I have a 3.3 GPA, and my SAT Score is 1200 no Essay. I’m top 70% (something like that).
I wanted to apply to the following:
Texas State University
University Of Houston
Texas Tech
However, i don’t know if i have a real chance. I’m thinking of not applying and going to community college because it would be too disappointing if i was rejected to all of these (which is my greatest fear). I don’t how i would deal with that.
Please tell me ,do i have a chance if apply to these 3 universities? Or should i not even try and go straight to community college? I feel extremely insecure and pressured, and i’m begging for an honest advice.
I think you should try to retake the sat if you have time because you are pretty close to auto acceptance at uh, but even if you don’t I’d still apply to these schools as you still have a good chance at them. If you’re worried about being rejected just apply and assume you’re going to CC and if you get accepted it’s a pleasant surprise.
First, don’t just apply to these three universities.
Texas public universities choose their applicants based on rank but other public universities and all private universities look at grades and sat score.
And the good news is: your GPA and test scores are good.
So, beside Tech, Texas State, and UHouston, apply to other colleges, and thus start getting interested in them. Go visit if you can, fill out their ‘request info’ form online.
Run the net price calculator* on the following colleges (I know it’s a lot, but you need to know which ones will be within budget, and which aren’t. Those that aren’t must be crossed out. Do the work and you’ll have lots of admissions next year this time of year.).
Southwestern university
Austin college
St Edward’s university
Texas Lutheran
Hendrix
Lyon college
Lindenwood college
U Alabama
Spring Hill college
Regis university
Flagler college
U Tampa
Eckerd
Berry
Ogglethorpe
Elmhurst
Bradley
Millikin
Augustana
DePauw
Concordia Moorhead
Valparaiso
St Mary’s Indiana
Luther
Central, IA
Wartburg
Bellarmine
Centenary of Louisiana
Loyola New Orleans
Wheaton, MA
Alma
Albion
UMN Morris
Augsburg
St Catherine’s
College if St Benedict/St John’s
Millsaps
U Southern Mississippi
I know some are away from Texas but if the NPC indicates they’re affordable, apply (most are free to apply) as your odds of getting in are very good. Don’t hesitate to apply to as many as you have time, especially if they don’t have supplements, as what you want is to compare financial aid packages (8-10s should be doable since many are on common app and don’t have supplements). Also many private colleges want students from many states so they try to entice them with better financial aid.
From looking at their website it seems like you can get into Texas State. Texas Tech and U Houston are matches that you may or may not get into. I would retake the SAT and try to improve your score by at least 60 points. Also, your grades may hold you down, so make sure to perform well in school.
In my opinnion, there is NOTHING wrong with having a short college list, as long as the schools on your list are places that you like, plces where you know you can get in to, and places you can afford.
^but a short college list where all colleges are low reaches to high matches is very, very risky. The recommended number is 2 safeties you like and can afford (you’re among their top 25% applicants); then 3-5 matches (you’re above average to near their top 25% threshold), you like them and you can afford them; then, you add as many or as few reaches as you wish.
Add to this the fact that Texas public universities use rank as their primary selection criterion, and OP stated she’s top 70%, meaning that at all public universities she would have to compete for the limited spots left after the automatic admits. It ads uncertainty, hence OP’s anxiety.
Thus, the need to apply not just to Texas public universities, but also private universities, both in Texas (where they compete with the publics specifically by discouting rank and focusing on GPxscores) and out of State (due to geographic diversity being a boost for admission and often leading to preferential packaging).
This is especially important if the student can’t be full pay and will need to compare financial aid packages (and those can vary greatly depending on each college’s formula, their policy regarding need and merit, their institutional needs, and their endowment).
A B+ student with a 1200 SAT will get into quite a few 4-year colleges as long as they’re well-chosen. S/he will then need to compare financial aid packages.
Right now you’re a match for all three and you could arguably call Texas State a safety. Another school you could try is UTSA. Also, UTEP is an open enrollment school, so it would be the ultimate safety for you. There’s also West Texas A&M and Tarleton State.
If you are thinking about applying to those schools then I assume you aren’t a senior. If that’s the case, definitely retake the SAT WITH the essay. The essay is a stupid req. by a lot of schools, and I say stupid because they literally don’t even look at it. I think you can definitely get your score up by 100-200 points if you put in enough time. There are a lot of free materials. Best free material for the SAT, IMO is Khan Academy by far. I personally used it and it helped me improve a lot. Also, increase your number of colleges to increase the chance that you’ll get into at least one.