What MATCH colleges could I consider?

College Search & Selection
1

Hi! Current junior here. I’m aiming for a lot of top-notch schools (Cornell, UPenn, JHU, WashU, Northwestern) and it occurred to me that I should probably also be thinking about match schools. However, I have no idea where to start. If you have any suggestions, that would be awesome!

UW GPA: 3.8

Weighted GPA: 4.5

SAT: 2320: 760 Math, 800 Writing, 760 CR

SAT II: Math (740), Chem (750), Biology (800), Spanish (800)

Essays: Pretty good! I would probably rate them 9/10.

Extracurriculars: President of Spanish Club (also in National Spanish Honor Society), President of YCS Club, Area Representative for Interact, School Scheduling Committee, City Teen Advisory Board, Managing editor for school newspaper, Managing editor for school politics paper.

I’ve done neuroscience research at Stanford, went to Stanford Summer Humanities Institute, and am applying for Yale Young Global Scholars this year.

I also did a heck ton of community service (115 hours freshman year because I was on Freshman Leadership Corps, and after that I was on the YCS and Interact board and went to all the events, so ~40 hrs/year. Then last summer I went to Asia for this international service trip for two weeks, so that’s that.)

AP (prospective scores): Chem (4), Bio (4), US History (5), Spanish (5), Chinese (5), AP Psych (5) [junior year] ; AP Comp Sci, AP Lit, AP Econ, AP Physics, AP Calc [senior year classes]

Recc Letters (good estimates): Awesome from journalism teacher, good from Comp Sci teacher, good from Spanish teacher, okay from bio teacher

My main concern is that I’m not so good academic-wise. I’m probably only in the top 15%, maybe even 20% of the school (again, it’s SUPER competitive) and my grades last year were kind of mediocre (a couple of B’s every semester). My school doesn’t put the rankings on the transcript because it’s so hard to calculate (everyone always get’s A’s and everyone does really well). I’m also in the second math lane (there’s honors first and advanced second-- I’m in advanced).

I plan to major in CS and English (lol), but that’s not definitive yet.

Not applying for financial aid.

2

Your problem isn’t that hard. You seem to like mid-sized private schools in or near urban areas (Cornell being an exception). There are many such places that are less selective than UPenn etc. Virtually all of them have CS and English departments.

Try out an online college matcher like the one CC offers:
http://www.collegeconfidential.com/college_search/

You also can try scrolling through the US News “national universities” ranking, in roughly the #26 - #50 range. That range includes Case Western and Northeastern. A little lower in the ranking is Maryland, which is larger and public but has a well-regarded CS department.

If you are applying to very expensive schools but not for FA, your family apparently can afford $60K+ per year. That eliminates cost as a factor … which makes things a whole lot easier for you than for most.

3

Pitt is a low-match; Temple is a safety. Both have strong undergraduate science programs, and access to world-class hospitals nearby for research opportunities. You would probably qualify for a nice merit aid package from Pitt, and definitely would qualify for one from Temple. Tulane is a very strong low-match/near-safety for you. You can apply there under their non-binding Early Action, and receive notification, including merit scholarship award, by Thanksgiving.

4

I’d add University of Rochester to your match list, especially given your eclectic interests.