<p>I'm currently finding one. As I prepare for my next few college tours, I will research other colleges this evening.</p>
<p>I have read the entire thread. I just must have missed it or forgot it.. I think the latter. I read the beginning of the chances and that's what it says but I do remember you saying that in this thread.. just didn't remember. =/</p>
<p>Good! I'm not well versed in non-LACs, but I'm sure CC will be glad to help in suggesting safeties. Make a separate thread (with a meaningful subject, please) with stats and DETAILED information about your preferences and personality. (Can you tell I'm fed up with people who ask for suggestions but don't say what they want? Don't betray anonymity, obviously, but the more we get to know you, the easier it is to think of schools that might fit.)</p>
<p>How about I just do a new chance thread, with all the stats, combined with my r</p>
<p>Falthor....you are beating a dead horse, my friend. Your grades this year are important to do well from the standpoint of showing colleges you can do the work and all that....but not for your overall gpa. Your SAT scores are what they are. Improving in October will help..but dont count on it. You may do the same. </p>
<p>I repeat. Get off the prestige train. Higher selectivity does NOT equate to rigor in school. In fact, I know some schools that are hard to get into but not that hard once you are there. Fordham has a 40% admit rate but its plenty rigorous when you are there and will write a LOT of papers. Rigor has to do with the programs and professors not the freshmen class admission stats. </p>
<p>Going to a lower ranked school is not a lesser education by the way. Did you look at Muhlengberg College in Pennsylvania. A lovely LAC there. </p>
<p>Wouldnt you rather be at a school where you thrive and do really well, than at a school where you may struggle? </p>
<p>Pick some solid safeties. Belmont Abbey near Charlotte NC is a Benedictine College. Its pretty, near a wonderful major city for entertainment and easy to get to, and they give great scholarships. </p>
<p>Dont get defensive. People are trying to help you and to get you to be realistic for your own good. Otherwise its going to be a tough road to hoe for you in April. </p>
<p>Culling a list down to 12 is not that hard, but its not that easy. You just have to pull the trigger. Make a LIST of what you are looking for in a college and see if they have it or not. </p>
<p>3 reaches TOPS. The rest (and most) should be matches. And then some safeties. </p>
<p>You arent a failure in life if you dont go to Georgetown or some big name school. You can go to URichmond or Fordham or Holy Cross for undergrad and then go to Georgetown for Grad School. Got it?</p>
<p>All right. Here's my list. Well, so far.</p>
<p>The thing is, I'm visiting the following colleges this weekend: Gettysburg and Bucknell. I can't just create a list and eliminate these colleges altogether!</p>
<p>Reaches: Colgate
Dartmouth
Third to be determined</p>
<p>Matches: Holy Cross
Fordham
U of Richmond
Loyola of Maryland
Fifth and sixth to be determined.</p>
<p>Safeties: Rutgers
Second and third to be determined</p>
<p>I am not doing Early Decision; I'm sorry, I don't have the time for that. If that is the case, I have to take the ACTs in September, which are not offered in New Jersey, and I sure as hell am not going to go to New York to take a test. I'm trying to balance my schedule, so I don't have to rush everything. I need to narrow down my college list soon, I know, but I need to give the colleges I'm looking at a chance.</p>
<p>EDIT: I have so far narrowed down the list to the following:</p>
<p>Dartmouth*
U of Vermont* (HN)
Fordham
Skidmore*
Providence (HN)
Amherst*
Bucknell
Gettysburg
Fairfield (HN?)
