Assistance Needed in Decision-Making

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Huge dilemma here. HS C/o 2010, about to start app process. Possible valedictorian, 5 honor societies, etc. Here's my situation: I can apply to ONE more school, but which one?</p>

<p>Locked Schools (No changes):</p>

<p>PRINCETON
(Childhood #1, although they've shown NO interest in me, i.e. no letters/email)</p>

<p>HARVARD
(Childhood #2, shown a lot of interest in me, even sent me application w/ fin aid papers last month, invited to summer program, but too expensive, attended info session last fall)</p>

<p>YALE
(Childhood #2, sent me promising letters, attended info session last fall, will apply single-choice early action)</p>

<p>MIT
(really interested in me, Dad loves school, applied for MITES but rejected)</p>

<p>U CHICAGO
(really interested in me, orig. from Chi-town (hence user name))</p>

<p>FLORIDA
(no way i can diss gators, half my friends in c/o 09 wrote "see you at uf" in yr. book)</p>

<p>I can pick ONE from the following:</p>

<p>Amherst College
Boston College
Boston Univ.
Brown
Columbia
Cornell (my personal favorite)
Duke
Emory
Flagler College
FSU
U of Miami
NYU
Northwestern
Notre Dame
U of Pennsylvania
Rice
USF
USC
Stanford</p>

<p>So which one should it be, & give me a reason why...more than "its a good school".</p>

2

<p>Rice - more nerdy than HYP and especially Florida, but not on the level of Chicago or MIT</p>

<p>UCF - you didn’t mention it but people seem to love it, make it your safety</p>

3

<p>Just so you know, those letters and mail mean absolutely nothing. </p>

<p>Cornell. Because it’s your “personal favorite”. What other reason do you need?</p>

4

<p>My friend is going to UCF, he loves it. I hope I’m not being arrogant, but I’ve always thought of UF as my safety.</p>

5

<p>You mean Harvard sending me an application packet and all means NOTHING???</p>

6

<p>They sent me an application packet too. It’s called marketing.</p>

7

<p>Good point. What do you know about U Penn. How does it stack up against Cornell. I still favor Cornell because they had an alum come to my HS and present me an award at the annual awards ceremony.</p>

8

<p>Penn sucks because I don’t like business majors.</p>

<p>But that’s just me.</p>

9

<p>Why do you like Harvard, Yale, and Princeton? Give me legitimate reasons (not “they sent me a packet, so they must want me to apply”) why you would choose those schools. How much research have you done, into your “locked” school as well as into your possible schools?</p>

10

<p>

</p>

<p>For most state schools this would be OK, but UF’s acceptance rate is low and keeps getting lower each year.</p>

11

<p>Flagler would be a nice safety.</p>

12

<p>Yeah, getting packets and stuff means nothing except your test scores beat a certain threshold. I would get a couple of crates to keep them all the marketing stuff in - it’s only going to get heavier from here.</p>

<p>Why is it that you (or your childhood self) is/was attracted to HYPM and U of C? Right now the impression you are giving, rightly or wrongly, is “HYP are really prestigious, my dad likes MIT and it’s also prestigious, and U of C is a good school that is in my former hometown. Also, some of them have sent me mail”. That may not be accurate, but it’s all you’ve really given us to go on, and needless to say, it tells us pretty much nothing about what might be a good fit for you.</p>

<p>Also, is there any particular reason you are limited to a certain number of applications?</p>

13

<p>I’m assuming you are a Florida resident and you have good reason to think UF is a surefire safety. Your odds of being accepted to Harvard, Yale, Princeton, or MIT are low (because these schools are reaches for EVERYONE). Chicago may be a reach, too. Boston University, Miami, or NYU would be more selective than UF (for in-state) but less selective than Chicago. So, without knowing more about your interests, etc., I’d lean toward one of those. </p>

<p>If you’d be perfectly happy attending UF and just want to maximize your odds of getting into any Ivy League school or the like, pick Cornell. It is a little less selective than some of the other Ivies, and you say it’s your personal favorite (though it’s not too clear why.)</p>

<p>MIT seems like an odd one on your list since you don’t mention any other technical schools (GeorgiaTech? VirginiaTech?) Is your SAT Math at least 750? If not, consider dropping it for something else.</p>

