<p>This might be pointless but I'll try. I am currently a junior in a private catholic HS. I plan to apply to Bentley University ED next year. I haven't taken my ACTs or SATs yet but have been studying for them. I have a 3.9 GPA on a 5.0 scale. I hope to get about a 4.1-4.2 this year to bump my GPA into the 4.0 range. If it means anything, my GPA might seem low but my school is considered relatively difficult. Also my school doesn't keep a class rank, but according to my counselor I'm in the top 20% of a class of about 350. The current valedictorian has a 4.4. I am currently taking 1 AP course, APUSH, and the rest Honors classes. I have taken Honors classes for a majority of my high schools courses. This was the first year my school offered APs and only APUSH or English was available and I didn't feel I was prepared enough to take an AP English class. My ECs as of right now involve every weekend volunteering at a pet rescue organization, organizing an intramural wiffle ball club after school on Fridays, and varsity Lincoln Douglas. (This is my first year as Varsity, so I don't currently have any awards available for it, won some small awards at Novice). Any advice on admissions? I'm planning to get a Finance degree. Is this app good enough for ED decision or is it too early since I don't have my SATs or ACTs in? I plan to visit this spring and interview while I'm there. Thank you.</p>
<p>Also if it means anything, I’m hispanic</p>
<p>What’s your parents’ budget?
For a finance major, strong quantitative skills (Precalculus and Statistics, if possible Calculus) would be greatly appreciated.
If you get about 1800 on your SAT’s or 26-27 on your ACT, you’d be good. So, practice and review your mistakes until you no longer make them.</p>
<p>My parents, as of right now, say the budget is irrelevant. The math thing is my problem. I went to a college prep school in a different state my freshman year and regardless of how smart you were, everyone started in Alg 1 and the advanced students got put into Alg 1 H (There was only one Alg 1 H class and I was in it). Now at my school now, freshman started at geometry, so it appears I’m a year behind, but I do plan to take Honors Pre Calc next year along with AP Stats. I don’t think getting an 1800 would be too difficult, I got a 162 on my PSAT, which I know is awful but I went into without any studying, and I got a 22 on a pre-ACT test my freshman year, which predicted my score would be between 24-27. </p>
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This, to me, is a HUGE warning flag. Adults on this forum can’t count the number of kids who were told this in September, applied to their dream school, got in, only to hear in March that parents couldn’t pay. You NEED numbers. Not a vague sentence. In fact, your parents should think budget is key. Unless they’re literal millionaires, the cost of college should astound them and worry them.
Keep in mind, also, that you can only borrow $5,500 for your freshman year.
You should be running Net Price Calculators on Bentley, UMass Amherst and UMass Lowell, SUNY Geneseo, SUNY Albany, Bryant, Providence (pick a variety of public and private schools you like, those are just an example)… Bring the results to your parents and see what they say. Can they commit to paying any of these without taking on a loan (off their income and savings)? Would they expect you to earn a merit scholarship?
Wrt to math: you do NOT need to have more than Honors Precalc next year, although statistics would be helpful. You DO have to be ready to start with Calculus first semester freshman year, though. </p>
<p>Alright. I did the calculator for Bentley and the estimated cost would be about 31k/yr. I’ll talk to my parents about. I definitely plan to apply to a number scholarships though</p>
<p>I just talked to my parents and they said that is definitely reasonable for tuition. Also I’m out of state so those schools listed aren’t schools I’m very much interested in.</p>
<p>Those schools were just examples in a range of selectivity around Bentley and in New England :)</p>
<p>Scholarships primarily come from the colleges themselves and in many cases appear when you run the Net Price Calculator (but not necessarily, if they’re merit based, not need based, depends on the NPC). Next ursource of finance is federal, with the $5,500 federal loans (“subsidized” and “unsubsidized”.) Private scholarships, such as local competitions, can only cover, say, what you need to buy for your dorm room, or first semester books - every little bit helps but you can’t finance your education with those.</p>