Help me choose some colleges?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Hi there!
I was recently deferred from ED (it was a huge reach) so I'm now looking to finalize my regular decision list.</p>

<p>UW GPA: 3.31 <-LOL
W GPA: School doesn't weight but 4.02 last time I calculated it</p>

<p>SAT: 2380
800 Math 780 CR 800 Writing
SAT II:
800 Math 2 800 Chem 750 US History 780 World History 750 Bio
AP:
5 on Chem, Bio, World History, US History</p>

<p>EC:
Lacrosse
Basketball
Hospital Volunteer
Research Intern
+ some more marginal stuff</p>

<p>TLDR; Low GPA, typical ECs, decent test scores</p>

<p>Here's my list so far:
Brandeis
Boston University
Penn State
Northeastern
Syracuse
Rutgers (In-State)</p>

<p>Can you guys suggest some more colleges, especially reaches?
I'd also be open to LACs but I'm not sure how my test scores would bode with those test-optional policies?</p>

<p>Anways, thanks and good luck to you all!</p>

2

<p>Do you have any regional preferences? Would you prefer to stay in the Northeast or are you willing to go elsewhere?</p>

<p>What are your financial constraints? How much can your parents afford and will you be needing merit aid?</p>

<p>Do you have any ideas about what major(s) you might be interested in? It’s fine if you don’t.</p>

<p>Also, don’t worry about test optional. From a cynic’s perspective it functions as a way for colleges to maintain their rankings while letting in less qualified students. </p>

<p>Btw, most schools will accept you. Maybe not the Ivies, but most.</p>

3

<p>

Preferably on the coasts, but it doesn’t matter too much</p>

<p>

Fortunately money is not a concern</p>

<p>

Probably econ or a hard science, not really sure lol</p>

4

<p>bump (10char)</p>

5

<p>Your grades are a bit low for some of the more selective LACs - but if it’s primarily because of your freshman year (upward trend?) and if you are male, it might not count as heavily against you. Your test scores will, of course, be a major help. For example, at Vassar, if you are male, you might still be competitive because of the gender imbalance in applications there. Take a look at Colby, Bates and Hamilton in the NE. Look at Whitman, Evergreen and Reed in the West. If block scheduling is something you might like, take a look at Colorado College (guess where). There are lots of excellent LACs in the midwest and south as well, but since you are primarily interested in the coasts, you can start there. </p>

<p>In each case, you need to check the Common Data Set for each school (Section C) to see how you stack up against the admitted students. You can google this. The CDS also will tell you how each school weights various factors.</p>

6

<p>Ehh, my grades are more a combination of freshman and sophomore year, where I pulled straight B’s. I’ve done better since then, so a slight upward trend I guess? And yes, I am male so that’s encouraging to hear. I’ve been checking out the common data sets for some colleges and I find that almost every time, my SAT is in the top 25% of enrolled students while my GPA is usually far below the average >.< Unfortunately most LACs don’t reveal the breakdown of high school GPA for their students, so I’m not really sure which ones may be more lenient towards grades. Can you recommend some LACs or universities that seem to favor standardized test scores?</p>

7

<p>Bump (10char)</p>

8

<p>Bump 10char</p>

9

<p>You might want to look at Case Western if you’re interested in a hard science but like smaller universities. It’s a great school, but not terribly selective since it is in Cleveland. I’d imagine you’d get in.</p>

<p>Occidental is a LAC in LA with pretty decent hard science offerings, and would likely accept you. If you’re into LA area schools, you might also want to consider Pitzer College. It’s a very alternative school, admissions are quite competitive, but it allows students to enroll in the 5 colleges consortium which means that no matter where your interests may lie, you’re likely to find that one of the Claremonts offers that class.</p>

<p>If you’re willing to work extremely hard, Reed College might be another possibility. Their hard sciences are top notch, but they place more emphasis on GPA and course selection rather than SATs.</p>

<p>You can apply to University of Puget Sound’s honors college, in a Seattle suburb, and would very likely get in, but I’m not sure if the school would be challenging enough for someone of your academic abilities. </p>

<p>You might also qualify for public university’s honors colleges which would mean you get the small LAC experience, with the science and research offerings of a much larger college. Most of the public universities on the West Coast have closed their application periods but you might want to look into either the Clark Honors College at University of Oregon, or the University Honors College at Oregon State University, which is the “science” school of the two top Oregon public universities. </p>

<p>You might also try your hand at USC which tends to like high test scores. Great science offerings, but a poor location. </p>

<p>If you want a smaller university feel, Santa Clara University offers a well regarded business program and good science offerings, all in the heart of Silicon Valley. Great safety school, and you’d probably qualify for merit aid. If you’re Jewish (since you applied to Brandeis) you’d find a very active Hillel. </p>

<p>You might also try your hand at some more competitive schools, since an applicant with a relatively average GPA and high test scores can often get into extremely competitive schools.</p>