Hi my name is Sean and I am 19 and turn 20 is about 4 months. I ended up getting a High School Equivalency Diploma this month which was not credit based so it did not have a GPA since I messed around and was not challenged in school as a teenager.
I have decided to go to college for computer science and would like to get into a prestigious school (I.E. Stanford, Yale, USC, etc.). If I can get 31+ on the ACT and a 2100+ (1470+ on the new scale) on the SAT. And also take general education courses through the college in my town to build a 3.7+ GPA. If those three things are met, despite my HSED would it still be a strong possibility for me to get in?
I work overtime every week and spend 8+ hours a day on my off days and 3+ hours after work days. I have also always tested extremely well on all tests as a student. So I know I can apply myself and am able to excel in those schools, so I would appreciate any response as to if I stand a good chance, what is my best path to take, or anything else relevant. Thanks!!!
Even with a high school degree, it would be very difficult to get into the types of schools you mentioned. Especially if it’s for a competitive admissions program like CS.
If you happen to be in California, you can go to a community college for two years, and if you do very well you’d have a shot at places like Berkeley and UCLA. USC also accepts a relatively high number of community college transfers.
That said, CS is not a profession where the name of the school on your diploma matters much, as long as the school isn’t some fly-by-night operation or an art school. It’s likely that the CS program at your nearest state university will be perfectly fine. For CS jobs, it’s what you know that matters, not where you went to school.
You need to go to community college and show perseverance there as well as excellence, doing everything you can - office hours, tutoring, study groups, time in the library set aside several hours each day - to get as many A’s as you can.
Once you’ve completed all pre-reqs post again so that we can advise you better, based on your GPA and classes taken.