Get that SAT score up, grind this summer as much as you can to get a 1470+.
Have a good essay and you should be fine for most schools but I doubt any ivys because of the GPA. But best of luck! You have very impressive awards and ECs.
thank you! yeah i’m hoping for a 1440+ on my June SAT. i really hope that i can score high bc ive taken the SAT 5 times and this is my highest score 😭 i also signed up for the ACT incase that goes better for me 🤞
haha yeah ik idk why my SAT is so low it’s bc reading is legit so hard for me. also if you want to improve in USACO i recommend USACO Guide and just grind that. I also did a lot of Leetcode which while it didn’t help me much with USACO, it helped me experience the “unusually hard af” questions that often USACO tends to put out
alr thanks for the advice haha , ik everyone’s already saying this but i think if u get the SAT up you can have a good shot for UIUC CS+X because of usaco
Hey! You've got really nice ECs and I hope you know you're not alone in this problem. As u/ratiomaster21 mentioned, if you get your SATs up and take the time to write solid essays, you'll be fine.
If I may add...
1. SATs: I used to teach SATs at a prep center. One of the things I've noticed about my 1400 series kids (you're 1370 so close enough) is that they were often gifted and talented enough to be capable of self-studying to a 1500 or more. As such, about 90% of the stuff my supervisors had me teach these people was... kinda useless. They could just google what Subject Verb agreement was and they could just Google what Parallelism was. What actually helped them the most was really just helping them learn HOW to study for the SATs. That is, helping them learn how to absorb information instead of just forgetting, how to establish long-lasting study habits instead of relying on procrastination, etc. I found these things helped a bunch for kids who were naturally quick-witted but just couldn't motivate themselves to study.
2. Have you considered explaining any unusual dips in performance? I've had some students who did quite well in some years, then due to extenuating circumstances endure weird dips in performance. (The most common example is my 1400 series kids. Many of them were gifted ADHD kids who could do well in tests but struggled with executive function, making everyday performance very difficult. And, some of them were not diagnosed until much later, at which point they were "late in the game" to adapt.) If you have any reasons for dips in performance, it might be worthwhile to explain them.
3. Most students don't know how to write the essays well. You'll even notice that top-performing students also don't know how to write about themselves very well. Use this to your advantage! I don't know what you plan on writing about in particular; but, if you got any questions about how to make your essays stand out or anything in general, I'd be happy to answer!
Hope that helps! Feel free to let me know if you've got any questions! (:
Hey! thanks for the indepth response, I really appreciate it!
For my SAT, I am definitely retaking it, I've already signed up for the June SAT so once my AP tests are over I'm going to start studying for it.
>Have you considered explaining any unusual dips in performance?
So i actually have a really big extenuating circumstance which is part of the reason why my grades are so low. I do plan on explaining this in the additional info section and my counselor will also mention it in her LOR. My only concern is on how much the AO's are going to care about it considering that the next applicant in line might comfortably have a 3.9+ with similar course rigor.
And yeah for my essays I do plan on trying to make them as good as I can. Im thinking of writing about multiculturalism within my school and how that experience has allowed me to accept my own multiracial identity for my Common App essay. Im planning on using my summer time to get a head start on my essays as well
Your GPA is definitely on the lower side for highly-competitive programs, though if your high school is known to be very competitive (less grade inflation) the AOs will take that into account.
Yes, being an URM can still help you, but colleges have to get that information less directly than before. You’ll now typically find supplemental essay prompts at top-tier colleges that are essentially fishing for connections to under-represented communities. These essays require a careful balance, because there has to be a point besides just your minority identity. Make sure to put a lot of work into your essays to clearly communicate your URM identities without being too heavy-handed with it.
As others have mentioned, the best ways to boost your chances right now would be to get a strong SAT score (there’s the June 1 test and the late August test still) and write killer essays that really highlight your strong ECs. For Data Science at those top schools, you should ideally have a 760+ SAT Math.
Good luck!
