<p>Sorry I don’t really know much, but why do you say that?</p>
<p>It’s not all about stats.
You need depth and breadth in your ECs to have comfortable chances at those elite LACs.
And, you have to do a bang-up job on the application itself and supplements.
It’s not all about stats.</p>
<p>EA schools release decision sometimes in Dec, base on the decision, you can add or remove safety schools from your list.</p>
<p>DrGoogle: I see, good idea.</p>
<p>lookingforward: So would that be a positive or a negative for me? My ECs aren’t that great but I think I could do a really good job on the applications.</p>
<p>Increase your chances by doing both. All you have now are a few activities at the hs. VP is just a title, what did you do that has substance? NHS doesn’t impress adcoms as much as other kids; each hs selects differently, some are merit based, others are teacher popularity, etc. Some do comm svc, but that’s usually dribs ad drabs, easy stuff that’s mostly social/fun. Sports is good. But, your overall picture, right now, here, is just that you do a few things the hs offers. You need to show some ability to id needs and opps around you, commit to them- some for you (eg, related to your major) and some in the community. These colleges want energized kids who will add to life at those schools. </p>
<p>** Someone posted this link which I think is very good. An MIT thread. See post #13. <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-admissions/1193457-esse-quam-videri-how-do-college-applications.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-admissions/1193457-esse-quam-videri-how-do-college-applications.html</a></p>
<p>The short version: And yes, your grades and test scores (especially your grades) are important. But as I have said in the past, what ultimately really matters to us is who you are, what qualities you bring to the table. We want people who are academically curious and passionate, people who will bring their various talents to MIT and share them with others, people who will be good roommates, good mentors, good friends. We do not admit test scores. We admit people.</p>
<p>Don’t let this make you think stats aren’t important to adcoms at a top school. They are. But, among thousands of high stat applicants, the rest of the story matters very much.</p>
<p>Check out Clark University. I was impressed with it when I read the book CTCL from Loren Pope.
[Clark</a> University | Colleges That Change Lives](<a href=“http://www.ctcl.org/colleges/clarku]Clark”>http://www.ctcl.org/colleges/clarku)</p>
<p>You should probably add a safety “below” UMass Amherst. UMass Amherst in general is probably a true safety, but engineering is harder to get into than the university in general. UMass Lowell actually has a pretty well-respected engineering program. Is cost a concern for you? All of those privates are $50,000 plus a year unless you get financial aid or (at some) merit aid.</p>
<p>My section of the NHS requires community service, although I am not sure what I will do for that. I’m thinking about trying to land an internship at a certain college right next door to my HS in the science department. I know there’s a lot of other stuff out there for me to do to pad my college app, but I’m not sure where to start.</p>
<p>The main appeal of UMass Amherst as a safety is that it’s only a 45 minute drive from home. Not sure what other safety I could find, since I’m looking for something close to home with chemical engineering (but not a disgusting male/female ratio like WPI or most other schools like that).</p>
<p>go for it - admissions are unpredictable as colleges each look for different things and not just statistics. don’t let others who are indeed obnoxious and have no clue tell you that you have no chance.</p>
<p>Well, I mean, I really don’t have any shot at MIT. I just thought that emphasizing it like that poster did was obnoxious and unnecessary.</p>
<p>No, I think you’re good.(: Just make sure you have a “safe” school where you know you will GET IN.</p>
<p>Investigate all of your options. Visit the campuses if you haven’t already. Have a “heart to heart” talk with your parents about finances now. Nothing more heartbreaking than reading on CC about students who get into great schools only to be told by their parents “sorry we can’t afford it”. And seriously consider UMass Amherst. It has a great engineering program (#1 public engineering program in New England last I checked, FWIW). While UMass Amherst is big, the Engineering College is pretty small (about 1700 undergrads), and you can choose to live with engineers in the Northeast dorms which have an old brick quad look to them. Or you can choose not to live with other engineers as my son did and live in the Southwest Towers. He’s having a good experience and his classes are challenging. And if you decide not to major in engineering after all, you’ve got the whole rest of the university, plus the other 4 liberal arts colleges in the 5 College consortium to choose from. He got into Syracuse and Delaware as well and we decided the cost premium for those schools really just wasn’t worth it. Also, apply to UMass Amherst and perhaps Lowell or another safety Early Action. Then when you have one or two acceptances in your pocket by Christmas, it really takes the pressure off!</p>
