<p>Hey can you take a look at my list and tell me if I should change it at all? More safeties, fewers reaches, easier targets etc.</p>
<p>GPA: 3.8 at the top public high school in nyc
ACT: 34
SAT: 2240
SAT 2: Lit - 710 Math II - 800
Good EC's:
Very involved in technical theater, will be in charge next year
IT Department for the student union
Photographer for school newspaper
Produced schoolwide theatrical production (separate from the other theater stuff)
Out of school soccer team for years
Play guitar
APS: 5 on Spanish Lang, 5 on Comp Sci A (no longer offered AB), 4 on english lang
Took AP World History as a soph, AP Comp Sci, AP Spanish, AP English as a junior, will be taking AP English Lit, AP Calc AB, AP Gov, AP Comp Gov next year.
My school caps the number of AP's you can take and I'm taking the max.</p>
<p>I'm interested in majoring in Political Science and minoring in Computer Science. I intend to go to grad school, so an all around great school is more important than one really good department.</p>
<p>As far as location goes, I have some preference but I'm being very flexible. I would ideally want a school in or near a city. Being close to NYC is a plus. I'd also want a school that's not too small (at least 2000) and not too big.</p>
<p>I know I don't follow many of my criteria with this list, but I have reasons for each school</p>
<p>So far my list is:</p>
<p>Safeties:
George Washington
UMich
Boston College</p>
<p>I’ve come to terms with the fact that I will have to pay off a lot of loans when I leave college. I haven’t found a school in the SUNY system that I really like, and for me, getting the best possible education is more important than money.
Thanks for the response!</p>
<p>I didn’t mean to say that I will be paying completely in loans. I was just saying that after my financial aid package and family contribution, there will most like be some loans.</p>
<p>I plan on choosing a school based on academics and fit, and I will deal with finances later.</p>
<p>I think that you have a very well balanced list, but I am curious as to how you see Northwestern and Middlebury as matches. That doesn’t mean you can’t get in, but they are still reach schools. In general though, that’s a good list.</p>
<p>Erin’s dad has some solid advice. You really don’t want to graduate with a huge financial burden on your back if it’s topped off with uncertain employment prospects.</p>
<p>^IMO, Northwestern and Middlebury aren’t really crapshoots like Ivies or top LACs are. They seem good as matches- I’d be willing to bet you’ll get into one of them. But on another note, why is Middlebury (or Williams) on your list if you want to be near a city? I’d visited Middlebury actually wanting some geographical isolation in my college experience, but found it to be way too rural. I might be biased, but I think Amherst might be a better fit for you than either Middlebury or Williams, at least in terms of location. It’s slightly under 2000, though you should know that it’s a member of a 5-college consortium including Hampshire, UMass-Amherst, Smith, and Mt. Holyoke and that less importantly, it looks like it’s currently undergoing expansion considering two significantly overenrolled classes have entered the College in the past 3 years. I’d also recommend looking into UChicago (for polisci and proximity to the city) and Columbia (right in NYC).</p>
<p>Sorry but I beg to differ. Any top school is a crapshoot. I had as good if not better stats than the OP and didn’t dare look at those caliber schools as “matches.” Matches are more along the lines of NYU or similar schools - great schools that you are very likely to get into.</p>
<p>Tell that to all the kids (many of whom are CC regulars) who were accepted at Amherst and Williams (and even Dartmouth) this past year, but rejected or WL at Middlebury (and Bowdoin).</p>
<p>I haven’t visited Middlebury or Williams yet, so they could very well be eliminated because of location. Amherst is too small, it’s only about half the size of my high school.</p>
<p>Middlebury and Northwestern may be reaches, I only put them down as targets because ~75% of kids with my stats from my school get in to them.</p>
<p>If those two are reaches, can anybody suggest some more targets?</p>
<p>UChicago seems a little too theoretical and research-oriented for me. If I’m wrong there, please let me know. I do love Columbia but I don’t know how many reaches I should apply to.</p>
<p>Also if it helps to know more info:
My grades are on a strong upward trend, 3.5 GPA freshman year, 3.8 sophomore year, 4.0 junior.
I’m also doing a summer computer science internship at a large financial firm.</p>
<p>To be blunt, your approach where money is concerned is ill informed and will come back to bite you. Money must be the primary factor or you can end up like many who will never own homes or decent cars because of student loans they didn’t understand the impact of. Or you’ll be like many on CC who were accepted to only their ‘safeties’ and then realized they literally could not get the loans to afford to go.</p>
<p>I don’t believe BC is a safety for you and I think your target list ae reaches.</p>
<p>I have done plenty of research when it comes to paying for college, and, although I will have some loans, I know I will be fine. But thanks for your concern.</p>
<p>As far as BC, it is definitely a safety. Wes and Tufts are definitely targets, and Northwestern and Middlebury are at the top end of targets, but I still think I have a decent chance at getting in. I can post some info from my high school’s website if I really need to convince you of any of this.</p>