Chances for Wisco, Ill, SC, and more!....

<p>hey, so i'm a junior in CA. just really really really curious about my chances at some schools. it's been a rough last 2 years, with my mom having to move away and my granmother being really sick (both in my essay) so in anycase, here's my profile:</p>

<p>[ *] ACT Composite: 33 SAT was mediocre
[ *] SAT IIs: Span: 770 Lit: 710
[ *] AP's: Span: 5 Eng: 4 US Hist: 3
[ *] GPA, UC: 3.83 Reg. Weighted: 3.53 (to give you an idea of how hard my courses were, i got a 3 out of a possible 4 rating on difficulty that my school has)<br>
[ *] ECs listed on app: football, track, clubs
[ *] Job/Work Experience: did finances for a family friend's company (receipt stuff) and also had a job at a toy store lol
[ *] Essays (subject and responses): already started so they should be good
[ *] Teacher Recs: better than great
[ *] Counselor Rec: great
[ *] School Type: Private, does not rank
[ *] Ethnicity: Hispanic
[ *] Gender:M
[ *] 2 summer courses at a local comm. college- pysch and creative writing, both got A's.
* also got 4 awards at our honors convocation, but not sure that means much really. </p>

<p>i was wondering about what my chances are for the following: </p>

<p>*Wisconsin
*USC
*Vanderbilt
*U Illinois
*Wake Forest
*Georgia Tech
*University of Texas-Austin (hopefully not a waste)
*UCLA
*Penn State
*Miami (the U!)
*University of Washington
*UCSD
*Boston College</p>

<p>thanks for the help in advance</p>

<p>Uwis about 99% chance to get in.</p>

<p>You're in at Wisconsin and Illinois as long as you get your application in by November. I would say you have an excellent shot at BC, Vanderbilt and USC, both because of your solid numbers and your minority status. I'm not too familiar with the other schools, but none of them seems out of reach.</p>

<p>Do you need scholarship money? You might do well to include some smaller schools that would come through with the big bucks. Although state schools have lower initial price tags, privates can be very competitive with their financial offers.</p>

<p>what small schools do you suggest midwesterner?</p>

<p>and also please note: the UC gpa is alot different than my school weighted gpa. the school weighted is 3.53 just as an fyi. yeah.</p>

<p>It's rare for such competitive state schools to give good aid to out-of-state students. I second the recommendation for smaller privates (who often give better aid).</p>

<p>Santa Clara could be a good option. I know people with lower stats than yours who have gotten great merit aid. Maybe Tulane. </p>

<p>But honestly, unless you can get great scholarships, I don't think it's even worth it to venture away from your state schools. Going to an excellent school for nearly free is really the best thing you can do for yourself.</p>

<p>Also, judging by the other schools on your list, I'd say to try Duke as a reach (it has a similar atmosphere). Just retake your SATs if you need to. </p>

<p>I know they give great scholarships to whoever needs them.</p>

<p>....bump?.......</p>

<p>bump....(thank goodness for easter break, and the ncaa tourney)</p>

<p>very anxious to hear more responses. thanks in advance</p>

<p>You should use a financial aid calculator to see what type of need-based aid you can expect. Either talk to your HS counselor or contact your local state school to see if they can help you in this area. If you have one parent not at home, things do get complicated, which is why I recommend talking to a college FA office directly.</p>

<p>If you are looking for merit aid (aid regardless of income), there is a thread on the parents forum that lists schools with good merit awards. Vanderbilt is one. You may want to start a new thread looking specifically for awards for Hispanic students. Don't get discouraged by the amount of research; you are talking about shopping for a $150,000 item and that takes some consumer education!</p>