University List

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Alright, this is my final draft list of universities that i plan on applying to next year. My intended major is computer science. I'd love your opinions on whether i should continue with these universities, choose others, explain my chances at each( properly, dont just say "High Reach" or stuff like that with no actual explanation") and what i may be able to do to increase my chances at them. The rest of the information is below( Thank you very much in advance) :</p>

<p>-Carnegie Mellon University
-University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign
-University of California, Berkeley
-Stanford University
-University of Washington, Seattle
-Harvard University
-Purdue University
-University of Texas at Austin
-University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
-University of California, San Diego
-Georgia Institute of Technology
(P.S I know people are going to say Harvard and Stanford are Very High Reaches and things alike, but im applying to them for the sake of applying as many other students will do im sure. I dont expect to get into them at all, but if someone thinks otherwise please do tell me)</p>

<ol>
<li>I'm studying in the British Education System. So we don't have AP's, GPA or any of those options other than our A level and GCSE certifications.</li>
<li>Im currently at the beginning of the 12th grade(year 13 in British system) I finish school by July 2015</li>
<li>Im Indian and a Zoroastrian, one of the world's oldest and smallest communities in terms of members</li>
<li>I live in the Middle East Region</li>
</ol>

<p>Academics
-I received 7a's and 4b's at GCSE level, with Maths being a grade A, ICT being an AA<em>A</em>
-I got 1740 on my first SAT's without ever having done any practice at alland planning to retake in october again(In my practices i have been now getting around 2200+)
-I was placed in all the higher sets for my Math, Science and English classes
-GPA per year:
Grade 9 : 3.67
Grade 10: 3.7
Grade 11: 3.9(I'm following this person's link on AS level to GPA conversion:<a href="http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1080425"&gt;http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1080425&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/p>

<p>Extracurriculars
-I started my own graphics class at school, teaching younger students graphic design, web design and many other things that are needed for them to excel at their GCSE exam
-Im part of my school's marathon team, running 3km, 5km and 10km at national level
-I have taken part in MUN 3 times and won most diplomatic three times in a row as well as built the website for my own school's MUN
-Im an accomplished martial artist with more than 6 years of training
-I achieved grade 4 in classical guitar, with constant distinction grade(highest attainable result)
- I have an interest in poetry and even have a blog where that poetry is posted.
- I am a talented artist both in painting and sketch( I took Art at GCSE level and received an A)
-I have a passion for graphic designing which i do as a hobby
-I worked at a graphics firm for 1 week for work experience and was then asked to continue working for another month so that i could finish off a concept and design for an advert(That was used)
-I have successfully completed my Duke of Edinburgh Award at Bronze, Silver & Gold Level(Gold is the highest achievement award that can be accomplished. To achieve the award a student must do a certain amount of community service, a sport and a skill, as well as an expedition. The higher the level the more time needed for completion. For my expedition I went with my school for a 2 week trek in Nepal.)
-I was part of my school choir and sing at both tenor and bass level
-For community service, i work at my school library, for the last 3 years.
-I am part of the Sports Leadership Program
-I was the Head member of my school Media Council, in charge of running my own club, finalizing designs for newsletters and yearbooks and so forth.
-I was a member of the Economics/Business Blog group, where we write articles about happening news, tragedy's and economic issues in the world.
-I am the only international member of an environment protection organisation, that was started up by a friend in India, and has expanded across many states there.
-In Nepal I taught children in an orphanage how to use a computer for the very first time in their lives
-Deputy Headboy of my school (the American equivalent would be a combination of both valedictorian and head of student council I suppose)</p>

<p>I will receive teacher recommendations once i start grade 12.</p>

<p>Again thank you very much.</p>

2

<p>bump</p>

3

<p>If you can get your SAT above 2250, you have a very good chance. Before, I go on to say more, can you tell me what A levels you are taking, plus predicted grades?</p>

<p>EDIT: And your gender, because that can impact computer science</p>

4

<p>@Woandering‌ certainly. Im male and as for A Levels, the ones im taking are Mathematics, ICT, Economics & Business Studies( I know they’re not your conventional Computer Science subjects but at the time I didnt know what course I wanted to study) As for predicted grades, I havent received mine yet.</p>

