<p>I am an average student. My unweighted GPA at the end of this year was a 3.47 and my final SAT score was a 1710. My stats are also pretty normal. I will have 4 AP classes and a dual credit class by the time I graduate next year, as well as four years of a foreign language, and an average of 2-3 ECs a year. I will be majoring in International Afffairs (or something similar) and law school is a good possibility for me. </p>
<p>So far I have four schools on my list that I know I will be applying to:
-Indiana University
-University of Cincinnati
-American University
-Catholic University of America</p>
<p>HOWEVER, I would really like to go to a school such as Mount Holyoke, Smith, Vassar, Barnard, etc. but I fear there is nothing "great" about my resume. Would I be too ambitious to apply to schools such as those mentioned above? I also have Goucher, Simmons, Boston, and Arcadia on my short list but my ECF is at the awkward figure of $15,000 where I don't qualify for a lot of aid, and don't have enough money to pay a $30,000 tuition bill every year, and since those schools don't offer 100% of aid, they don't seem to be realistic choices. Any advise, suggestions, etc? I would like to begin my applications in August but I need to finalize my list before then.</p>
<p>Since it seems that those such as Goucher, Simmons, Boston, and Arcadia are less realistic financially, would it be a good idea just to go for it an apply to Mount Holyoke, Smith, Vassar, and Barnard where I would get more aid if accepted?</p>
<p>Your SAT scores aren’t super good, but they might be good enough for the colleges that you first listed. If you’re aiming for colleges that are “higher,” then you would probably want to retake the SATs, unless you’ve taken them three times already. </p>
<p>There isn’t really much you can do about your GPA, but if you do really well in your classes next year, that’ll probably help quite a bit, especially if there’s an upward trend. I heard that colleges like to see upward trends.</p>
<p>For your 2-3 ECs a year, what exactly are they? Are they all different? Colleges apparently also like consistency, and since quality is valued over quantity, a leadership position in the EC is preferred. It’s why I’m worried about my own ECs. I guess it’d be a little more helpful (for people who reply) if you were more specific about the ECs.</p>
<p>For the schools, you can always apply to one school and see what happens. After all, you never know until you try. That might waste more money though, considering application costs…</p>
<p>I’m not sure if I really said anything helpful, since I’m pretty much in the same situation as you if you are, as I’m assuming, going to be a senior this fall. Hope that one reply to this would get you more helpful replies though.</p>
<p>Mt. Holyoke is test optional I believe. Look at their stats & see what % of students come from the Midwest. You know how these schools always like to “brag”, we have students from all 50 states & a billion different countries etc. etc.</p>
<p>My ec’s were FCCLA, Mentoring, Prom Committee, and Foreign Language Club. I know Mount Holyoke is test-optional, as is Smith College. Hopefully that will work in my favor. My grades also show an upward trend since freshman year. My G.P.A. was around 3.4 freshman year and is around 3.8 now, but my cummulative is still 3.4, which really stinks.</p>
<p>American is test optional for ED. However, to really benefit from test optional schools, you would need a higher GPA. It is going to be hard to be admitted at a school that meets need. Your best choice is probably to look for lower cost schools where you are likely to be admitted, especially your instate public schools. Are you instate for Indiana?</p>
<p>Yes, I am in-state for Indiana and the county that I live in also gets in-state tuition to the University of Cincinnati because of our proximity to the school.</p>
<p>My test scores have already been sent to IU, UC, AU, and CUA.</p>
I’m guessing it was the math that brought the SAT scores down. If you started at 3.4 and the grades went up the cum can’t be a 3.4. As long as you can afford UC or IU you should be pretty good to go.</p>
<p>I think your GPA and test scores are in the ballpark for admission to IU, Cincinnati, and Catholic U. American’s a little reachy, but maybe worth a shot. Vassar is very reachy, and Barnard only slightly less so. For that matter, although Smith and Mt. Holyoke have relatively high admit rates, your GPA and SAT scores are definitely on the low side. Take a shot at one or both if you like, but if you’re looking for a small college I think you need to expand your list. </p>
<p>You’re right to be wary of schools like Goucher and Simmons that don’t have a lot of money and tend to “gap” people on FA. But ther are a lot of schools between the Barnard/Smith/Mt. Holyoke range and the Goucher/Simmons range. What about, e.g., DePauw? Beloit? Hobart & William Smith? College of Wooster? Earlham? These are pretty good schools, some of them slightly reachy, others probably solid matches. they don’t meet 100% of need either but many of them seem to have larger FA awards than Goucher and Simmons.</p>
<p>Erin’s Dad- “I’m guessing it was the math that brought the SAT scores down. If you started at 3.4 and the grades went up the cum can’t be a 3.4. As long as you can afford UC or IU you should be pretty good to go.”</p>
<p>I never said my cum GPA started at a 3.4 (that was my average quarter GPA without finals factored in), my cum began at about a 3.1 and is now at a 3.47. My GPA for the four quarters this year averaged a 3.8 GPA, but finals count for a large percentage of your grade. </p>
