Hello, I am a rising junior trying to fine tune my college search. Here are some colleges that I am thinking about (I know this list has way too many reach schools):
UNC Chapel Hill
UVA
Notre Dame
Pitt
Maryland
Duke
Georgia Tech
University of Chicago
Here are my stats:
GPA: 96 UW and 98 W (not sure what that is on a 4.0 scale)
SAT: taken once, got a 1500 (780 math 720 reading and writing)
Race/gender: white male
State: New York
EC’s: two years JV tennis, going to be 2 more on varsity, 9 years on same soccer club, 4 years of school soccer ranging from modified to JV, JV winter track 7th and 8th grade, I’m going to do cross country junior and senior year, volunteered at orthopedic hospital for a summer, did biomedical engineering and nanotechnology pre college courses at university of Rochester, volunteered for two years so far at a baseball league for children with special needs, TIES program (helped a young boy with a disability do Boy Scouts)
Major: Biomedical Engineering or something biochemistry related
Awards/Achievements: Won the award for top German language student at school for three years straight, award from local national chemistry society for being top 10% of honors chemistry students, 2 years advanced in math, if all goes to plan I will finish calc 3 before I graduate
AP’s: only taken one exam, 5 on AP world, I plan to take AP Language, calc bc, chemistry, biology, us history literature, and government. Also calc 3 but there is no AP exam
So I think that’s everything. Please respond with any suggestions for schools I should consider, what you think my chances of getting into my mentioned schools are, and any goals I should set or things I should improve. Thanks!
Will you be able to afford all these schools if you get in? If not, that changes the whole list.
As you said, your list is very reach heavy. You need to pick out the reaches you like the most, drop some others, and add some matches and safeties.
Any constraints? Size, location (regional or urban/suburban/rural), sports (you seem to have a lot of public schools with sports on here), etc?
Based on the selection here:
Matches: Northeastern, Boston U, Case Western, U Rochester (why did you omit it given you’ve already taken classes there?)
Safeties: WPI would be a tech school that doesn’t quite fit with the others here but would offer a great program you’d be likely to get into. Some other flagships like UF and Alabama would be match/safety range for your stats.
Thanks for the reply. I probably will not get need based financial aid, and would probably be paying a little less that 50k a year for very elite schools on the notre dame and Duke level and 20k a year for Pitt and Maryland level. U of Rochester is a good school, but much too close to home. I would like to go in the mid Atlantic but close by regions like Midwest and northeast are fine too. I would like a big school with D1 sports, but a mid size school with good programs is good. I don’t really have any preferences on urban vs rural, but I don’t want to be completely in the middle of nowhere. Those Boston schools you mentioned I think are good matches too. I forgot to mention U of Mich Ann Arbor, which I think is on the UNC UVA level. Is this level considered Match or reach for me? Also, what SAT score should I aim for to be competitive at Duke and Notre Dame and UChicago? Is a full tuition or full ride at Pitt, or any school for that matter, realistic? Thanks.
It sounds like Wake Forest would be a great fit: 4900 undergrads, DI, ACC school. The campus is about 4 miles from downtown Winston-Salem. Weather is very nice. The school just opened a new Wake Downtown facility in a renovated tobacco factory in W-S. It is home to biochemistry, bioengineering, and other health/bio programs. It is designed to bridge undergrad studies and the medical school.
The school strongly encourages prospective students to visit if they can and to interview. Interviews are available via Skype if they are unable to visit.
Because you’re out of state, UVA/UMich/UNC would all be considered reaches. They are very competitive out of state regardless of your stats. I think Pitt sounds like a good fit. I think they have rolling admissions (not sure) but you could apply early and get an early decision to have something under your belt.
What would you like to do with a Biomedical Engineering degree? It can be a challenging path to medical school and will likely require a graduate degree to be useful in any other fields. I think Pitt might be an interesting school that would be at worst a strong match and perhaps even a safety.
I am confused about the finances. If you won’t qualify for FA then how will you pay a little less than 50k for very elite schools? These schools cost more than 50k. Also… How will you pay $20,000 for schools such as Pitt and Maryland? Are you counting on merit aid? Do you mean that you are not willing to pay more than 20 for these schools? Getting that much merit from Maryland is unlikely… not impossible… But unlikely. Getting significant merit from Pitt is definitely more realistic but still very competitive. Be sure to apply early… Pitt is not on the common app and the application opens in July.
You are a strong student ( congrats for that!) but your list is reach heavy. Case Western is a good one to add. Also Ohio State.
My sister went to pitt and they have legacy scholarships for that plus my merit, so the highest I think they would offer me is 20k a year. For out is state, what sat score should I shoot for to have a good chance at mich UNC and uva? Thanks for all the replies. Does anyone know of any good schools that are very generous for merit money based on test scores and gpa?
I am confused about what you are writing about Pitt. Is the legacy scholarship guaranteed? Do you have to apply? You are competitive for non-legacy merit… but the awards are not automatic.
For OOS to UVA, Michigan and UNC you need to have top scores and be at the top of your class… and even then it will be competitive. Does your school have Naviance? What is your school’s history with these schools?
Ohio State is very generous with merit money based on scores and rank. If you are looking for automatic merit I would look into Alabama.
@suzy100 is right. You need to know what your parents will pay and craft your list accordingly. This means looking for schools that give automatic merit based on stats, adding schools that meet full need if they look affordable based on the NPC, and applying to schools with competitive merit. I would also add 1-2 SUNYs.
Pitt is a great school but from what I understand… Merit is not automatic.
I think your 1500 is fine. Those schools really are just crap shoots. Friend’s son with your GPA and a 35 ACT, good ECs, and a UVA legacy was waitlisted there this year then later rejected. A flat our rejection from Michigan. He’ll be attending Northeastern to the tune of $56,000 out of pocket a year.
My school’s naviance has almost all with my scores and gpa getting in to UVA and UNC, around 60% at Michigan…
How much my parents are willing to pay depends on how elite the school is but I would say probably no more than 50k a year unless I get in to somewhere insane.
I believe that merit money at Pitt is very common, but I am not sure about Maryland… Is it probable to get large scholarships from Wake Forest or Georgia Tech?
How many acceptances has your HS had over the past 2 years from these schools? Some HS’s break it down by year.
I would not call large awards from Pitt to be very common… although they absolutely exist and I do think you are a competitive applicant. Maryland is tough - you might get some- and Wake Forest is almost impossible unless you have something unique to offer. You are applying from an over-represented geographic area.
The elite schools that you are referring to cost a lot more than $50,000 a year.
If you are looking for merit I would not dismiss Ohio State and Alabama. Large merit scholarships at some of the schools you appear to want… are hard to come by.
Thanks for the info.UNC only has one acceptee in past three years, but very few have applied on the scattergram with scores like mine and most of them were accepted. UVA has 4/10 in past three years, but have never rejected anyone with scores comparable to mine. Only waitlisted one. Mich had 8/23 in past 3 years and has been very erratic on who they accept. I forgot to put playing tuba since fourth grade in my EC’s. Do you think that they will be a liability or an asset because I really don’t know?
You are a strong student… but you are applying to many highly, highly competitive schools. Make sure you have affordable safety and match schools. Your current list is reach heavy.
How much will your parents spend on a school that they do not consider to be “elite?” That is what you need to focus on. If the number they give you is $20,000… or whatever… this means that you need a safety school - preferably at least 2- that will come down to this number. This is why I told you to add 1-2 SUNYs, Alabama, and possibly Ohio.
It seems that the amount your parents will pay depends on the school…?