Help Me! Im Lost!! Where Do I Stand A Chance

College Search & Selection
1

<p>PLEASE HELP im a junior in pa and i have NO idea what level college i can get into. i really would like to get into a top school and i was looking at upenn cornell and brown. but i dont think i could even get in! i want a good college with kind-of liberal politics, and i want to go into pre med</p>

<p>my guidence counsler is no help, neither are my parents PLEASE HELPME</p>

<p>i know im only a junior and i dont know most of my scores and stuff but i just need an idea of where to aim!</p>

<p>i havent taken SAT yet
PSAT
reading-68
math-67
writing 66</p>

<p>on a full acedemic scholarship to my highschool</p>

<p>3rd in class/ 4.0 GPA
3 APS- bio,lang and comp, us history , all honors
tking 2-3 more APS senior year = physics, calc, gov, plus classes at local college </p>

<p>distinguised scholars academy --chosen to take summer courses, get college credit for drama, psych</p>

<p>going to europe with school this summer</p>

<p>my school doesnt offer many ecs, but i do
NHS member
community service corps
varsity feild hockey - 3yrs
varsity lacrosse- 2yrs
art club
student ambassador
stucent council- freshman year</p>

<p>intermural vollyeball, basketball</p>

<p>volunteering outside school - make a difference day, coaches vs cancer, etc</p>

<p>JOB - manager, worked at same place 4 years</p>

<p>i am so lost. help</p>

2

<p>well I’m assuming you don’t want to go far right since…all yor schools you listed are on the east coast..somewhat</p>

<p>What about size? Location? Do you want a college religiously affiliated? Etc…Public? Private? What are you looking for specifically?</p>

3

<p>Take the time to plan your testing schedule. What tests are required for your top schools (these will usually have the toughest requirements)?</p>

<p>You should take the SAT in either January or March of this year, and take SAT IIs in May and/or June (some people like to take the test close to the time of the AP tests, some people like to wait until June so they have more study time.)</p>

<p>Make a long list of colleges that interest you, using your parents’, friends, relatives, counselor’s and other recommendations. Do some research on these schools - collegeboard.com is a good place to start. You can also search there for schools that meet your basic criteria, i.e. a women’s lacrosse team. </p>

<p>Your top schools will have high standards for test scores. Since you have a rough idea of your “high reach” colleges, keep your research focus on schools where your test scores fall into their 25%-75% range of accepted students. If you need merit aid, you’ll need to look at schools where your scores are in the top 25%. </p>

<p>Over the summer, you’ll have the time to reduce your list to under 10 schools. Three high-reach schools are plenty, especially if you want pre-med; your 3-6 match schools are just as important, as are your two safeties. You want a school where you can get excellent grades while being challenged academically. Talk to people, listen, go on as many visits as you can. Plan to retake your SAT in October of senior year.</p>

4

<p>generally on the east coast.doesnt have to be northeast thought..religious affiliation does not matter.. medium sized..not too large</p>

<p>where do you think i stand a chance?</p>

<p>thanks midwesterner! do you have any colleges i could look into for my match schools? or safeties?</p>

5

<p>Matches for your current test scores (I don’t know how much boost your GPA will give you):
U Pitt
U Rochester
Syracuse
Northeastern</p>

6

<p>Relax. You have time to plan and think about this. As midwesterner says, pay careful attention to your tests. Take your first SAT early so you can retest if you need to. Consider taking the ACT as well. Many colleges take the ACT in lieu of SAT + 2 subject tests. I’m pretty sure that the subject test are harder than anything on the ACT. If I could do it over, I’d have my daughter take both.</p>

<p>Another recommendation is that you visit colleges throughout the late winter/spring. Do it this year because it will be harder to do it in your senior year. </p>

<p>DO YOUR RESEARCH! Don’t rely on this board alone! You can get some good ideas and feedback, but nothing NOTHING will take the place of your own research. Think about what you want. Target the schools that will give it to you. Don’t focus only on Ivies. There are many, many good schools with good “name recognition” that can meet your needs. You will do yourself a disservice if you don’t research those as well, especially since competition is so tough right now due to sheer numbers of applicants.</p>

7

<p>It’s okay to apply to the three schools you mentioned. You might get in. Just make sure you add some matches and safeties. There are lots of safeties you might be interested in. Here’s a few small liberal arts colleges that come to mind: Rhodes, Gettysburg, Muhlenberg, Richmond.</p>