Have I completely screwed myself over?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

I’m currently a junior. I didn’t do that great freshman year, and I somehow did slightly worse sophomore year. This year, I managed to get my act together, and I’m doing better and taking more rigorous classes. A big part of why I wasn’t doing that well in school before was because I was coping with some mental health issues (anxiety, ADD, and Asperger’s Syndrome) poorly, and I didn’t take school as serious as I should have. I’ve worked really hard to improve, but not matter what I do the fact that I screwed up freshman and sophomore year will always weigh against me. So I’m not really looking for a specific chance for a school, but more of a reality check to see if I’ve actually screwed up as bad as I think I have. Sorry if this is kind of the wrong thread for this.

Stats:
-Unweighted GPA: 3.4
-SAT: 1370 (760 on English, 610 on math. I’m going to retake it.)
-I haven’t taken an AP class yet, but I’m taking AP Literature as a senior.
Extracurriculars:

  • School Theatre for 5 years (Ensemble and small parts)
  • Chorus for 6 years
  • Two awards for the National Latin Exam, magna cum laude on the 2017 exam and summa cum laude on the 2018 exam
  • guitar lessons for about two and a half years and voice lessons for one year.

I’m kind of looking into linguistics as a major right now, but I’m still very unsure.

So far I’ve visited Northeastern, Boston University, Umass Amherst, Amherst College, and Wellesley college. Boston University is probably the one I’m most interested in right now, but it’s a total reach school for me. UNH would probably be my safety, since I’d get state tuition and I’d definitely get in.

So yeah. That’s my situation.

2

I think you’ll be fine if you take schools like Amherst off the list. Your stats aren’t terrible, but I think the schools you list will be a real reach.

If you do get into BU, it’s unlikely you’d get a lot of aid as the merit aid is very competitive. You’ll do better financially if you target schools in your range. UNH is a good choice for you. Look at Maine for a matching tuition (instate).

3

Thanks. I should have been more clear, I’m not considering going to Amherst, Northeastern, or Wellesley (although I loved Wellesley, I probably wouldn’t get in). I also don’t really want to go to UNH unless I have to, if that makes sense. I knows it’s a perfectly fine school I just, kinda want to go somewhere else. UNH is where a lot of people from my school wind up going.

4

With a bit higher of an SAT score, I think there’s definitely a possibility that you will be admitted to at least one that you have listed. Those colleges are super competitive but if you communicate your circumstances, they may be understanding. As a reference point, I was waitlisted and eventually admitted to Northeastern with a 3.8 and 1410 SAT, and offered guaranteed transfer by Boston University. If you’re interested in being in/around Boston, look into Suffolk University. Some other schools that come to mind in the New England area are: University of Maine, University of Vermont, and University of Connecticut. Good luck!

5

Also, after re-reading your post, you have not screwed yourself over at all. You still did fantastic considering your circumstances, so please do not worry!