Official baseline

Northwestern's overall admit rate is ~7% (Class of 2028). McCormick reads slightly above the university average on test scores. Essays carry real weight; the "Why Northwestern" supplement is read closely.

Admit rate: 7% · SAT 1500–1560 mid-50 · ACT 34–35

Student fit

Coursework strength is competitive (BC + Bio + CS A combo is a strong McCormick signal). Tutoring + coding club lean into NU's "Whole-Brain Engineering" framing. The 1480 is the friction point: it doesn't disqualify, but it is the lowest single data point in the file.

Reasons

• Curriculum rigor matches McCormick's read; counselor's "most demanding" rating will register.
• Founded-and-grew leadership lands cleanly in NU's evaluation framework.
• A retake that moves the 1480 toward 1510+ shifts NU from hard reach to lower reach.

Actions

• Take the August SAT. Bluebook diagnostic score is the gate.
• Draft a "Why Northwestern" that names two specific McCormick course sequences and one professor's work.
• Find a current student in the coding-club-to-McCormick path and ask for a fifteen-minute conversation before the supplement is final.

Official baseline

Out-of-state admit rate at COE runs notably below the in-state line; the 1480 lands inside the published mid-50. EA is non-restrictive and the decision arrives by late January.

Admit rate: ~17% overall · SAT 1430–1530 mid-50

Student fit

UMich is the cleanest fit on the list: the application weights rigor + activity-leadership + community impact in roughly that order, and Alex's file rates well in all three. The "Community" supplement is where the barista shift becomes load-bearing.

Reasons

• EA at UMich is high-yield and non-binding — almost no downside.
• The tutoring hours read as a real community signal, not a resume line.
• AP Calc BC + AP Bio + AP CS A is the curriculum Ann Arbor expects from an admitted COE applicant.

Actions

• Submit EA. The November 1 deadline is the most important date on this list.
• Write the "Community" essay about the barista shift, not the coding club. Less expected.
• If the August retake clears 1500, you've removed the only soft data point in the file.

Official baseline

Grainger CS is a major-locked admit: the university accepts ~45%, but CS specifically clears closer to 13%. In-state residency lifts the floor but does not eliminate the major's selectivity.

Admit rate: ~13% CS specifically · SAT 1430–1540 mid-50 · ACT 32–35

Student fit

The AP CS A 5 plus the coding-club growth narrative is exactly the major's read. Consider applying to Math + CS or CS + Stats as alternates inside Grainger to lower CS-only pressure without losing the major.

Reasons

• Major selectivity, not university selectivity, is the real friction.
• The Coding Club founding story carries CS-specific signal that the application can't get from elsewhere.
• Math 750 + AP Calc BC 4 is the floor UIUC reads as ready for the major.

Actions

• Add Math + CS as the alternate major. Same department, easier admit math.
• Document one concrete coding-club outcome (curriculum, headcount, student work shipped) in the activity description's 150 characters.

Official baseline

UC application reads the four PIQs, not a personal statement. The grading is internal and dimensional: UCSD weights academic preparation, demonstrated interest in major, and consistent achievement.

Admit rate: ~24% overall · UC test-blind (SAT not considered)

Student fit

The test-blind policy mutes the 1480 entirely. With strong APs, leadership, and steady community work, the file reads above the UCSD median for an out-of-state engineering applicant. PIQ #1 (leadership) and PIQ #6 (academic field) are the highest-leverage drafts in the file.

Reasons

• Test-blind removes the file's softest data point.
• The UC PIQs reward concrete, sustained activity; tutoring + club founding answers both.

Actions

• Draft PIQ #1 around the coding club's first-year curriculum decisions.
• Use PIQ #8 to address the part-time job rather than burying it in additional information.

Official baseline

Vanderbilt's admit rate trended down to ~5% for the Class of 2028. Engineering reads slightly above the overall line on test scores; ED yields a ~3x lift in admit probability for borderline files.

Admit rate: ~5% · SAT 1500–1560 mid-50

Student fit

No national-level award is the explicit gap. The barista + tutoring story can absorb a strong "Common App + Why Vandy" pair, but the file does not have a single line that reads as exceptional in Vandy's pool. ED is the only round where the math works.

Reasons

• Strong essay potential with the barista and tutoring threads.
• Curriculum rigor is competitive in the engineering pool.

Actions

• Decide on ED Vanderbilt vs ED elsewhere by August. Vandy ED is the highest-leverage single decision on this list.
• Plan one summer project that produces a verifiable artifact (a published curriculum, a tracked program). This is the gap the report ranks highest.