<p>When you put UMass Amherst that way, it actually sounds pretty good. I was mostly afraid of UMass because it’s so big. My mom went there and said that she went through it all without making any friends because she’s so introverted, and I’m a lot like her. If the engineering school is small, then that makes it a lot more appealing. I’m still at a loss for what I could do for another safety school, though.</p>
<p>My family probably can’t pay for much. 2 younger siblings and my parents together make ~100k so I probably don’t qualify for much financial aid. I don’t even know what to do when considering money; it’s a whole new dimension. My mom told me to ignore money because she thinks most top colleges give a lot of financial aid. I’m not so sure. She does spend a lot of time researching, but I don’t know…</p>
<p>Hi, im a senior in high school and i was just reading and i saw you wanted to do chemical engineering, i say you should take a look at Cooper Union, I was accepted into their architecture program and 99.5% i will go there. Looking at your stats you could have a chance if you have amazing essays and what ever cooper gives for engineering apps. For architecture they send home an 11 question test and i believe i got in purely based on this test because my personal stats are above average, but not too impressive. I think you might like it because you keep saying MIT MIT MIT, and Cooper Union is quite often compared to MIT. It is in NY too, so that is a plus.</p>
<p>The very top colleges (Harvard, Yale and Princeton, particularly) do give a lot of need-based aid, but much below that need-based aid falls off pretty quickly for family income in the $100K range. The next level of aid is merit-based aid at a school where your stats place you in the top part of the applicant pool. UMass Amherst is about $22K (about $20K if you get the Adams Scholarship for your MCAS scores). It takes a lot of merit and/or need-based financial aid to get any private school down to that level. As far as the introvert aspect goes, I was very impressed the way UMass tries to break down the “big school” atmosphere into smaller units with subject and theme-based living options (so-called “RAP’s”–residential academic programs, wich include an engineering RAP). I suspect that these kind of options may not have existed back when your mother was there.</p>
<p>Spiderpig72: I’m sorry you feel that way.</p>
<p>Go over to finaid.org and get educated on the aid realities and tips. Most of us pay more for our kids’ coleges than we wish. There are ways to get an early guess at what your parents may be expected to pay- not always 100% accurate, but it will likely open Mom’s eyes. It’s not just income; it’s usually also about assets (except legit retirement,) home equity, etc. Just go work with that site. At 100k, yes you will qualify for aid- the thing is many schools mislead. (See if your choices are “meet full need.”) When they say cagey things like “will help you find a way to finance your ed,” well, be savvy. </p>
<p>Yes, get some experience with research. If you feel shy, think of comm service where you will feel comfortable. The idea is to be able to show, by 12/31, that you did something meaningful, committed regular time and increased your responsibilities (a 3-fer in terms of your app.) (Not as hard as it sounds. A lot of orgs are loosely run.) But get started soon.</p>
<p>The nice thing about UMass Amherst is the consortium.</p>
<p>Try putting “net price calculator” in each school’s web site for financial aid estimates.</p>
<p>For small schools in New England or New York that offer a major in chemical engineering, why not check if Clarkson, Cooper Union, Manhattan, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and Worchester Polytechnic Institute are reasonable to add to your application list (both for admissions and cost)?</p>
<p>I’m really not so fond of the idea of going to “polytech” colleges like RPI, WPI because of how horrible the gender mix is. I know it sounds like a stupid reason, but it really is a dudefest at every single one.</p>
<p>About Cooper Union and Manhattan: I think NYC would be a bit overwhelming for me.</p>
<p>What about BU? D1’s friend received a lot of merit aid with GPA less than 3.5 uw.</p>