ADVICE NEEDED PLEASE...So Desperate

<p>Hey guys...
Here is my dilemma. I applied to about 10 schools my senior year, and ended up not getting into the school I had wanted to attend (NYU). I feel it was due to many factors: mediocre grades & average SAT scores.
So here I am at Penn State University Park, and although the atmosphere is great, I do not feel I fit in. I feel my classes are a breeze although I am in the honors business college and the people around me are not motivated. I am thinking of transferring for the Fall '07 session...
I am enclosing my stats to see if I am a qualified candidate to: Columbia, NYU, Cornell, or Georgetown...I know they are competitive but couple these stats with solid essays and reccomendations, do I have a realistic chance or am I reachign for the stars?</p>

<p>Here are my stats:
High School
SAT--1300 (V: 600, M: 700)
SAT II: Writing--600, Math IC--640, Math IIC--670
AP: Calculus--4, Art Hist--3, Euro Hist--3, Bio--2
High School GPA--4.0 (weighted)
College
Major--Finance & Marketing
Part of the Honors Business Program
Projected GPA--3.5 or better
Groups/organiziations--Marketing & Finance Associations
Plans to study abroad for Spring '06</p>

<p>From your school, you want a GPA of 3.8+ and SATs closer to 700 on each section for Columbia and Cornell, I can tell you that much... GPA is most important.</p>

<p>what schools should i consider...i want to go to a pretty a challenging school...is nyu a good match?</p>

<p>A good tool you can use to find some preliminary match is to go to collegeboard.com and do collegematchmaker. You can also type in NYU in "college search" and find out about its average test scores...</p>

<p>Hmm...</p>

<p>It will be hard to find a student population that is entirely motivated. Some kids are just slackers, regardless of where they go. Example, I have many friends who go to Amherst College, who tell me, "everyone just sits and class and hardly anyone contributes; it's but few who actually make the class interesting; basically, if you go and listen to the professor and attend, you get an easy B." </p>

<p>Of course, not every Amherst kid is just there for the ride, there are many intellectuals, but you should know that anywhere you go, there will always be that group of people who just don't care that much; the ones that don't know why they came to college at all; perhaps, they are there for the parties.</p>

<p>So, what I am saying is: don't make your decision only on the intellectual student body. Research your colleges, make sure you have the right student body size, campus community feel, town, etc. </p>

<p>Good LUCK :) </p>

<p>AS.</p>

<p>If you want a student bodies where most students are academically focused, check out UChicago, Reed, and perhaps Swarthmore.</p>

<p>columbia is a super reach (no go basically), Gtown and Cornell will be tough, NYU is a yes. Do you really want NYU though? It is pretty week in the overall "college experience" category...</p>

<p>I Live 20 Minutes Out Of The City, Thats The Main Reason Why I Am Considering Nyu...i Love The City Vibe, And Getting Over The Fact That Basically Everyone There Keep To Themselves/group Will Be Tough...</p>

<p>Thanks For The Replies Guys...keep Em Coming</p>