<p>Mostly agree with the above post, but hooked candidates are far kore than just 25%, more like 50%.</p>
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<p>Your huge hurdle with adcoms is whether they have the time or inclination to understand why your grades match more to a 26 ACT than a 32. At an LAC maybe, but I think that chance is slim at any school larger than, say 8,000 students. The Adcoms just don’t have the time to figure out what went wrong in the classroom in your case.</p>
<p>I don’t actually understand why you are re-taking the SAT when your brain appears to be wired better for the ACT… take the ACT again if you want… but understand 32 is well within the 25/75 for Harvard and every other school excepting I think Caltech.</p>
<p>Having said all that:</p>
<p>SUPER reach: Berkeley, Rice, UCLA, Northwestern (probably gonna do ED here), Carnegie Mellon, Cornell
REACH: UMaryland, McGill, UMichigan, UConn
MATCH/REACH: UMinnesota, Penn State, Wisconsin-Madison, Urbana Champaign, Purdue
SAFETY – you don’t list any.</p>
<p>By all means apply to as many as you feel like and can afford… but understand that each application could take as long as five hours, and as little as one hour. Applying to too many could impact the time you have to do well in this your Sr. year.</p>
<p>Lest you feel I might have been unnecessarily pessimistic in my above post, let me explain. In California, we have a three tier public University system:</p>
<p>1) University of California, with campuses at Berkeley, Los Angeles, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Davis, Irvine, Santa Cruz, Riverside, and Merced. Thes schools are defined by California’s legislature as being created to educate the top 12% of CA’s graduating high school seniors. Your stats match to Riverside and Merced, but not to any of the other seven.
2) California State University at XX: Campuses located in San Luis Obispo, San Diego, Pomona, Long Beach, San Jose, and 17 other locations. These are slotted (with the exception of the first 3-4 which have become more competitive and popular) for students graduating high school in the 13%-33% of their graduating classes.<br>
3) Community College: These are designed for those students who do not qualify, or cannot afford, or for other personal reasons choose to stay close to home, the first two categories.</p>
<p>Here’s the problem: YOur ACT matches to ANY of the above, but your GPA matches to a mid-tier Cal STate or the lower two UCs. And most schools put much more emphasis on GPA than test scores… especially Publics.</p>
<p>Combining Test Scores and GPA, you match to UC Riverside (ranked #96 in the current USNWR), UC Merced (unranked), San Diego St (ranked #183) and Cal Poly Pomona (ranked #32 West).</p>
<p>Every single one of your target schools are in the USNWR top 75 … no safety in there.</p>
<p>Your gpa will not get you into Michigan,Wisconsin, or just about any B10 school. Sorry to be so blunt, but an approx. 3.0 just won’t cut it.</p>
<p>i’d like to thank everyone who responded to this thread and add my own two cents.</p>
<p>first of all (this is to rjkofnovi), my GPA equates to about 3.4 unweighted - but you have to realize that NO ONE in my school goes over a 4.0 weighted - that is 100/100, and few kids ever surpass that. my weighted GPA is one of the highest with the number of APs i took. my gpa is on a 100 scale, and it’s going to be about a 90 when i submit it (which, at most high schools is an a - but at my sucky high school it’s a b+). the kids in my school who are in the top 15% are kids who have never taken AP courses in their life and are coasting on honors and nonhonors. that being said, i literally took the MOST APs that i possibly could in the environment i was in - with the rigor, i still managed to get b’s and a’s. i know that the kids around the country are crazy competitive (i went to a middle school in the mission san jose district of california), but in my environment i think i rise up on top, with the exception of class rank, and my grades this quarter are far superior.</p>
<p>now, i don’t know if i’m just crazy confident or optimistic or something, but i am taking the ACT again, as well as the SAT (which i signed up for before i got my ACT score), and i don’t know if my “adventurous” high school transcript will make up for it. it’s not like i slacked off, i worked my hiney off. i just had no support - no one i have EVER known at my high school has taken a schedule like mine - like i stated, i was one of the first juniors to EVER take ap calculus and that is the main reason my GPA is in the toilet. </p>
<p>i’m not asking you guys to tell me what i “want” to hear, i’d just like to see if this further explanation changes anything, because my college counselor has told me that my list is pretty solid. if i’m completely nuts to all of you, i apologize, and thanks for taking the time to respond.</p>
<p>What you have to understand is even kids at weak high schools take calc junior year and ace it. You had good preparation going to a tough middle school, there is no reason between self study and enrichment opportunities that you could not have continued the learning pace you learned in middle school. A competitive candidate at top colleges would have little trouble getting straight As at a school like the one you describe. This is why over 40% of students at just the mid tier ivies are Val or sal of their class. </p>
<p>Top colleges are looking for kids who go beyond what is spoon fed to them.</p>
<p>You also don’t mention whether or not you need aid. If you do, the UCs and Michigan should not be on your list.</p>
<p>OP – I am going to change my response after realizing your weighted GPA is a solid A. Schools don’t care much about unweighted…</p>
<p>SUPER reach: Berkeley, Rice, UCLA, Northwestern (probably gonna do ED here), Carnegie Mellon, Cornell
MATCH/REACH: UMinnesota, UConn , , Urbana Champaign, Purdue ,mid tier UCs (Santa Barbara, Irvine, Davis) UMaryland, McGill, UMichigan, Penn State, Wisconsin-Madison
SAFETIES I’M ADDING – UC Riverside, UC Merced, possibly UC Santa Cruz, Cal St. Long Beach, etc.</p>
