<p>hi just wondering what you all think
I will be studying communication (broadcast journalism)
I want to know my realistic chances at getting into the schools above and then specifics on which school I should choose.
I love BC's architecture and truly see myself as a fit there, I love that it is Catholic. Boston University's lack of campus kind of scares me, Love UNC just doubt I'll get in... Syracuse is my back up from these four schools. Just want opinions thanks :)</p>
<p>Deferred by Boston College in the EA Round
Sat: 1820 , CR 610, M 620, 590 W
Gpa: 3.61 uw, 4.6 w
7 aps through highschool
AP PSYCH 5, AP Lang 3
Those 7 aps include the 4 my senior year.
Currently taking AP LIT, AP US GOV, AP HUMAN GEOGRAPHY, AP MACROECONOMICS</p>
<p>I would have 5 math credits
4 English
4 science
4 social studies</p>
<p>Lots of EC's like :
Varsity Tennis team captain
Editor in chief of yearbook (been in yearbook since 9th grade)
NHS recording secretary
NSHSS Ambassador
Newspaper
Community service in athletics and church
Student government (9-12th grade)
SADD co president
Club soccer 2 years</p>
<p>Excellent common app essay and supplement really about my love for community service and my Jesuit background.</p>
<p>Teacher rec's are amazing.</p>
<p>I'm a Hispanic Male who is Roman Catholic from Miami, Florida.</p>
<p>Since the deferral I have been awarded several more awards that I will be mailing in:
- The Miami Herald Silver Knight Award Nominee for Journalism
-Miami Children's Hospital Outstanding Community Service Award
-Journalism Excellence Award</p>
<p>Also I will be sending the mid year report and I have an A in all my courses this year.</p>
<p>I can see why you were deferred from BC–it’s a bit of a reach for you with your stats; with your journalism awards added I’d say you’re straddling the line between reach and match for RD. You’d be a low match for BU (but still a match!), BUT if you happened to write a stellar essay about why you want to do broadcast journalism for COM, that would increase your chances. Plus your awards are great! Congrats. Being a good fit for COM/passionate can and does make a difference. I am honestly less familiar with Syracuse & UNC in terms of their admissions standards.</p>
<p>Now, speaking to broadcast journalism: BU or Syracuse would be much, much better schools for you than BC. BU and Syracuse are two of the three top journalism programs in the country. I went to BU for journalism (magazine) and frankly I just had to Google whether BC had journalism. I think I have met a sum total of one BC alum who works in the industry, whereas BU has a nice little BU-mafia in entertainment and journalism. The broadcast program is very good–incredibly practical and you’ll come out of school with a reel. Alum friends of mine have ended up at Good Morning America, NBC News, and many local affiliates in small-to-mid markets. </p>
<p>I totally get your concerns about campus. It’s not for everyone–BU is certainly urban. But it’s not that bad, I promise! If you live on mid-campus (right by COM), especially on Bay State Road, it can have a micro-campus feel, almost. If campus feel is a huge dealbreaker for you, however, Syracuse would likely be a better fit. (also: way colder) If you want to ask specific questions about BU, I’d be happy to answer. I worked for both the Film/TV department as well as the journalism department, so I’m incredibly familiar with it. (also with the study abroad program, specifically London–I worked for them full time post graduation.)</p>
<p>Oh, and Catholic wise–admittedly BU is very secular, BUT Marsh Chapel does have Catholic services and there are many excellent Catholic churches close to campus. There are absolutely opportunities to connect with your faith in Boston, even if the school itself is not Catholic.</p>
<p>DD is a dual at Whitman and Newhouse. You may want to list your second and third choice schools to Newhouse. You can always transfer from Arts and Sciences or another school into Newhouse with a strong gpa. Admissions standards are different at Syracuse depending upon the school. DD has friends who were accepted to Arts and Sciences but not Newhouse. These same ladies were accepted to BU, Duke, and UVA out of state. They all are in Arts and Sciences trying to transfer into Newhouse. I am not trying to scare you. Syracuse is very holistic with their admissions process. You can be a little low in one area but should be strong in the others for a direct admit to Newhouse. Strong ECs and a strong senior year in rigorous courses are important. SU also loves students that show a strong interest. You’re a good candidate.
