Chances at Bard, Vassar, Marist, etc.???

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

Hey all,

I’m currently finishing up my junior year so I only have a few months until I start applying. Financial aid is pretty important but I could manage tuition without it if I got into my reach schools.

My GPA is a 3.60 weighted (on a 4.5 scale). I have no clue how to find out what it is unweighted.

March SAT:
Critical Reading - 650
Writing - 540 (10 on the essay though!)
Math - 500

I’m pretty confident I can bring up my critical reading and writing scores, but as far as math goes… realistically my score will stay around a 500. May SAT scores come out tomorrow so I’ll update the thread as soon as I get them.

Senior Schedule (core subjects & electives):
AP Environmental Science
AP US History
AP Human Geography
Pre-Calculus (Honors)

Extracurricular Activities:
Vice President of Business & Technology Club - member from 9th to 12th grade
Key Club member - 9th to 12th grade
Council on Diversity club member - 9th, 11th, and 12th grade
Animal Rights club member- 11th & 12th grade

Work Experience:
Staff writer/paid intern at local newspaper that covers all cities in my county - 9 month internship from January 2015 to October 2015, 20 hours per week (has had over 75 articles published on newspaper’s website and/or in the actual newspaper)
Summer intern at local non profit organization- June 2014 to August 2014
Community Service:
Palisades Medical Center volunteer (75 hours) - Summer of 2015 and beyond
Bayonne Animal Center volunteer (75 hours) - Summer of 2015 and beyond
I’m also starting an unpaid internship at a family law practice in my city over the summer. So that means I’ll be working two internships this summer.

Potential Undergraduate Major: Political Science
Graduate Degree: JD

Schools I’m looking into:
Bard College
Vassar College
Wesleyan University
Oberlin College
Reed College
Marist College
University of Texas - Austin
Manhattan College
St. Mary’s College of Maryland
SUNY Binghampton University
Fordham University
UC Santa Cruz
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Goucher College
Knox College

I already know what teachers I’m asking for letters of recommendations and they love me so I just know they are going to be great. I’m a pretty good writer too so I’m rather confident I’ll write a great college app essay.

Thanks so much for any responses back! I know most of the schools are out a reach with my first SAT score but I know I’m going to have better scores on the next one. I know people say this all the time but I truly am a bad test taker.

So do you guys think I have a chance at any of these schools???

2

For my senior schedule I forgot to add that I will be taking AP Literature and French (Honors). And my May SAT scores are a 600 in Critical Reading, a 620 in Writing (another 10 on the essay!), and a 500 in Math. Superscore: 1770

3

My suggestion is to look at those colleges that are SAT/ACT optional; on your list I think that includes Knox, Goucher, Reed, and Bard, don’t know the rest. Also, are you from NJ? If so I would take out SUNY Binghamton as it is pretty competitive for NYS students and I don’t think they take many of out of state kids. It also doesn’t fit with most of the others on your list which are smaller LAC with looser, more creative environments.

4

I’d keep NY. It’s low cost. My impression is that Binghamton is very eager to accept OOS applications. Outside NY State, most people won’t have heard of Binghamton and may think you said Birmingham. I think SUNY administrators would like to change that and calling it a public Ivy hasn’t really done it. I’d like to see the credentials of those accepted from NY compared to those accepted from other states Bet OOS are accepted with lower stats once EOP and Advantage students are removed. Even suburbs of NY City in CT or NJ count as OOS.

5

Hey! My name is Janie and I am a current student at Marist College. I hope that I can answer some of your questions about the college application process at Marist and also in general.

First, I want to mention that Marist is a test optional school! It wasn’t included on the list that amtc posted earlier . In general, I have heard that Marist’s Admissions Office takes a holistic view of students during the application process – this includes looking at strength of schedule (your senior schedule is very strong!), involvement and leadership in clubs and activities in high school, and also your interest level of Marist. If you come to campus for a tour and information session, it is recorded in your student profile. If you come back a second or third time, they will mark that in your profile and it is something they check out and take into consideration during the application review and admission process.

After looking at your list of fifteen different colleges, you might want to narrow down what type of school you are looking for. Personally, when I was in high school, I knew that I wanted to go to a small-medium sized liberal arts school on the East Coast (I am from Colorado). I felt that a school that fell within those parameters would provide me with the college experience that was best for me. You have a great list of schools, but they are all very different. Finding a more specific type of school may help. The more schools you visit, the easier it will be to find exactly what kind of school will work best for you.

So far, I have absolutely loved being at Marist. I will be entering my junior year in the fall, but I can remember the stress of being a senior in high school! Being a perfectly sized liberal arts school, Marist has provided me with every single opportunity I could ever ask for, and I definitely recommend applying in the fall! Good luck with everything and have a great senior year!!