college choices for average students with average sats

<p>In reviewing many posts there seems to be more questions and advise for what many of us might call the students with more options. I would like to have a board where "average" students can discuss their questions and receive advice from other board members. If you fit this group please post and lets see if we can help each other.</p>

<p>Define average. </p>

<p>My daughter had a 3.4 GPA and 1280 on the (old) SAT. She's now at Northeastern University, with a fairly generous grant, and couldn't be happier. </p>

<p>Also, check out the parents forum: lots of experience there with students of all types.</p>

<p>Congratulations on Northeastern for your daughter!</p>

<p>On CC?</p>

<p>Maybe a B+ student with around a 1200 SAT i guess</p>

<p>There are tons of college options for said B+ student with 1200 SATs</p>

<p>Yes, I second Momof2sons - there are many options for B+ students with 1200 SATs - which is one reason you don't hear from them as much on CC. Simply, they are not applying to the ultra selective schools -- yet are good enough to be good candidates for literally hundreds of others. </p>

<p>PS Thanks Mom0f2sons :)</p>

<p>The average SAT score is around 1000/1600 and 1500/2400. The average highschool grad also goes to CC and not directly to a 4 year college. My SAT scores are rough estimates, but no more than 50 points off. I dont know where you can get numbers for highschool grads going to CC, but I know it is a lot. College Confidential is used a lot by kids going to schools ranked in USNWR's top 100. While there are many 4 year colleges for students with 1000/1600 SAT and 2.5 GPA, I personally believe the money is better spent sending the student to CC for a year or two so s/he can raise grades and earn cash to pay for the very cheap education. CCs are very underrated, especially on College Confidential, and I think for average students money is best spent on CC rather than 45k/year private colleges that noone has heard of. One benifit of CCs is that after a student has learned and matured over the two years, s/he can transfer to the state's better public universities and graduate with a better degree than going to some random college.</p>

<p>When it comes to average students with average stats, the overwhelming majority of the 2,000 or so colleges in the US are open to them. In fact, most students get accepted to their first choice college,and most colleges accept the majority of students who apply.</p>

<p>There are probably fewer than 50 colleges in this country that don't accept the majority of their applicants. That's why on boards like CC, you see so many students with ultra high stats who are applying to places like Ivies. It's only schools like Ivies where the competition is so fierce that students have to worry a lot about not getting accepted. What's ironic is that the students with high stats, exceptionally strong ECs lots of time end up obsessing about college applications more than average students do because average students who apply to average colleges are more likely to gain acceptances than do high stat students applying to ultra select colleges.</p>

<p>I'm just starting the college stuff now, and I completely agree with Northstarmom. I couldn't be more stressed out, while all my friends are relaxing and taking it easy, knowing their colleges aren't ultra-selective. It's kinda cruel...we work so hard so we can...work harder!</p>

<p>OP,
Go on the collegeboard.com site. There is a program where you can put in your stats and data and it will generate a realistic list of colleges (more realistic than the Princetonm Review Counselor-o-matic) and you can even sort them by SAT scores, cost, or whatever. There are many schools that will be happy to have an average student. While your SAT scores aren't high you have a decent GPA which means more at most schools. Tell us more about your interestes? What part of the country? Big or small? Rural or suburban or urban? Is cost a factor?</p>

<p>BTW, OP's other post offers these stats:
520-580 and 3.7 GPA, so an 1100 on the old SAT.</p>