<p>I am not a Questbridge finalist. I’m not really sure how to proceed from here. I had really been hoping to become a finalist, and was sort of counting on the fee waivers. I guess it wasn’t meant to be. </p>
<p>I have no real location preference. </p>
<p>If I were to describe my own schedule, I’d say very rigorous. But that’s just me.</p>
<p>Sorry about the Questbridge news, but it is quite competitive. You can still qualify for fee waivers without going through Questbridge.</p>
<p>The right school is out there, and CCer’s will continue to offer advice, if you like. Just don’t be put off by the “I am retaking my 2370” contingent.</p>
<p>I can’t read the “chance me” posts anymore for the same reason you mention, and I’m not even applying (D is). She asked me if I would post her stats on CC; I’m holding off – I think you can get discouraged and then not apply to a place where you very well might have a shot. Your scores and GPA are solid. Would you consider Smith? Excellent liberal arts college; all women; part of the 5 college system that include Amherst, UMass, Mt Holyoke and Hampshire. As others have posted, Smith offers excellent “admissions value” --great education but it’s not as hard to get in to as other highly regarded LACs. And they definitely offer financial aid. Good luck!</p>
<p>Courseload:</p>
<p>Freshman year: English 9 H, Geometry H, Spanish II, Biology H, Freshman Seminar H (AP Euro prep class), Health</p>
<p>Sophomore year: English 10 H, Algegra II H, Spanish III, AP Euro, AP Bio</p>
<p>Junior year: AP Lang, Pre-calc H, Yearbook, APUSH, Physics H, AP Psych</p>
<p>And thank you. I appreciate your help.</p>
<p>To find schools where you have a reasonable chance of acceptance, use your high school’s Naviance. If you can’t, google for schools’ Common Data Sets, sections C9 to C12, and compare your stats to those of the last entering class of the school.</p>
<p>OP, I’m confused by your weighted GPA calculation. Be aware that there are multiple ways to compute this… the one your school uses, the one the UC system uses, and many variants used by colleges when they recompute your weighted GPA according to their own formula.</p>
<p>Having said that, it looks like you are giving yourself a +1 for all Honors level classes… that’s the only way you can get from about 3.3 uw to 4.2 weighted. If that is the case, that is not how most people would compute that. I would guess that using AP only as a +1, as most people do, that your weighted GPA is about 3.5 or 3.6.</p>
<p>Honestly, given that you’ve taken about 9 semesters of AP (which is in a middle range for elite college applicants), if I were you I would look at Unweighted GPA as the data point for assessing where I stood vs. other accepted applicants to various schools.</p>
<p>Your ACT and Subject tests puts you in the middle of the accepted applicant pool for colleges ranked about 20-40 in National Unis and about 10-20 in LACs. No problem there.</p>
<p>However, your 3.3 UW GPA is more in line with National Unis ranked 125-175, and LACs ranked about 100=150.</p>
<p>Your actual stats match is probably right in the middle of these two disparate ranges-- i.e. Nat’l Unis 70-110 and LACs ranked 75-100</p>
<p>Have you calculated your UC gpa? </p>
<p>I like these suggestions made above: Smith, Pitzer, Occidental</p>
<p>I also like UCSC for you as it is a smaller school, secluded from the town which creates an intimate atmosphere and there are a distict percentage of students of intellectual bent. You seem to be searching for intellectual type students</p>
<p>About the aid, some privates are generous. These are usually schools that guarantee to meet full need. These are the most selective schools in the country. Some schools give loans as part of the package. For my daughter, the cost to go to UC and to UChicago would have been about the same and would be financed through loans. At Brown, those costs went away.</p>
<p>Reed is not need blind for admissions. Nor do they seem to meet full need.
