I really want to get into NYU. I love the location and the campus. My GPA is a 3.7 and I got a 1550 on my SATS. I’m retaking it 3 more times before applying so I’m banking on my score going up and meeting the requirements. I’m currently taking all honors classes and AP English. I do student council, the drama club at my school, field hockey, I volunteer often and I have 4 jobs. What are my chances of getting in?
@erinmac Are you a rising junior or senior?
A 3.7 GPA is mediocre and your ECs are fine, but try to get some leadership as well.
Obviously, a 1550 SAT is very low, but NYU is test-optional, so you may want to look into that policy.
If you were to apply now, you would be a high reach due to the SAT score being 500 points below average for NYU.
@EIC2400 3.7 is not “mediocre” not so much as anything < 3.5. 3.7 is ok for NYU.
@michelle426 By mediocre, I mean in the average range for a given school. Obviously, the SAT score is what may sink the ship in this case.
Are you applying to NYU CAS, Steinhardt, or Gallatin? Unless things have changed very recently, NYU is “test-flexible,” not test-optional. That means you have to submit some standardized test results, but you may select which ones.With that in mind, I think that you should try to take at least one round of ACTs, some SAT Subject Tests, and possibly some APs. I presume you are a rising junior. If you are a rising senior, when do you plan to take three more SATs?
If that 3.7 is an unweighted GPA, it is fine for most divisions of NYU other than Poly and Stern. I know undergraduates who got in with lower GPAs, but not with SATs as low as yours. The average test scores for the entire university are skewed by very high scores at Stern and Poly. Other undergraduate colleges do not have such high average scores. I do think you should have at least an 1800, though, to be at all competitive.
@EIC2400 “sink the ship”? I get that my SAT scores are low but that’s not a nice way of putting it. I took them once without studying and they suck. Like I said I’m going to improve them. Thanks for all your help in the confidence department!!
@woogzmama I am a rising senior. Application deadlines are January 1st. I am taking the SATS in October, November and December. I wanted to apply to Tisch school of arts for acting but I wasn’t sure if I should go in undecided or not. I wanted to know what my best shot at getting in would be.
@erinmac Sorry; I didn’t mean to come off in that way. What I meant to Michelle is that if X has a GPA that is 40th percentile, for example, if all the other factors are on target, then the applicant is reasonably competitive. However, if a factor like the SAT is at the 20th percentile (again, just making up numbers), then that has the potential to “sink the ship.” It’s not an automatic rejection obviously, but it has the potential to cause a rejection, which is why I worded it “may sink the ship.”
I think you need to try to get that SAT score up to about a 2000 to have any chance at all. Since you are taking it 3 more times, I would recommend improving your grades and working on everything and then applying Early Decision 2 to NYU. That will give you in my opinion the best chance of admission. It’s going to be very difficult though, as a 2000 is quite distant from a 1550.
You say you have 4 jobs
That’s quite a lot
In that case it’s ok to lack in GPA and SAT
But still raise SAT a few hundred points
I’m also applying to a NY school
Chance me back?
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1797562-changing-one-thing-p1.html
Re: #6 - You cannot apply “undecided” to Tisch for Acting. It is a highly-selective, auditioned, conservatory BFA program. Admission is heavily based on the caliber of your audition, but they also expect solid academic credentials. Your GPA is within range; your SAT is not. NOBODY can chance you for Tisch admission based on posted stats, since even perfect grades and scores could not compensate for a lackluster audition.
@woogzmama I understand that. I was saying that I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to apply undecided or apply to Tisch.