I’m a junior, and I am currently breaking down a list of colleges to visit. I guess I’ll give a summary or “resume”…
Academic
GPA (unweighted): 4.00
APs (including this year): World History (got a 5), Statistics, US History, English-Lang&Comp
Planning to take AP Physics, Calc BC, and CompSci next year
Honors: Geometry (9th grade) Algebra 2/Trig (10th) PreCalc (11th), Chemistry (11th)
College tie-in course: Engineering Design (9th), CIM (11th)
Tests
PSAT: 225 (doesn’t matter for college ofc but might help with forseen SAT scores)
Practice SAT: 2260
Practice ACT: 34
ExtraCurriculars:
Treasurer of 3D Printing Club (co-founder as well)
Tennis team
Got 1st and 2 2nd place medals in science olympiad
35 hrs of community service helping teach underprivileged immigrant kids
Helped run inaugural science competition for middle school kids to help spark some STEM interest
Note: I think these are pretty lacking, so I’ll have to do more.
Also, I spent a year in china (shanghai, 10th grade to be exact) and I might’ve had more leadership roles if it weren’t for the sort of “lack of consistency” - not an excuse, of course but I think it might make up a bit for the thus-far lacking in ECs and gives me an awesome essay topic if needed.
Anyway, I would love to go to Stanford (especially since Luck went there and I’m a huge Colts fan) but it’s obviously a reach for everyone, even people with 2400s don’t always get in; seems like you have to cure a disease or discover a new planet at this point. But other schools I’m looking at are Georgia Tech, UC Berkeley, USC (might be too expensive), UCLA, Duke, etc. I want to go to a school with an at least decent sports program… Any things out of those that I should not even bother looking at b/c not a good enough chance? No point visiting a university you’re not a good fit for…
Thanks for reading the entire thing!
Also no need to be sensitive, criticism is helpful.
Duke and UCLA are very, very different places. For that matter, they all differ from one another in some key ways.
I recommend doing some thinking about exactly what it is you want in a college beyond a good sports scene. Size? Location? Academic offerings? Weather? Style of campus? Etc.
A key step is to run an EFC calculator to figure out how much your family can/should pay.
Stanford is a tough admit but no reason not to apply if it is big on your list. You mentioned cost so have you discussed how much your parents are willing to pay and have you run any Net Price Calculators for these schools? Where are you instate for?
I’d add Tulane to your list. You will almost certainly get in, and you stand an excellent chance at receiving a good scholarship. Maybe University of Miami and SMU, also. ASU Honors is another solid safety for you. Once you have identified some solid Matches and Safeties, you might as well aim high. Vanderbilt probably meets most of your criteria, and they usually meet financial need.
Your “numbers” are competitive; however, that really is only a small – critical, to be sure – element of YOUR search. I strongly suggest you spend a day or two on each campus, possibly after reducing your target list. Your “cultural fit” is ESSENTIAL, particularly because these universities are all excellent (some are even in the most-desirable, “elite” category). You’re going to live on and be an active participant in undergraduate life for at least four years . . . and an alum for probably 6+ decades. Will you love it or tolerate it? That could easily be the result of several “cultural” factors (one simple illustration follows: Berkeley, USC, UCLA, and Georgia Tech are located in LARGE cities, whereas Stanford and Duke are in smaller cities; is that important to your determination?).
Thanks for the replies. I’m instate from New York, go to a good public school in Westchester, it won’t be too hard for my parents too pay but basically they will only pay for a school with tuition upwards of 40k if its really worth it (aka Stanford or UPenn or similar; USC is “not good enough” to spend 40k in their opinion). Anyways, I am planning on visiting all the West Coast schools and GA Tech, Duke, and UPenn too get a “feel,” but I was just hoping I wasn’t wasting my time and it certainly seems like I’m not, so again, thanks.
Some other factors I’m looking for: definitely don’t want a rural or “middle-of-nowhere” setting, but don’t have much of a preference between urban/suburban. I want to go to a place that doesn’t have worse weather than NY for sure, really like the West Coast for this reason, especially Bay Area. As long as it’s not a tiny school or LAC I’m fine with it. And apart from competitive sports (specifically Basketball and Football) not just because I’m a huge fan but also because of the whole experience of being part of a big crowd and such.
I was looking at US News and the out-of-state for UC Berkeley is 25k and UCLA is about 35k. I was actually a bit surprised it was that low… Compared to Stanford and UPenn or Duke around 45k, it’s certainly a bit better (esp Cal).
" add $22,878 in nonresident supplemental tuition and fees." From UC Berkeley’s website on cost of attendance. That $25k you are citing is just in-state tuition+room and board. Add another $7k for books, etc…
Do the other schools listed include books and the other “nonresident supplemental tuition and fees” in their listed cost as well? For example, one of my friends’ brother goes to Cornell and despite the tuition ‘only’ being 40k, he pays 60k in total (I assume these are similar to the 22k you referenced for UCB). So if they all have these extra costs I’d still be looking at a lower cost for the UCs. Or the UCs might just not include the costs for advertising…
I agree Tulane is a good choice, you might also think about Emory, Rice - not safeties but worth as part of a well rounded list. And warm weather, near cities, and some sports componant to them (although Emory doesn’t have a football team.)
the supplemental costs are charged for OOS students at UCs. Tuition is only one part of total costs, which would be “total cost of attendance” including room, board, fees, incidentals, transportation, and books.
If your parents agreed to pay 40K for tuition PLUS room&board, you’re fine.
If it’s 40k total, you may be out of luck depending on how much they make.
Do your parents realize that in the past 20 years USC has become a top 25 university (just like NYU went from private regional/somewhat commuter school to major national research university, status can change a lot in 20 or 30 years; The most spectacular is Northeastern, which “climbed the rankings” steadily until it became a sought-after school, but Elon is another such school which was considered third tier 15 years ago and is now the best or among the best in the South.)
The out-of-state costs of attendance at UCs (not including transportation) this year were about $54k. I’m pretty certain, because my son was accepted to UCSD and Davis. I doubt that the price is going down for next year.
You may want to put USC back on your list if you are a National Merit Finalist. All accepted National Merit Finalist automatically receive 50% off tuition.
@intparent Michigan looked good but I am pretty sick of the cold weather we get here (this is our 7th snow day today) so I’d rather go to a place that’s a bit warmer…
@woogzmama @MYOS1634 Ok thanks, that actually reduces the benefit of going to a UC a lot…
@buvumom Wow, did not know that, that could be a major help… Based on what I’ve seen/heard, a 225 on the PSAT is pretty good and I’ll definitely make the Commended List at least, hopefully the semifinalist, and it seems like if you are a semifinalist you pretty much are guaranteed a spot as a finalist: http://www.nationalmerit.org/Merit_R&I_Leaflet.pdf
So I guess I’ll just have to wait until fall to see the scores but I read some things that said you have to list USC as your first choice? Is it too late to do that? If its not, how does that work? And will putting USC as my first choice affect my applications to other schools in a sort of early-decision manner (is there any binding clause)? thanks
@Saj3118 After you find out that you are a NMSF, you have to fill out the NMF application. This is done in the fall of your senior year. You do not have to list your first choice at that time. Some schools only require that it is listed by May1st. Others earlier, so make sure you ask that from the schools. My son’s first choice is USC so he has already listed it. It is my understanding that our choice can be changed anytime prior to the deadline so it is not binding before that date. If my son does not get in USC, he will change it to another school where he has already been accepted.