Average Student Looking at Great Colleges...My Chances?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Colleges I'm looking at: UC Santa Barbara, UFlorida, Johns Hopkins, UMaryland, UMiami, UMichigan, NYU, Ohio State, Penn State, Rice, United States Naval Academy, UWisconsin-Madison.</p>

<p>Background:
- 100% Turkish (American born, parents are immigrants)
- Most of my family lives overseas
- English was my second language. Growing up as a kid, I learned Turkish first.
- Culturally rounded</p>

<p>School:
- Small private school located in Annapolis, Maryland
- Roughly 500 students or so in the entire high school
- I am in a very competive class (I am a junior, rising senior)
- School is located right by the Naval Academy. Only a couple minute walk from door to door.
- The school has a great relationship with the Naval Academy</p>

<p>Scores:
- PSAT: 162
- SAT: 510 Critical Reading, 540 Math, 540 Writing (8/12 on essay)
- ACT: <em>Taking them for the first time June 9th</em>
I've only taken the SATs once with NO preparation whatsoever. I was very disappointed with my scores. I'm hoping to do some type of prep course before taking them a couple more times as a senior.</p>

<ul>
<li>GPA: 3.83 Weighted</li>
<li>Rank: 38 out of 159
NOTE: In a couple days, it will change to a 3.85/3.86. Once my rank is updated, I'll edit it. Also, my freshmen year really brings down my GPA. If my freshmen year wasn't counted, I'd have a 4.0+ (weighted).</li>
</ul>

<p>At my school, APs are worth just as much as Honors, therefore I've never really taken many APs - just mostly Honors. I will be taking AP Computer Science as a senior.</p>

<p>Grades: Mostly A's with some B's every now and then. I've had one C in my whole life, and it was a 79.4% that I got as a freshman.</p>

<p>Activitives/ECs/Other:</p>

<p>Achievements:
- Took part in the Johns Hopkins Gifted & Talented Search
- Honor Roll Student Grades 9-12 including achieving Principals Honors </p>

<p>Leadership:
- Three-year member of the Junior Civitan Club which helps organize and run activities such as the blood drive and other volunteer work </p>

<p>Activities:<br>
- Worked part-time in retail – Junior year
- JV Football – Freshmen year
- JV Basketball – Freshman and Sophomore year
- JV Wrestling – Junior year
- Varsity Wrestling – Junior and Senior year
- Varsity Soccer – Senior year
- Junior Civitan Club – Sophomore, Junior, and Senior year.
- Traveling – All four years.
- Weight Training – All four years.
- Runs a part-time business – All four years.
- Instrumentalist/Musician – All four years.
- Sports Camps – All four years. </p>

<p>Other:
- Very self-dependent and uses an honorable and principled method of conduct
- Volunteer activities include:
a.) Organizing and running the blood drive
b.) Volunteer Work at Boys & Girls Club
c.) Camp Counselor
- Runs a part-time business which deals with buying and selling vintage collectibles and sports memorabilia. Traveler – has traveled overseas numerous times and is culturally rounded since most family members live overseas. Instrumentalist - has played the cello since early childhood. Excels on the athletic field as well as in academics - has maintained solid academic stature while being a part of numerous sports teams. Active with children – has cared after the children of numerous neighbors when asked.</p>

<p>So, I'm not the greatest student out there, but I'm not too shabby, either. I know I listed quite a few schools up there...so what do you guys think? Thanks in advance for any help and opinions.</p>

2

<p>I'm a similar student to you, and it's good to see someone post here that doesn't have a 2350 and a 4.0. So, Johns Hopkins is probally a really big reach, so I would get your hopes up there. NYU and Michigan are reaches as well. I think the more realistic schools start at Miami and Maryland. Regardless, your gonna have to get your SATs up. It looks like you're a good student that struggles with the stupid standarized tets (kind of like me). Your grades show the kind of student you are, but just to appease the top colleges, I reccomend you get SAT prep because with your grades and a 1200 or so on reading and math, you will be looking pretty good.</p>

3

<p>bump
bump
bump</p>

4

<p>..........</p>

5

<p>I say yes, definitely to UW Madison
I live right by there and I know people that are going there
they are not the brightest, to say the least
a couple of their GPA's are around 3.4+</p>

6

<p>^You're below the lowest 25% at UWisconsin. If you're out of state, there's basically no way you're getting in.</p>

<p>And if you can't get UMadison than Hopkins, UMiami, UMichigan, UFlorida, NYU, Rice, and the Naval Academy are out too.</p>

<p>Unless you raise your scores 300points you have absolutely NO shot at UMich, NYU, UMD, or the Naval Academy.</p>

<p>Your list needs MAJOR help. You're overreaching A LOT. You could get UMD, but only because you're in-state.</p>

<p>You're incredibly well-rounded. But your scores really are average. About 50% of the kids who take the SAT score higher than you. At schools that take 30% of the applicants or less, you just won't be competitive at all especially because at these state schools the initial cut is made by GPA and scores.</p>

<p>Talk to your counselor, you don't want to be in a situation where you only get into one school.</p>

7

<p>^ Thanks for the responses.</p>

<p>Yeah, I had a meeting with my counselor. He pretty much told me that my only safe school was Penn State. He said that UMD, UMiami, and Ohio State were all 50/50. He told me the rest were reaches. Therefore, he recommended that I add some more safe schools to my list. Here is the list of safe schools that I came up with: UArizona, Arizona State, UC Santa Cruz, Clemson, Florida State, UGA, LSU, and Michigan State.</p>

<p>Oh, and by the way, I still don't believe that UMD would be a 50/50 for me. Not only am I in-state, but I know of several kids (in-state) pushing a 3.0 GPA and 1400 SAT that got accepted. I mean, if those losers were able to get accepted, then there is no way that I would not be able to, no?</p>

8

<p>UArizona and Arizona State are good bets.</p>

<p>UMD has a huge problem with its top students fleeing the state. I got an offer for $3000 a year for use in any MD institution that I'm not going to use. So perhaps that's why. </p>

<p>Is that a 1400 OLD SAT or NEW? Because 1400 on the new SAT is probably less than you'd get if you answered every question B.</p>

9

<p>I kind of have the same problem. What is your UW GPA? Your uw gpa is what most colleges look at.</p>

10

<p>I have not calculated my unweighted GPA, so I am not really sure.</p>

<p>Oh, and ses, it was the new SAT, which is why I specifically made that point that if a kid with a 3.0 and 1400 can get in, why wouldn't I be able to...you know?</p>