<p>I would talk to your guidance counselor to see how they will categorize you on the Common Aplication. Fo instance, will you be marked as taking the most rigorous courses? Will you be ranked in top 10%, top 5%? A lot will depend on the school profile, and where kids with similar stats were accepted. I would look at the Naviance reports. </p>
<p>I do think that you need to take the ACT, and you need to really study for it. Dedicate an hour daily to the task. Get the red book, study the other guides, take sample tests from petersons online. I don’t think you will be stuck in a community college, and don’t get discouraged from some of these posts. Since we don’t know your school, it is possible that you have the equivalent GPA of 4.0 UW and the other posters look like fools. However, since your situation is unique, we can’t really give solid advice. </p>
<p>I do think that looking at both HBCUs and women’s colleges could give you the extra prestige that you are looking for.</p>
<p>Thank you MizzBee, josebiwasbi, & midwesterner for the great advice!</p>
<p>Those other posts really discouraged me, I am a very great student and it would be a shame that I would have to settle for less just because of my SATS >.></p>
<p>But about my weird grading system, a lot of colleges know about it already so I dont think that it would jeopardize my eligibility into some colleges!</p>
<p>Since i applied to all of the schools i listed (except Bucknell & Haverford) I am just going to wait for my results…do anyone know about these schools in particular?</p>
<p>Take the ACTs, I did much better on the ACTs than the SATs, with less studying. I assume you studied for the SATs. Get the ACT study guide it is really good, and the tests are shorter and more enjoyable (if that makes sense.)</p>
<p>"I am a very great student and it would be a shame that I would have to settle for less just because of my SATS "</p>
<p>I think I understand where you are coming from, but I want you to realize there are many great students who have SAT’s that complicate there admissions process. I think you are implying that you would be “settling for less” if you went to school with them. That’s what i meant by rethinking “prestigious”. It need not be measured by average SAT score.</p>
<p>Sorry Shrinkrap I have no idea what you are talking about. Just because someone has the same stats gpa and activity wise, but if one person has a lower SAT score than the other person, it doesnt mean the person with the higher SAT score is smarter. But I understand that colleges would most likely choose the person with the highest SAT score.</p>
<p>Forget the SATs. I would not recommend it for anyone! People like me sit there and make all A’s but then just because i could not pull a 2400 on my SATs, I got to go to community college…</p>
<p>You totally missed the point of what Shrinkrap said. He/she didn’t imply that people with higher SAT scores are smarter; she/he said that there are MANY intelligent students who don’t do well on the SAT and that <em>complicates</em> the admissions process. Like it or not, standardized test scores are part of the admissions process. They look at you holistically and hopefully your positive qualities outweigh the lower scores - BUT it’s not as simple as a student who has great everything else and at least decent/average SAT scores.</p>
<p>But his point about looking at SAT-optional colleges or colleges with lower SAT requirements, and revising what “prestigious” means, is well-taken. For example, one of the suggested schools - Spelman College - has a relatively low SAT score range (high 400s to mid-to-high 500s on both sections they count) but is ranked #59 on the U.S. News list, among schools like Wheaton, Beloit, St. Olaf, Reed, Wilamette, Wofford, Agnes Scott, and Berea. (And aside from the U.S. News rankings, it’s generally a well-respected undergraduate college. I know because I went there :D)</p>
<p>Most high schools have a way to measure how well you did in school. Are your classes graded? Do you get primarily As, a mixture of As and Bs, primarily Bs, etc? Give us a picture of how you do in class. If you are graded for your classwork (either letter grades or out of 100), then there is some way to figure out a rough GPA for you.</p>
<p>Someone suggested Spelman, but your SAT scores are below average even for Spelman (that’s my alma mater :)). Our SAT score averages are about parallel with the national averages. Howard’s are a little bit lower, but even there you’d be borderline bottom 25% of applicants.</p>
<p>At the end of the marking period, we have to have at least 12 credits: 2 in each class.
But if you have 17 you have first honors 7 if you have 15 that is second honors…</p>
Unfortunately, not just the undergrad admissions, or even admissions. I was surprised to find out yesterday that the Navy selects graduating college seniors for Flight School (a very popular career choice) based partly on a test very similar to the SAT… in fact collegboard acted as consultant in its construction.</p>
<p>So, like it or not, timed, standardized “aptitude” tests are a part of many career selection processes.</p>