<a href=“http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/10/business/economy/10reed.html[/url]”>http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/10/business/economy/10reed.html</a></p>
<p>If you are applying to CA schools, you will apply for a CalGrant.</p>
<p>As for fee waivers, you can get them. Here is the form guidance counsel uses, with you filling out part
[FAQs</a> for Application Fee Waiver Form](<a href=“http://www.nacacnet.org/studentinfo/feewaiver/Pages/default.aspx]FAQs”>http://www.nacacnet.org/studentinfo/feewaiver/Pages/default.aspx)</p>
<p>I’m curious why you didn’t take the SAT, I never hear of CA students taking the ACT. Fee waiver info:
[SAT</a> Fee Waivers](<a href=“http://sat.collegeboard.com/register/sat-fee-waivers]SAT”>http://sat.collegeboard.com/register/sat-fee-waivers)</p>
<p>A minor correction: There’s nothing in <a href=“http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/10/business/economy/10reed.html[/url]”>http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/10/business/economy/10reed.html</a> that says Reed doesn’t meet full need (which they do). In fact, the word “still” below (from the aritcle) refers to Reed’s desire to continue meeting full need when they can also someday become need blind:
A full-need school’s being need-blind confers bragging rights for the school, but is largely irrelevant for the applicant needing financial aid; the only issue is being admitted. </p>
<p>A school’s Common Data Set section H2i shows, on average, the percentage of need that was met of students who were awarded any need-based aid; Reed is indeed at 100%. :)</p>
<p>Just correct me if I am wrong, thanks</p>
<p>@DunninLA
I have not actually calculated my own GPA- that is the GPA my school has provided me with on my transcripts. I am unsure exactly what formula they use, but I will ask as soon as I get a chance, and will calculate my UC GPA as well.
I found your rankings guide extremely helpful. I now have a range I can realistically look at.</p>
<p>@BrownParent
I actually have taken the SAT, I’m just choosing not to report my score, since it is significantly lower. And as far as CA students and standardized testing is concerned, I feel as if we take the ACT and SAT equally. And thank you so much to for the link to fee waivers. I have been looking for it. </p>
<p>@vossron
Thank you for reassuring me that I can get financial aid if I somehow miraculously manage to get accepted to Reed. Like you said, the issue is being admitted. </p>
<p>Thank you everyone for your continued advice. I greatly appreciate it.</p>
<p>
That’s still extremely vague and could fit dozens of colleges (Earlham, Knox, Wooster, Hendrix, Hampshire, and Sarah Lawrence are only a few schools that fit those criteria). Browsing through suggestions so far, it seems that virtually every reputable college in California has been suggested (except U Redlands, which is usually overlooked), as well as some people’s favorite suggestions (e.g. one poster is quite fond of Jesuit schools).</p>
<p>I think you could be at least somewhat more specific. After all, something attracted you to Reed and Chicago specifically.
[ul][<em>]Are you looking for LACs or universities? If both, how big or small are you willing to go?
[</em>]Both Reed and Chicago are fairly urban. Are you avoiding rural colleges, or are you truly flexible about location?
[<em>]“Not into the Greek scene” - Are you wanting to avoid Greek life entirely or merely wanting schools where it has a low key presence?
[</em>]Are you willing to consider single-sex colleges?
[li]Are there any other factors of importance – lots of diversity required, vibrant LGBT community, disabilities support, etc.?[/ul]</p>[/li]
<p>My suggestion is Lewis & Clark. I think it would fit you reasonably well academically, and you have a good shot. As a bonus, it offers EA – it’s very good to have an early acceptance. The EA deadline is November 1, however, so you’d have to hustle.</p>
<p>Oberlin? Kenyon?</p>
<p>@warblersrule86</p>
<ol>
<li>Size is irrelevant to me. Reed is about the size of my high school, while Chicago is extremely large. I think I could thrive in either environment. </li>
<li>I’m truly flexible about location. I’m entirely open to schools in rural areas. My mother does want me to remain in California, but I personally wouldn’t mind going out of state. </li>
<li>Where the Greek scene has a low presence would suffice. I know U Chicago does have sororities and fraternities, but that they are not the focal point of the social scene. I just want to avoid schools like say, DePauw. </li>
<li>I do not want to attend a single-sex school.</li>
<li>There aren’t any really important factors, except financial aid. I will need extensive aid money to be able to afford any school. My EFC is 0. </li>
</ol>
<p>Some more information: I’m not religiously inclined, I’m not exactly an extrovert, and I don’t plan on doing much drinking, if any at all. </p>
<p>@manhattaniter
I just discovered Kenyon a few days ago, and I must say I think I’m in love. It’s definitely a school I’m considering applying to.</p>
<p>Chi is not extremely large at all. The undergrad pop is 4,000 or so, making it smaller than anything except LAC’s. The size of the grad school isn’t as important as that fact.</p>
<p>
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<p>I think you’re being too hard on yourself. From what I can tell, you have a number of academic strengths upon which colleges will look favorably. If you want to expand your options, have you considered re-taking the ACT? An additional point or two could make a big difference (especially with merit aid). Good luck. Make sure you focus on the essays.</p>
<p>Thanks manhattaniter. I don’t know if you’re a senior, but if you are, good luck to you too! </p>
<p>@BrownParent
I stand corrected. Thanks for clarifying.</p>