I’m in the early stage of the college selection journey (junior). I think UDub might be a good target school for me. I am a Ca resident, girl, 4.2 weighted GPA, ACT 35 (first attempt, without prep course). SAT Math 2-800. By the time I graduate, will have 10 AP’s, including Calculus BC. Lots of strong, unusual EC’s and awards.Also received a Presidential Service Award for 400 plus hours of community service.
I have a few questions(about Udub CSE) which might seem basic, but bear with me please!
1.What are the advantages of the Udub Direct Admit program? Are there any drawbacks?
2. Does Udub track demonstrated interest?
3.Is there anything I can do to improve my chances to get into Udub?
4. I’m worried I may not get into UCB or UCSD (my reach schools)hence my interest in UDub. What other schools should I realistically add to my list?
The major advantage is that you already know that you are in the program from the time of admission. You don't have to enroll in UW and then apply to the CSE major in your freshman year hoping to get in (and then trying to figure out what to do later if you don't get admitted - either major in something else at UW or transfer schools to major in CSE). UW also lists these as advantages on their website:
Participating in CSE events and activities from your first day on campus
Flexibility to spread CSE coursework over four years of college
More time to take internships and participate in research
Access to CSE labs and facilities
Connection in your first year with students who share you interest in CS
UW has a really good page on direct admission [url=<a href=“https://www.cs.washington.edu/prospective_students/undergrad/admissions/direct_admission%5Dhere%5B/url”>https://www.cs.washington.edu/prospective_students/undergrad/admissions/direct_admission]here[/url] with a great FAQ section. One of the things they note is that even if you don’t get into CSE, there are other related majors you can choose - like applied and computational mathematical sciences, informatics, and human-centered design and engineering - and that most of these majors enter the tech industry as well. There are also 10 non-major CSE courses, which is more than enough to make a concentration in CSE.
There seems to be no downside to direct admission. You’re not locked in; you can change your major at any time; and CSE majors can take general eds and electives just like everyone else.
They don't explicitly say. [url=http://admit.washington.edu/Admission/Freshmen/Review]Here[/url] is what they say they consider in admissions. With over 30,000 applicants every year, I doubt they track it very closely, especially since most of their applicants are Washington residents. Also, not everyone has the money to make a visit. However, visiting can't hurt if you can afford it.
Write a good essay!
Well, a good first place to start are some backups in your own state. If you are interested in CS, consider Cal Poly SLO, for example. What about some other UCs, like UCSB, UC-Riverside, UC-Davis, or UC-Irvine? All have excellent CS departments. If your family can afford other out of state public universities like UW, consider also the University of Wisconsin and the University of Maryland at College Park, and UIUC if a small college town doesn't bother you. If you want some other private schools that might meet financial need for you, look at University of Rochester, Carnegie Mellon University and Lehigh University. And also, if you don't mind a small liberal arts college and want to stay close to home, Harvey Mudd is a good bet.
You have very good stats, too. You’ll probably get into UCSD and have good chances at Berkeley, I would say.
Also, if you aren’t already applying, you may want to consider Caltech and Stanford. Yes, they are reaches for everyone, but you actually realistically have the grades and scores to be considered. You fall right in the middle 50% range for Caltech’s, and they tend to be very stats driven from what I hear.
Thank you for taking the time to write such a thoughtful response. You showed me some colleges I had not even heard of (Rochester and LeHigh). I will research all your suggestions!
Thanks again. :">
For Washington, with direct admission to the CS major, you won’t have to make a high college GPA (probably at least 3.5, but higher is better) and write a statement of purpose to compete for admission to the CS major later.
Note that CS is impacted at many UCs and CSUs as well. Be sure to check how difficult it is to enter the major at each school where you are not admitted directly to the major.
Source: Attended a prestigious summer program at UW(20% acceptance rate), talked to multiple deans of the engineering departments including EE, CS, ME. They said direct admission is a way for the school to retain talents from Washington from going to other prestigious colleges(MIT, Berkeley, Stanford).
our buildings are connected to eachother