Any recommendations for match colleges?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Right now, I'm interested in colleges, mostly LACs, that are strong in science. My GPA's the worst part and I know that it's going to hurt me during the admissions process. Therefore, I'd like to expand my list to include matches that I could probably get into. Right now, I have: </p>

<p>Macalester
Rollins
Hamilton
Bucknell
Haverford
Tufts (though the last two may be low reaches)</p>

<p>From these schools and my stats, anyone care to recommend matches for me? </p>

<p>Objective:
GPA: 3.6 UW (3.8 if you take freshman year out), 4.14 weighted (on a scale of A in AP = 4.667)
Rank: Top 7%/700
AP's: 10 (All 4's and 5's, mostly 5's) by Junior Year, total of 12 next year, as well as the IB program.
PSAT: 214 Junior Year (hopefully, NMSF because Florida, luckily, has low cutoff scores)
SAT: 2270 (760 CR, 720 M, 790 W)
SATII: Math II - 800, US History - 800, planning on taking Chem in October. </p>

<p>12th grade courseload:
IB Contemporary History HL
IB TOK
AP US Gov/Econ
IB English HL
IB Mathematics SL
IB Chemistry HL</p>

<p>In addition, tentative CC courses:
Calc 1
Physics w/ Calc 1</p>

<p>I'm also starting an internship through a program that my school district offers, which gives college credit for an internship. Mine will be at a hospital lab, so maybe I can cure cancer or lethargy or something. </p>

<p>Subjective:
Race: Asian (Thai, though they probably don't subdivide into nationalities so I'm fairly SOL here)
Gender: M
Income: Around 50k/year
State: FL
ECs (the position I'll hold and the years I will have been in the club are for 12th grade.):
President of National Science Honor Society (3 years)
President of Book Club (2 years)
President of Geography/History Club (4 years)
Co-editor and is published in school's Literary Magazine (3 years)
Co-founder for a program at a local children's hospital that helps children express their literary and artistic abilities, publishing their works for people to see (1 year)
Secretary/Co-founder of Asian Heritage Club (2 years)
Historian of Math Honor Society (4 years)
Member of Model UN (4 years)
Member of National Honor Society (2 years)
Member of Spanish Honor Society (2 years)
400+ hours of community service
I will have also worked at a restaurant for 3 years by senior year. </p>

<p>Essays:
I'm probably going to base one around food/cooking since it's one of my passions that I feel I could write really well on. </p>

<p>These are what I feel to be reaches: </p>

<p>Amherst (ED, most likely)
Pomona
Rice
Carleton
Williams
Middlebury
Grinnell
Swarthmore
U Chicago/Columbia/Cornell (#carpediem)</p>

2

<p>Oberlin has excellent science departments and would be a match I think. My son is a rising sophomore there and has already done research with a professor.</p>

3

<p>Your GPA is not as bad as it appears since you are in the top 7%. Tufts is probably still a reach. Do you have an in-state safety like UF, especially since you can use Bright Futures? You might want to also consider U Alabama which will offer you a very good merit scholarship. Kenyon might be a good match (grades are a little lower than Grinnell).</p>

4

<p>Dude Tufts is a match</p>

5

<p>Well for Tufts, I’m applying for the College of Arts and Sciences so I don’t know if that changes things.</p>

6

<p>Wavylays, you really think a school that accepts 22% of applicants is a match?? You need to read more on CC.</p>

7

<p>Yeah, I wasn’t sure if it was a match. My cousin recommended it to me and said that I had a reasonable chance of getting in because he got in with slightly lower stats, though he could also afford to pay the full price. I’m not sure about Tuft’s financial aid policy but that may have tipped the scale in his favor? Still, I’m planning on applying there.</p>

8

<p>Rhodes in Memphis, TN</p>

<p>Ursinus in PA would be a good safety.</p>

<p>Haverford and Tufts are reaches for all.</p>

9

<p>I got into Tufts Engineering with worse stats, worse ECs and no hooks…
I’m pretty sure you’ll get in</p>

10

<p>Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, it is known for science. Has the largest number of Hollings Scholarships in US. Will complete a $32 million Molecular Science building in December. Due to the low student/faculty ratio, there are lots of opportunities for research with your mentor as a freshman. They also have a very active Model UN club. Based on your stats, it appears that you would be eligible for a Presidential merit scholarship, (this year it is $17,000).</p>

11

<p>Might look at Holy Cross-very strong in science majors with great campus 1 hour from Boston.</p>

12

<p>Eckerd looks nice, though it may be a little too close to home for comfort. Holy Cross looks like a good school, but I prefer schools with no religious affiliation (save for Quaker schools).</p>

13

<p>Wesleyan has great science programs, a 20% admission so probably low reach for you, has graduate science programs as well! Also look into Vassar, it’s incredibly beautiful but about as selective as Wesleyan. I’d recommend Pitzer (15.7% admission rate, but probably low-reach cause it gets a boost of admissions from being in the claremont consortium with more selective Pomona and Claremont McKenna and Harvey Mudd). Watch out for Reed, it is more selective than it appears.</p>