5

<p>Okay so unfortunately, there’s a lot going against you. I’ll just list them first: male, Asian, International, GPA (at the higher tier schools), and perhaps lack of A levels (I’m still not completely sure if all admissions officers here know that A levels are at least twice as hard as APs). </p>

<p>Your ECs are impressive. Please let me know which one (and I mean only one) you feel the most passionate about. Those will probably be pushing you up. Note that you can only include 5 ECs in the Common App. A common trick is to divide the ECs into five broad categories (such as music) and list exactly what you’ve done in the additional info for each EC. </p>

<p>Try to get that SAT above a 2250. That’s usually a minimum for the average Ivy hopeful.</p>

<p>Are you also applying to UK schools? Which college application are you more familiar with? The personal statement of the UCAS application is probably the most boring thing ever. I’ve read a few examples of the best people who get into Oxbridge, and they would fail in America. Make sure your application essay is interesting, presents exactly how deeply your interested in something (one EC, and do try relate it to CS, but choose the EC first without thinking about CS). The essay is very important here, and it can be a deciding factor. Don’t be cliche.</p>

<p>Of your list of schools, great choices. I suggest, unless you really like the UCs, to take them off your list. You have plenty of reach schools to apply to, and you won’t have that much time to write a bunch of essays. UCs require high grades and SAT scores, to a fault. They won’t even look at anything else, if your scores are deemed not good enough.</p>

<p>There are a few schools I don’t know too much about, so I won’t say anything about them, but here’s what I do know.</p>

<p>Stanford and Harvard, you already realize are reaches for everyone. I don’t think they’re a high reach for you if you do get your SAT score up. They’re just reaches. Do a little research. Let them know through your app that you are actually interested in what they can provide, rather than the name brand.</p>

<p>UT Austin and U Michigan are great public schools. I believe you have a good chance of getting in, and if you were a US resident, I would say match (again provided that SAT score goes up). However, you’re an international, which makes it a little more ambiguous. I say high match, but no doubt others will have differing opinions.</p>

<p>Carnegie Mellon is a good choice, but don’t be fooled by its acceptance rate. The Tepper school of business and their Computer or Engineering school are significantly harder to get in than their liberal arts. I place this at a low reach for you, again, mainly due to you being an international.</p>

<p>The schools I haven’t mentioned are probably much easier for you to get into, but only because I haven’t researched them, and they sound like state schools. If you like them, keep them, but do some research and apply to matches that you like.</p>

<p>I would suggest looking at schools like Swarthmore and Harvey Mudd, too. They’re smaller schools that have great computer science/engineering programs. Generally speaking, there is less but fiercer competition for admission. Too many students, especially internationals, go for the big name brands. These schools are well know in their circle of engineers, computer scientists, and tech businesses, basically where it matters. Both are reaches for you, as they are for everyone. </p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

6

<p>@woandering thank you for your great comment! To reply to your statements:</p>

<p>-Possible Lack of A levels: Traditionally we only do 4 as a maximum number of A levels in the UK as that is the sum of workload that students at higher tier schools are expected to take up.</p>

<p>-Which EC am I most passionate about: Probably my most recent one where I travelled to Nepal for two weeks to trek and help orphans. Although you said CommonApp allows only 5 EC’s, I’ve seen that on the site we’re allowed 10. So i will take your advice about splitting them into categories but in pairs of 2.</p>

<p>-SAT Score above 2250: I will definitely try but my real obstacle is Subject Tests as i’ve heard that students who do A Levels dont need subject tests as our exams are already externally assessed(I.e a math A level student does not have to Math Subject Test) </p>

<p>-Am I applying to the UK and which college application am i more familiar with: Yes im applying to Uk as well. As for which im more familiar with, id say CommonApp since i’ve managed to make an account myself and i haent begun to learn ucas yet. Also, I do concur with what you said about UCAS applications being absolutely dull but that provides me with a crossroad problem because in school we’re taught to make it completely “Un-American”( pardon the phrase) as Universities would look upon essays as being ridiculous. So i’d have to learn how to write dull essays as well as imaginative ones simultaneously.As for essays there are so many I have to write, which one are you referring to?</p>

