I am currently a Junior and I am thinking about which school to apply for ED. Here is my stats. Asian male. middle class. no hook. Thinking about CS major.
public high school, top 3%.
UWGPA/WGPA 4.0/4.7
Selected 6 APs so far (CSA, CSP, Calc BC, Eng, APUSH, Phy 1), will select AP Phy C, AP Eng Lit, AP Spanish, AP Enco and Multi Var in the Senior.
Awards: State level Mathematics and CS award. AIME qualified once, USACO silver division.
EC: tennis team, marching band. nothing special.
Did intern related to CS last summer. Also I am going to a selective (~15%) summer camp this June for one month.
I am in Illinois, but my dream school is UCLA. Still I don’t want to waste ED chance. Trying to find the one that fits me (not far reach) and I won’t regret if I got accepted by both ED school and UCLA.
Well…UCLA doesn’t have any early application options. No early decision or early action. Also, are you able to pay the full cost of attendance which is over $65,000 a year…because the CA publics offer no need based aid to OOS students and very small amounts of merit aid…like maybe $3000…IF you are even selected to receive it.
Do you plan to take the SAT or ACT? While the CA publics are test blind, other colleges are either test optional or require that scores be submitted.
There are HUNDREDS of colleges that offer computer science majors. Without more info about what characteristics you want in a college, it’s impossible to make even guesses for suggestions for ED…should you go that route.
Please get rid of the notion of a dream school first. EDing to a college means they are your top choice and you will attend not matter what so what do you like about UCLA so posters can help you find schools that are similar?
What is your college budget since your ED school must also be affordable?
UCLA had a 5.8% admit rate for OOS applicants last year and CS is highly competitive with a 3.8% admit rate.
Agree…I meant to put that in my comment too. You need a broad list of colleges that you would be happy to attend, and are affordable. Best to start with your sure things for admission and choose two of those. Then build your list UP from there.
If you do choose to apply ED, you likely can also apply to a public school with rolling admissions, or a public with quick turnaround like Pitt or Alabama where you will have an admission decision within weeks of submitting your application.
Just in case it is not clear - if you apply and are accepted ED - you would have to withdraw your ucla application and all others immediately - meaning prior to decisions. ED means you are committed to attending and you can’t wait to see what else happens.
Have you ever been to UCLA or it’s your dream on paper ?
Nonetheless, if your top choice doesn’t have ED, then why would you ED anywhere ?
Also, contrary to what many think, one doesn’t need to ED.
And that’s a chat you need to have with your folks as finances could be impacted.
Finally, in general, when you say you don’t want to waste an ED - realize ED is still an application with a yes, no, or maybe later. There is no guaranteed yes. If you are applying to a selective school, the answer will still likely be a no. Does that mean your application was a waste ?
Agree it can be detrimental to have one dream school. If you are 100% convinced UCLA is your top choice, it is affordable and you have really thought through it then you should probably not apply ED to any schools.
Cost is not a problem. My parents are willing to pay the tuition fee. But as you can tell, the acceptance rate for OOS of UCLA is low. Based on my profile, I am not confident. That’s why I will apply for ED. But which school to pick is a headache for me.
I have visited UCLA last year. I like CA and I like the program. Since the acceptance rate for UCLA for OOS is so low, it is possible that I won’t be accepted. So I want to find a school that provide ED and has a similar CS ranking as UCLA. Cost is not a problem for me.
That’s why I am looking for a school that has similar CS ranking as UCLA. Also, it would be the one that I have some chances based on my stats. So that if I was accepted into that school, I won’t regret.
But if you ED and get in - then you’re not gong to UCLA.
It doesn’t matter the acceptance rate. If you’re that sure you won’t get into UCLA, then why apply?
UCLA is #19 per the Brown ratings. Where would you apply ED that’s similar?
Penn? Columbia?- These aren’t going to be any easier.
Your strategy seems off - and frankly, CS, where you go won’t be a huge matter.
If you like a UCLA, apply - and don’t ED anywhere else.
You don’t have to ED - and there’s tons of great CS schools that are easy ins. U of Arizona for example. Kids that don’t get into UCs go to a school like that.
It’s good that you’re starting to think about where to apply, but in terms of planning your applications, you’re starting at the wrong end. You need to begin by casting the net widely, considering all schools that offer what you want, where you might be happy to go, and that your family is willing to pay for. Then you identify from this list a few safeties that you’d be delighted to wind up at, a few matches that you’d be even happier to attend, a few reaches, and a few high reaches. Only if you find a school that is your absolute and exclusive first choice should you put in a restrictive ED application. If you find a school that you feel that way about, that offers restrictive early action (usually allows no other early private applications, but does allow early public apps, and also lets you wait to notify them of acceptance of the EA offer until May 1st), okay, then put in an EA app.
You may not find one particular school that you are absolutely sure is the one, in which case you don’t ED at all. If one of your schools offers EA, sure, go ahead, since it doesn’t keep you from putting in early public apps, or from submitting RD apps, but you do get the relief of knowing by mid Dec that you’re already in somewhere you really want to go.
Do consider cost, even though your family can pay rack rate, unless your family is so wealthy that money is no object. The difference between public and private can be over 200K for a college education, and there are not many families for whom 200K means nothing.
Most schools with strong computer science programs are public schools, and therefore don’t have ED, only EA. If you’re looking for strong computer science schools, then there are quite a few options that are ranked higher than UCLA, notably UIUC which is ranked 5th (per USNWR) as opposed to UCLA (ranked 14th). It seems like a better strategy for you, if you’re sure about majoring is CS, is to find a wide range of schools to apply to EA (including some safeties and matches). Then you can see how you fare at those schools and still get your shot at UCLA.
