<p>I'm having a horrible time deciding between colleges, and as I'm not about to apply to 30, I figured I'd take a couple that I was unsure about whether I'd get in and do some chancing. Without further ado, here are my stats:</p>
<p>GPA (uw) - 3.84
SAT - 2130
CR - 720
Math - 710
Writing - 700
ECs - 2 years XC (captain this year), several years soccer, lots of random community service stuff and some clubs, but nothing spectacular. It's mainly quantity over quality here, though I love all the stuff I do. Cross country captain is my only leadership spot.
Essays - I think they'll be alright, but I'm not going to be top of the batch on these
Teacher Recs - I'm expecting these to be good.
AP - 5, will take 4 more senior year
Spanish - 3
US History - 4
English 11 - 4
World History - 5
Calc AB - 5</p>
<p>Next year's APs and expected scores:
US Gov - 4
Econ - 4/5
Calc BC - 5
Stats - 4/5</p>
<p>Also taking Orchestra, Hopefully Creative Writing/World Religions, and Human Anatomy/Sports Medicine. Not that anyone probably cares about this.</p>
<p>SAT IIs -
Math II - 800
US History - 650 (yeah, not sending that one in if I can help it....)
Biology M - 750</p>
<p>I was a WSYS Scholar for doing well on the ACT in 7th grade, National Merit Commemorative... I think that's all that's reasonably interesting. Nothing much exciting here. So... yeah. </p>
<p>If you have any information that would help me decide whether TCNJ is the school for me, I would REALLY appreciate it. Even more than the chance-ing. </p>
<p>Look, you’re going to get in. That should be obvious. If you’ve looked at TCNJ’s stats at all, you’d know that. You’re extremely qualified and you will get into almost any school you choose. I just started my freshman year and having just gone through the admissions process just last year, I can give you some helpful tips on the admissions process and why you should pick TCNJ.
Don’t freak out about certain school.
I know everyone’s told you that, but I’m telling you again. Just don’t. It’s going to just make the waiting for the decisions terrible. Yeah, waiting for your letters after you sent in your application is going to suck, no doubt about that, but your mental attitude can make it easier to bear.
Plan effectively.
I know that’s corny, too. Really, figure out what school you really can pictures yourself out. Don’t bother applying to the other ones (except in the case where the only places you can picture are your reach schools, than you need to pick a safety). Believe me, if you try to apply to twenty schools between now and January, especially with al the work you’re going to have with your schedule and everything else you do and you’re probably planning on applying to very competitive schools, it will take to much time.</p>
<ol>
<li>Try to limit it to eight schools. Three reaches, three targets, two safeties.
King of self-explanatory.</li>
</ol>
<p>As for TCNJ. It an excellent, competitive school. But I will not lie to you are embellish facts. So here it is. TCNJ is competitive, and it’s got a great academic reputation, but few people outside of the NJ/NY/PA area has heard of it. 90% (last time I heard) of the student body is from in-state. But I must say, I’ve been here to weeks and I’m been very surprised by all of the diversity on campus. Everyone if really friendly and has tried to make the freshmen seem welcome. My incoming class was about 1500 people. Not to big, not to small. If you want a huge school, this is not it. There are plenty of people to make friends with, but you while you’re going to class it’s almost guaranteed that you’ll see someone you know. This year’s freshman class has an average SAT score of 1280 and ranked in the top 10% of their high school class. TCNJ is great for the sciences, especially biology, business, and education. Everything else is just a normal program that’s you fine at any other school of TCNJ’s level. Tell me your major and I could probably recommend some schools.
