<p>I have a 3.75 uw/4.05 w gpa. I'm in all ap/honors/accel classes and by graduation will have taken 4 APs. My test scores are my weak point my sat reading is low but my math is decent (690). Overall I have a 1210 m and r and 1830 with writing. I plan on taking them again as well as thesats. I have a varsity sport, 3 honor societies and have participated in various other clubs and organizations. I come from a good Christian family attending church weekly. Many family members attended Grove city. Where do you think I would fit in as far as a school academically?</p>
<p>Also I plan on majoring in international business or relations with a minor in spanish ( I will have 5 years) or secondary Ed and math</p>
<p>well if your worried about your SATs (which are pretty good), then go to college of the holy cross, it is compared to boston college alot in terms of academics, and it is SAT optional, so no need to worry…it would probably be a match for you!! Plus even though the school is small and beautiful and known for its academics it also had D1 sports teams!! Their school spirit for their teams is also great, according to espn reporters they called the hart center a sea of purple…i visited the campus, its one of my reaches btw, and it is gorgeous, if i were to say the one drawback, its not actually about the college, but about the town/city its in…holy cross is gated off on a hill overlooking Worcester, which I haven’t heard good things about, but you’ll be safe…!! hope this helped!!</p>
<p>I’ve heard good things about Grove City. What about Elizabethtown or Wheaton?</p>
<p>I would also consider applying to Wheaton, similar environment as GCC but better reputation.</p>
<p>GCC and Wheaton both have strong student bodies. GCC is much more regional, Wheaton international in flavor. Not at all similar environments. Apples and oranges.</p>
<p>For international relations/business, if you are looking along the lines of International or Community Development, consider Covenant College down in GA (right across the TN line). They have a major that specializes in it. My oldest son just finished his freshman year there double majoring in Business and Community Development (will do International Track) and enjoys it immensely. It’s a small college, so doesn’t have all the bells and whistles I’m used to (I graduated from a large state U), but he loves it there and his education meets or exceeds my expectations as a parent.</p>
<p>It is definitely a Christian college as far as college life is concerned, but there is no dress code or other such super formal “rules” that would turn me off.</p>
<p>OP,</p>
<p>What area of the country are you looking at? I assume by mentioning Grove City, you would be comfortable with Protestant affiliated colleges that have strong and orthodox Christian beliefs. There’s Biola in California and Taylor Univ. in Indiana; both of these are known for their strong Christian community and orthodox beliefs from my understanding. Both have SAT averages in your range, I believe. GCC and Wheaton have higher SAT averages than yours but you might score higher on your second go around. :-)</p>
<p>Look at Calvin College in Grand Rapids. It has programs in business, international relations, international development; strong programs in studying abroad; etc. Our older daughter is a grad, and she loved it there.</p>
<p>Have you looked at Messiah College? It has a great study abroad program, it’s in PA too so assuming you’re looking at Grove City it should be okay location wise.</p>
<p>250 miles from GCC. IF you are determined to be in a more or less orthodox, more conservative than not, you may want to explore Messiah carefully. Several have noted that it seems to be “wandering” from the straight and narrow into the campus culture of the world. Don’t know the degree of any accuracy on this beyond one personal testimony of a family whose opinion and understanding of the atonement of Christ I value. And they are alumni who were unimpressed. Check it out to determine where this anecdote falls on your reality spectrum and congruent w/ your worldview.</p>
<p>For international programs, you might want to take a good look @ Eastern U in St. David’s, PA. They have some international mission programs that are amazing and grad degrees also, I believe.
