I just received my final grades for Junior year and out of my 4 A-Level (British board) Subjects I got an A (highest grade possible) in Math, Economics and English. My Computer Science grade, however, was a C.
I want to major in Economics so how much will this affect my application? People have been telling me that T50 colleges should be off my list. But is this really that impactful? How much damage in one subject which I’m not even pursuing do to my application?
Do you’ll have any advice on how to handle this situation? How are my chances of getting into a higher ranked college? Please recommend any colleges which are within my reach with these grades.
Please give any advice you can. Thank you in advance
Are you a British citizen?
Are you in the US or in the UK?
Are you applying to UK colleges? Irish? European?
Why did you prepare 4 ALevels?
What colleges were you thinking of?
What are your iGCSE/Gcse results?
For Americans un used to the UK system:
Students typically take 3 A Level classes that are very advanced (gcse+3 A Levels can give up to a year of college credit with advanced placement in the A level subjects).
A*: Top student nationally
A= US A
B = US A-
C= US B
Oxbridge will typically ask for AAA, A* AA, or rarely for A* A* A; ABB is competitive, and students may apply with only 2, DD being the lowest level of selectivity.
These come after 8-10 general education 2-year courses that end with national exams. Most universities want a C in both Maths and English at that level )
Are you an international student? How were the rest of your grades in HS? A single C in HS probably won’t ruin your chances at most schools. Have you taken the SAT/ACT - if yes, how did you do? We need a lot more information to assess your chances, and even then it is just a guess since the people on CC are not AOs. If you are international, I will say that admission to very selective colleges is often even more difficult. Also, most schools offer limited financial aid to international students so you need to keep that in mind if finances are an issue.
Yes I am a US citizen living abroad and I have a 1510 on the SAT. Before junior year, I had 9 subjects as a part of my IGCSE .
My grades during each year of high school are as follows:
1 A*, 3 As, 2 Bs and 3 Cs (2021-during the pandemic)- Freshman Year
9 A*s- Sophomore Year (IGCSE)
3 As 1 C- Junior Year (A-Levels)
I’m a US citizen living abroad and I’ve taken 4 A-Levels instead of 3 since my school offers that and colleges want more “rigor”. My goal is to apply to American universities and so I’ve tried taking more challenging subjects.
My IGCSE board exam results included 9 A*s in all my 9 subjects (2022).
My grades during each year of high school are as follows:
1 A*, 3 As, 2 Bs and 3 Cs (2021-during the pandemic)- Freshman Year
9 A*s- Sophomore Year (IGCSE)
3 As 1 C- Junior Year (A-Levels)
Is there a noticeable difference between #41 UIUC, #49 UGA and Ohio State, #55 Rutgers or Maryland, #62 Pitt, #77 Clemson and, Penn State, #97 Auburn, #105 Arizona, #115 UTK etc.
I would say not.
And I can keep going. And this is just large schools. I can do the same for smaller.
I suggest you find the right school for you and not worry about a # that is meant to sell magazines and not much else.
Btw, in this example, the likely hardest one to get into is likely not in the top 50.
If you apply, you can maybe get in. If you don’t, then no. But forgetting that, I don’t know what this line of demarcation really means or that it really matters.
No one will care if you went to #41 UIUC or #121 Mizzou or #151 Ole Miss.
For certain majors, different schools have different strengths regardless of ranking. Your top 3 supply chain are ASU, Michigan State, and UTK - #4 MIT. That’s just an example.
I’d focus on finding your right fit - budget., size, geography and more. It may be top 50. It may be 150. I’m not sure it matters to a level you are thinking. Most flagships are loaded with kids from in state or nearby - for cost, close to mom or whatever the case - especially for a common degree like Econ.
Not if they are balanced with a Providence - not nationally ranked, Loyola Maryland - not notionally ranked, U Denver #105, Elon #89, College of Charleston not nationally ranked, Pitt #62 - then sure. Syracuse #62 etc.
Absolutely go for a BC. But like anyone have balance whether it’s a Jesuit/Catholic alternative to BC or regular alternative to Emory.
There’s so many great names out there, ranked nationally or not, putting out so many talented people.
Thanks.
US universities will expect the IGCSE results rather than partial assessment marks (so, no need to send freshman year marks); straight IGCSE A*s will help.
What are you doing senior year?
The 1 C will not be a sure deal breaker but any university with a sub 30% acceptance rate should be seen as a reach.
What type of college are you interested in?
Review the list in #4 - which ones appeal to you that would NOT be reaches?
Are your parents residents of any state?
Do you have a budget and how does it compare to your EFC?
With ALevel Maths you can aim for fairly heavy quant tracks in Economics.
Sorry about that - it’s early!! Yes, he did - out with Providence and Loyola and still in with DU (U of Denver), Syracuse, American, Butler, Quinnipiac or Hofstra type…and if he wants the urban - in addition to Pitt already mentioned, a UMN is outstanding, GW has similar traits to BU, Drexel is another urban school as is a VCU.
No - my point is - rankings are not the be all and end all. And that they come in all sizes (national/regional) and flavors (majors).
So when you say top 50 - it’s not necessarily top 50 in a specific field. And used supply chain as an example - the top 3 aren’t top 50 and frankly no one (all things equal like money) would choose any over MIT.
Sorry about any confusion.
I look where I work - we have Emory kids and kids from nearby Ogelthorpe, close by Kennesaw and Ga State - we seem to get from all and I’m not sure I can say the Emory kids are better. In fact, thinking about it and I’m not saying they’re not good - but they’re certainly not better or more likely to be hired.
Sorry if I confused - I’m just trying to point out rankings are not everything. And they come in many fashions - brand (US News, Forbes, WSJ, Niche), major, etc.
Before my results I was interested in colleges like Pomona and Claremont Mckenna for Economics, however, they are obviously impossible for me to even think about getting into now. So I’ve shifted my focus to something like Northeastern, Boston College, Boston University or Brandeis.
Do you know of any others for grades like mine?
If you want a Pomona or Claremont Mckenna, two LACs, why switch your focus to much bigger schools - removing Brandeis. What’s wrong with a Macalester/Kenyon/Denison/F&M type or further down the chain a Furman/Occidental/Depauw type or even a bit lower in rank a Kalamazoo/Allegheny/Willamette type.
In other words, if there’s a school type you like - it doesn’t matter if it’s top 5 or 50.
I mean, Claremont Mckenna and Pomona aren’t “nationally” ranked - well they are but in a different category - they don’t compare to a BC or NEU, etc.
Find the school type you like - and then go from there.
Again, you can do wonderful - depending on your ultimate goals - from far more than a handful of schools…and from different levels of admission difficulty.
This way, you can still reach for your desired but no you’ll have a solid plan in place regardless.
If you like LACs, you might look at some that are less selective than Pomona and CMC with good econ departments and placement in finance (not sure that’s what you are targeting though)…schools like Trinity College, Conn College, and Union College. You might also consider Bucknell and Lehigh. If you identify as female, consider Wellesley.
Of course you can still also apply to BU, BC, NEU and Brandeis. But the first three are as reachy as Pomona and CMC.