Good luck,
-Oxiate</p>
<p>Are you sure the average SAT score is a 1280? I’m pretty sure they said it was more than a 1300 when I visited. (this is obviously out of 1600, I can’t remember specifically because it was a while ago).</p>
<p>You probably have a decent shot at the 7yr med program, if that is something you’re interested in trying for. The bio program is the hardest to get into, but again you’ll get in.</p>
<p>Separate question: Why are taking BC Calc after taking AB? Why not take Stats are something new</p>
<p>What is your potential major and what information would you like to know about the college? It’s kind of hard to give info that will let a person know if a college is right for them if you don’t know what they’re looking for. Do you want a large school in an urban environment with large classes, large sports programs, and big-name recognition? If so, then TCNJ is not for you. However, if you want a fairly small school with small classes, attention and research oppurtunities as an undergraduate, and quality education at an affordable price, then TCNJ may be a great fit for you :)</p>
<p>I know they told you something different when you visited, that’s what they do. I’m not speaking bad of TCNJ, but they like most colleges do have a habit of embellishing their stats. Their website said over 1300, that is not true. They specifically told us when the new freshman class was gathered together (I’m a lion now, go class of 2014!) that we were “their largest class ever and one of the most successful in terms of high school achievement. With an average SAT score of 1280 and most people ranking in the top 10
% of their high school class, the class of 2014 is the most diverse yet”. That’s almost word for word as I recall.
Personally, I think taking BC over Stats is a wise decision. If rushrider doesn’t know what he/she wants to do yet, more majors require calculus than Stat. Besides, most students I’ve met tend to take it here again after they had it in high school. It’s actually more advanced here.</p>
<p>Thanks guys! Well, I’m still undecided in terms of majors, but I’m leaning towards engineering. Second choice is probably biology. And I’m taking Stats, too, but I really like Calculus (and my teacher), so I’m going for a second year. If any of you guys that actually go there want to answer my questions, I’d really appreciate it.
How easy is it to get the non-core classes you want freshman year? I know that it’s almost impossible to get into anything besides the basics for your first semester at some of the other schools I’m looking at.
How is the financial aid?
How open are the professors when it comes to helping you on their off-class hours?
How do they deal with AP? Credit, placement…?</p>
<p>Thanks a ton, by the way! It’s nice to actually talk to people and not just look up varying numbers online…</p>
<p>TCNJ’s engineering department is alright, but it’s biology program is really good so maybe you should consider that. Other schools like Rowan or NJIT probably have better engineering programs.
It’s mostly luck. By the time you get to choose your classes, most of them are already filled up by upperclassmen. However, sometimes you get lucky and a class you want to take isn’t filled up yet, or a filled class opens up because someone dropped it. You can add and drop classes as much as you want up until the end of the first week.
I think financial aid is comparable to other schools of its size. If you get the maximum amount of merit aid, it’ll probably cover tuition but not room and board.
3)It depends on the professor mostly. Most of mine (I’m a bio major) had regular office hours when you could talk to them.
<p>Hey everybody,
I am a senior at a relatively competitive public school in New Jersey, and I was hoping you guys and girls could tell me my chances for getting accepted to TCNJ. I guess I should do the normal thing of telling you my stats now lol:
SAT 1600: 1200/1600-I know it’s low, but it’s all I got
EC: 4 years of tennis. Junior and Senior year, played varsity. Senior year was a captain.
Member of Key club and Escape club. I am not a prominent member, just some guy lol. I volunteered at a hospital over the summer for about a month, but I did not accumulate too many hours. I have a bunch of other EC’s I put on my resume that you guys and girls probably do not care about lol.
I receive pretty good grades. My GPA is 93.522. I do not know what that is out of a 4.0 GPA, if you do know can you please tell me?</p>
<pre><code> Okay, enough about my boring life. Lets talk about TCNJ! Basing my emotions off of what I heard about this institution, I REALLY WANT TO ATTEND! I have not visited the school yet, but I heard it is absolutely beautiful. I hope so. I want to enter the Pre-med route, so I guess I’ll apply to the school as a Biology major, right? Does TCNJ have a good biology program? If I get accepted into Rutgers for the same thing, and I get accepted into TCNJ for biology, which school should I choose? Should I apply as an early decision student and go with TCNJ all the way? Is it worth it to apply to TCNJ early decision and go to it?
