Advice needed :D

<p>I'm a Junior. Let me start by saying that my stats are pretty average, and I don't mean Ivy League average... x] I took the test once so far and got 1720 on my SAT (ouch). My class rank is 1/350. My extra-curricular resume is looking pretty pathetic at the moment. I take continuing ed classes at an art school near by home. I've also taken a drawing class and a math class at the local community college. I have about twenty hours of community service. I just started doing volunteer work at a local art gallery. I've been a part of "World Cultures" club at my school for about 2 years. I plan on attending a pre-college (art) program at RISD the summer before senior year. I've never won anything/ received super special honors/etc. </p>

<p>Don't ask me how I got a class rank of 1/350 and a SAT score 1720 simultaneously... I'm not being modest when I say that my school is joke. Most kids here are C students. >_>;</p>

<p>I'm going to work on my SAT scores and extra-curricular activities. If I could get my SAT to a 1800, would I have a feasible chance at schools like Boston University or Syracuse?</p>

<p>Does anybody know of decent universities...with good art programs? (I'm using the word decent very liberally) I'm looking at RISD and MICA, but those are art schools and I'm trying to consider all my options.</p>

<p>I'd appreciate any honest answers and feedback. </p>

<p>Thank-you!</p>

<p>Why not focus on SAT optional schools?</p>

<p>Woah, I never thought of applying to SAT optional schools. Maybe it sounds a bit silly, but I always thought that schools that didn't require SATs might be...not as good as schools that did? Forgive me if this sounds like an idiotic assumption; I just don't want to go a college that everybody applied to simply escape the SAT. </p>

<p>Although I was thinking more a long the lines of state universities with good reputations, I will look into schools that make the SAT optional. I know I said I was using the word decent liberally, but I'm still a little iffy about the quality of education I'll be getting at one of those schools. Does anybody else have experience/opinion on schools that forgo the SAT requirement?</p>

<p>There are several great schools that are SAT optional:</p>

<p>Optional</a> List | FairTest</p>

<p>if not- i think BU or Syracuse is possible- what's your gpa? Even with low SATS, a great essay could definitely get you in there.</p>

<p>Hmom- thank-you for that link. :]</p>

<p>Mterry- My first quarter of junior year unweighted GPA is a 4.0 on a 4.3 scale. I got 4.3 freshman and sophomore year, but I don't know how much those years count. I've been lazy this past quarter and I'm trying to get my ass in gear :o ! </p>

<p>And yeah, I'm definitely going to have to push my application essays.</p>