College List:Well Balanced or Too Optimistic?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Oldest child in the family.... so, my parents and I are still figuring things out. I am a junior and am getting ready to apply next year. </p>

<p>I would love to have suggestions for more schools — safeties, maybes and reaches. </p>

<p>Criteria: Anywhere in the Northest. Medium and Small Sized Schools. Liberal atmosphere. Undecided Major.</p>

<p>Grades/Rank/Tests</p>

<p>GPA: 3.55 UW, 4.01W
Rank: Not Ranked
Test: ACT-34
SAT1: CR: 740 Math: 760 Writing: 770
SAT II: Chem: 770 Planning on taking Physics, Math II and Bio M
Classes: APs and Honors
AP: taken- Chem, Lang and Comp, US History (waiting for results)
taking next year: Lit and Comp, Calc AB, Bio, and Gov</p>

<p>EC/ Awards</p>

<p>Varsity Fencing - 10th and 11th I club fence year round.</p>

<p>School Newspaper: Staff Writer, Features Editor and to be Managing Editor </p>

<p>JV Debater- Won best speaker </p>

<p>Future Problem Solving and Community problem Solving Teams- I was team leader and did clean ups and programs in the community. </p>

<p>National History Day Project: Went to State competition
I also did Research for the Young Naturalist Award with a mentor. </p>

<p>10th and 11th grade: Teacher Aide for a Community ESL class. </p>

<p>Hospital Volunteer: 125+ hours </p>

<p>Summers:
After 9th: Chemistry Course
After 10th: Online CTY
This summer: JHU pre-college
Piano Player </p>

<p>Fillers:</p>

<p>Received Letter of entry into National Merit Program </p>

<p>So far, I have: </p>

<p>Ursinus
Drexel</p>

<p>Bryn Mawr
Barnard
Carnegie Mellon
Wellesley
Vanderbilt
Vassar
Swarthmore
Wesleyan</p>

<p>Johns Hopkins
Wasington University in St.Louis
Uchicago
Cornell</p>

<p>Any Suggestions? Any Comments?
Thanks</p>

2

<p>Your GPA is kind of low. You might get into Ursinus, Drexel, Bryn Mawr, Barnard.</p>

<p>Carnegie Mellon Wesleyan and Vassar maybe. Swarthmore, Vanderbilt, Wellesley, Hopkins, WashU, UChicago, Cornell are definitely reaches.</p>

3

<p>For your ECs and scores, it’s fairly well balanced if you are in the top 10% of your class, and if cost is not an issue. Those schools are $50K or more before aid.</p>

<p>The list is a little top-heavy. Add a couple more “match” schools (such as Kenyon, Macalester, and Smith). Consider your in-state honors college, too.</p>

4

<p>I never respond to these questions but mufasa104 is wrong, with respect. All the schools except Ursinus and Drexel are more or less the same - grades of very selective, but you have a chance at some of them. I actually think there are ‘better’ safety schools than those you have picked. Make sure you would actually got to those two. But now I see tk21769 has said what I would – add some great and prestigious but just a bit less selective schools like those mentioned.</p>

5

<p>Fencing can be very desired. I suggest you contact the Fencing coaches at these schools to see if they would like to meet her or recruit her.</p>

6

<p>I agree that there is a gap between your two safeties and the rest of your list. I think you should consider taking a look at Wheaton (the one in Norton, MA), Skidmore, Bard, and Sarah Lawrence, which would fall between the two groups in terms of selectivity and probably be solid matches.</p>

<p>WUSTL and Carnegie Mellon seem like outliers on this list. Can you give a little more info about what kind of intellectual atmosphere you are looking for, or explain what attracts you to those schools?</p>

7

<p>This list seems a bit too top heavy to me. I think right now a good thing for you to do would be to use the search engines either on here or on collegeboard.org and enter your scores to see schools solely based on that which would be matches and safeties! Also, be sure to visit these schools, particularly Ursinus, to be sure you could see yourself there.</p>

8

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<p>That depends on the school, the number of AP/IB courses, the trend, and the class rank. In an IB program at some private schools, 3.55UW would be fairly high.</p>

9

<p>There is a pretty big selectivity gap between your safeties, and all of the other schools. You need to fill in some schools in between. Suggestions: Northeastern, BU, TCNJ, American. </p>

<p>What state do you live in? Will you need financial aid, and will you qualify for it?</p>

10

<p>Do you intend to fence in college? Although not all the schools on your list have a fencing team (it may be a club sport at some of them, though).</p>

11

<p>tk21769, Thanks for the suggestions, I will be checking out those schools! I am from NJ, so Rutgers is our state school. But I have heard of its honors program.</p>

12

<p>momwonders , which reach school do I have a better chance at? And also, any suggestions for better safety schools?</p>

<p>performersmom, I am not sure whether I will be varsity fencing in college… so, I haven’t met any coaches yet.</p>

<p>Consolation, I am looking for a school that is research oriented and that when WUSTL and Carnegie Mellon came up.</p>

<p>Sacchi, I am applying for Financial aid but am not applying to any schools in my homestate NJ other than Ursinus… yet.</p>

13

<p>…Ursinus is in PA</p>

14

<p>sorry, I keep thinking Rowan is in PA and Ursinus is in NJ. I considered both in the beginning. But kept just Ursinus. I have no idea why I am confusing the location of those two! Thanks for catching that :D</p>

15

<p>Hahahahha no problem I was just like… I’m pretty sure I passed Ursinus today :)</p>

16

<p>FYI, fencing opportunity at these schools varies widely…</p>

<p>Ursinus - No club, no varsity
Drexel - No club, no varsity
Bryn Mawr - Club, competitive/active
Barnard - NCAA Division I
Carnegie Mellon - Club only
Wellesley - NCAA Division III
Vanderbilt - Club, competitive/active
Vassar - NCAA DIv III
Swarthmore - Club only
Wesleyan - Club but not competitive
Johns Hopkins - NCAA Div III
Wasington University in St.Louis - No club, no varsity
Uchicago - Club only
Cornell - Women’s NCAA Division I team</p>

<p>[List</a> of NCAA fencing schools - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_NCAA_fencing_schools]List”>List of NCAA fencing schools - Wikipedia)</p>