**DISCLAIMER: Most of these stats are tentative

Demographics:

• Male, Asian
• Public high school (competitive but not elite)
• No hooks

Intended Major:

Computer Science (CMU SCS ED)
Interested in quantitative finance

Academics:

• GPA: 3.98–3.99 UW / Weighted above 4.40 most likely
• SAT: 1560 (800 Math, 760 EBRW)
• Coursework: Hardest available (17 APs)
  • Multivariable Calculus in school
  • Linear Algebra, Real Analysis, Financial Accounting Dual Enrollment

Awards:

• AIME Qualifier (1x)
• USACO Plat
• Qualified for ISEF (no placement)
• National Fargo Wrestling Qualifier (prestigious in wrestling world)
• Runner up in greco roman and freestyle regional tournament to qualify for Fargo

Research / Projects:

• Algoverse AI research — potential submission to top ML conference (NeurIPS/ICML/ICLR/EMNLP). I am a meaningful contributor
• Quantitative microstructure modeling project (in progress) Working under mentorship (math mentor who likes me, outside of normal math tutoring) to build a mathematically rigorous stochastic limit order book model with theoretical stability analysis and regime detection.
• Potential Computational Biology Research at a local university

Leadership / Activities:

• Chapter Founder & President — USA Economics Olympiad (academia committee, writing test questions, and ensuring test integrity)
• Co-Founder & Co-President — National Student Research Institute chapter (connect students to undergrad/PhD researchers)
• 1 year varsity wrestling (career-ending labral injury)

Other:

• 0 traditional volunteer hours
• No legacy

Schools:

• CMU SCS (ED)
• MIT
• Princeton
• Stanford
• Harvard
• Columbia
• Berkeley
• UIUC

Questions:

1. How competitive am I realistically for CMU SCS ED?
2. Would the quant microstructure project meaningfully differentiate me? If so, how would I prove that I actually did the work and didn't just make it up, or is this a nonissue?
3. What is my biggest weakness relative to SCS admits?
4. Should I consider applying as math instead of CS?
5. Should I consider doulbing up in CS and Math if I get into CMU SCS?
6. Any other tips???

If anyone with SCS / MIT / top CS admissions experience could weigh in, I’d appreciate honest feedback.