<p>I was in all these advanced, accelerated classes through middleschool, but when I got to highschool I just kind of slacked off.. 3.5 GPA, 2100 on the SAT, and I don't really have that great extracurriculars... I do some volunteer work, a little bit of Speech & Debate, and a little bit of MUN (which is like Speech & Debate) but that's basically it - nothing great or exceptional AT ALL.
I've been looking at lists like "A+ schools for B students." I know I'm in no position to be such an elitist and I know I have no shot at getting into a UC or Ivy League or whatever but... I mean, I got a 2100 on the SAT, I don't wanna go to a school where the average was 1100-1300, you know? Guess I can't really be that picky about my classmates though, considering my situation..
I want to go into either business or broadcast journalism. Any schools I can look into?</p>
<p>There are hundreds of fine schools you can get into with that GPA.</p>
<p>You have a shot at some of these:
[University</a> Athletic Association - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_Athletic_Association]University”>University Athletic Association - Wikipedia)</p>
<p>You even have a shot at some of these:
[New</a> England Small College Athletic Conference - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NESCAC]New”>New England Small College Athletic Conference - Wikipedia)</p>
<p>A 3.5 and a 2100 is really nothing to be ashamed of… you will do fine.</p>
<p>First off, I think it is absolutely ridiculous to be disappointed in yourself. 2100 on your SAT is outstanding and 3.5 (assuming unweighted) is also a great GPA. There is no need to be hopeless because even with less than stellar EC’s, you will still get into a handful of places.</p>
<p>Now I am not sure where you are from, or if it makes a difference, but for journalism, I would probably consider Syracuse University. With your stats, it would be a safety school. On the higher end, you could apply to Columbia. It’s a reach, but I would still give it a shot. This year 5 people from my school got accepted there, and two of them had similar stats as yours. I think NYU could be a fit so definitely give it a shot if you don’t mind the city. Lastly, I would really look into honors programs at some of the state universities. UNC Chapel Hill and University of Maryland seem to be the best for journalism. You have an excellent chance at honors at both of those schools. In addition, I agree both two lists posted above by soze.</p>
<p>^^^I think the OP has a lot of options, but honors college at UNC or even admission if out of state is not likely to be one of them. Check out Elon college though.</p>
<p>^^^ Totally agree with GTalum… Elon has a great journalism / Communications program. And OP has no chance at UNC oos. (People forget that the posted GPA/SAT is for all students and 80% of students must come from in state).</p>
<p>Thanks for giving me hope, guys. I definitely have been really hard on myself lately whenever I think about college, because my school is one of the top in country. 3.5 and 2100 on the SAT are considered terrible scores here. I try to always keep in mind that it’s only because my school is so advanced, and my scores are considered good almost everywhere else, but it’s hard sometimes…</p>
<p>I’ve looked into most of the schools you guys have recommended, thanks lots. :)</p>
<p>@njdevs92 - NYU would be more of a reach for me, am I right? A reach but still possible…?</p>
<p>Applying Early Decision to NYU will maximize your chances of admission.</p>
<p>Don’t feel entitled to admission to a top university because you pulled off an above average score on a exam that tests seventh grade reading and math skills.</p>
<p>No need to be condescending… I stated RIGHT THERE in my post that I know I have no shot at the top schools. And yes, the exam “tests seventh grade reading and math skills” hence why I don’t want to go to a college where the average is like a 1200…</p>
<p>It could be a reach, but it is definitely worth trying. I’ll put it this way, I had a 3.7 GPA and a 2020 on my SAT and I was accepted to NYU. Also, my EC’s were about the same as yours…not so great. Now keep in mind that I was NOT accepted to Stern haha, I was accepted to CAS. So if you are 100% certain that you want business, NYU is likely not the place for you. NYU loves using the essays to learn more about the applicant. If you write creative and solid essays, than you will have a very good shot at acceptance. I actually walked away from writing my essays confident that I would be accepted and I am now certain that it is because of them that I got in.</p>
<p>I’m not so sure you have no shot at a UC. If you are a CA resident you may still be able to get in at A mid tier UC. I’ve known kids with worse stats who got in.</p>
<p>Geesh…another one of these insidious narcissistic pity party threads. Get a life. 3.5 and 2100 gets you in TOP schools. Now get over yourself, stop looking for public praise and acclamation and get to work on your college search. You are smart enough to figure it out.</p>
<p>The are certainly UCs you can get into.</p>
<p>I agree that you have a really good record, and are likely to do just fine in admissions. It also seems to me that some of the UC schools should be attainable. Maybe you should look at Northeastern. Occidental, USC, and Pitzer might be worth looking at. If you can afford private colleges, there are many options.</p>
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<p>Wow. Real nice. All the SAT points in the world mean nothing if you felt you had to be gratuitously nasty to this kid, who clearly said he wasn’t aiming for the tippy-top.</p>
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<p>I think he can do MUCH better than Elon.</p>
<p>If you’re from CA, you can def apply to UCs. There are many more factors in admission than SAT and GPA, but based on those …</p>
<p>Your SAT is competitive at all UCs, and fits into the top 25% of all UCs except Berkeley and UCLA (the upper boundary of UCLA’s middle 50% is 2110).
Your GPA makes things more difficult … you should probably eliminate Berkeley and UCLA; UCSD could be pushing it; Irvine, Davis, and SB are definitely possible; I’m sure you’ll get into Santa Cruz, Riverside, etc. at least.</p>
<p>…if you’re in-state haha.</p>
<p>Boston University is pretty good in business and broadcast journalism.</p>
<p>^ True, and peeps who apply to NYU typically apply to BU.</p>
<p>NYU is expensive. Is money an issue?</p>
<p>OK…You’ve got more options than you think you do! :)</p>
<p>What is your home state?</p>
<p>NYU gives awful aid, so unless your parents will pay for you to go there, you need to look elsewhere.</p>
<p>What is your budget? Will your parents pay for wherever you get in? If money is an issue, then that will affect some choices.</p>