[ b]Objective:[ list]
[ ] SAT I (breakdown): 1440/1600 (March *new SAT wasn’t familiar with format/material)
[ *] SAT I superscore (breakdown):
[ *] ACT (breakdown): 32C E:34 M:31 R:32 S:31 (will be shooting for 34+ in Sept)
[ *] ACT superscore (breakdown):
[ *] SAT II:
[ *] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.74
[ *] Weighted GPA: 4.15
[ *] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): NA
[ *] AP (place score in parentheses): AP Chemistry ( ) AP Macroeconomics AP Lang ( )
[ *] IB (place score in parentheses): IB Physics ( ), IB Spanish ( )
[ *] Senior Year Course Load: AP Physics C, AP Calc BC, AP Spanish Lang, AP Bio, AP Lit, AP Micro
[ *] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):[/list] [ b]Subjective:[ list] None worth listing, some minor photography awards
[ *] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Only a couple of minor ECs.
[ *] Job/Work Experience: Work over summer of Junior and senior years
[ *] Volunteer/Community service:[/list] [ b]Writing (Write a brief description and Rate Quality on 1-10 Scale; 10 as Best):**[ list] Around 100 hours of volunteer hours working around the community and with some of my ECs.
[ *] State (if domestic applicant): MI
[ *] Country (if international applicant):
[ *] School Type: ~2500 public
[ *] Ethnicity: Caucasian
[ *] Gender: Male
[ ] Income Bracket: Low. Will qualify for full aid from 100% need schools.
[ ] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):[/list] [ b]Reflection[ list]: First Generation
Other comments: Interested in double majoring in Astrophysics/similar field and Economics
Preferences:
-Location: All the way from near a large city to in a small town. Prefer to have a campus if in large city, not NYU.
-Weather: Anything works here. I’m used to both very hot and very cold, as I live in MI.
-Size: Nothing TOO small, such as the smallest LACs
-Was considering Bama as a safety due to their generous merit
-Looking to apply to around 1-2 safeties and the rest matches and reaches. Thanks in advance for suggestions!
Do you have a non-custodial parent?
Are you trying to leave your state? Are you applying to UMich and MSU?
Tell us what else you want in a school? Quiet? Rah rah?
Bama could be a safety with a combined merit, Pell, etc.
@mom2collegekids no non-custodial parent. Attempting to get out of Michigan, however, I will be applying to Umich but presumably not MSU. Would prefer a school that is semi-quiet but nothing too passive. A school that has a lot to do, like football games, having a decent college town, intellectual vibe, and being city accessible would be preferred.
Given your profile, that’s still a lot of schools. Have you done some visits at different kinds of schools? That might help, so you can get a feel for whether you like large LACs, big D1 football schools, medium-sized universities, etc.
Look at URochester, BC, Swat, Lafayette, Emory, Tufts,Wesleyan, Brandeis, Emory, Tulane, USC, and Oberlin. Those all meet or nearly need and are mostly reaches and a few high matches. Some (looking at you, URochester, Tulane, and Brandeis) are less generous/may do more in loans. I think that given your budget (and corresponding low EFC) you may want a reach-heavy list with meets-need schools.
@usualhopeful I visited Uchicago last summer and really enjoyed how the campus was set up: residential housing, near the city, and size of the campus. Also, I would prefer the core of Uchicago with a more structured, yet broad academic wavelength. I’m considering visiting this fall/winter to get a more accurate feel for the campus while classes are in session. But hopefully that gives you more of an idea of what I’m looking for. Would applying to maybe 1 safety, that I would be comfortable attending, and the rest reaches and matches be a good plan with need-based aid in mind?
If you like the core at Chicago, you might also take a look at Columbia.
And – you should like, and be able to afford (with a manageable amount of debt), all of the schools to which you apply.
I think it’s a good idea to apply to at least one safety and a few matches, and to some reaches if you want to. So applying to some reaches, a few matches, and a safety is a pretty solid - and common, at least among students who post on this site - plan.
Agreed about Columbia and Chicago being similar. Both have great financial aid but are highest reaches.
I’d suggest you apply to 2 safeties. If one doesn’t have auto admit or scholarship, it might throw a surprise rejection at you. Also, if you get rejected everywhere else (which is fairly unlikely with a well-constructed lost) you can still make a choice.
@usualhopeful @prezbucky Would UofM be considered a match or safety, considering instate residence?
High match. It’s average GPA is 3.85 and you’re not at the top of the middle-50 in scores.