14

<p>Sorry for looking stupid everybody. I really want to go to the Ivies because I’m kind of split on my career paths, and I know that the Ivies have a good support system. I’m torn between a legal/international business/political career, and I know that the Ivies are a great place to be, especially for the latter. I also know that if I can get into one of them, I should be pretty well-off financially. I’ve done some (even though not nearly enough) research, and I know that the Ivies are making tuition better especially for minorities from middle class backgrounds such as myself. I’m also applying for several scholarships, inc. one offering ($10,000 per yr.), and several others in the thousands. Decent scenario, I go to a Ivy for $5K a yr. I do like the Ivies, especially for the politics, and the connections I’d possibly be able to make. This may sound dumb, but Obama & Columbia/Harvard Law inspired me (no disrespect Republicans).</p>

<p>I’ll be HS senior in the fall:</p>

<p>I already have:</p>

<p>8 AP courses
National Honor Society
Mu Alpha Theta Honor Society (2yrs.)
Rho Kappa Honor Society
National Society of High School Scholars (2 yrs.)
Spanish Honor Society (3 yrs.)
Very good chance I’ll have National Science Honor Society too.</p>

<p>As I said before, possible valedictorian, but I don’t like to brag about it b/c if I slack off I’ll be No. 5 in a heartbeat.</p>

<p>GPA 6.18 w / 3.78 uw</p>

<p>2 yrs. summer Dual Enrollment</p>

<p>I’m taking SAT’s again this fall, very serious about it</p>

<p>SAT & ACT (no studying)</p>

<p>670 math
680 verb
610 writ
28 act</p>

<p>Where do I stand now?</p>

15

<p>

</p>

<p>I’ll just point out that all this stuff is worthless to top colleges… unless you have actually done some important stuff in these organizations. But just being a member won’t do anything. </p>

<p>Your test scores are not good enough for the ivies right now. In fact, I’ll say you’re really, really overestimating your chances if Harvard, Yale, Princeton and MIT are four of the six total schools you’ll be applying to. I mean, your ECs aren’t great, your test scores are below average for these schools, you might be valedictorian but so’s thousands of other applicants (and that 3.78 UW will hurt, when everybody else has a 4.0 UW). It’s doesn’t make any sense for you to limit your applications to just these schools.</p>

<p>And why are you applying for MIT, again? It’s not particularly known for its prowess in law and politics. In fact, if you don’t have a passion for science/math/tech admission there will be brutally difficult.</p>

16

<p>If I were you, I would apply to 4 more schools. Here’s the 4 I would apply to:</p>

<p>Cornell-- Because you said it was “your personal favorite.”</p>

<p>Rice-

  • Baker Institute, founded by former Secretary of State James Baker, is located on campus. Great place to do internships if you are interested in politics
  • Undergraduate focused university
  • Quirky, interesting student body
  • Free t-shirts-- enough to make up your entire wardrobe
  • Free laundry… jk (although use of laundry facilities are including in your room and board)
  • Ranked #2 in quality of life and #15 in happiest students in Princeton Review’s 2009 Best 369 Colleges
  • Residential College System - leads to a close-knit, collaborative atmosphere
  • “Work hard, play hard” atmosphere
  • Decent weather (I’ll take hot weather over cold weather anyday)
  • Houston- one of America’s most modern cities
  • Very generous with merit aid and need-based aid</p>

<p>Duke

  • Academics is almost Ivy-caliber
  • AWESOME school spirit (probably more here than at Ivies)
  • Great basketball-- won’t find this at the Ivies or UChicago
  • “Work hard, play hard” atmosphere</p>

<p>Emory

  • Former president Jimmy Carter usually addresses the freshmen class every year
  • Carter Center-- great place to do internships if interested in politics
  • Atlanta = AWESOME city
  • Very nice, modern facilities
  • Excellent teaching</p>

<p>I know Rice, Duke, and Emory very well, as my college choice came down to these three schools… your test scores and your unweighted GPA puts a lot of your schools you listed as reaches (except Florida). You need more matches, and I think Rice and Emory might serve as high matches for you. Duke will probably be a reach. Nevertheless, you can PM me with questions about any of these schools since I know them all real well.</p>

