UCSD CSE should not be thought of as a safety, since it is highly impacted. UCSD may admit you to the school but not the CSE major, but then the chance of getting into the CSE major is low: http://cse.ucsd.edu/undergraduate/cse-capped-major-status .
So, can someone chance me for the schools I listed?
If my gpa is still high and I’m in the top 10%, will the B’s still hurt a lot, and by how much? Do they care about individual grades in this case? I’m just not having the best semester, but next semester should be much better, so at least I can prove I’m capable. I’ll still have a 3.85, which isn’t all too horrible.
Also, I’m going to go out of my way and write killer essays and try to get excellent recs, so maybe that will help ?? I’m also going to do whatever I can to publish a research paper, so might that override the B’s?
Based on your list in #13 (for admission only, not affordability):
UCSD: probably match for school, probably reach for CSE major
GT, Michigan: don’t know
all others: reach
Recommendation: add safeties, unless starting at community college is a suitable safety for you.
This will be direct. You have a dozen super reaches in your list and I still don’t think you understand what they look for. I don’t get the idea you’ve, eg, looked at the MIT blogs in the last few days. That understanding is key, to show yourself in your best light in the app. And as a junior, to choose your activities wisely.
It’s not just about gpa and rank, that’s just what gets one past first cut. You have a long list of stem activities- if you did have some idea of the sort of rounding tippy tops want, you wouldn’t state, “I don’t think there is necessarily a problem with an all-STEM applicant wanting to do engineering.” Or, “Luckily, they’re usually a little forgiving about grades as long as they’re not horrible and an applicant is good overall.” NOT.
You have a B brewing in AP physics C and want a stem major. Literally thousands of stem wannabes won’t have that blip. Being from California means you will be viewed in light of the drives and accomplishments (and stem aspirations) of puh-lenty of other CA top performers. Plus, a good chunk of your stem activities were started this year.
IF your hs sends 10 to tippy tops, your GC is the one you should be asking your chances. Not some forum. And you should be digging into the full wants of those colleges.
This isn’t about not being URM. It’s about how you inform yourself and proceed wisely- and the level of thinking you show. How do you expect to write “killer essays” without this understanding?
@lookingforward yea, I’ll definitely spend some more time researching what these colleges want. I still have a good year to do this. I understand activity list may seem long, so let me explain that. A good portion of those are things that I’m only involved with for no more than 1-2 hours each per week. Others are things that I’m deeply involved with, like robotics, internships, and entrepreneurship. Many of the things I mentioned are also projects. Honestly, I just try to take advantage of every opportunity to do competitions when they’re available to me. Is being over-involved bad? As a maker, I try to do a lot of software and hardware projects often and the occasional research project to create a portfolio. I know that MIT, which is one of my top choices, has a huge maker culture and I’m trying to embody that. Last year, I was mostly a follower, but this year, I’m a leader and have taken the effort to start a few clubs. So this is a switch to leadership. I’ve been slowly building up the whole time.
Tho I’ll empasize that I’m not illiterate in non-STEM subjects. My SAT verbal is still good and i can probably get a good LOR from my English teacher. I’ll also have a good essay topic about being a leader and embracing collaboration.
Am I really that screwed because of the B in AP physics. Aren’t grades supposed to prove mastery, so would it still be that hurtful if I got an A next semester, a 5 on the exam?
So, I’ll try to create a more clear and concise direction for myself. I just need to get things like stats sorted out first.
@ucbalumnus are you saying that these places are a reach because of my few B’s and the fact that I don’t have any impressive awards (yet!), or are you just saying that they’re a reach for everybody?
The top two that I’m really targeting at the moment are MIT and Berkeley EECS. Is it extremely difficult to get into Berkeley EECS if you have a couple of B’s and a rough first semester junior year?
In terms of safeties, I think UCI and UIUC might be possibilities.
UIUC is certainly not a safety for CS/Engineering. You need to do some research, evaluate what you want out of college and each specific college, and redo your list.
@kjake2000 the acceptance rate seemed to be in the 60s, which seems quite high. So is engineering like half of that? Is uci a safety for CS/engineering? Maybe ucsc might be a nice safety. Someone also told me rpi and umd, don’t know too much about thoe though.
Honestly, I’m just hoping to do whatever is necessary to get into a top 25
@lookingforward is absolutely correct in the analysis of your presented vitae.
Your EC’s are self-serving and were initiated in Junior year.
Think about that.
Apply to some safeties and some CSU’s, like the Cal Poly’s.
The programs you are interested in are ultra-competitive. Stanford overall has about a 4% admit rate. Berkeley EECS is about the same. Berkeley MET is about 2% admit rate (and if you apply and don’t get in, I’m not sure you are considered for regular EECS–you’ll need to check that). When you say that about 40 people from your high school go to Berkeley/UCLA each year, probably 80-90% of those are for letters & science, not college of engineering.
You have good stats and lots of relevant extracurriculars. But there are so many strong applicants these days that there are no guarantees. My impression is that for UCLA CS/CSE (and probably for Berkeley) the first cut is GPA/weighted GPA/test scores. I know that a couple of years ago the median unweighted GPA for CS admits at UCLA was 4.0. So unfortunately, a few B’s can make a difference here (though it’s very possible that a 3.9 gets you past this initial cut-I don’t have the data). For the privates, my sense is that once you have demonstrated that you are highly-qualified academically (basically a check box for them), then it’s on to the other things that they will try to use to differentiate applicants. Stanford rejects a large number of people with 4.0 unweighted GPA and perfect SAT scores, yet they admit plenty of people who apply with lower stats. So my guess is that your B’s in junior year won’t count as much against you here, at least if you bring them up to A’s for second semester.
