<p>I desperately need some hope. I am trying to get into Boston University, but have a 1600 SAT score and a 3.4 GPA. I have been working really hard on my essays and everything else I could do to make up for the bad scores. So I am wondering if there is anyone here, who's SAT or GPA were not nearly high enough, but still got in because of essays, recs, etc? Were the odds against you? Did everyone/websites tell you you couldn't get in, but proved them wrong and did?</p>
<p>That depends, are you perhaps a magical unicorn of diversity?</p>
<p>ya. i am white. but i wrote in my supplement about how i was born in the middle east and that my family comes from Europe Asia and Iraq, and how all those cultures influence the person I am today. So would they consider me diverse? because in the common app I am still considered “white”.</p>
<p>BU is a good school but it’s not worth feeling desperate about. No school is. You might get in or might not. Nothing more can helpfully be said. </p>
<p>Do you have a good portfolio of other schools to apply to that you could be happy with? If you don’t, putting that together would be a much better use of your mental energy. If you do, just take a deep breath and enjoy what’s left of high school.</p>
<p>BU is a good school, but also very urban, no campus, and certainly not worth getting desperate about. Unpredictable financial aid.
If what you’re after is Boston, there must be two dozen universities there that would be very happy receiving your application. 
Where else are you applying?</p>
<p>I already applied to northeastern, boston, and university of Maryland (Waiting for reply). I am alsoo going to apply to nyu, Brandeis, and George Washington. MY backups will be penn state, american university, rutgers, and binghamtom.</p>
<p>Uh, those can’t really be your backups with your SAT score and GPA…</p>
<p>With a 3.4 and 1600 SAT, BU, Northeastern, Brandeis, NYU, and GWU won’t be reachable.
AU probably not unless you are full pay and if you need financial aid forget it.
UMD-CP would require you to have above a 3.5 and your SAT score places you in the bottom 25%, are you retaking in December?
For Penn State, in order to get University Park you’d need to apply to the summer session and score 2100 on your SAT, so it’s probably not possible from a 1600; woudl you still be interested for a branch campus? While the school may prioritize the $35,000 it’ll cost you with out of state tuition, if you don’t have that amount remember you can only borrow $5,500 your freshman year.
You’re within range for Rutgers.
For Binghamton you would need 3.6 and 1800 so it’s another reach.</p>
<p>Essentially: go right away meet with your guidance counselor and add some matches (Rutgers is the only one) and safeties. You need two safeties and a couple matches. Only then can you add all the reaches that right now compose your list.</p>
<p>If you want to attend school in Boston, apply to Simmons College, Bentley, Curry, Endicott, Pine Manor, Regis, or Wheelock. It’s not like you’re wanting for choice there.</p>
<p>If you want to attend school in a big city (any big city), look into Chatham (Pittsburgh) as well as Pitt (if you raise that SAT score), Goucher (Baltimore), Drew (near NYC), St Mary’s College of California (San Francisco), University of San Diego, University of Portland, University of San Francisco, Lake Forest or Loyola Marymount or DePaul (Chicago), Hamline or Augsburg or St Catherine’s (Twin Cities), Eckerd (St Petersburg FL), Millsaps (Jackson, MS), St Louis University (MO), Ogglethorpe (Atlanta), Transylvania (Lexington, KY), Meredith (Raleigh, NC), Butler (Indianapolis)…
Check out the schools above using their website (fill out the “request info” form to be on their radar) ; then add a few public, in-state universities that you know are affordable.</p>
<p>Have your guidance counselor use Naviance: where have other students with your grades and scores gone?</p>