Help a Michigander out...............

College Search & Selection
1

<p>I am a rising senior white male at a christian highschool in west Michigan
Stats:
GPA: 3.9 uw (My school doesn't weight GPA's) toughest course load
Rank: Top 10%
Act: 25 <----I hope to raise this to the 30's range </p>

<p>APs: AP World History-3
To be taken:
AP Stats
AP Bio
AP English</p>

<p>EC's:
Track (9-12),
Cross Country(11-12)
Soccer (9-10)
Swimming (11)
Book Club
Model UN
Teen Court
NHS
Boy's State
Rotary Life Leadership Conference
100 hours community service
Link Crew
Active in church Youth Group
Student Council: Treas(10) Pres(11) Exec Pres(12)
Work 10-15 hrs/wk during sports, 15-20 w/o sports, and 35-40hrs/wk summer</p>

<p>Possible Majors: Poli Sci, Econ, Psych,-----Something in the Social Sciences</p>

<p>Schools I am considering:
Brown University (Visited)
Bowdoin College
Tufts University (Visited)
Boston College
University of Michigan (Visited)
Trinity College (Conn)
Colby College
Pepperdine
Hope College (Visited)</p>

<p>Please help me organize these into safety, match, and reach and suggest schools that fit my profile. Thanks</p>

2

<p>Oh Yeah... I am looking for schools in the North East or Midwest preferably</p>

3

<p>bump.....................................anyone?</p>

4

<p>First of all, I would advise taking the SAT if you arent good at the ACT. Don't get caught up since all these people in the Midwest take the ACT, outside of the midwest almost no one takes it. I know a kid who got a 29 on the ACT but a 1550 on the SAT. He goes to Princeton.</p>

<p>Its really hard to rate your chances with a 25. It takes you down significantly. I am going to assume a 33 ACT or 1450 SAT for these </p>

<p>Brown University (Visited) -Reach
Bowdoin College - Match
Tufts University (Visited) - Match
Boston College - Match
University of Michigan (Visited) - Safe
Trinity College (Conn) - Safe
Colby College - Match
Pepperdine - Safe
Hope College (Visited) - Safe</p>

<p>You should add more reaches depending on your ACT. I recommend Northwestern as a slight reach and Dartmouth as a reach. If you like Brown and Bowdoin you will love Dartmouth.</p>

<p>Assuming a 28 ACT</p>

<p>Brown University (Visited) -Impossible Reach
Bowdoin College - Slight Reach (Dont send in scores)
Tufts University (Visited) - Reach
Boston College - Reach
University of Michigan (Visited) - Reach
Trinity College (Conn) - Reach
Colby College - Reach
Pepperdine - Safety
Hope College (Visited) - Safety</p>

5

<p>so pretty much I am stuck unless I really improve my ACT, or take the SAT and SAT II's?</p>

6

<p>Should I reevalute my whole list?</p>

7

<p>Might want to check out Holy Cross-very good combination of academics and athletics/school spirit.</p>

8

<p>I think you need to really study for the ACT or take the SAT. Its really bringing you down a few levels. I vote SAT personally.</p>

9

<p>brownorbust, i think that if you put your mind to it in the coming months, you could raise your score to a 30 (a 1340 on the old SAT), which puts you in the middle 50% for most of the schools on your list. but your score won't matter for bowdoin, because i believe test results are optional for them.</p>

<p>fyi, here is the ACT/SAT conversion chart: <a href="http://www.ivywest.com/acttosat.htm%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.ivywest.com/acttosat.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>and here are the middle 25th-75th SAT (ACT) percentiles for admitted students for each of your schools:</p>

<p>Brown 1290-1500
Bowdoin 1290-1440
Tufts 1250-1420
Boston College 1230-1400
UMichigan (26-30)
Trinity 1210-1410
Colby 1270-1420
Pepperdine 1090-1300
Hope 23-28</p>

<p>with a 30 (it IS doable, but only if you're determined!), here are your chances, based on the SAT average, percent of freshmen in the top 10%, and the acceptance rate for each school:</p>

<p>Brown: reach, as it is for 99% of applicants
Bowdoin: match/slight reach, due to 24% acceptance rate
Tufts: reach, due to sheer volume of applicants
Boston College: match/slight reach
UMichigan: match
Trinity: match
Colby: match
Pepperdine: safety
Hope: safety, due to 83% acceptance rate and only 31% of freshmen in the top 10%</p>

<p>if you're looking for more schools, i'd suggest Loyola University of Chicago as another safety. i think you can apply online for free, or if you get mailed a "fast-track" application as they call it. Loyola, as you know is jesuit and is a good fit for you, i think. it's also near a major urban area, as is boston college. Loyola actually has a campus downtown, so you might be taking a class or two there.</p>

<p>edit: Loyola Chicago is a safety, even with your current profile. it's ranked 111th on USNews. the 25th-75th ACT percentiles are 22-27; only 28% of accepted freshmen in the top 10%; and the acceptance rate is 82%. </p>

<p>if you need more specific information, just consult with me.</p>

10

<p>With your current ACT and that AP World History 3 (not a good marker) I'd say you are going to Hope. Not a bad school, but perhaps not your first choice. </p>

<p>If you have the time and can prep for the tests, I'd vote for both an ACT retake and an SAT. Then you can accurately calibrate a list. And you need to research add some less selective schools to your list. Some good ones to check out include Allegheny, College of Wooster, Franklin & Marshall, Knox and Ohio Wesleyan.</p>