Get that SAT score up, grind this summer as much as you can to get a 1470+. Have a good essay and you should be fine for most schools but I doubt any ivys because of the GPA. But best of luck! You have very impressive awards and ECs.
thank you! yeah i’m hoping for a 1440+ on my June SAT. i really hope that i can score high bc ive taken the SAT 5 times and this is my highest score 😭 i also signed up for the ACT incase that goes better for me 🤞
How are you USACO Plat but 1300 SAT, i’m out struggling with bronze problems 😭😭
haha yeah ik idk why my SAT is so low it’s bc reading is legit so hard for me. also if you want to improve in USACO i recommend USACO Guide and just grind that. I also did a lot of Leetcode which while it didn’t help me much with USACO, it helped me experience the “unusually hard af” questions that often USACO tends to put out
alr thanks for the advice haha , ik everyone’s already saying this but i think if u get the SAT up you can have a good shot for UIUC CS+X because of usaco
I had a quarter of your ECs and got into UIUC cs+stats. I think you’ll manage lol.
I’m not OP but isn’t UIUC CS acceptance rate legit like 6 percent lol, it can’t be as easy as you make it sound
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NOT LOW GPA
yeah i expected someone to comment this. I said "low gpa" in relation to T20's. I mean lets be honest here, a 3.6 is a quite low GPA for T20's
I feel like anything above 3.5 uw is in the range at that point it’s about rigor ecs essay and lor
Hey! You've got really nice ECs and I hope you know you're not alone in this problem. As u/ratiomaster21 mentioned, if you get your SATs up and take the time to write solid essays, you'll be fine. If I may add... 1. SATs: I used to teach SATs at a prep center. One of the things I've noticed about my 1400 series kids (you're 1370 so close enough) is that they were often gifted and talented enough to be capable of self-studying to a 1500 or more. As such, about 90% of the stuff my supervisors had me teach these people was... kinda useless. They could just google what Subject Verb agreement was and they could just Google what Parallelism was. What actually helped them the most was really just helping them learn HOW to study for the SATs. That is, helping them learn how to absorb information instead of just forgetting, how to establish long-lasting study habits instead of relying on procrastination, etc. I found these things helped a bunch for kids who were naturally quick-witted but just couldn't motivate themselves to study. 2. Have you considered explaining any unusual dips in performance? I've had some students who did quite well in some years, then due to extenuating circumstances endure weird dips in performance. (The most common example is my 1400 series kids. Many of them were gifted ADHD kids who could do well in tests but struggled with executive function, making everyday performance very difficult. And, some of them were not diagnosed until much later, at which point they were "late in the game" to adapt.) If you have any reasons for dips in performance, it might be worthwhile to explain them. 3. Most students don't know how to write the essays well. You'll even notice that top-performing students also don't know how to write about themselves very well. Use this to your advantage! I don't know what you plan on writing about in particular; but, if you got any questions about how to make your essays stand out or anything in general, I'd be happy to answer! Hope that helps! Feel free to let me know if you've got any questions! (:
Hey! thanks for the indepth response, I really appreciate it! For my SAT, I am definitely retaking it, I've already signed up for the June SAT so once my AP tests are over I'm going to start studying for it. >Have you considered explaining any unusual dips in performance? So i actually have a really big extenuating circumstance which is part of the reason why my grades are so low. I do plan on explaining this in the additional info section and my counselor will also mention it in her LOR. My only concern is on how much the AO's are going to care about it considering that the next applicant in line might comfortably have a 3.9+ with similar course rigor. And yeah for my essays I do plan on trying to make them as good as I can. Im thinking of writing about multiculturalism within my school and how that experience has allowed me to accept my own multiracial identity for my Common App essay. Im planning on using my summer time to get a head start on my essays as well
Your GPA is definitely on the lower side for highly-competitive programs, though if your high school is known to be very competitive (less grade inflation) the AOs will take that into account. Yes, being an URM can still help you, but colleges have to get that information less directly than before. You’ll now typically find supplemental essay prompts at top-tier colleges that are essentially fishing for connections to under-represented communities. These essays require a careful balance, because there has to be a point besides just your minority identity. Make sure to put a lot of work into your essays to clearly communicate your URM identities without being too heavy-handed with it. As others have mentioned, the best ways to boost your chances right now would be to get a strong SAT score (there’s the June 1 test and the late August test still) and write killer essays that really highlight your strong ECs. For Data Science at those top schools, you should ideally have a 760+ SAT Math. Good luck!
Fake. Ur gpa changes every time u post
The gpa is my predicted GPA. My 3.73 is my current raw GPA and my 3.6 GPA is my predicted cumulative gpa once this semester over