<p>BTW- I am two years ahead in math, so that is not my problem.</p>
<p>I think it either has to be IU, UC or a school that meets 100% of need. My parents said the most they would spend per year would be our EFC of $15,000. I have planned on applying to 10 colleges, the four originally listed and six others. Schools like Simmons and Goucher won’t be affordable, but I think what I was trying to say before was should I just take a shot perhaps at applying to six 100% need schools that I like and see what the results are, hoping that I would get into one.</p>
<p>OP, I’m sorry you don’t seem to understand a cum GPA.<br>
Your cum is (most probably) based on your end of year grades ( though some are based on end of semester). Colleges will care about your end of semester and end of year grades. Those don’t sound like they are rising. </p>
<p>The real question is can you afford $20K/year for school for tuition, room and board for UC instate. If your parents will pay $15K you’ll have to pay for the rest with a summer job and/or loans.</p>
<p>Cum raised from a 3.1 to a 3.47. That doesn’t really matter now anyway. It is what it is. </p>
<p>“The real question is can you afford $20K/year for school for tuition, room and board for UC instate. If your parents will pay $15K you’ll have to pay for the rest with a summer job and/or loans.”</p>
<p>Can they afford $20,000. No. If for some reason I do end up at UC, hopefully I will receive a small amount of aid. Otherwise I can commute to UC, that no big deal. </p>
<p>IU’s final cost would be around the $17,000 area. That is affordable as many kids at my high school that have gone on to there get a few thousand in merit aid (and financial aid), even with the same stats I have. IU also has an average of 91% of need met, so I would get some money for financial aid anyway. </p>
<p>These are things I (and my family) have already figured out. However, I am not the type of person who would be happy at a big school like IU or UC (UC’s location is in a VERY VERY bad part of town and that doesn’t help the situation either), I also wan’t the experience of “going away” for college and these two options do not fit that bill. </p>
<p>My main question is would it be better to apply to schools like Goucher, Simmons, Arcadia, etc. and hope that I will receive enough aid, or go on and apply to those such as Smith, Mount Holyoke, etc. with the idea that if I apply to 4-5 of that stature that there is a chance I may get into one.</p>
<p>I think you need to consider that some of the schools that don’t meet 100% of need DO meet 100% of SOME students’ need. So, for example, Beloit says their average FA award is $28,126, which is a pretty substantial award. But remember, that’s the average: some are lower, some higher. They don’t meet 100% of everyone’s need, but they do meet 100% of need for 48% of their students. And on average, they meet 95% of need—again, some higher, some lower. At a school like that you just can’t tell whether it’s going to be affordable until you see their actual FA package.</p>
<p>Moreover, because schools define “need” so differently, a school that pledges to meet 100% of need might actually offer you less FA than a school like Beloit, just because the “100% of need” school defines “need” more stringently. I think in your position it’s worth applying to a mix of schools. No point in applying to a bunch of schools where you’ll likely be rejected, while foregoing schools where admission is more likely and you might end up with a similar FA package.</p>
<p>Again I ask, is the theory of applying to 4-5 reach schools in hoped I get accepted at one a good theory or should I only apply to 1-2 reach schools and hope I get aid from other schools.</p>
<p>You also need some safeties. One possibility might be Wittenberg, which is sort of in your neighborhood, has good FA, and where you might qualify for some merit money. </p>
I’ve seen some people say if you have a safety you can afford and are willing to attend on the list you don’t need any matches and can apply to all reaches beyond the safety. I wouldn’t do that but applying to 4-5 reaches seems fine.</p>
<p>I would say you should apply to plenty of reaches. Those are schools were luck plays a real factor, and you’re better off having more door prize tickets than less. Apply to matches as well. You’ll likely find those more intellectually invigorating than a safety.</p>
<p>annasdad- “You also need some safeties. One possibility might be Wittenberg, which is sort of in your neighborhood, has good FA, and where you might qualify for some merit money.”</p>
<p>IU and UC are my safeties. </p>
<p>Erin’s Dad- “I’ve seen some people say if you have a safety you can afford and are willing to attend on the list you don’t need any matches and can apply to all reaches beyond the safety. I wouldn’t do that but applying to 4-5 reaches seems fine.”</p>
<p>IU would be that safety that I can afford, and would be willing to go to (not over-the-moon excited though). They also let you know if you’ve been accepted 3-4 weeks after you apply, so I would know by the end of October if I apply in late September. It is a well-known, nationally-ranked university with a good reputation. So if that’s in the bag by October (UC as well), I think it would leave me more room to apply to more reach schools, in hopes I get into one, knowing that I have already been accepted to the other schools. </p>
<p>I guess I’ll just have to wait and see what happens…</p>