Chance me and suggest please

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>I have looked into colleges a little, but I'm not sure what I should be looking for or where I should be aiming. I will put my current list at the bottom of this post, please tell me what are reaches, matches, and safeties whether I'm right or wrong about them. Also please suggest other universities you think I should look into or criteria I should use. I am interested in journalism, computer science, and engineering as potential majors and maybe a minor in theater or technical theater or one of the majors I don't choose.
*It should be noted that my lists include some items that I will continue in my senior year or have already committed to do.</p>

<p>Gender: M
Location: Oregon
High School Class Year: 2011
College Class Year: 2015
High School: Public
High School Type: sends few/some grads to top schools</p>

<p>GPA - Unweighted: 3.86
Class Rank: Top 5%</p>

<p>SAT Critical Reading: 740
SAT Math: 800
SAT Writing: 660
SAT Composite: 2200*</p>

<p>*First Try</p>

<p>APs: None, I go to an IB School.</p>

<p>IB(two year program): </p>

<p>Junior Year (Grade)
- IB Chem SL (A)
- IB French SL (A)
- IB European History (B)
- IB HL Math I (A)
- IB English I HL (B)</p>

<p>Senior Year (Will take IB test in each)
- IB Chem HL
- IB French SL (HL not offered)
- IB World Topics HL
- IB HL Math II
- IB English II HL
- IB Physics SL</p>

<p>Other Key Classes:
- (Adv.) News Production (School Newspaper)
- Sports Page Editor - 10
- Editor-In-Chief - 11, 12
-Technical Theatre</p>

<p>ECs:
- See School Newspaper above
- NHS Member (11-12)
- Club Soccer 12+ years (started at age 5)
- Oregon Youth Soccer Referee Grade 8 (since age 13, recreational referee since age 11)
- Writer for ESPN Rise Magazine - 10
- Theater involvement
- Light Board Operator - A Christmas Carol - 10
- Assistant Stage Manager - Little Shop of Horrors - 11
- Regional Acting Competition, Solo Acting - 11
- Assistant Director/Male Understudy - Occupation: Murder - 11
- State Thespian Conf. Competition, Stage Manager's Book + Tech Olympics - 11
- Assistant Director/Stage Manager - The Romancers - 11
- Thespian - 10, 11
- Honor Thespian - 11, 12
- Auditorium Technician - 12</p>

<p>High School Sports:</p>

<ul>
<li>JV2 Soccer - 9</li>
<li>JV Track and Field (Distance) - 9</li>
<li>JV Soccer - 10</li>
<li>JV Track and Field (Distance - Placed 13th at Dean Nice Var. Invitational in 5000m) - 10</li>
<li>JV Soccer (Captain) - 11</li>
<li>Varsity Soccer - 12</li>
</ul>

<p>Volunteer Work:</p>

<ul>
<li>Foster Parents Night Out (since age 14, approx. 42 hours/year)</li>
<li>Buddy Walk (8 hours) - 11</li>
</ul>

<p>Honors and Awards:</p>

<ul>
<li>2nd in state, 10th in nation on National French Exam Level 3 - 10</li>
<li>6th in state on National French Exam Level 4 - 11</li>
<li>Superior rating in sports writing, Oregon State Fall Press Day 2009 - 11</li>
<li>Most Inspirational , JV Soccer - 11</li>
<li>Theatre Dept. Awards
- Best New Techie - 10
- Most Involved - 11
- Best Student Director (The Romancers) - 11
- Most Likely to Return as Janet (Technical Director) - 11</li>
</ul>

<p>The colleges I'm looking at include:
Safeties - (Some of my others may be safeties but I am hesitant to put anything here really. I have low self-confidence)
Matches - Syracuse Univ., Northeastern Univ., Lehigh Univ.
Reaches - Northwestern Univ., Dartmouth Coll., Pomona Coll., Yale</p>

2

<p>I notice you are new here, and as a parent, I’d just like to say that you have posted enough detail to be recognizable. If you’d like to remain anonymous, you may want to not share all details, or use an unidentifiable username. If anonymity isn’t important, than please ignore my post. Either way - welcome to CC - you will find lots of great information.
Your activities and scores make you a viable reach candidate at your reach schools, as you know those are reach for just about everyone. Check out the parent forum - there are lots of experienced folks over there willing to help! There are great journalism schools at Mizzou and Arizona also. A couple of schools on your list are small - what are you looking for in a school? What attracts you to those you have listed? Is financial aid / cost important? Let us know more about what you are looking for, and we can make better suggestions.</p>

3

<p>bump 10char</p>

4

<p>Your list so far is all over the map, which makes it hard to identify the ‘themes’ other than what you plan to study. Pomona, for example, doesn’t offer engineering or journalism but is on your list. Yale is in a city, Dartmouth is rural, etc…</p>

<p>Some info that would help us:</p>

<p>1) Size of school (LAC, mid-sized, large state)
2) Geographic preferences or constraints: part of the country, weather, urban/rural/suburban
3) culture: artsy, jock, granola, intellectual, preppy,
4) deal-breakers: religious, all women, frats, tech school, etc…
5) Very critical: Financial constraints-do you need financial aid? Lots or just a little?</p>

5

<p>I don’t care too much about the size, somewhere in the middle seems good.
I’d rather not be in a super rural area
I don’t want to go to a religious college, but I won’t rule something out just because of religious affiliation. As long as it doesn’t force everyone into its religion or whatever.
Finance is not a concern at this point. So far I am looking for viable options academically and interest-wise. Money will be looked into later but will not have a very large impact on where I apply.</p>

6

<p>

This is the worst way I can think of to look for schools. Would it make sense to fall in love with a school you can’t afford. You need to look at what range of costs you can afford first. You are competitive for most schools but that doesn’t help much in narrowing things down.</p>

7

<p>It just isn’t a concern. My parents are confident that we can pay for any college that I get into. My brother didn’t have to worry about it and neither will I. It may factor into my final decision as far as what final cost will be being a tie break between schools I am accepted to, but it will not be a factor in which schools I apply to. I’m sorry if you think that looking at all universities is a bad thing. I want to see everything so that I can make a good decision.</p>

8

<p>bump 10char</p>

9

<p>I have been looking into them more and I am really liking Dartmouth and its system a lot. They have no journalism major but there is a student newspaper so the possibility of involvement is there.</p>

<p>Please suggest some more and chance me for these.</p>

10

<p>Your gpa is a little low; however, you sat score is pretty great. I think they will recognize that you have put a lot of effor in throughout your high school life–you really challenged yourself with all those IB’s! I agree with all your categorizations. Yale could even be catogorized as a super-reach. I wouldn’t count on getting accepted there, although I could see you in many other great schools. Have you looked at amherst? If you’re looking at syracuse, you might want to consider amherst as well.</p>