Taylor too is a solid place, no doubt about the worldview there. Calvin too. Eastern Mennonite might merit checking. Great location in Shenandoah Valley of VA.</p>
<p>Don’t settle. Retake the SAT/ACT with a lot of practice. See if you can get into one of the elite schools like Georgetown, ND or BC. If not, you can always fall back on some of the lower ranked schools.</p>
<p>
This is a bad mentality. It puts down schools and seems to suggest that the inane money-making lists generated by magazines have any bearing whatsoever on fact. Going to one of the other schools here isn’t “settling” at all; different people look for different things in schools, and I expect many people to take offense to your statement, which is really worded unnecessarily. You could have just said that retaking the SAT could help with admissions, you didn’t have to put schools down or make it seem like one college is better than another because of a ridiculous list.</p>
<p>And by the way, I say this as a Notre Dame student who cringes at the word “elite.”</p>
<p>I have decided to retake the act in september and october and not even submit my sats. Right now my score stands at a 28.</p>
<p>Good luck, I hope it all works out for you.</p>
<p>You’ve nailed it Dolorous! Under the guise of “informing the dumb consumer” these lists contribute lots of money to everyones BUT the consumer. USNWR, Fiske, Kiplinger, Princeton Review, and on and on sell suckers magazines, annualized reference volumes, on-line service, etc. And the suckers suck 'em up, convinced they’ve somehow captured this morass of higher ed businesses in some precise, prioritized process and order. So mega-bucks change hands from the wannabee students and their parents to those who’ve contrived these schemes. </p>
<p>But this is merely the tip of the economic iceberg because it allows, forces, and ultimately equips institutions to take these rankings and raise all kinds of money from alumni, corporations, tuition paying families, state governments, and on and on. The selling-point arguments include … we need more endowment to pay profs, to buy better students, to build apt-like housing, provide more eating options, and on and on. And virtually none of it has a single thing to do with helping students to learn and be better equipped for societal, spiritual, civic contribution and leadership. All it does is fuel the coffers of these institutions proclaiming …“gotta have your $$ that we might compete and move up the hits chart.” </p>
<p>So … what 's the point? As any thinking person can readily consider, there are many of them. But the most important, at least for students and paying parents, don’t get married to these lists IF you seriously want to find the better/best places for you or your child. That requires some real homework that most don’t know how to do or simply prefer not to. Maybe they learned that from their own collegiate experiences. </p>
<p>One final thought on ND, BC, GT … all fine schools. IF your family finds GCC a theologically solid fit? These catholic institutions might not be at all what would guide and satisfy your desire and values of a Christian education. Much as one might dislike the label however, these 3’d be generally viewed as “elite” among the culture, if not always the student-body who get to see the many of whom they might wonder, “how’d he/she ever get in here!?” And in doing so, might get a mini-course in political science, econ and/or English and definitions of legacy, tradition, endowment, etc.</p>
<p>Whistle Pig, I’m reminded of something. “The love of money…” Ah yes.</p>
<p>
Yes, the poster seems to be seeking a more Protestant ideology within the Christian religion, which was one of the reasons I found the post recommending Catholic schools to be a little odd. Just as I wouldn’t recommend Grove City to someone seeking a Catholic Christian theology, I wouldn’t recommend Notre Dame to someone seeking a Protestant Christian theology. We’re all a part of the same greater religion, but we have our differences in interpretations, and they do affect what schools are fits.</p>
<p>Did you happen to see Stossel’s show last nite? He hit the 3 main issues in this scam, which he entitled “College is a Rip-Off!” And for oh so many, it is.</p>
<p>He noted the $$$. Colleges have gone up consistently 4X the rate of CPI and inflation. This scam has gone on for literally over 50 years w/o a bump. He also noted that despite this faculty are in class and with students less each year. And this one’s true for sure … good, even great teachers fail to get tenure. Why? Because at the places like Michigan, Ohio St, Penn St. Wisconsin, UCLA, Cal, and on and on … the places where the vast majority of students now go (because of price) … faculty are NOT HIRED TO TEACH. They are hired to write refereed journal articles. One insitution I am intimately familiar with … 10 years running, the “Professor of the Year” failed to get tenure. And it’s tenure which is central to both the thought policing and so many other issues. </p>
<p>He noted that colleges are anything but bastions of free thinking and speech, with many having illegal (they ALWAYS lose in court … but as noted, who wants to spend their collegiate days in court?!) PC speech codes, always leftist and that virtually all faculty are progressive left-wingers on most campuses. A Princeton study found that U’s faculty support to be 97% contributed to the democrat party. And on many campuses, students are ostracized or put down should they take a conservative or libertarian view. Sad.</p>
