<p>I live in California.</p>
<p>Have her take a look at this: <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/profiles/index.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/profiles/index.html</a></p>
<p>Because I want to major in finance or economics, I’ve been looking at some of the better schools, such as UT Austin, UMich, and OOS public schools of the sort.</p>
<p>My mom is so set on the fact that “If you get a degree from UT Austin, you’ll only be able to get a good job in Texas. Texas is so ‘behind the times’ and is much slower than LA,” and she says the same thing about other OOS public schools. </p>
<p>Is this necessarily true? I know a UT Austin degree would mean more in Texas than it would in California, just like a USC degree would probably mean more on the west coast than the east coast, but would there be any similar jobs if you traveled to a different state?</p>
<p>Would a safety school be NYU, Pepperdine, Northeastern etc,? I’m applying to 10 schools, and I’m only applying to schools that I’d actually like to go to, not because I got accepted.</p>
<p>I’ve disregarded NYU because even though New York is a great place to be, I’m looking for a college with Division I sports.</p>
<p>But no, I wouldn’t consider those safety schools at all. I’ll probably end up applying to ~15 universities or so.</p>
<p>Everybody applies to safeties. People who are getting into Dartmouth and Wharton are also making sure to apply to state schools like UC San Diego and UC Santa Barbara for good measure.</p>
<p>“Because I want to major in finance or economics, I’ve been looking at some of the better schools, such as UT Austin, UMich, and OOS public schools of the sort.”</p>
<p>Arizona State and San Diego State are well respected in these areas. And I can tell you from having attended both that if you get As you will be as well prepared as any undergrad business student anywhere.</p>
<p>I’m not recommending that you attend either of these schools, I’m only pointing out that the gap between objective reality and your mom’s preconceived ideas about academic merit are as big as the Grand Canyon.</p>
<p>Research your schools based on what programs you will study, how they are taught and what life is like for students. If some of your choices offend your mom’s pride just tell her to humor you and offer to pay the application fees yourself. It appears that you already know more about college than the person advising you at home, so do lots of research and supplement that judgment with as much information as you can get. Good luck!</p>
<p>She has basically already written off either Arizona as a “party school.”</p>
<p>OOS public schools are not a good choice if you need financial aid. Most have little money for OOS students. Most also do not consider race so you will not get the URM boost at schools like Michigan that you will at private colleges.</p>
<p>For jobs in business, you do not need to do an undergrad business program. unless you want to full pay high tuition, your list should not rely on the state schools you’ve mentioned.</p>
<p>Without knowing your stats it’s hard to say what schools would be realistic.</p>
<p>You need to run, not walk to your school college counselor to referee for you with your mom. Tell your mom that you have a mandatory meeting with all of you and let the college counselor work with your mom.
Good luck</p>
<p>Stats:
- Cumulative GPA: 3.4 (RL issues freshman and sophomore year; I’ll elaborate on my applications. Everyone says I have “a story to tell.” Junior year GPA: 3.64) Senior year GPA will hopefully be a 3.8-4.2.
- ACT: 30
- 4 honors courses and 1 AP course - all math classes; taking Honors Precalculus and AP Statistics for senior year. I’ve taken Public Speaking and Spanish III at my local Community College and earned A’s in both; taking Introduction to Business this summer.
- Founder of a non-profit organization for lung cancer patients who don’t receive the right treatment due to not having medical insurance (in memory of my aunt).
- I’ve been a professional actor with an agent since I was 5 1/2 months old. Since then I’ve established a pretty long resume and been in numerous TV shows, commercials, billboards, print ads, etc.
- I’m in NHS and CSF.
- Will have great essays and recommendations (I hope).
- If it helps to create any sort of diversity, I will major in Finance and minor in Acting.</p>
<p>I’m from a private Catholic school in the Los Angeles area. The counselors are mediocre and only really send students to different California public universities.</p>
<p>How many APs does your school offer? Does your school rank?</p>
<p>None freshman year, English and History sophomore year (english is my weakest subject; just felt like history would be too much with ECs), English and History again junior year, and everything senior year.</p>
<p>All schools are party schools if you party. My sister when to school at Chico State (CS degree) when it was making headlines at big party school and playboy did a photo shoot there. She worked in Silicon Valley making the big bucks ever since.</p>
<p>Your safeties would be the UC system schools (well not all of them.) You can apply to all of them with one application. I think you’d be crazy not to. The cost of schooling will be lower too. You can get anywhere you want with a UC education and they are just as good or better than some of the OOS you mention that will cost you more. You might want to include one or two Cal States. They have budget crunch now and it might be hard to graduate in 4 years.</p>
<p>I know a girl graduating this weekend from UCSC with a double major in Economics and pre-law, and she’s already had an lobbyist internship in Washington DC where she attended senate confirmation hearings to take notes for the organization. Nice! (That girl’s other wanted her to go to Stanford)</p>
<p>Have you gone the the UC Pathways site to double check that you are UC eligible as far as class requirements and gpa/sat combo?</p>
<p>Make your list of reach safeties and match schools. List the admit rates for each and the midrange of gpa and SAT’s (get from [::</a> College Planning Made Easy | Inside Source for College Admissions Requirements](<a href=“http://www.collegeboard.com%5D::”>http://www.collegeboard.com)) Make an appointment with your mother to sit and look at it. When you make the appointment for another time, tell he you’d like her to listen to your ideas and give you constructive feedback.</p>
