<p>Im starting to wrap up junior year, by now school guidance is starting to have meetings talking about college, college fairs have come to our school, for the seniors everyone is constantly talking about where they got in and didnt, and it just makes me feel so lost</p>
<p>I have a 3.6 UW GPA, not bad but not anything special, 6'APs and a bunch of honors classes</p>
<p>I havent taken the SAT's yet but based on PSAT's they should be around 1900 but without the writing section, where im a pro at, that could be much lower</p>
<p>I dont have that many EC's, when I graduate I will have been Pres. of one club for 3 years, member of a few clubs, and NHS, again nothing special. I have almost 400 comm. service hours which is good but not anything to write home about</p>
<p>I have a twin brother needing to go to school next year too, and our financial situation was already bad so I really cant go anywhere pricy, I can either go instate to NY or VA due to parents living in different states</p>
<p>All in all, I am incredibly lost about what schools to look at. Some people tell me to look into top top schools and others say that its a waste of time my stats arent good enough. Some people tell me to look out of state because I can get scholarships and F.A. and others say that I need to go instate. </p>
<p>Sometimes I think I find a good school that I can afford (EX. VTech), and then I see things like a high acceptance rates and I get completely thrown off. I may be focusing too much on prestige but I would prefer going to a school with a good rep, sorry if that makes me pretentious or anything.</p>
<p>Interestingly, we have the same stats. I have a 3.6 UW GPA and 1900 on the SAT. Although every applicant is different, I’ll tell you the schools I got into so you can see more or less where you stand.</p>
<p>Accepted to: University of Miami, Syracuse U, Penn State, Northeastern</p>
<p>Still waiting on NYU and USC</p>
<p>Rejected from every single top university I applied to (7 of them in the top 20)</p>
<p>I did not apply to many of the schools in the ranking 30-50 range, so perhaps you should look into those schools.</p>
<p>If there is anything I have learned, it is that you will be great wherever you go and rankings truly do not matter and should not be a factor in your decision making. Don’t get upset that you might not be able to get into so called “top universities” because for all you know you would miserably fail your classes there and feel overshadowed by your classmates. Don’t get sucked into the “prestige”. Go to a university where YOU will be happy and successful.</p>
<p>I also have 400 community service hours and am president of one club and involved in others too. Weird lol</p>
<p>I would research the residency requirements for NY and Va. It is possible that both would consider you in-state for admissions and tuition purposes, but there are quirks in each state. Virginia is tougher than many states in rules for in-state residency.</p>
<p>You are fortunate to have choices in two states with many good public colleges. Apply to a range of publics, plus some privates where they meet a high percentage of need. You can compare the basics of financial aid by looking up the percentage of need met by each college on <a href=“http://www”>www</a>. collegeboard .com.<br>
I’d start by visiting a larger and a smaller public college that are nearby to get a feeling for where you may be more comfortable.</p>
<p>Only the richest and most selective colleges meet 100% of need.
Many colleges will provide larger amounts of need-based and merit-aid if you are towards the top of their applicant pool. Many colleges will not offer much aid to a student who just barely gets admitted, esp. if they are admitted off a wait list. </p>
<p>Also, take into account state grants. Some states (NY may be one) only offer grants to residents of their state if they attend a college within their own state. That can make a big difference in finances.</p>
<p>Take the SAT as soon as possible. If you are unhappy with the result, and feel you are better at science than math, then take the ACT.</p>
<p>At many public colleges, the odds of admittance and receiving aid are better if you apply early, particularly for majors that are in high demand.</p>
<p>Find which NY state schools you can love. These can be your back-ups. And privates that offer grants to residents, as above. It’s tough to get into UVA and finaid at W&M is lousy, even with a sib in college (and, they’re cutting back on FA for next fall.) But, VA has the “guaranteed transfer” program- go to an approved cc for two years, maintain a B, and get into UVA. What a deal.
“Percentage need met” stats can be very misleading. A handful of kids get 90-100%, based on extreme circumstances, and it throws off the numbers. Go to finaid.org for solid FA advice.<br>
Also, look at the CA, to see how they ask about activities. Just holding a title or being in NHS isn’t enough- it’s what you did for the group. Eg, in your 400 hours, have you led a team, started a project, held extra responsibilities, worked with or for adults, etc?</p>
<p>One other thought: overall prestige is often not as important as the strength, breadth and depth of what’s offered in your major and the quality of the profs and their own educations.</p>