Loyola of Maryland* (HN)
Washington and Lee
U of Richmond*
Catholic*
Colgate*
Holy Cross
Trinity College
U of Maryland* (HN)
Rutgers (HN)</p>
<p>I am looking for a small, liberal-arts college or an Honors program. Is this list sufficient?</p>
<p>With your SATs as they are now.. many of your matches are really high matches. Richmond is probably a reach. And Rutgers Honors Program is also a reach. Regular liberal arts and sciences would be a low match, but the Hnrs program is probably about 200 SAT points away. (based on 1180)</p>
<p>If you are seriously considering any of the honors programs, I would definitely recommend calling up the school and see what they use for entry. If they use SAT, you probably won't make it in without a serious SAT improvement to any of the Honors Programs you listed. =/</p>
<p>At my school, the average SAT to Colgate is 1406/2300. Dartmouth is also extremely selective.. If you really want to pay the app fee, go ahead and apply, but you definitely still need safeties and lower matches. Your reaches are super reaches. Your matches are reaches/low reaches/high matches. And your safety is not really a safety if you only want to go to the Honors Program.</p>
<p>Still have some work to do. Have you tried college search tools?</p>
<p>
[quote]
All right. Here's my list. Well, so far.</p>
<p>The thing is, I'm visiting the following colleges this weekend: Gettysburg and Bucknell. I can't just create a list and eliminate these colleges altogether!</p>
<p>Reaches: Colgate
Dartmouth
Third to be determined</p>
<p>
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Unless you have something else incredible -- like a legacy with family donations or a truly outstanding and notable EC, why are you bothering with Dartmouth? I don't think you truly understand how low the acceptance rates of some of these places are.</p>
<p>HottYankRemix: Most colleges I'm looking at accept the ACT.</p>
<p>Pizzagirl: No. But I am heavily involved in Operation Smile.</p>
<p>Spending too much time on CC is not helpful either. This website is heavily weighted..and I mean VERY HEAVILY weighted to the big name schools with kids with UBER stats.....WAAAAAY above your scores. Its a very small percentage of the universe of college applicants. Dont let it skewer your perception of college applications.</p>
<p>LOOK AT YOUR SAT SCORES AND FIND SCHOOLS THAT MATCH THOSE (50th percentile).</p>
<p>Ok, that may work. I'll defer to others lol. 28 ACT.</p>
<p>I am very weary about your safety though. If you only want to get into the Hnrs Program, you may not make it. You need more safeties and need to check the Honors Program(s).</p>
<p>Catholic University of America can be a good safety for you. I'd recommend looking it over.. but I'm sure it's really expensive as many of DC schools are. I'm unsure about FA.</p>
<p>Bucknell and Gettysburg are probably both mid-high matches. Safeties! You need safeties.. lol</p>
<p>My ACT score > SAT score, though. Should I use that?</p>
<p>Safeties! I can't find any!</p>
<p>
[quote]
I don't mean to argue with you guys (I argued with the guys at my Chance thread and started defending myself), but you're saying that I should go to schools where I'm even with everyone else. Why are you telling me not to challenge myself in a more rigorous/highly-selective setting?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Because you seem to think you're going to leapfrog into an acceptance right next to people who have far higher GPA's, far higher SAT scores, and far more impressive EC's than you. And people are kindly trying to tell you that you need to set your sights lower.</p>
<p>OH come now.....that is silly. What are you using to help research your schools? Barrons is an excellent source or Petersen's Directory. Safeties are those schools where your SAT or ACT scores are in the 75th percentile or higher. I gave you three in a PM.</p>
<p>Alright. I'll buy one of these books soon.</p>
<p>Dartmouth is a super-super-reach, but hey, everyone needs a dream. Although if you would choose Colgate over Dartmouth, I don't think it's worth the throwaway application fee.</p>
<p>Try College Board's college search with basic criteria (don't pick majors or anything too complicated, because in my experience, the search can exclude schools arbitrarily) and your ACT score.</p>
<p>College Board only asks for the SAT, I think, because it's the College Board.</p>
<p>Isn't there an ACT-SAT conversion chart floating around somewhere? Aha.</p>
<p>ACT-SAT</a> Concordance</p>
<p>28 ACT is equivalent to about 1260.</p>
<p>I can easily up that to the 30s, maybe even 32 if I just improve the Science score tremendously. (Referring to the composite: I'm in the 30s with all those scores.)</p>
<p>You can use the ACT on college board's College MatchMaker.</p>