I am a rising senior and I plan on majoring in computer science. Any feedback would be appreciated because I only have one school I plan on applying to thus far (NC State).
Is the school located in a growing technological community?
From NC
SAT: 1160/1600
ACT: 20/32
GPA (W) 4.36
(UW)3.64
Class Rank: 14/139
80+ volunteer hours
EC:Soccer -Freshman Year,
Tennis -Sophomore Year,
Strategic Gaming Club & beta club -Junior Year,
Student Council & Beta club- senior year
I have a job (full time during summer and part time during school)
Have taken AP English 3 , AP Biology,
I plan on taking AP English 4, AP Computer science, and AP Music theory
I have taken 4 college classes (1 C, 3 As) and I plan on taking 2 more.
I am Hispanic and a first generation student.
I know my ACT and SAT scores are not the brightest, I have only taken both tests once. I plan on prioritizing these tests to raise my probability on getting accepted.
Have you talked to your parents about what they can afford to contribute, and run net price calculators to check on financial aid estimates at NCSU and other schools?
NCSU is one corner of the Research Triangle area in NC (the other two corners are UNC-CH and Duke).
Other NC publics with computer science include Appalachian State, Fayetteville State, NC A&T, UNC Greensboro, UNC Wilmington, and WInston-Salem State.
Any out of state colleges?
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Well, there are lots of out of state colleges that offer Comp Sci-
Reach: Univ of Maryland, Virginia Tech
Target: Clemson, USouth Carolina, College of Charleston, Pitt, Mercer
Yep, your test scores aren’t stellar but I wouldn’t worry a ton about that - being 1st gen will help! Good luck to you.
I don’t much about VT’s comp sci program, but UMCP is likely out of reach with those stats. That said, they are plenty of great choices out there!
Lots of good choices out there for sure, but Clemson is likely not a target school with your scores. @STF4717
What parts of the country are you willing to relocate to? In the southeast where you are, I’d consider Georgia, James Madison, George Mason, if you can improve your scores a little, a lot more schools could be realistic. You’ve already been give a lot of good suggestions.
Definitely look at College of Charleston. I can’t say enough good things about their CS program. They have a great diversity program called SPECTRA and also have scholarships available for first gen students . Charleston has a fast growing tech community which has a great relationship with the CS department . Feel free to PM with any questions. Good luck.
Thanks guys for the awesome feedback!
Do you guys think its possible for me to get accepted into NCSU with those grades? I know my SAT score can definitely get an upgrade but for me right now, it is either NC State or bust! This might be the wrong mentality because it is not the only school but it being in state, a college with a really good CS program, and with it being at the corner of the research triangle area, it’s just an incredible opportunity for me. I checked the average SAT score for CS majors at NCSU and it said 1270 is the bottom percentile, so I am not far off!
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@jd1209 The scores on the College of Engineering website are from 2016. Both your GPA and SAT scores are low (below the 25th percentile) for the 2016 class of the College of Engineering. The numbers will have been more competitive this year and will be even more competitive for your year. It’s possible to be admitted, but I wouldn’t count on it.
thanks for being realistic with me @bouders The good news is that I still have my senior year to fix this issue!!