I’m a rising high school senior and I need unbiased opinions on which schools would work well for me and which competitive schools I could possibly get into. Without further ado:
Credentials:
Weighted GPA: 4.2
My highschool is very rigorous and competitive and does not rank.
ACT Composite: 33
SAT Subject Tests: 3; Math 1, Literature, US History. (All scores in high 600s)
AP Scores: World History (Sophomore Year) 3, Comp Gov=5, US Gov=5
I have taken a very rigorous curriculum with many honors my first two years and my last two years are filled with a mixture of AP and IBs. The only bad mark on my transcript is a C in Freshman year Honors Geometry, but only for the first semester. Weighted, it acts as a “B”.
*Also, I am Hispanic and though my father achieved a Bachelors degree, I will be the first in my mother’s family to attend college.
Extracurriculars: I am the captain of the Varsity Girl’s Golf team; Have 200+ hours of community service; Speech captain for my high school’s forensics team as well as being ranked and awarded as a top 10 speech interpretor in my state; Co Captain of my high school mock trial team and led my team to our first ever appearance in the state finals; I have worked part time at a restaurant since sophomore year; I teach religious education every week; and I started a local charity that puts together care packages for the local children’s hospital.
I want to know what type of schools I could get into, and I really want honest and again unbiased opinions.
Really quick, I want a small to midsize university, Preferably an enclosed campus with very easy access to a major city, (my counselor calls my taste “upscale urban”), Diversity is very important to me, I want a school that has a “middle of the road” approach to politics though leaning (very slightly) liberal would be okay as well.
I think you have a great shot! Your grades are super and your ECs seem to show an impact. Do you have any schools in mind? Do you mind chancing me as well?!
With your stats and wanting to look into a enclosed school, I would look at schools like Columbia, which is right in the middle of Uptown New York.I would try to get those SAT II scores up , but besides that, grades and ECs are good. Good luck and thanks for chancing me!
Universities are fairly liberal in general, and the northeast tends to be liberal as well. So I don’t think Northeastern is any more liberal most colleges in the northeast. It’s definitely urban, but not “upscale” or “enclosed”; one of the things Northeastern prides itself on is being an urban campus, which means engaging with its surrounding community… There are upscale areas in one direction (Back Bay, prudential), but also less well-off areas in the other (Roxbury, Mission Hill).
@natthecat I have a question regarding “first generation”. It was my understanding that if either of your parents attended college, you are not considered first generation. Based on your definition, I am incorrect. Where did you find the definition for the criteria you used?? Thanks!
@natthecat, and @knilla, this is not the meaning of first generation^^^^^.
First gen, which doesn’t have a lot of pull anyway, means that neither of your parents EVER went to school ANYWHERE after high school. Because your father did, you are not considered first generation.
The thought is that first generation students can’t rely on the experience of their parents to help them with the college application, experience and financial information. Reality: it won’t give you much of a hook.
@auntbea It’s to my understanding that most 4 year universities consider you first generation if neither of your parents graduated with a 4 year degree. So if one parent dropped out and the other has an A.A the student is still first generation. However, this isn’t the case for the OP anyway so I digress
@CiteYourSources, no, that means the parent went to a CC, which is beyond a secondary education. It’s not a big hook anyway unless the student has a matching zip from a lower SES background.
@DurejaVu I was thinking about Tulane. And the level of diversity doesnt especially matter, but I do want a student body that celebrates differences and isn’t homogenous. I’ve thought about Tulane before, I’ll have to do some more research on it. If you have any other suggestions, let me know! Thanks!
