<p>I've searched quiet a bit for schools that would fit me, but I'd like to see what y'all suggest.</p>
<p>I'm a techie person, but I love to write. I'd enjoy a school that has a strong computer science program yet still supports liberal arts.</p>
<p>Here is my profile:</p>
<p>College: 8 classes(Botany, Computer Networking, Industrial Safety(ha), Introduction to Business, Criminal Justice, English Composition I, and College Algebra) and enrolled in three more(Psychology, English Composition II, and Oral Communications/Speech)
GPA: 4.0 UW / 4.7 W(Homeschooled so ehhh)
Class rank: 1/1(Homeschooled)
ACT: Composite 31(equivalent to 2080ish on SAT(Superscore 32)) English 30(32 for superscore) Reading 33 Math 33 Science 28(I just can't manage the science section)</p>
<p>EC's:
Volunteering at the library(5 hours a week(total of 100))-Continued
Leader in church youth group(300+ hours)-Continued
Volunteering at the local food pantry(450+ hours)-Continued
Part time job as Little League umpire/scorekeeper for two years</p>
<p>Honors:
Phi Theta Kappa
Duke TIP
No more honors because they are sorta hard to find with homeschooling and the ones available are meaningless(eg Mu Eta Sigma)</p>
<p>Other Stuff:
Income Bracket: 100-120k
Arkansan
White
Male
I think my essays should be pretty good(Everyone does tho).
My recommendations should be amazing(One from English Composition I teacher and the other from College Algebra teacher)</p>
<p>New College of Florida has not previously been known for Computer Science, but they just announced their first graduate degree program in Data Science, which involves a major enhancement of their overall department. They are very writing-intensive. Reed is a reach, but not completely impossible for you. My son was waitlisted, with similar stats. They are not great for financial aid (no merit aid, and they are not need-blind). Pitzer is quirky and holistic, but would give you opportunity to take some STEM classes at Harvey Mudd. They are stinkers about aid, also, unfortunately (my son got in, but without a nickel in aid - they didn’t meet our FAFSA EFC). </p>
<p>Your resumé screams Carnegie Mellon. Known for its Compsci and STEM programs, CMU has a first-rate writing program and a BFA in Creative Writing. Their grad program is no slouch either. I suggest you have a look. Being from Arkansas will be a plus.</p>
<p>So, too, does MIT have a fine writing program that you should check out. And their MFA in Science Writing is superb. </p>
<p>I’m not saying these are schools you will get into but they’re excellent models for the kinds of programs that you could use to tie together your interests. You could get a great technical education while exploring your love of and skills in writing.</p>
<p>I’d work on those standardized test scores some more. Then there’s the matter of affording either school. </p>
<p>Thanks @woogzmama , @jkeil911 , and @ColdinMinny . </p>
<p>@woogzmama I just looked up some info on reed, and I have their mean ACT score as well as a pretty high GPA. What are they looking for? As for Pitzer, I dont know much about it, but I looked a Claremont McKenna and the claremont schools seem to share a lot of classes and that seems like a huge advantage in terms of resources.</p>
<p>@jkeil911 and @ColdinMinny I had looked at CMU before and know that CS there is ultra competitive, but would I be competitive for a writing undergrad and then taking a few STEM classes while Im there.</p>
<p>@ColdinMinny In terms of geographic location id prefer either California or the Northeast. Money isnt too big of a deal but some would be nice. </p>
<p>Also, what would you recommend me to work on besides test scores for my application?</p>
<p>OP, that’s in fact what I’m thinking, that there might be some advantage to applying as a writing major with an interest in CS. CMU does a lot of hybrid work between STEM and the Humanities, and prides itself on this hybridity. That’s why I suggested it. They’re looking for people like you even if you don’t have the stats of the CS geeks. </p>
<p>I would look for schools with strong writing programs that also are good in CS and STEM. Pitt comes to mind. UMD-CP comes to mind. NYU and WashU, too, but NYU isn’t going to offer much aid and WashU might be harder for you to get into than CMU since their interest in hybridity is less prominent. Besides, you’d need to check on their CS program; recently, it has been oversubscribed and in need of some hiring. JHU and Columbia, but you already have quite a few reaches. </p>
