<p>I am currently a junior in my second semester and looking more seriously into colleges. My main focuses are that it is located in a big city, a medium sized college (6,000-15,000 ish), highly acclaimed, and preferably either in the north east or west. Education is very important to me and I want to attend the very best possible college for me. My GPA is around a high 3.0. I estimate possibly around a 3.6. I took AP World History last year and got a B (very high for this teacher). Unfortunately I only received a 3 on my AP exam because I get anxiety when taking major timed tests. I did not complete the multiple choice or the DBQ on time. Because of this anxiety I am concerned about my SAT/ACTs. I took the PSAT in the very beginning of my sophomore year and got around average on my math and above average on the rest. At the time, I had not taken algebra 2 yet. Currently, I am in algebra 3/trig and feel much more confident about my mathematical knowledge. Some of my other classes include AP US History, AP Language and composition, and Creative Writing. Next year I intend to take the following AP classes for History, English, Biology, and Psychology. Creative Writing 2 and global issues are other subjects I am looking into for next year. I have not done any sports in my high school career, but I do have extra curricular activities. I participate in FCCLA, battle of the books, and my high school literary magazine. In FCCLA I placed second at states and also got silver at nationals last year. I am hoping to place at nationals this year as well. In addition, I tutor underprivileged children in the area.
I am interested in majoring in English with a minor in creative writing, but philosophy and psychology are also very appealing to me. To help you get an understanding of what colleges I am looking for exactly, here are my top seven:
1- University of Pennsylvania
Pros: Located in a NE city with a beautiful campus, medium sized, very prestigious, will be academically challenging for me, and offers majors/minors in my interests.
Cons: None, it's perfect!
2- Columbia
Pros: Located in a big NE city, prestigious, medium sized, will push me academically, and offers majors/minors suited to me.
Cons: Doesn't have the same campus feel I would like and just doesn't seem to match me exactly right.
3- Brown
Pros: Offers an open curriculum, has the subjects I intend to study, prestigious, academically intense, and is a medium sized college.
Cons: Too small of an area (would be second otherwise).
4- New York University
Pros: Big NE city and is a good school that includes courses I am planning on majoring/minoring in.
Cons: Too big of a school for me.
5- University of California Berkeley
Pros: Near big city in the west, good school, and has an excellent program for what I want to study.
Cons: Too big of a school and It's public out of state so it will cost just as much as the previous private schools, but won't give out as much financial aid making it actually more expensive.
6- The college of William and Mary
Pros: Good school, solid curriculum, instate/public, medium sized, and has a nice campus.
Cons: Not in a very big area.
7- University of Virginia
Pros: good medium sized school, nice campus, offers most of my minors/majors, and instate/public.
Cons: small area and doesn't offer creative writing minor.
I realize that I have a (very, very) slim to none chance of getting into the first three schools. They are simply there to show you what kind of schools I am looking into so you can get a better idea of schools I would be interested in attending. These are dream schools and the following four are more realistic schools for me.</p>
<p>You need to have a discussion with your parents about what they can afford. UCB will cost $55K/year and you will likely get little to no aid.</p>
<p>Yes, I am aware of that. One of the only downfalls to UCB. If I get accepted and decide to attend I will have lots of student loans. Mainly I would like to know my chances at these colleges and any other colleges that would be a good fit for me.</p>
<p>Also looking into Vanderbilt.</p>
<p>Your GPAis too low for those schools</p>
<p>If you want urban, W&M is NOT the place!
I would look at NYU, BU, UMass Boston, New Haven, Drexel, Brandeis, Stone hill, Fairfield University, and perhaps Richmond.
If you are willing to go for a college town UVA, UMass Amherst, and Ithaca
Be realistic about your expectations and chances. Go to all schools with an open mind! Good luck!</p>
<p>Have you talked to your parents about your actual cost constraints?</p>
<p>Have you identified your safeties? These are the first schools you should put on your application list, rather than leaving them as unwanted afterthoughts after many application and scholarship deadlines have passed. With a 3.6 GPA, your list is a list of admission reaches (and then there is also the cost question), so your default safety would be your local community college.</p>
<p>I agree that you need safeties and matches: your list is full of reaches.</p>
<p>Have you read the book, Colleges That Change Lives? I highly encourage you to look at it. There are some wonderful schools in there that are not as selective in their admissions process. In fact, these schools might wind up being your top choices!</p>
<p>I would recommend you don’t spend money on applying to ivies, you are not a bad student, but not ivy caliber.
I don’t really think that your other 4 choices are realistic either…
You do not want to come out if any college with more than 30.000 in debt, also Berkeley and NYU are not worth 200000.
If you are out of state for both UVA and W&M, those would also be high reaches. Have you looked at your local state universities as far as safeties/matches go?
Some of the schools the poster above me mentioned sound more in reach for you!
And remember, the quality of a school is not determined by its US news rank.</p>
<p>The OP stated s/he is in-state for UVA and W&M. I agree the OP needs to focus on a safety first.</p>
<p>Oh, I overread that, I’m sorry.
I would say you have both your reaches, and now look for 3 matches and 2 safeties :)</p>
<p>I agree with the other posters, virtually all of your schools appear to be reaches (although I’m not sure what it takes to get into the two VA schools as an in-state student). I’d look at some other options - maybe Fordham (NYC), GW and American (DC), Northeastern and if you want a larger option, BU (Boston).</p>
<p>If you don’t end up scoring as well as you’d like to on the SAT/ACT, you can look into some test optional colleges as well. <a href=“http://www.fairtest.org/university/optional[/url]”>http://www.fairtest.org/university/optional</a></p>
<p>Yes I understand that these are all reaches. That’s why I stated that I understand that at the bottom. I am a Virginia resident and the point of this was for some more realistic options to the schools I would like to go to. Thank you to the people who actually read through what I had to say. Please, any other responses focus on good schools that have what I listed as things I wanted and not the fact that I will never get into ivy (I already know that).</p>
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What does average and above average mean in this case? If you provide your PSAT score we’ll have something more concrete to go on. Also you haven’t provided any feedback on cost constraints. For a school to be a safety it must be affordable.</p>
<p>Brandeis, Emerson, Holy Cross, Clark (the last two are in Worcester, which is not a great city compared to others on your list). Tufts and BC - only if the test scores are high enough.
Someone above mentioned UMass Boston, but I think that is reaching way too low, and there isn’t a real campus (no dorms for example). Mostly a commuter school. BU and Northeastern are too big for you?</p>
<p>Thank you for those suggestions and good information on the lack of campus that is really helpful because I don’t want to attend a commuter school. I’m not sure about my psat scores but when I take the sat/act I will have a better idea of what schools to apply to. I’m hoping to attend a private school or instate public school because of the better prices and grants, etc.</p>
<p>Fordham might be an option, university of Pittsburgh, George Washington, American and Catholic in Washington, Marymount Manhattan in NY.</p>
<p>Might look at Holy Cross-very good school with beautiful campus. HC IS NEED-BLIND for admissions, meets 100% of demonstrated financial need.</p>
<p>With a 3.6 GPA HC will be something of a reach.</p>
<p>I am not interested in going to Holy Cross. It’s too religious for me personally.</p>