<p>You should drop Berkeley and UCLA, I don’t think you have any remote chance of admission. First because they only admit a teeny-tiny few OOS applicants. Second because the schools are stats driven and those applicants are among the best in the nation. You don’t have a remote chance. Don’t waste the time or money.</p>
<p>Pick 2 of those ivy reaches, if you like. I think it is a long shot, but they will give careful consideration to your state, your school and your EC’s, unlike the UC system. The more unique you are (Maine, Indian) or underrepresented, the better. </p>
<p>Otherwise your list looks good to me, but I also think you are selling yourself short by not looking at the superior LAC’s mentioned here. Not only would you get a fine education with excellent prospects for grad school and work, you might be sought after for the things that you are trying to sell to us-- things that the big schools will be less concerned with.</p>
<p>i took two classes at berkeley: i don’t know if that helps any, and my rec is gonna be from a professor AT berkeley. berkeley and UCLA are actually like the two schools i’ve dreamt about, lol, and a lot of people i’ve talked to there have told me i have a solid chance (and they want more OOS students because they’re low on money…?) either way, thanks everyone who responded again. redroses, i see your point, and that will definitely be a deterrance. i realize i don’t have perfect grades but i definitely did not do as ****ty as some people who responded thought.</p>
<p>i will definitely consider the LACs after you guys talked about it - any specific recommendations?</p>
<p>if anyone has any thing else to offer up, i would really appreciate it.</p>
<p>bumping this.</p>
<p>Your GPA will remain a big issue at UCs. And do note they will not read letters of rec. But the higher you get the scores, the more of a chance you’ll have. They are anxious for those willing to pay $50k plus. You may want to apply to some of the mid tier schools.</p>
<p>I’m going to suggest that you look into some of the urban LACs. An urban location may off-set some of your concerns about a lack of diversity. Take a look at Macalester, in St. Pauls, Minnesota (a reach but you are a URM in Minnesota). For a warmer experience, look at Rhodes in Memphis, Tenn (a URM there too). Colorado College in …yeah. Barnard, a women’s college next door to Columbia, might be interesting, although still a reach. If you want to check your chances, look at the Common Data Set for each school-google it. Around pages 8-9, you’ll see the info on GPA, class rank and test scores. </p>
<p>A larger, match urban school in a warm climate? University of Charleston is popular around here.</p>
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A more efficient way I’ve found is at collegedata.com It appears to me they take their SAT and other stats directly from the Common Data Set, and it’s all there in one website.</p>
<p>Add my voice to the chorus in favor of LACs (including women’s colleges). I like M’s Mom’s suggestions. Barnard would give you a great city, diversity, and access to Columbia classes. Yes, it would still be a big reach, but more realistic than the Ivies. A less selective option would be Bryn Mawr or Mt. Holyoke (both of which are consortium schools that offer classes at other excellent colleges). Or some of the midwestern LACs.</p>
<p>thank you all.</p>
<p>i’m looking predominantly as university of minnesota - does anyone know anything about my admissions chances to college of biological sciences?</p>
<p>What about U. Pittsburgh?</p>
<p>I can’t answer about UMTC, but for UIUC I think it will be difficult. Only 3% OOS. Every time the BOG tries to increase OOS acceptance there is a huge outcry from the citizens.</p>
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<p>This grading is fairly standard at the best public high schools in southern Maine, although some do not weight grades and most do not rank. What is your class rank going to be? </p>
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<p>With a weighting system in place, it is hard to imagine that no one who takes APs is going to crack the top 10%. At our HS, which does not weight grades, although the “top ten” always includes mostly kids who didn’t take the hardest courseload, the actual top 10% is full of AP students. And those are the ones who get into the Ivies and similarly selective schools. </p>
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<p>I know of a bunch of kids from Cape, Greely, Falmouth, and Yarmouth who got into Ivies and the equivalent in the last four years. All of them surpassed your record in GPA and rank while taking many APs and having very significant ECs. The ones I know personally all had significantly better SATs as well. </p>
<p>I am not saying this to put you down. It sounds like you have done very well. But regionally, I think things are more competitive than you believe. I certainly think there is no harm in applying to some reaches, but I think it is important to be realistic, too.</p>
<p>I’d drop all of your reaches and ED to Cornell, which is probably your best shot a top 20 (but only ED), or, Carnegie Mellon if you are a female. OTOH, if you think you can earn all A’s first semester, do not ED but strengthen your gpa/application. </p>
<p>GPA is significant for the UC’s, but they will not look at senior grades. </p>
<p>A 32 ACT score is generally considered a ~2130 (adcoms equate a 33 to 2200). </p>
<p>Graduating HS at 16 is of no benefit to colleges – they won’t care. </p>
<p>Your ECs, while good, are typical for a high achieving high schooler. “Great” ECs would be a deep passion in one/two with significant achievement. Indeed, your young age actually precludes some ‘achievement’ since it inhibits volunteer opportunities (due to federal laws). But again, colleges won’t care.</p>
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ACT score would fit, but GPA would be a concern (bottom 11%). They do read essays and recommendations too. I’d think being from Maine would be a huge plus there. Might be a good to add if biosciences are of interest.</p>