<p>Then when you sit down. Ask her to study the data. Tell her applying does no harm, it just gives you options down the road. If you get into much better schools, then great. If not, then you have some choices. Include some of her picks too on the list, of course… Ask her to imagine worst case scenario where you get shut out of everything (we see it reported here often enough.) Wouldn’t something be better than nothing?</p>
<p>Look at the main page and see if there are articles to print out about the process. Maybe she should read The Gatekeepers: A Year in the Admission Process at a Highly Selective College. That’s a good read. See if there are any admissions articles on the main pages here that are relevant. Maybe she should spring for an evaluation from College Confidential. I don’t think it costs that much, check the main site.</p>
<p>Just saw your stats post. What is an ‘RL problem’? Sounds good. I don’t think you will impress anyone with a cc ‘intro to business’ course, though. you’d do better taking more core classes or focusing on your grades in the core classes you are talking. That will make you more competitive in the admit process no matter your eventual major (you know 4 years math, 4 years science, 4 years language, 4 years end, 3-1/2 years History, a full or more year of fine arts.) That really is a sort of low end junk class, many top 4 years wouldn’t even offer such a class. </p>
<p>Good Luck.</p>
<p>whoa…much much more on this story than I imagined.</p>
<p>First, you need safeties. Safeties are SUBJECTIVE TO YOU, not the world. Get Petersen’s Directory or Barron’s Directory at Barnes and Nobles. NOW! (I prefer Barrons.) </p>
<p>Second, start INSTATE California and pick 20 schools as a research start, not an application list. Pick CATHOLIC schools as well as publics. Pick the UC schools you like the best, plus USanDiego and Santa Clara University. Your safety and match schools with THROW money at you. I think UCLA will be all over you.</p>
<p>Third, look OOS, including CATHOLIC schools. And yes, include Notre Dame. There are 28 Jesuit colleges in the United States and most of them are outstanding in Finance/Accounting. One is also a FAMOUS theatre school. (As in Denzel Washington, Alan Alda and many, many Broadway stars). That school is Fordham University in New York. With your ACT and gpa, you are a SLAM to get in. And money will come your way. Trust me. Add BC and Georgetown if you like.</p>
<p>For OOS public schools, pick places that have BOTH a strong theatre program and a strong finance/business/acct. program. </p>
<p>Ivy League Schools may or may not be your “thing”. It depends. But I suspect that Dartmouth is closer to who you are than the others. Dartmouth is very strong in theatre as well as finance (Tuck School). </p>
<p>Safeties: I am a fan of rational safeties, meaning really good schools that suit your particular interests, personality, programs, finances etc. They are the ones who will give you the best package overall. Select them wisely. UofA is a fine school. UT is hard to get into OOS. There are others out there which might be of interest to you: UOkla, Mich, MichState.</p>
<p>I do agree with your mother that “Party Schools” are to be avoided. But that also means YOU must have the maturity to say “no” when people ask you to party. The creme always rises to the top. The kids who party are NEVER at the top of their college classes. </p>
<p>Follow your heart. But be rational, if that makes sense.</p>
<p>Good luck.</p>
<p>This past year was a weird year, and this coming year looks to be weird also. My son did not get accepted to any schools that were not safeties - waitlisted at 2 matches and rejected at 5 reaches. Granted, he isn’t an actor nor is he a URM… but you can’t tell this year because the graduating classes are so big. Apply to at least one safety.</p>
<p>“I think UCLA will be all over you.”</p>
<p>Really?
I wasn’t even going to apply because I didn’t feel I’d get in. Guess I’ll apply. Thanks. :)</p>
<p>Georgetown and BC? Never would’ve even looked at them in fear of not having the grades or the average test scores they admit. They’re definitely reaches though, right?</p>
<p><strong>EDIT</strong>
Would I have a better shot at UCLA or UC Berkeley?</p>
<p>If your first semester SENIOR year grades are as you project, and your overall gpa is over 3.5, and your ACT score is 30, you have a really good chance of getting into UCLA, BC and Georgetown, particularly being a URM. </p>
<p>I dont want to blow up your head with hot air, but they are certainly worth a shot, and I would call them highmatch/low reaches. UCLA is a problem because of the sheer numbers of applications they get instate, something incredulous like 40,000. But dont hesitate to try. Start the applications (make folders NOW) this summer. So you arent crunched for time. And make sure you give your teachers and guidance counselors a LOT of lead time to fill out the recommendations.</p>
<p>Again, Fordham is where I would suggest you look very seriously. Fordham College at Lincoln Center is a superb theatre.acting school. The undergraduate program is broad based, Jesuit, and they are also strong in finance. Or, you could apply to Fordham College of Business Administration (at the main Rose Hill-Bronx) campus and hook up into their superb business school with amazing internships. And then engage in the school plays, or pick up a few classes at Lincoln Center as you can for a minor in acting. (There is a van that runs between the two campuses, for students. Its almost 24.7) </p>
<p>Being URM is not a guarantee of anything. But it is helpful. And your grades and ACT scores also stand on their own. </p>
<p>Catholic Schools offer a superb education, strong values, and often a boatload of scholarships or financial aid. </p>
<p>For the UC’s I would pick what you like the best, but UC-Davis, UC-Irvine, UC-SanDiego are all wonderful schools.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t say my overall is OVER a 3.5… it’ll probably end up being right around a 3.5 =/
As far as UCs, I think the only ones that really receive any recognition in the business world are UCLA’s graduate program (what would I do for undergrad?) and UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business.</p>
<p>I’ll get rid of some of the OOS publics and replace them with privates I guess =/</p>