<p>I am currently applying to quite a few schools but I keep getting worried I might get rejected by all of them. </p>
<p>2.89 GPA unweighted (MAJOR fall in junior year)
3.57 GPA weighted
1980 SAT (690 Math, 630 Reading, 660 Writing)
October ACT - (Predicting 29 - 33)
9 APs (NSL, Macro, Micro, Lang, World, Lit, Human Geo, Calc AB, Env. Science)
High rated public school (#1 in MD)
Global Ecology Magnet Program
100+ Service Hours
Golf Team
Ski Club
Grill Masters Club
It's Academic Club
Good Teacher Recs (10/10 Counselor, 7/10 Chem, 9/10 Micro/Macro)</p>
<p>Intended Major: Business Administration or Economics (Business Related)</p>
<p>I'm applying to the following so far....</p>
<p>Maryland College Park - EA
U of Rutgers New Brunswick - EA
James Madison - EA
Elon
Penn St.
Pittsburgh
U Penn ( HUGE reach)
St. Mary's College of Maryland
Duke</p>
<p>I will be taking the SAT again this November and most likely the ACT in December.</p>
<p>What else do I need? How can I improve my chances? Am I applying to too many reach schools? Any schools I should look into?</p>
<p>Unless you are an outstanding, recruited athlete, I think that Penn and Duke (even more selective) are well out of reach for you. The other colleges on your list are fairly realistic, although not true safeties, with your stats. </p>
<p>Seems to me that your UW GPA is a challenge. I’d add a couple of safer schools. Penn & Duke seem out of reach to me with an UW GPA under 3.0 and no hook from what I can see.</p>
<p>@duffy8: To be entirely candid, Penn and Duke (both of which accepted only approximately 10 percent of 2018’s applicants, during the last admissions cycle) are FAR beyond your reach, due to your SAT results and especially your GPA (no offense intended, but this is factual). However, most of your other alternatives seem within reach (not certainties, but not impossibilities either). I also urge you to develop at least two true safeties (assured acceptance AND fully adequate finances).</p>
<p>Drop duke and penn
Add some safeties
You have a shot at pitt and penn state and jmu
Add apply to everything and see what happens I think you’ll get into at least one of those. But find colleges that you know you can get in</p>
<p>Only issue is your UW gpa but the rest of your profile seems perfectly fine.
Upenn and Duke are high reaches.
I believe you will get into Penn State, James Madison, and UMD
Best of Luck!</p>
<p>You need a few true safeties, a stellar essay, and if possible without looking like a whiner, a place on your app where you explain your GPA. Was there a specific reason for the drop in junior year? </p>
<p>Look for large schools, especially state, that accept 70% of their applicants… most of these take people with GPAs hovering around or under 3.0. Your SATs are actually higher than most applicants for such schools, but the GPA is the issue, and these schools would be good fall backs. University of New Hampshire, Vermont come to mind. But that said, it is possible one of your schools above (not the high reaches) will overlook the GPA with a good explanation since you’re coming from a competitive school and have good ECs/decent SAT. I’m hesitant to suggest my alma mater (Boston University) because your GPA is too low, but your SAT scores and other credentials would work there… maybe they’ll look at your weighted GPA. Look at CGS at BU–it’s the junior college that allows you to transfer to other schools after two years, and is usually where students with lower scores are put that BU feels have promise. Look into it. (basically all anyone will see on your resume is BU; they won’t know you were in the junior college first)</p>
<p>@bboy219: Unfortunately, the OP’s standardized test scores also clearly fall below the mean for those ADMITTED to Penn and Duke (your post #11 is erroneous). </p>
<p>@TopTier I am aware that his or her’s standardized scores do not meet the mean of UPenn and Duke’s acceptances. I did indicate that those schools were high reaches. I was just noting that duffy8’s stats were fine in regards to applying to schools in general. I would not consider my post erroneous but thank you. </p>
<p>@bboy219: You said (verbatim quote), “Only issue is your UW gpa but the rest of your profile seems perfectly fine.” That certainly seems to indicate that you felt the OP’s SAT I results were “perfectly fine” for Penn and Duke (and they are not). </p>
<p>@TopTier Again, I was referring to duffy8’s stats in general. I said that “Upenn and Duke are high reaches” in the next line to show another complete thought. </p>
<p>The reasoning behind my junior year drop was some unfortunate events in my family that resulted in me taking care of my sick father and grandmother on my own. I spent most of my time caring for them and spent minimal time studying. </p>