<p>Hi....I'm so grateful for these forums. ......I am just so blown away that an all around , normal, B+ student has little or no chance of being accepted into schools that five years ago, would have been "a slam-dunk". I realize that next year will reign as the most selective ever..........and we are quite worried that our daughter will be very disappointed with rejections....especially she her first SATs were low. So, I ask all of you to look over some of these stats and give me an honest answer as to her chances at these schools. (We know she needs to get her SAT scores up...she will try the ACT in October).</p>
<p>In summary, here are her stats:
Highly ranked public school in New England
Top 23% class ranking
GPA is 3.5 UNWEIGHED -- although she always seems to have an 89 aver. on report card.
First SAT score was 1700
Took all honor courses and is taking 3 AP courses next year
Varsity tennis for 4 years -- she will be the captain next year
Track -- one year
Sailing -- One year (would have been more years except she had a scary event happen)
Spanish Award
International club
Yearbook staff
Volunteering at local elementary school
Many service hours (not sure exactly how many)</p>
<p>Schools she in interested in:
Uconn
UDel
UVM
Northeastern
penn state university park
James madison
George Mason
Umaryland
Ohio State
Michigan State</p>
<p>Please let me know what you opinion of her chances of these....thank you so much in advance!</p>
<p>Are you instate for any of these schools? The list is comprised of mostly flagship U's. In some cases these can be more difficult for OOS students. I know students with similar stats who were accepted at UDel. And I know students with similar stats who were not accepted at UMDCP, OSU, and UConn. I guess I wonder what other instate possibilities you are considering and whether any of the schools on your DD's list are YOUR flagship U?</p>
<p>UConn is quite difficult OOS. Northeastern has become sort of everyone's safety of choice in Massachusetts at least, so it has become a lot more selective. I think James Madison and George Mason are fairly safe; I don't know enough about the others.</p>
<p>Is your daughter really looking for large schools -- or is she assuming that they are more affordable? (Although if you can afford Northeastern...) Has she visited any LACs? That would open up her options tremendously? Ditto for Catholic-affiliated colleges...</p>
<p>Actually there are many, many schools for a B+ student. Most schools would love to have such a student. There is bottleneck for certain well known schools, but if you get beyond that, it is easier than ever to get into college these day, especially if you do not need financial aid or merit money.</p>
<p>The Penn State main campus is pretty competitive. I don't have a huge base of information, but I have the sense that the GPA/SAT combination the OP describes would be low for a student there. The same is probably true of Maryland, too.</p>
<p>Appreciate all the responses.........yes, these are out of state. She isn't interested in our state school (Univer. of RI) since she wants to experience a different surrounding. The other thing is she would prefer a larger school....but doesn't want to go too far, such as the west coast. Her breakdown was 580V, 580M and 530writing....</p>
<p>It gets harder to get into Maryland every year. The SAT is important in admissions there, but only the critical reading and math sections. You had better have at least a 1300 on those two sections combined to have a chance, even if you're in-state. </p>
<p>It is much easier to get into UDel, even from out of state, than to get into Maryland.</p>
<p>Out on Long Island, I know alot of kids who got into U Md but not U Delaware. Delaware has become extremely competitive in my neck of the woods.<br>
My d was also a B+ student- but with lower SAT/ACT score. She was accepted to George Mason, Towson and Temple with her scores.
Your d definitely has a shot at her schools, but she may want to add a few "safeties" in the mix.</p>
<p>University of Buffalo?? I think your d has a decent shot at UB plus the three schools I listed above.</p>
<p>I also liked this book by Tamra Orr (?) Schools for B+ Students. (I'm forgetting the name as my d is now a college junior and the info becomes hazy after a while.) It had a nice array of schools from small rural areas to large urban schools geared for the B student.</p>
<p>In state a 3.5 GPA may or may not get into Ohio State. We have known 3.5s to be accepted or rejected. Those AP classes and the Varsity Tennis Captain should help her to get an acceptance there.</p>
<p>I thought Vermont was a great idea, and that's not un-large. UB, sure. Pitt? Not sure it would be a safety, but possibly a match. West Virginia? University of Richmond? </p>
<p>How about UMass - Amherst? That's kind of a glaring omission from your list; I assumed it was intentional.</p>
<p>Temple might be a safety. It can be a great school, but you have to be prepared for a lot of urban decay in the vicinity.</p>
<p>I don't know enough about Rutgers, but you might want to look at that, too.</p>
<p>
[quote]
The Penn State main campus is pretty competitive. I don't have a huge base of information, but I have the sense that the GPA/SAT combination the OP describes would be low for a student there.
[/quote]
PSU UP is indeed quite competitive. With the stats as they are you'd be below average for Penn State UP so I'd consider it a "reach" unless some of the numbers go up. You'd still stand a chance, but purely on the numbers you are on the low side.</p>
<p>Rutgers might be a possibility. They don't attract a lot of OOS students, so that would be a plus for her there. LIke JHS, I also thought of UMasss.</p>
<p>Ohio University is a good possibility or Purdue University. Both big schools with a high spirited student body. U of WV is another good choice. Michigan State is a huge school. Penn state can be a tough one. With slightly higher SATs, and an app in there early, it may be a possibility. Look at the larger state U's and see where your D's SAT scores are above the midrange.</p>