<p>Lastly, he interviewed the former development guy @ Princeton (where Stossel went) who spewed pablum about why 80% of the grads (over 5 years) contribute to a place that has a $14.4 BILLION endowment … all the while an actual cost of educating students is over twice that. Noting the golf course, lake, crew palace,etc etc etc. </p>
<p>Perhaps most notably and least addressed in any depth … that in all of this, students are learning less and less. Bright kids are bright kids. Less than that are similarly similar upon coming out. Jay Lenno proves that nearly every nite.</p>
<p>My last point … and this has been discussed at length if not much in depth. Catholic vs. Chrisitanity to your point that we are all part of the same greater religion. Virtually all catholics would concur w/ that thought. Many orthodox Christians and theologians would not, and of course over the centuries, have not agreed. As many have noted symbolically … in Christianity, Jesus is no longer on that cross such as we see in Catholicism. Mary is nothing special, no saint worthy of worship. Simply the virgin peasant girl chosen by God to birth the Messiah. And on an on. In my own mind, I always wonder … and this is becoming increasingly the case … why does catholic trump Christian in labeling? Don’t know if you see it, but I’ve noted MANY HSs rejecting the latter for their former. I don’t get that if it’s all the same. I’d certainly hope the name of Christ would be above all names, including catholic. Or is it merely denominationalism, a most man-contrived invention? I’d welcome knowing some genuine thoughts about this. Sorta not unlike LDS/Mormon trumping Christ?</p>
<p>In any case, and back to the point … I’m fairly confident that GCC’s orthodoxy and GT’s catholicism are distinctly different approaches to both theology and education. Although the pressure to make one-size-fits-all, especially to become “like Harvard” is tremendous in higher ed. Too bad.</p>
<p>
I was glad to learn that in my university’s 2008 mock election, McCain/Obama had an even 50/50 split. It seems like that environment promotes better discussion and more represents the country.</p>
<p>
Orthodox Christians are much closer related to Catholic Christians than to Protestant Christians, having split in the Great Schism over some minor details (really just a struggle between Rome and Constantinople) so I really don’t see why they wouldn’t call the Catholics Christian.</p>
<p>
In Protestant Christianity, Jesus is not on the cross. In Catholic Christianity and Orthodox Christianity (the two largest branches), He is. Thus, you cannot make a blanket statement about it in “Christianity.”</p>
<p>
The Catholic Church has a system of honoring particularly holy people who did God’s work on Earth and participated in miracles; I believe Mary qualifies. You do not. That’s okay, and it makes neither one of us any less Christian. This is why there are many Christian churches.</p>
<p>
Catholics call themselves Catholics, Orthodox call themselves Orthodox, Protestants call themselves Protestants, Evangelicals call themselves Evangelicals, and Mormons call themselves Mormons. However, all Christians call themselves Christians. It’s like how the human race is divided into countries. Plenty of people call themselves American or Irish or Chinese or Egyptian, but we’re all Humans.</p>
<p>
In my immediate area, there are two “Baptist” schools, one “Presbyterian” school, one “Catholic” school, and three “Christian” schools (one is Catholic, one is Baptist, and one is mainstream Protestant). There are Baptist churches, Mormon churches, Episcopalian churches, Catholic churches, and so on. People name the denominations because they have become different in many ways and so they want to make sure people can find the churches that best fit their Christian beliefs.</p>
<p>The main branches don’t go “Catholic vs. ‘Real’ Christian,” they go “Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant.” Those are prefixes, to the greater “Christian” religion. If you want to condemn all Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, Evangelical, and Mormon Christians as not being Christian because they have denomination names, well, you’re not left with many Christians at all.</p>
<p>Your perspective and explanations are appreciated and interesting, and in providing them would seemingly illustrate the central point. I’m confident those “Mormon Christians” would feel the same way. </p>
<p>Be sure mine in not to condemn your view nor others. You’re as entitled to your opinion as anyone might be. I’d speculate apologists on several sides of your paradigm might disagree with your conclusion if not your specific contentions. Here’s that we might continue to study and discern to know His truth in lieu of ours.</p>
<p>On another matter you’ve noted, while you and I might wish same about labeling your own alma mater as “elite” (and thus elitist), and it’s a very new if merited description of your U. Selective might be preferred, but in the world of higher education, those are most often synonymous it seems.</p>