I just found out that my GPA is a lot lower than I thought so now I have to create a new list of colleges to apply to.
Anyways, I’m a rising senior ACT: 33(36M, 30R, 30E, 35S) SAT: 2110(770M, 680CR, 660W) GPA: 3.3 UW 4.0W
Hooks: I’m Black, I go to a selective boarding school in SC with rigorous schoolwork, I think I will be a low income student according to my FAFSA.
Please help me pick some reasonable, low reach/match liberal arts colleges to apply to!
What are you looking for in a college?
@shawnspencer I want a college where I will be surrounded by intelligent students who work hard and where most people will have a very liberal mindset. Preferably more pot smoking than drinking.
Maybe Oberlin, Grinnell? The GPA does present a bit of a challenge. Does your school rank, or give some indicatin of where it falls in relation to the rest of your class?
@hs2015mom no,my school doesn’t rank but it does send a grade report to colleges that pretty much shows that about roughly 50% of the grades are A’s and the other approximately 50% are B’s.
Oberlin
Grinnell
Wesleyan
Hampshire
Evergreen
Reed
Vassar
Sarah Lawrence
Goucher
Kalamazoo
Some are reachy-er than others.
Reed fits your profile to a T.
Good luck!
What are your academic areas of interest, your EC interests, any preference for location specifically geographically, rural/urban?? Your ACT is really quite high, there are many LACs that could be on your radar but essentially they really are different from one anther. Have you applied to some of the fly in programs that schools like Williams, Carleton, Bowdoin, Middlebury, Swarthmore etc. offer? The due date is fast approaching for many of them. Carleton could be a fantastic option for you.
Seconding the recommendation of Carleton and the diversity fly-ins. Here’s a list of them:
http://blog.■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■/blog/2015-college-fly-in-programs/
lol, just so that everyone here is aware, Reed’s average GPA of incoming students is a 3.9/4.0 UW. That said, the school does take chances on students with lower GPAs, provided they can demonstrate strong promise in other ways. There is more pot smoking than drinking, and yes you can have those other things at Reed. Grinnell may be nice to you despite your GPA as well.
Does your school have rankings for its students? Or an average GPA of students, perhaps? Or a distribution of GPAs?
Do you have affordable safety candidates yet?
Your stats will qualify you for an automatic full ride at Louisiana Tech.
Safety - St John’s College New Mexico (Great Books Program); Ripon College; Furman University; St Michael’s College
Knox College;
.
Match - Wabash University; College of the Atlantic; Loyola University Maryland; University of Puget Sound; Beloit College; Rollins University; Hobart and William Smith University; Allegheny College; Southwestern University
.
Reach - Kalamazoo College; Lewis & Clark College; Lawrence University; Cornell College; Sarah Lawrence College; Bennington College; University of the South - Sewanee; Willamette University
I didn’t include any colleges with poor financial aid programs. My favorites are St. John’s College, Cornell College, College of the Atlantic, Bennington College and Sewanee…but I really like off beat colleges. Williams, Carleton, Bowdoin, Middlebury, Swarthmore are pretty hard to get into but if you have a yen, be sure to apply. Sometimes people can get into and afford their dream colleges.
I think people are really underestimating your chances. Yes, your gpa is definitely low, but your your test scores are pretty strong, you’re from an underrepresented geographic region and you’re a URM. I think you should definitely apply to some of the top LACs like Williams, Middlebury, and Carleton. I wouldn’t be surprised if you got in at all. I think Sewanee might be a good school, but I’m not sure I’d describe it as liberal. It’s not overly conservative, but it is “The University of the South.”
I think most admissions officers would agree that generally while a strong GPA can make up for a so-so test score, the reverse is usually not true.
I also really don’t like schools with frats/sororities
Do you want a school with no fraternities or sororities at all, or just one where they are not a big enough part of the social scene that non-members may feel excluded from much of the social scene?
My guide to Michigan colleges & universities from my school includes all the stats on admitted students. I don’t think you should consider Kalamazoo College a reach. It’s test-optional, yes, so less weight is put on test scores (avg. ACT is about 27), but the average high school GPA given is 3.78, which may or not be the weighted GPA. The main reason to not call it a reach is its 70% acceptance rate. Writing the optional essays will certainly help you with admission. Selectivity isn’t K-Zoo’s thing.
@ucbalumnus That’s fine but I would really just prefer it not to exist at all
Hendrix.
Beloit. And other CTCL schools that will be more likely to look past the GPA: http://www.ctcl.org/