<p>Frankly, the CS program’s reputation is much less important to your search than the writing program’s reputation. You can get a very good CS education at many more schools than you can a very good writing education.</p>
<p>There’s still some time, assuming you’re a junior, to improve the test scores. Your ECs are okay and the volunteering is heavy. The GPA is as good as it gets. You can also improve your essays. Start working on them as you go along. Work very hard on them this summer, hard as that will be to do. Reach out to admissions offices to express your interest. If any college fairs come up in your region in the spring and summer, try to be there to chat up the AOs. Get out and visit the schools if you can so that you can speak to aspects of the campus and the school’s programs in your essays.</p>
<p>OK, if you want CS combined with writing, money is no problem, and you like Cali, I am going to recommend you look at Santa Clara. Right in Silicon Valley, so plenty of Tech internship and job opportunities, beautiful campus, and California weather. You should be competitive for admission there.</p>
<p>Are there any others of slightly higher prestige? It is hard to convince parents for a non brand name school. Also, are there any others thst would be about a high match? Id prefer to be an average student ratherthan someone in the top 25%.</p>
<p>Thanks for all that advice, @jkeil911 . I will definitely be working on my application and specifically on the essays. What ECs could I get involved with to strengthen my application? On another note, what matches or high matches would you recommend?</p>
<p>I’m going to caution you on CMU. Unless they’ve changed it is not a school where you “dabble” in different fields, rather you choose one and there might be an opportunity for you to take two or three outside your major. I know that’s true for all their theatre majors and am pretty sure it’s true for their computer science area as well. It’s not generally a double major or major/minor kind of school. Research it carefully!</p>
<p>I might look at Northwestern outside of Chicago and Cornell in Ithaca, NY.</p>
<p>Pitt, UMD, and NYU, Iowa, Hamilton, ColoradoC, Oberlin, Wesleyan, UIUC, Vassar. ECs that would help would be leadership positions in what you’re already doing, if that is possible: supervisor, coordinator, developer, director, choreographer, founder, captain.</p>
<p>Reed is legendarily “holistic,” and so things like essays, recommendations, and extracurricular activities are critical components for admission. The same applies to Pitzer. They are both tough for students who seek at least partial financial assistance, but who will not contribute to diversity (socioeconomic and geographic, as well as ethnic and racial). Being from Arkansas might help. Pitzer has a low acceptance rate, but they are test-optional. My son was the first student from his school in recent years to get into Pitzer; others, with similar stats (according to Naviance) had been waitlisted. They sent an admissions rep last fall, and my son’s college adviser asked why they’d been so tough with a progressive school that shared a common vision. My son appealed their financial decision, but they didn’t budge. I suspect that Reed’s decision was partly a financial one. They did not want to offer any aid whatsoever, and might have offered him a place had he asked to remain on waiting list and stated a willingness to pay the full freight. My son and I both fell in love with the Claremont Consortium. He was rejected from Claremont-McKenna, but we might have just decided to beg, borrow, and steal had he gotten in. You might give them a try, also. They’ll be a reach for you, but they like “leadership” activities, and you have some of them. </p>
<p>I know a guy who is a technical writer and he’s made a pretty good living at it, working all over the world for major firms and he’s now working for the Federal Reserve, so it’s a pretty viable option.</p>
<p>You might want to consider Northwestern. The school has two options for Computer Science: one in the liberal arts school (which you might enjoy) and one in the engineering school. Northwestern has a fantastic writing program, and in general a fantastic liberal arts college, as well. Check it out!</p>
<p>Full disclosure, I am an NU (Northwestern) student with an engineering major and liberal arts minor, and absolutely love the academics and pretty much everything else at Northwestern.</p>