Chances - University of Oregon (and maybe University of Washington?)

Hello! I was wondering if any of you could tell me if I have a good chance at making it into either of these two schools (University of Washington feels like a reach to me but I would still love to know and apply)

GPA: 4.17
SAT: 1280 (600 Reading, 680 Math)
EC: Orchestra, Blogs (Astrology Blog + Study Blog), Art Club (position: secretary), Key Club (class representative), 110 Hours of Community Service, Church
Ethnicity: Asian
Residency: Out of State
Intended Major: Communication Sciences and Disorders / Speech Language Pathology (it goes by many names)

I originally wanted to go to a CSU (San Diego, San Marcos, or Sacramento) but my mother told me they were “only a little better than community colleges”. Could this be true? Thank you for reading!

I’m not an expert but I know a bit about the UW. Your SAT score is a little low, but not by much: the average for UW according to PrepScholar is 1300. You have a high GPA which would help and your service hours help as well. I would say try to get a bit more involved in school and re-take the SAT if you think you could do better, but you’re on your way to having a chance at the UW. Do you have an intended major, or other talents/hobbies? This summer and next year try to get some things on your resume that are connected to those things, if at all possible.

I’m trying to get into their Speech Language Pathology program, but those activities are pretty much the ones I do consistently (but I do perform in School concerts and productions, I’ve played publicly) for getting involved in school all I do is the clubs (i’m also in nhs but i’m more committed to the 2 clubs listed above) and if the school has volunteer events (like carnivals and orientations) I volunteer. Our school also has a freshman mentorship program where I help freshmen acquaint themselves with the new high school environment and help them with homework, or just have 1 on 1 chats with them if needed (this happens every week, on every day but friday + the weekends). I am planning to take my SAT again (hopefully to get that 1300) but I don’t really have much time to add onto the application because I’m already an incoming senior

Can you afford OOS rates?

Yes your SAT is slightly low compared to your gpa but I think you have a pretty good chance. I live in Washington and recently UW has become pretty competitive but they have been accepting A LOT of out-of-state applicants. Your gpa is very high so I think you’ll probably get in. As for Oregon I wouldn’t worry about not getting accepted there.

Yes I can afford out of state rates, in fact my parents are encouraging me to go out of state because they are slightly doubting the educational quality of California State Universities.

Are they worried you will be shut out of your choices? Do you have the stats for the CSU of your choice?

No, they just don’t think very highly of the Universities in California (aside from the UC system, but none of the UC schools seem to offer the major I’m seeking). I believe my stats are adequate for the CSU system (in particular, I am interested in CSU San Marcos, CSU San Diego, CSU Long Island, and CSU Northridge). My parents only want me to view those schools as a back-up at most. Since I am a California resident, my GPA is made higher to a 4.35, so my stats are actually slightly lower when I apply out-of-state. My dream school is University of Washington, and the one I am aiming for is University of Oregon.

I think you have a great chance to get into U of O. The Speech Pathology Department is very good. I’m not quite sure what OOS stats are required but IMHO your grades and SAT’s seem fine. Good Luck and Go Ducks!

By CSU Long Island, do you mean CSU Long Beach? UW is certainly the strongest school (overall) you’re considering, but Long Beach and San Diego State are both great schools and probably more competitive than Oregon. I don’t know much about the specific programs you’re looking into, but since you know what you want to study I would place a greater weight on the reputation and quality of the individual departments of the schools you’re considering than the school’s general reputation. The CSUs, especially SDST and CSULB, are better schools than you’re parents are giving them credit for and regardless of what you’re parents can afford a $15k plus difference in tuition per year is nothing to snuff at. Regardless, you’re a good student and if you take the SAT one more time you could definitely increase you’re chances of getting into UW.