<p>Personally, I don’t see why you are limiting yourself to 7 applications… I applied to 16 schools, and it really wasn’t that much more work than applying to 7 schools. I re-used or modified a lot of my essays. If you can’t afford to pay some of the application fees, get fee waivers.</p>

<p>I would take out MIT out of your list since you appear to be interested in pursuing law school/politics. BTW, keep in mind that Harvard, Yale, Princeton, MIT, etc. send promising letters to thousands of rising seniors each year… it does not mean you are going to get in. I got promising letters from Harvard, Brown, and UPenn, and I wasn’t admitted into any of these schools after I applied.</p>

17

<p>Allow me to elaborate a bit more.
VP of NHS, coordinated a food drive as a jr. & will do A LOT more as a sr.
2 yr. officer in SHS, a lot of experience, possibly Pres. next year, I’ll run the show.
Also officer in science club.
I’m doing other stuff in the others, even though Mu Alpha Theta is basically a diploma sticker at my school.
I know my test scores suck. I’m taking the SAT really serious in October, I plan to get about a 2260 w/ intensive study vs. my 1960 w/ no study.
I know 3.78 hurts, I might get it back above 3.8, but I hope 7.0 + w will help.
The entire point of this thread was to help me broaden my choices, (even though I originally indicated one) so steer me in the proper direction. Where do I have a better chance, given my stats and interest. Should I consider to liberal arts path?</p>

18

<p>“I applied to 16 schools, and it really wasn’t that much more work than applying to 7 schools.”</p>

<p>How do you get fee waivers, especially as a middle class guy. Yeah, my parents aren’t poor, but we’re not rich. I couldn’t ask my parents to help me pay $70 to fifteen schools.</p>

19

<p>^Just a note: a 7.0 plus GPA seems very strange…I’m not sure how your school works…most selective colleges UW your GPA and then look at the course rigor. As everyone has mentioned, letters don’t mean anything from the most selective schools. Also, even if you went to info sessions and summer sessions, showing interest in Ivies doesn’t mean you will get in, and really doesn’t give you tooo much of an advantage (but it can’t hurt!).</p>

<p>I would second most of slik nik’s suggestions. Rice, Duke, and Emory are all great schools. I also agree that you should take out MIT since you don’t seem really into.</p>

20

<p>@ Da Bears Fan: My family is not rich either. We are middle class too, and we paid for all the application fees. Sure, it hurt our pockets, but it was definitely worth it in the end.</p>

<p>If you are middle class, I don’t know if u will qualify for fee waivers… you can talk to your guidance counselor. </p>

<p>Nevertheless, this is not a light decision to make… this is your future. You don’t want to regret not applying to schools afterwards. In fact, even though I applied to this many schools, I still regret not applying to Yale and Cornell. You don’t have to apply to 15 like I did… but I would apply to 8-9 if I were you based on the recommendations I gave earlier. Sure, it is $50-80 application fee per school, but that money could forever change your life. What if you get into that school, choose to enroll, and have the best four years of your life at that school, plus great career opportunities waiting for you afterwards just because you decided to shell out an extra $70 for the application fee at that school? In economics, we would say the marginal benefit (a school that opens many doors for career/grad school opportunites) OUTWEIGHS the marginal cost for applying to one more school ( marginal cost = application fee). </p>

<p>I originally eliminated Rice off my list because I thought that I could only apply to 8 universities like you… at the last minute, I applied to Rice. I ended up getting the best financial aid offer out of all the offers from private schools; Rice is the same price as my state school would be. I’m very grateful that my conscience told me to apply here last minute, and shelling out the extra $60 was worth it because of all the savings I’m now getting at Rice.</p>

<p>If your family can afford it, I would apply to more schools… you gotta think long-run costs, not short-run costs. The school that you didn’t apply to might give you the best financial aid offer if you did apply. That’s just my opinion though. It’s ultimately up to you. Research the other schools on your list in greater depth, then you can make your decision where to apply.</p>

<p>However, if you are set on not applying to too many schools… I would eliminate one of your HYP Ivies and MIT and replace it with Cornell (high match), Duke (low reach), Emory (match), and/or Rice (high match). You have too many reach schools on your list. You have great extracurriculars, but keep in mind that many of the other applicants at these schools will have similar extracurriculars.</p>