Colleges for business/applied math/finance?

College Search & Selection
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<p>I'm a CA resident. I'd prefer somewhere in CA or the Northeast, but I'm open to any college that has a good business undergraduate program. I did my own research, but I'd also like to hear from you guys.</p>

<p>I think I've developed a fairly good profile in college, except with my pothole of a bad GPA.</p>

<p>My GPA is expected to be around 3.33 when it comes time to apply. I will have taken 6 AP's in varied fields, 1-2 college classes related to my major, and the rest being honors classes. This may bring my GPA up, but I'm not sure by how much; I haven't bothered to calculate.</p>

<p>I'll have taken: 4 sciences, two honors, one AP, one regular (maybe AP if I decide to cave into a request to take AP Chem)</p>

<p>4/5 years of math: Does AP Comp. Sci count as a math as far as college apps. go? If so, I'd have taken 5 years, 2 AP, rest honors. Maybe 6 years if I opt to take Stats instead of a business course.</p>

<p>4 years of English: One AP, rest honors.</p>

<p>2 years of history: One AP, one honors.</p>

<p>2 years of elective, basic art requirements.</p>

<p>I'm not sure what a finance/business course would count under.</p>

<p>My standardized testing scores have been fairly good. 2240 SAT (730 math, 770 writing, 740 reading). I got a 770 on AP world, and I'm expecting 700+ for biology and math II. I got a 212 on my PSAT this year, but I don't think that makes cutoff for CA. 4/5's on AP exams.</p>

<p>Extracurriculars: I've been a fairly active member of the Mock Trial program and student government, with active roles in each. Besides that, I do any eBay buying and selling of luxury fashion, and I did a few internships. The first one I did was at the DA's office, and it sorta sucked. My next one will be at HSBC, and I may have an internship at Franklin Templeton during my senior year, but that's unconfirmed. </p>

<p>Essays/Recs: I think of myself as a fairly strong essay writer. I have a few topics to write about, and I'll probably have my essays looked over. I'll probably get an OK rec. from my counselor, a strong one from a teacher who knows me very well, and I might get a strong one from one of the higher-ups at HSBC depending on the quality of work I put out and what he thinks of me.</p>

<p>Also:</p>

<p>How should I, if at all, explain my GPA? I don't have a reason in the slightest, and to be truthful I sorta just went with the flow throughout high school and never really gave a **** until now.</p>

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<p>Babson college</p>

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<p>Is that a UC GPA? If so, what is your UW GPA for OOS schools? Can you afford $50K/yar for OOS schools?</p>

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<p>*How should I, if at all, explain my GPA? I don’t have a reason in the slightest, and to be truthful I sorta just went with the flow throughout high school and never really gave a **** until now.
*</p>

<p>Don’t try…it’s just going to sound weak. Just apply to some reaches, some matches, and some financial safeties. </p>

<p>There are schools that will accept you with your current stats…so it’s not like no one will accept you. </p>

<p>Is your 3.3 GPA weighted to include your honors and AP classes?</p>

<p>What is your budget? How much will your family pay? If you don’t know, ask. That answer will most likely determine where you should apply.</p>

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<p>3.3 GPA with 2250 on the SAT seems a little off. Why is your GPA so low? Does your school grade very harshly? Do 3.3 students at your school typically get into selective universities?</p>

<p>Also, what is your parent’s budget?</p>

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<p>Your class rank would give some context in the admission process since GPA alone won’t tell much.</p>

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<p>Not necessarily jvtDad. Some highschools have such gifted student bodies that even the middle-of-the-road kids (with 3.0-3.3 GPAs) get into highly selective universities.</p>

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<p>3.33 is UW. My rank is probably 15-20%. My parents budget more or less allows me to apply anywhere, but LAC’s are probably out of the question.</p>

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<p>Why are LACs out of the question? Major Us that are OOS cost about the same.</p>

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<p>*My parents budget more or less allows me to apply anywhere, but LAC’s are probably out of the question. *</p>

<p>Can you clarify? </p>

<p>LACs cost about the same as many private universities and some out of state universities.</p>

<p>About how much will your parents spend each year? That will give a more accurate picture.</p>

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<p>^My parents prefer that I go to a university. I’d be SOL if I told them I wanted to attend a LAC. That being said, I could probably get some support from my parents, and I’d have to foot the rest myself, so they’re not entirely out of the question.</p>

<p>My parents would probably be willing to spend 50k a year. I can probably get in 5k a year by myself, but I hope that isn’t necessary.</p>

<p>My choice of schools of now are:</p>

<p>NYU Stern, Boston University, all UC’s, Emory, USC, and Fordham. I’m thinking about applying to Wake Forest and Boston College. These schools seem to be more or less all reaches. Can anyone suggest me safeties, with a budget of around 25-35k per year?</p>

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<p>My GPA is expected to be around 3.33 when it comes time to apply.</p>

<p>What is your cum GPA as the end of your junior year? Depending where/how you apply, your first semester grades senior year may not make much difference. </p>

<p>What is your “UC GPA”? Right now, I would strongly believe that you will not be accepted to any of the “better” UCs. UCs are very GPA-oriented as an attempt to have students from all over the state. If they weighted test scores more heavily, their student bodies would largely come from affluent or upper-middle class schools. You could get into UC Merced, but I think there are better choices out there for you.</p>

<p>I think Fordham will probably accept you. They’ll like your scores and your GPA won’t likely negatively affect them. </p>

<p>Also…you should probably apply to both of the Arizona schools. Both Eller and Carey are good B-schools. </p>

<p>Since you don’t have a good excuse for your grades, I don’t think it’s a good idea to try to “explain” them. Instead, just make sure that you have some schools on your list that will gladly accept a student with a GPA in the low 3’s with your test scores.</p>

<p>Indiana U would also be a possible choice. Kelley is a very good B-school.</p>

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<p>My UC GPA, fully weighted, is 3.67.</p>