Hi. So I’m currently a junior in high school thinking about college. I am headed towards winishing with about a 4.1 weighted GPA. My school doesn’t give unweighted but it would be about a 3.6 to 3.7. I am aiming for a 1400 on my SAT but I believe I will hit at least a 1325. I take AP Environmental science and next year I will take AP Physics algebra based(Contemplating picking up another AP class). I don’t play a sport but I am the drum major of the marching band at my school. I also participate in a band and community service at my church and have received a youth discipleship award for that along with partaking on a service trip to the Dominican Republic. I am currently aiming for schools such as penn state, u pitt, villanova, and possibly u florida. Btw I plan on majoring in marketing. Am I looking at the right level of schools? Also any advice on things I could do to help my application look better would be greatly appreciated!
@anilu49 , your stats are fine for Penn State as a whole; however, Penn state Smeal College of business is one of the two most difficult colleges to get into. Students who apply to Smeal aren’t technically accepted into their major until they complete their entrance to major courses successfully and achieve a certain GPA. If they don’t make the requirements, they have to transfer out. What many prospective students do not know is that you can, as a student in DUS (undecided), complete the same entrance to major requirements and if you have the GPA, you can declare your major like those students accepted into Smeal originally. Only students in Smeal and DUS can declare a Smeal major. So you can’t go into a Smeal major from Econ (College of liberal arts) or communications. And since DUS is significantly easier to gain acceptance, many Smeal hopefuls just apply to DUS. There is virtually no advantage in being a Smeal premajor versus a student in DUS who is on the business track. Smeal premajors may have a few events they can participate in, but nothing major. You won’t be locked out of courses. Bottom line: Assuming you’ve taken a rigorous courseload in high school, I think you have a decent shot getting into Smeal. However if you worry about gaining acceptance, apply via DUS instead. You can also indicate a willingness to start in summer, although this will come with added costs.
Sorry for long response.
Congratulations on your hard work and success!
Now a question about the financial side, which is very important. A student might be able to afford $0 to $70,000 per year. Schools might cost anywhere on that spectrum (and even a little higher). So figuring out where you are and what schools are at or below that number is crucial. I’m assuming you are a PA resident, since there are 3 PA schools on your list . . . correct? Have you run the Net Price Calculators (NPCs) for these schools? How does it look? Are they affordable?
Why UF? Do you have ties there? You might be aware that it only has a very small % of OOS students–one of the smallest of all state flagships. (Florida prefers to reserve spots for in-state students; Michigan, Wisconsin, Alabama and other states welcome lots of OOS students.) So that makes Florida more competitive OOS.
To your question, Am I aiming too high? Can I suggest you think about it a little differently? What if you thought of it as, what kind of schools would be a good fit for ME? You seem to like large schools–that’s great. Along with that, are big-time sports important to you? All your schools have big-time sports, including Villanova basketball, obviously. Is that a draw for you?
So let’s say you think you’d like to study at a big-time state flagship with big-time sports. I don’t know the typical stats at these schools, but let’s say you make that 1400 and have a good spring semester, which would be helpful in any case. Well, apply to PSU, Pitt, Florida, and any others that appeal. Villanova, which has a great business school, too. Maybe you’ll get accepted to some or all of them. But you might also wanted to find a couple of similar schools–that work well for you–that have less competitive admissions, where you be happy to study, and, importantly, are affordable. I’d think of some of the midwestern flagships, like Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, which are actually in college towns or even urban locations and offer pretty generous money to OOS students. So not all that different than PSU, Pitt, and Florida (except for the weather). And it’s important to understand that acceptance rate does not equal quality of education. The schools on your list are all terrific, and so are these schools and many others.
As noted in the above comment, students sometimes apply as direct admits in business schools, sometimes apply after studying for a while at school, some combo of both, or maybe something slightly different. The business school can be more competitive than general admission. So it’s good to be aware of that at the schools that interest you.
Good luck, and have fun with the process! You’ll do fine!
What is your home state? if Penn State, Upitt or UF are OOS, they’ll be very expensive for your parents
How much will your parents pay each year? Ask them, please don’t guess. We see later posts from a lot of disappointed students who thought their parents would pay more.
So yes I have had discussions with my parents about finances. I actually live in north jersey and my parents and I are expecting for me to OOS. They are looking to pay no more than 60k. I do have some in state schools I will likely apply to (Rutgers, college of nj) if finances become more of an issue. I have just liked the schools I have toured in penn so far a lot more than in state.
I am aware UF is quite out of the ordinary but I did tour it while down in Florida and the business school appeals to me. Also I am looking to apply to a few warm-weather colleges.
Do you want to continue marching band in college?
Since you’re interested in FL schools, U of Miami might be a good fit for you. It’s a match stat-wise, has an undergrad marketing program http://bulletin.miami.edu/undergraduate-academic-programs/business/marketing/ , and has a great marching band program as well https://www.bandofthehour.org/ The full-pay COA is over your budget (around 69K) but you may be able to get some merit aid, or need-based aid if you qualify. (Marching band participants receive a stipend as well - $1500-$3500 depending on leadership positions and pep band participation.)