Good luck to you.</p>
I got accepted BC early action, which frankly surprised me a lot. My stats, in terms of BC, are not great. I had a 2050 cumulative SAT. 700 reading, 690 math, 660 writing.(I did not get to send my updated sat scores which i got a 720 on the math section). I have 8 APs, 4 this year and the other four i got 5s on all except chemistry, which i got a 2. I am also a Hispanic male. BC is one of the most selective schools in the country so do not be discouraged by getting deferred. Just yesterday i was at a reception for accepted students for BC and an admission officer I was talking to told me that this year for some reason BC decided to defer a ton more than the past. They only accepted half of the percentage of applicants that they normally do for early action. In fact the president of my class, who also had higher stats and way better extracurricular activities than me got deferred. Talking to the admission’s officers yesterday they really put an emphasis on “how great of a writer I must be if i got accepted” which leads me to believe that they put a lot of emphasis on the strength of your essays, and judging by the awards for journalism, you must be a pretty damn good writer. My best guess is that they did defer you because of your stats, but i would not lose hope. Hopefully in the regular applicant pool your essays stand out as in early action that’s typically when all the “brainiac” kids apply who have like 2200 SAT scores, etc. Based on just my personal experience, stats are not everything. Also, I do not know how much weight this had on my acceptance, but I am a National Hispanic Scholar. Its given by the College board based on your PSAT. I believe the cutoff was 184 on the PSAT. Don’t know if this helped but figured I’d let you know what I knew.
P.S I’m applying to UNC and its my number one. Good luck with the rest of your college search.
@Mfrias No im from New York so I’m out of state for UNC but i just loved UNC and im going to major in Biochemistry and their science programs are among the top on the country so it would be a perfect situation if i could get accepted.
@Mfrias, did you run the net price calculators for each of these schools?
Unless your parents are very wealthy, I would think cost has to be a factor in your decisions. What are the job prospects these days for broadcast journalism majors? Factor that into the equation as well.
@LucieTheLakie yes I did, and after it all I would be having to pay about 20,000 a year for each school. No matter if I stay in state (florida) or not that’s about how much I would be paying a year.
@Mfrias, usually the more-difficult-to-be admitted schools have the deepest pockets and are better with financial aid, so BC may end up being the most generous, but of course you can’t be certain you’ll be admitted. I’m sure you’re a very desirable student for a lot of these schools, however, so I would wait and see what kind of FA packages you’re offered and then make a close comparison. Make sure to distinguish between loans and grants. You really want to try to graduate in four years with no more than the Stafford loan max (~$31,000 total) and ideally with a lot less since you’re not going into a particularly lucrative field for new grads.
I’m a little concerned that Syracuse appears to be your safety school. They’re NOT known for generous aid. Have you applied to any schools where you’re a good candidate for a large merit award? Do you have any schools closer to home that you know you can afford?
@LucieTheLakie I’ve been admitted to USC (South Carolina), MIZZOU, U of Minnesota, and FIU which is instate. FIU would be very cheap. I also applied to the University of Miami and the University of Florida but I don’t think I qualify for many merit awards anywhere
Sorry, @Mfrias, I didn’t see a question posed in your last post. What is it exactly you want my opinion on?
My main concern was that you have at least one school you can afford that also has the program of study you desire. I’m assuming FIU fits that bill.
Now all you can do is wait and see what the offers are and then make your comparisons. Just make sure you’re comparing like to like (grants vs. loans) and factor in travel costs, etc.
Fingers crossed you get a great package from one of your favorites!
UF and FIU will be about the same cost (about the same tuition, fee’s,room and board). You’re much more likely to earn merit scholarship $ at FIU, while UF is more likely to award need based aid (if you qualify for a pell grant).
Otherwise, at both schools, you’re looking at $19K (UF) to $22K a year (FIU, room and board is about $2K higher). If you qualify for bright futures (which you should), take up to $3K off the price. It’s also possible to significantly reduce room and board by being much more fugal with food and rent.
Of course, if you can commute to FIU, it’s a great deal, $6K tuition - $3K Bright Futures, for a bit over $3K a year. You could also go to FIU for the first two years and then transfer to anther college (like UF) for your last two years.
Well, you said you ran the NPC for each school and they all came in around $20,000. Can you afford that? Only you and your parents can answer that question. I don’t know enough about your financial situation to answer.
