So like many incoming seniors right now I’m worried that none of the colleges I want will want me back. I’m trying to do an undergrad in Economics. Doing it in Biology is also an option at the moment (to become a geneticist later).
(I should probably figure this out soon).
GPA: 3.3
Throughout high school I also took apush, whap, ap lang comp, and next year I’ll be taking ap calc ab, ap biology, ap physics 1, and ap lit comp. I also took several honors classes, so my course load was pretty much a living hell that I clearly couldn’t handle very well.
SAT: 2110 (700 CR + 690 M + 720 W)
(I have yet to do my SAT II’s but I’ll be doing them in Math Level 2 and Chemistry).
ECs: Three years of Robotics, Two years of FCCLA, volunteering at the library (will be over 150+ hours at the end of the summer), and volunteering at the local hospital (will be 54 hours at the end of the summer). Also played soccer outside of school.
For economics:
Northwestern
University of Chicago
University of Michigan Ann Arbor
UNC Chapel Hill
NYU
For Biology:
JHU
University of Michigan Ann Arbor
UNC Chapel Hill
Northwestern
Vanderbilt
Case Western Reserve
Thanks for all those who answer!
Do you have matches & safeties? CW and NYU might be high matches, all the rest are reaches. Your GPA is low, and your tests scores are solid but not spectacular. Also, what is your financial situation? NYU gives terrible financial aid.
Northwestern: 5%
University of Chicago: 1%
University of Michigan Ann Arbor: 15%
UNC Chapel Hill: 15%
NYU: 5%
JHU: 5%
Vanderbilt: 5%
Casewestern: 40%
Your GPA is definitely the bottleneck here. Your SAT score is okay for most schools you are applying for. Although you took a heavy AP courseload, the majority of students applying to the schools you have listed will also have heavy AP/IB courseloads as well, but with considerably higher grades. The only match on your list would be Casewestern, and it is still a high-match. I suggest you consider looking into adding more safety schools.
What is your class rank? But right now, 3.3 GPA is too low for most of the schools listed. Also what state do you live in?
Most of these universities will be concerned about whether you can handle the rigorous coursework there. And as a senior, it will be difficult (and generally too late) to raise your GPA significantly. That’s the bad news.
The good news is that there are plenty of great schools where you can get an excellent education. You are a good student, but not a top student. Most of the schools on your list will be receiving applications from some of the top students in the world. You need to prioritize looking for schools that you like where your stats fall within the middle 50% of the Common Data set. You also should go over your school profile sheet with your guidance counselor so you understand what the adcoms will be seeing when they receive your transcript. Your goal should be to have 3 or 4 acceptances next spring, so you have some choice between financial aid packages. But I’m afraid with this list, you may be seeing rejection after rejection coming in.
Any suggestions for good schools that would be better matches?
There are probably hundreds. What is your financial situation? Home state? Size preference?
This schools would be in your match range (there are tons, honestly) and knowing your home state and preferred locations would help people to make better suggestions.
Lehigh University
Bucknell University
University of Richmond
Wake Forest University
Case Western Reserve University
University of Rochester
Connecticut College
Boston University
University of Miami
@NickFlynn Wake Forest, Lehigh, and Rochester aren’t matches in my opinion.
You could use parchment.com to see your percentage. I’ve known students who’ve used it in the past and so far it’s fairly accurate based on academic and ec’s/awards only.
Thanks! I tried it out and it’s actually a pretty matcher!
Parchment isn’t very accurate. The data is not a full sample, and there is no quality check on what people put in. If you school has Naviance, use that instead. That is based on actual data from students at your school that is entered by the guidance counselors. Parchment is a parlor game, not a tool you can rely on.