Miami of OH could be worth a look as well.
https://miamioh.edu/fsb/academics/marketing/academics/major/index.html
http://music.miamioh.edu/mumb/
https://miamioh.edu/admission/merit-guarantee/
$60k a year oos is a lot for a marketing major - that is a much less specialized program than engineering or biology, etc and the outcome school to school is more minimal. That is a huge gift your parents are being so extremely generous. But the marketing side of it also means how you feel about the campus when you visit should play a bigger role because it’s less specialized.
I’d look also at what is appealing to you about those school and expand your list. Check Niche for the marketing ranking, etc. most schools have merit clearly laid out on the websites or you can google OOS merit
With your grades and Merit you’ll likely find a number of programs in the 30-40k total cost range that are amazing and not waste 80k (bigger wedding? Down payment on a house?). More expensive doesn’t always mean better quality in the world of colleges - especially for a high stat kid .
Just to add to my previous comment, if Villanova is the school you really love, well, it’s terrific, apply and hope it works out. You will likely be a reasonable applicant. Comparable schools–Catholic, urban, mid-size (for the most part), business school–would include Creighton University, University of Portland, Seattle University, Marquette (Milwaukee), St. Louis University, Seton Hall, Santa Clara, and University of San Francisco.
I’m personally a big fan of Creighton. Right next to downtown Omaha, which is actually a pretty dynamic business center, with a fun nightlife area about a 10-15 minute walk from campus. Heider College of Business at Creighton ranked #8 among Catholic universities (Villanova #4 according to ranking I saw). Basketball program is strong, and NCAA plays the College World Series there every year.
Portland and Seattle are great cities, and great for students and young professionals, including for internships. Santa Clara has a beautiful campus right in Silicon Valley! You’ll have to run NPC at any of these that might appeal–not sure what they would cost you.
Good luck!
Is it $60,000 per year or $60,000 total your parents will pay?
per year
Thank you for the recommendations because Villanova would so far be my #1 of schools I’ve toured.
Yes I am looking to continue marching band in college as I am the drum major (leader) of the marching band at my high school.
My parents would obviously prefer to pay closer to $40k per year and that’s why I have some interest in some schools I liked in that range (penn state, temple) however the $60k would really only be spent for a school like villanova because of all the extra amenities and things they have offered to students there.
UF’s acceptance rate for OOS students is currently about the same as in-state (the numbers can be found in the annual Office of Admissions report) . UF wants to increase the % OOS students. As it becomes more popular with OOS students (and the number of OOS applications increase), I’m sure we’ll start to see a delta between OOS and in-state, but as of last year, that’s not the case.
UF can be expensive for OOS students, since it doesn’t offer much in the way of OOS merit based scholarships. But it does have a great band. :-bd
Santa Clara might be a great option. Business school also highly ranked, beautiful/mid-size, suburban campus, Silicon Valley, beautiful/sunny weather year round, It might be one of the more expensive options, so run the NPC for sure.
Your stats are good and you are not aiming too high—you could aim higher. We only apply for colleges once in our lives so I suggest sending out more applications and see what you get, which is easy with using the Common App these days. If you are a marketing major, why are you taking AP Physics? That could tank your GPA. Do they offer AP Psych or AP Econ at your school? Start writing your essays during the summer prior to senior year (at least have a rough draft prior to the fall semester of senior year) so you can apply for Early Action (Nov. 1) if you choose. Also, it’s difficult to work on essays when schoolwork has begun.
My son absolutely loves U of Miami in Florida—it has changed his life—he is so happy and his personality has blossomed. There are students who want to go out and do things vs. only drinking/partying like other universities. The campus is beautiful and the students are friendly and open to meeting people. Miami has loads of school spirit, stellar football games (free for students), water sports, beautiful campus.
Santa Clara is down the highway from us and is a good school but doesn’t have the opportunities that U of Miami has. You could take the train to S.F. but S.F. has become a pit for the homeless. I don’t think it’s worth flying across the country for when your home is in N.J. Flights might cost more than flying from NJ.
Penn State is an odd subculture of lack of outspokenness and hushing. Think Jerry Sandusky (raped underprivileged teenagers for decades and was kept hidden), Tim Piazza (football player who died from forced alcohol hazing, bro’s didn’t call 911 until 12 hours later, when he was near death), Marquise Braham (hazed so hard that he ended up committing suicide from the harsh memories). It also lacks diversity so the students are all going to be very similar in their general thinking and values.
JAMES MADISON - Virginia. Very affordable OSS tuition, great marching band, and marketing major is solid. Awesome alumni network in NOVA/DC area. Lots of kids from New Jersey and New England. Great campus vibe, milder weather, and 45 minutes to UVA in Charlottesville.