<p>Hi! I'm new around here, so I'm still figuring out the ropes so bear with me. </p>
<p>So, I'm a rising senior at a high school in Florida and I have finally narrowed down the schools I'm going to apply to in the fall: Columbia University, Duke University, Florida State University, and University of Florida. </p>
<p>Academically, I have a 3.9 GPA (I'm just going off my college GPA right now because I'm not sure what my high school one is since I've had straight A's up until last semester when I got a B in my college Trigonometry class) and I'm in an early college/dual enrollment program, so I'm take all my classes at a community college and when I graduate I'm going to have my AA degree, but I'm still going to be considered a first year student, not a transfer. My only concern so far is that my test scores aren't up to par, especially since I want to major in Chemical Engineering (My highest SAT score was 1640 and I took the ACT for the first time and made a 25). </p>
<p>As far as extracurriculars go, I am in a STEM club and Dual Enrollment club at the community college, I play Alto Saxophone, attend Korean Classes near where I live, run marathons, and I am also apart of Phi Theta Kappa at the college.</p>
<p>I've been told that I'm aiming pretty high with my college choices considering the amount of need-based financial aid I'm going to need and how low my scores are, but I'm planning on retaking the ACT and raising my scores (still not sure about the SAT because I have already taken it twice and I've been advised not to take it more than twice...). I've been told my essay writing skills are great so I'm planning on doing really well on those, and I'm going to have letters of recommendation from the Math Chair at the college and hopefully the Honors program chair (My English Professor, haha) along with my my guidance counselors, so I think those will give me an extra added boost as well.</p>
<p>What do you guys think? And if there's any Chemical Engineering majors out there, maybe you could give me some suggestions on schools with good programs?</p>
<p>If you’re in-state, the Florida schools are probably secure. But honestly, don’t waste your money applying to schools like Duke and Columbia. I’m in a kind of similar boat with test scores, and I just have to come to the realization that I won’t be able to get into those very selective schools because of them. Good luck though!</p>
<p>I was thinking staying in state would probably be the better choice. I have noticed most of the people from the Phi Theta Kappa and a family friend got a full-ride as Transfers/Graduate students at Columbia though, so I might just post-pone applying until then. But thanks! Good luck to you too!</p>
<p>Those are the exact same schools I’m planning on applying too, plus a few more. I’m also a Florida student. I wasn’t sure I was going to apply to those top out of state schools until I got my scores up, and i recommend doing the same and waiting out your scores. Pick a few more out of state schools (if that is something you want) that aren’t as big of a stretch with your current scores. My Act did go up 5 points though, so you have a chance for a big improvement.</p>
<p>You need to raise your ACT to at least a 32 or probably more to be competitive. Also, your SAT should be at least a 2200 for Columbia or Duke. Your ECs are weak as well, they don’t display any sort of passion. I would say that Columbia and Duke are very very high reaches.</p>
<p>@shel04: That’s what everyone around me is saying I should do. When I took the ACT I was dealing with a death, parent’s divorce, and other family issues all in the same week before the test so I’m thinkinh stress and pressure may have effected my performance a bit. Either way, I’m sure that under less pressure and now that I know what the tests are like, I should be able to at least bring up my ACT scores, especially with the prep I have this time, so I’m feeling pretty good about that. I think I’m still going to apply, I’m thinking once I get my scores up I still have a bit of chance.</p>
<p>@Achilles09: Yeah, I’m definitely going to be working hard to bring up my scores. As far as my extracurriculars go, I’m aware that they aren’t the best compared to those I will be competing with, but that was all I was really able to do in my unique situation. However, my passion lies with running, saxophone, and Korean, and I’m sure I’ll be able to convey in my essays the time, effort, and how I’ve used these things to make an impact on myself and others, and how I was able to do the best with what opportunities I had. Of course, that doesn’t make either of the schools any less of a stretch, but hey, miracles have happened, haha! And I know I have the ability and drive, so I’m not going to totally rule myself out just yet.</p>
<p>Work hard this summer to prepare for retaking ACT/SAT. You still have some time. Did you take any SAT2, particularly Math2 and Chem? For any engineering, you need to show some strength in Math. Currently, you can save your money from apply to Columbia or Duke. It is very unlikely to have a miracle there. If you can bring up your SAT to 1800+ or ACT to 27+, you should have a good chance for in state public schools.</p>