<p>Hi, I'm a rising senior starting the dubious task of applying to college and I need to start getting a concrete list of schools. My stats are as follows and the schools I am thinking about applying to is under that. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.</p>
<p>Stats:
SATs: 1380 in January 720 M 660 V
SAT IIs: 750 History 750 Biology E 620 Math IIc (I'm going to retake this one, I don't know what happened)
GPA: 3.8 uw, we don't weight GPAs
ECs: 250 volunteer hours with church, Senior Patrol Leader and Eagle Scout, I work during the school year, varsity letters in football and track, many awards and such with band, internship with pathologist, NOLS Alaska Mountaineering course (which was sweet by the way), and West Point Summer Seminar, many other ECs</p>
<p>I guess you could say I've had a very well rounded all american lifstyle for the first 19 years of my life.</p>
<p>Now for the school list:
Reaches:
University of Chicago
Georgetown
University of Virginia?</p>
<p>Matches:
NYU
UVA?
William and Mary</p>
<p>Safety:
George Mason University
Virginia Commonwealth University
Virginia Tech (I don't want to go here no matter what)
American?</p>
<p>What schools can I add to this list and what schools can I cut out. I am interested in majoring in IR or economics.</p>
<p>First, cross of Va Tech if you don't want to attend... </p>
<p>Are you in state in Va? certainly impacts reach/match call on UVa.</p>
<p>Stat wise you seem to be in reasonable shape vis a vis your list. However, your schools seem very dissimilar from one another. William & Mary, NYU & UChicago? These are 3 different animals.</p>
<p>What do you want from the school besides academics (size, type of student, location, personality of the school etc?) Is financial aid an issue?</p>
<p>You can probably refine your list around a clearer picture of the school you want and then add matches/safeties that get close.</p>
<p>I attribute some of the randomness to the fact that I'm not sure what exactly I want. I know what I a good education first off, and I would like somewhere fairly urban, although UVA is an excellent school and I would not mind living in Charlottesville. I am in state Virginia, but money isn't exactly and issue and I could afford to go out of state. William and Mary is a very nice place from what I hear and the town itself slightly offsets the small student body. I would not mind attending a place with a smaller student body as long as it is in a fairly urban area where I can still get lost when I want to. On top of a good education I would like a good value and I can certainly get that in Virginia but what other options are open to me? I would like to study abroad and I definately want to attend a college or university where I have good chances at a getting into a grad school.</p>
<p>University of Virginia seems like a fine school, what is it that you want out of IR? Do you have graduate school or career intentions or thoughts yet?</p>
<p>None yet, the field just interests me quite a bit. I really enjoy reading articles in magazines and papers about foriengs affairs and such. I haven't really explored any career optioins but to be successful it seems like graduate school is a big plus. It's a subject that really interests me and I would like to be involved in it after I graduate.</p>
<p>One suggestion: double check that all of the schools on your list will accept the "old" SAT. Some schools may require the new SAT if you didn't take the SAT II writing test.</p>
<p>Dickinson, U Richmond might be schools to check out for match/safe schools in the character of UVa & William & Mary. Maybe Vanderbilt?</p>
<p>UChicago is small, quirky & very very intellectual; UVa is medium-large rowdy sporty school. NYU is completely urban & more anonymous. Have you visited anywhere? Maybe a couple of overnights at some different schools will bring the finer points into sharper focus.</p>
<p>I can definately dig the small quirky intellectual school but based on the limited picture I presented of myself do I really have a chance at getting in there? I plan on visiting a couple of those schools in the next few weeks however I don't really want to go furthur south then VA. The urban and anonymous feel definately has a draw for me but personally I think NYU is a bit of a ripoff at 40k a year. Thank you for the great advice though, it's helping.</p>
<p>Why don't you plan to visit 4 Va schools that are somewhat different from one another? Pick a range of sizes and of 'personalities.' Try to do overnights too (remembering to take it all with a grain of salt-- if your host is a dud or a pistol, it can color your impression of the whole school.)</p>
<p>UChicago is a reach, but my understanding is that they do evaluate the whole app including essays and recs and are not a stats driven as larger schools can be. If you like that sort of enviornment you might like an intellectual LAC as well, like Swarthmore (also a reach.)</p>
<p>You will know more once you have absorbed the vibe at a few schools and seen what you like and don't like.</p>
<p>If you retake SATS and raise them it would help for the reaches.</p>
<p>Thanks for the great advice, I plan on retaking the SATs in the fall. What are LACs? I have heard of Swathmore but I honestly know nothing about it. thanks...</p>
<p>LAC= Liberal Arts College. Generally they are smaller and more undergraduate-focused. Some are called Universities, due to tiny grad departments, but are really colleges in spirit.</p>
<p>Wake Forest is a LAC-style U in your general area that would be a match for you. In New England, Trinity College might be a fit. Macalester is another urban LAC but in Minnesota. </p>
<p>I had mentioned Dickinson, and Bucknell, Lafayette, Gettysburg, or Franklin & Marshall also could matches. All are LACs. Look at US News Best Liberal Arts Colleges for more LAC ideas.</p>
<p>However, the 'urban/anonymous' vibe is usually not possible at a LAC due to the intimate size. Rarely would a LAC have more than 3500-4000 kids. Many, in fact most, seem to have about 1200-1500.</p>
<p>Mid sized urban U's could be Syracuse, Emory, Wash U, etc-- they might offer some of both, the LAC and big Urban qualities...</p>
<p>Thats why I think you need to pin yourself down on the sort of school you find most appealing, small, med or Large, also urban/rural, artsy/preppy, intellectual/fun loving-- whatever makes you tick. You'll probably know it when you see it...</p>