<p>-Remove the UC’s unless you really like them: True UC’s tend to have very low international student acceptances and very high expectations but I shall base my decision to apply depending on what SAT scores i get.
.
-Stanford and Harvard nto being high reaches for me: Thank you that is truly very motivating, but i’ve known students with far more exemplary stats than mine who got rejected by the two and it doesn’t seem that I would have any better luck unless my essays are dynamite.</p>

<p>-Carnegie Mellon is a good choice: Definitely, but it also has one of the most difficult CS programs in the world to get into due to the massive number of applicants. </p>

<p>-Suggest looking at schools like Swarthmore and Harvey Mudd: I have thought about that but prestige of the university matters a great deal to me! Unfortunately that always plays a big factor in my university decsison as well as my grades, capabilities etc.</p>

<p>Once again thank you very much.</p>

7

<p>If you do get 2200+ in SAT, you should have a very good chance at Purdue.
Your GPA is below admission average for UIUC, UMich, and other top engineering schools. As an international student, you chance is even lower. Also, it would be hard to chance without a real SAT score (with section scores). If you get 2200 but with 600 in Math, you would have no chance for these engineering school. In addition, jumping from 1740 to 2200+ would be a risky attempt. The CB may want you to verify the score and you don’t have much time to do that.</p>

8

<p>Why is your SAT score so low? You are not getting into any of those schools with that score. It is nice that you think you will raise your score on a retake examination, but until you do, your SAT score is still only 1740.</p>

<p>You will also be required to take SAT subject tests to apply to many of these CS programs. CMU requires Math II and another science. You will need exemplary scores on these exams.</p>

9

<p>Not too many people know about the Zoroastrian religion. So I suggest to highlight that aspect of your background. I agree with @Woandering‌, your GCSE scores were not the greatest, also the A level scores.</p>

<p>Most US Admissions officers will equate the A levels as being equivalent to AP classes. But in many of the schools with larger admissions staff, they will know the British educational system well and understand your course rigor.</p>

<p>Get your SAT I scores > 2250 and you will have a decent shot. The list of ECs shown above is way too many and you will likely be seen as a resume stuffer. Pick the top 6 ECs and present them in a balanced way (hopefully in line with your intended major).</p>

<p>Also note that applicants with Indian surnames are somewhat over-represented. Do you have an Indian surname or middle-eastern?? If so then I would try to avoid making any mention to India in your application otherwise you run the risk of being lumped in with all of the other desis. The Zoroastrian angle will certainly help you stand out.</p>

10

<p>@billcsho it may be a risky attempt but i have no other alternative do i? </p>

<p>@mnm111 im looking into subject test but from what I heard from an SAT examiner is that A level students dont need to do the subject tests if they’re already studying a subject at AS level. And furthermore, my SAT score was “so low” because as I had mentioned, i had no preparation whatsoever before doing the test the first time.( I wasnt lazy, I just had no option at the time) I think i’ll pull >2200 in my next one with the amount of revision ive done now.</p>

<p>@sgopal2 yes I thought that would be an advantage for me to use( Im quite surprised you know about them). And my last name is of Persian ancestry but i doubt it’d have me classed as middle eastern due to the fact that it is uncommonly rare.</p>

11

<p>bump</p>

12

<p>bump</p>

13

<p>And just so everyone knows, my ethnicity is persian, so i would not come under Asian in university catergorising</p>

14

<p>@SJP1997 - I think colleges will be more interested in your country of citizenship and your educational accomplishments than your ethnicity.</p>

<p>Will you be require financial aid or will you be full-pay? You have not mentioned this and it make a huge difference…many (if not most) of the schools you listed above offer no aid to internationals. Will your family be able to afford $40,000-$60,000/year for your education?</p>

15

<p>@BldrDad I think they will be able to</p>