and DE English)
Unweighted GPA of 3.89
Weighted GPA (5.3 scale, AP class is a 1 point bump and honors is a 0.5 bump): 4.39
ACT 35, 12 essay
Large school, around 600 class size
ECs:
Vice president of debate team, qualified to nationals this year and have won numerous awards for placement
Math tutor for mu alpha theta
NHS
VEX and FIRST robotics teams, programmer/visuals officer in FIRST and team lead at VEX. Went to district champs all three years in FIRST
Co-founder of a school engineering club where we do research projects (currently designing and launching a weather balloon)
Coach of a VEX IQ team that won regionals and placed 2nd at states
volunteer web developer at a company from General Dynamics that helps veterans with PTSD connect to mental health specialists
attended state Governor’s school (1 of 17) for STEM over the summer
CS specific skills/projects:
Proficient in python, java, JS, and web development
Have done multiple projects including developing an algorithm for password guessing using character frequencies, a smart traffic control framework that won Honorable Mention at the Toshiba/Exploravision competition, and built a CNN/LSTM model for heartbeat classification
Attended multiple student hackathons
I’m very interested in these schools and I want to know if I’d be a competitive applicant.
Many of these are public institutions, but remember that OOS tuition is much higher. What I see missing from your post is how you and your parents plan to pay for these schools. Remember, there is a limit to how much in loans you can personally take out. I would highly encourage you to run the NPC on these and have a frank discussion with your parents about what you can expect in financial help from them.
Edit: (accidentally hit submit too soon!) Remember: getting into a school is only the first step. If it is financially impossible for you to attend, why bother applying in the first place?
I’m instate for Virginia tech, but not eligible for need-based aid in these schools
other than financial cost (these schools are affordable), would I still be competitive?
Also, I forgot to add SAT Math2: 800.
You should be pretty good for most of these schools. Your academics are plenty good–perhaps good enough for any school. I would add a few more private schools because applying to state-schools can be a bit unpredictable. Also, if needed, private schools offer better aid. Maybe add a few more competitive schools. I think your application is stronger than you think.
Also:
If the school doesn’t force you to stick to the major you choose ahead of time, it may be wise to say that you are planning on majoring in something other than cs. No one will hold you to it.
CS acceptance rates are often lower, but I think a big part of this is that many CS applicants have very similar applications. Find some way to differentiate yourself from the pool (NOT through more cs related stuff!) and you will be rewarded.
Make sure you have good essays.
Make sure to do well on your APs this year. They can really help.
An update on my list: I’ve added WPI, Uchicago, and USC.
I’m an intern this summer in CS at the US Army Corps of Engineers.
I’m going to be a Teacher Assistant for AP Computer Science next year.
AP exam scores came today, I got a 5 on all 6 exams in the first post.
I can only speak to UT but this should be in your reach school list especially as OOS. Also UT will ABSOLUTELY hold you to your major so applying to an easier admit first choice major is a very bad strategy. I assume the same is true at all the schools on your list as the demand for that major far exceeds the available space. There is a formal internal transfer process at UT and success is far from guaranteed.
Also, regarding ECs, your doing fine. Please don’t try to pad with stuff you aren’t interested in. Continue working on self-directed projects, make sure your GitHub repo is in good shape, maybe get involved with usaco and/ or research if you can and are so inclined, work on a good resume and essays and you’ll be in good shape