</code></pre>
<p>Your stats are good but not stellar. You could probably get into TCNJ but getting in for bio may not be so easy. The biology program here is very good and fairly competitive to get into (it’s one of the most popular majors). You might have a better chance at getting in as early decision because it will show you really really want to come. </p>
<p>If you want to go for pre-med you don’t HAVE to major in bio (although it would be easier in terms of scheduling simply because all the pre-med courses are already required for the bio major). Just keep that in mind when applying. </p>
<p>The choice between TCNJ and Rutgers will come down to personal preferences. I got in to Rutgers as well and obviously didn’t go lol. It just wasn’t for me. Ask yourself which you would prefer: big campus vs small campus, large classes vs small classes, etc. I chose TCNJ because it had what I wanted: small class sizes, personalized attention for undergrads, a campus that will take me at most 10 min to walk across (I did NOT want to take a bus to class everyday), close to home without being too close, excellent sciences, etc. </p>
<p>First off, I just want to say thank you so much hazelEyez. You have literally answered 99% of my questions on this site with thoughtful and kind advice.</p>
<p>Would you say that TCNJ is equivalent to Rutgers when it comes to their Biology program? Also, if I fill out on my application that I want to major in Biology, will I have less of a chance of getting in? What other options would I have to follow the Pre-Med route without majoring in Biology? If I get denied for a Biology major, would I be able to fill out an application for something else, or is that not how it works lol? </p>
<p>Sorry about all of the questions, but my heart is really tugging at TCNJ, and I just want to make sure I’m going to get a good education there.</p>
<p>All of the reasons you like TCNJ are mine too lol!</p>
<p>IMO both TCNJ and Rutgers have excellent bio programs. However, whether or not they are “equivalent” depends on what aspects of the program you are looking at. In terms of quality education, I would say they are the same. However, Rutgers has the “name recognition” that, in my opinion, too many people care about. The importance of name though is a whole other debate in itself lol. Rutgers is also A LOT bigger than TCNJ. Whether or not you find that to be “better” is a matter of opinion (my largest class here so far has been about 45ish people in a lecture whereas my friend at Rutgers has had 300+). Because it is bigger, Rutgers has more research oppurtunities than TCNJ however, how many of those oppurtunities are actually available to undergrads? And how many of your professors would actually know your name?</p>
<p>When you apply you will be asked to put a 1st choice of major and a 2nd choice. If you are not accepted into your first choice program you can still be accepted into your second choice. In the event that that occurs, you can always transfer into your first choice program. You could also apply as Open Options Science if you are unsure which science you wish to focus on. There are 9 courses required for “pre-med” (for non-bio majors…bio majors will take these 9 courses plus everything else for bio lol).</p>
<p>Don’t worry, if you come here you will get a good education (especially in the sciences) and for a great price too lol =D</p>
<p>THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! I think I’m going to apply early decision and pray to God that I get accepted lol. I DO NOT want to go to a big school like Rutgers. You’re the best.</p>
<p>lol no problem! and yeah, I DID NOT want to sit in a room with 300 people. Plus, my mom went to Rutgers and she did not have that great of an experience. I visited and everything but at the end of the day I just knew it wasn’t for me.</p>
<p>Okay lol, I should have done this a LOOOOOONG time ago, but I just went onto TCNJ’s biology department website, and I realized, based off of my SAT scores, I have no chance of getting in. I’m still going to try my best, but I just know that I cannot get in. Do you know of any schools that are very similar to TCNJ?</p>
<p>Never say never! SAT scores aren’t everything…there’s a lot more to a person than scores on paper. Get awesome letters of rec, visit and show lots of interest, and you never know!</p>
<p>Well I’ve decided to apply ED because I’ve crossed out every other school on my list and I couldn’t wait until Feb/March to hear! </p>
<p>Good luck to everyone out there. </p>
<p>Only thing left to do is finalize my essay/have it critiqued. I’m positive I’ll get into the school considering they’ve been courting me for a while now… I’m just a little iffy on getting into the Bio program. Just found out I just missed the cut for the Top 10% of the class, but my class is the most competitive in the schools history, so maybe that’ll put my mind at ease.</p>
<p>I think I hate this process as much as I am excited by it. Haha…</p>
<p>Sorry about all of the questions HazelEyez, I’m even starting to annoy myself lol, but if i cannot get into the Bio program at TCNJ to follow the Pre-med route, what would i have to apply as, besides as a bio major, to follow the Pre-med route.
-Thanks
Good luck feareman!</p>
<p>Thanks Feareman. That’s good news for me. If I can’t get into the Bio program, maybe I can get in as another major. </p>
<p>This just opened up a whole new can of questions for me, oh great! Would following the Pre-med route as a non-Biology major be just as informing and legitimate, or are there drawbacks in being a non-bio major student following a Pre-med route as opposed to biology major students.</p>