Hey everyone! I’m choosing what colleges to apply to with mediocre ECs and volunteer works. It’ll be awesome for you to recommend me some safeties, matches, and reaches for ED and RD! Some information are simplified.
Demographics: Male, Asian, International boarding school w/o AP courses, very small class size( < 30)
family contribution: ~50k / yr, but prefer colleges with need based(in case of private school) and merit scholarships
Don't prefer liberal arts schools or party schools
Prefer schools with good food & dorm
Intended Major: Computer Science
GPA (UW): 3.99 / 4, (1st/30)
SAT: 1540 (W/R 740, Math 800)
No SAT II
AP(all self-taught):
11th grade: Physics 1 5
12th grade: Calc BC 5, Stat 5
Honors:
School Essay Contest 1st place (9th)
School English Speech Contest Finalist (Regional, 10th & 11th)
Exemplary Scholarship: about $2,000 (cumulative)
ECs:
Science/Tech Columnist, National Youth News Media (1 yr)
Does your boarding school regularly send graduates to colleges/universities in the US? If so, the college placement team will be able to give you much better advice than any of us can.
If your school rarely sends graduates to study in the US, some of the best advice is at the EducationUSA or AMIDEAST advising center that is closest to where you are studying. They will know where students like you have been accepted in recent years and whether or not they received any aid. https://educationusa.state.gov/ https://www.amideast.org/
The only safeties for international students are places that offer automatic admission based on GPA and test scores and that extend that offer to international students as well as domestic ones. Your GPA and SAT scores would guarantee admission and significant merit at the University of Alabama. The application is short, and you would hear back from them quickly. You could have that as a safety and then work on the rest of your list. https://gobama.ua.edu/international/scholarships/
Listing state of residence as Other, College Navigator finds 205 colleges and universities that offer a Computer Science major and have tuition and fees of $25,000 or less. That would leave you with $25,000 for housing, meals, books, transportation, and other expenses. You can edit the list for state, test scores, etc. and see what you think. Chances are you can find a couple of places that could serve as your matches. https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?s=all&p=11.0701&l=93&ct=1+2&ic=1&tx=25000&ts=-2&hs=1
@martiin You should also apply to Canadian schools - University of Waterloo, University of Toronto and University of British Columbia. They will come in closer to your price range. They do not expect the ECs that US schools do. They do take race into account either. Immigration is much easier as well.
martiin, I hope that your search for college is going well. I suggest the University of Maryland, College Park, as a match for your good stats. UMD’s computer science and engineering have solid reputations. University of Pittsburgh might be a good match for you also.