Since you’re a California resident and you’re applying to Berkeley, you should simply apply to CS or CSE programs at all of the relevant UCs: Berkeley, UCLA, UCSD, UCSB, UCD, UC Irvine. Cal Poly SLO also. I think you have a decent chance at Berkeley and UCLA, and a pretty good chance at UCSD. Cal Poly is a different beast–not sure about the chances there. I believe you’ll probably get in to Irvine, UCSB, and Davis, and I would be quite surprised if you didn’t get into at least one of these three. And I think UC Santa Cruz and UC Riverside could probably be considered safeties for you. Every one of these is a good CS school, and you can go on to a successful career with a degree from any one of them.
So I would say, at a high level, don’t stress yourself out about getting in to college. I believe you will be admitted to a very good UC school in your chosen field (and it will be a great financial deal for you and your parents, as well). As for getting into the other schools on your list, make a game out of it. You almost need to be a freak to get into HYPSM. In reality, most of the spots go to someone who has a hook–athletes, daughters of presidents, legacy admits, kids who rose from being homeless to being class valedictorian and founder of a global NGO, etc. It is extremely difficult for a “normal” high-achieving kid to stand out. So you have to craft a story–or rather craft an angle on YOUR story–and play it out. Can you create the impression–through your extracurriculars, your letters, your essays–that HYPSM will be risking missing the next Jeff Bezos or Elon Musk or Bill Gates if they pass you over? That’s what you need to get across. But I emphasize, don’t stress over this. It’s a game, and most people don’t win at this. Fortunately, this is only college admissions–it does not determine your future. You will determine your own future by making the most of the many opportunities available to you, at whatever college you attend.
Reach for everybody.
UIUC CS is extremely competitive. UIUC may admit to the school but not the major; in that case, it is very difficult to get into the major.
@“aunt bea” I’m going to spend the next year truly looking for what these colleges want in depth to ensure that my essays are as best as can be. Also, I was involved in several extracurriculars sophomore year (didn’t do too much freshman year), and I’ve moved up in robotics and am an active member of math team. The teacher who lead science team retired, so I am instead “building my own form of science team” by hosting these clubs on campus, but we’re very small clubs (~5 close friends who compete in competitions together), but I do mentor some of the underclass men through club activities so I am helping them. I also mentor elementary school kids through the FLL robotics team. So they’re not entirely self serving in that I do plan community events and mentor others. But I guess @lookingforward is right that all my involvement is pointed towards STEM.
However, before I can even think about extracurriculars and essays, I must ensure that my stats are up to par. Will that B in AP physics really hurt me that much since I’m applying to engineering. I mean it’s not like I’m getting a C or a D and I’ll still get an A next semester and good exam scores. Also, should I try to explain the B in my essays if it’s really that much of a negative factor? I personally think I shouldn’t because it will sound like I’m making excuses. However, I did read the forum about getting into caltech and it said that B’s in STEM courses just look bad. I know Caltech has their own unique ways, but it was a little discouraging.
You’re asking the same question over and over- and except for some kids, we all tell you this is a high risk list.
Yes, the B in physics will “hurt.” I sent you a pm previously which addressed this and a few ideas.
You’ve jumped the gun, picked targets before even exploring what they need to see. You have not matched yourself. All these assumptions will hold you back. You do not use the essay to explain issues.
Quit reading forums. Go to the source. Quit making statements based on hearsay. Treat this like the serious project it is.
Absolutely correct^^^.
You are not getting it, @prestigious nerd.
This is NOT what you are supposed to be doing. You are supposed to be working on your coursework and present activities. Researching what you think the colleges want is just a waste of time. But you keep on doing that since you don’t seem to get it.
The B will hurt you for engineering.
You have not done anything, outside of your little school comfort zone, to garner any interest from those universities that want students who add something to their campus.
Apply to some safeties and:
FWIW: DS is at Caltech, Husband is a Stanford EE grad, dd is EECS engineer.
They all did EC’s including sports and community activities that had nothing to do with STEM.
CS specifically (because that seems to be what your looking at) UIUC is a top 5 program. That means it will attract the best and smartest students. Students applying to Stanford/MIT/UCB will also be applying to UIUC for CS. Just keep this in mind.
You keep saying that you will get A next semester. I hope so. But don’t assume.
You current B could mean: 1. You did not pay attention to the class. 2. You did not have an efficient method of study. 3. You did not understand well the class materials (maybe because you did not have enough math background). You need to figure out that for yourself.
@coolweather Or 4. could have a bad teacher, haha
@coolweather But also, not that that has any place in college admissions so guess that does not really matter
@coolweather I was having some trouble understanding the material for some time probably because the thinking was pretty new to me; however, after spending some time working out problems and watching Youtube videos, my fundamental understanding has greatly improved and I’m able to see why my previous thinking was wrong. Unfortunately though, now that I’m halfway through the semester, I can’t really do too much to get an A because I performed really poorly on the first two tests which are weighted so heavily. Also, I messed up a lab. I’m not trying to make excuses, but my teacher does happen to be an extremely strict grader who doesn’t teach much. I did receive 70s and 80s, even a few 60s, on quite a few homework assignments for them not being in a very specific format; however, I have fixed that and am usually receiving 90s and 100s now. The Youtube videos really helped to make up for the poor teaching. Moving forward, I should show an upward trend in there. My teacher’s opinion of me may not be the best at the moment, but I hope I can improve his opinion through my upward trend.
Unfortunately, the UC’s do not usually take LOR’s so I’m not sure how screwed I am there.
Also, just saying that I do know people from my school who have gone to top schools and received B’s in AP Chem and even AP Calc, which I am doing quite well in. I do know a few who got B’s in physics, but they were seniors taking the class. The majority of the class is seniors tho.
^ You are not screwed.