The deadline to make my college decision is soon, and I’m not enthusiastic to attend any of the schools on my list. I don’t know what was going through my mind when I applied, but the location, social scene, etc. is all wrong for me.
I also believe that I should’ve aimed higher.
My weighted GPA: 4.04
Unweighted: 3.74
SAT: 1350
AP US: 4
AP Psych: 5
AP Computer Science: 4
AP Physics: 5
AP Spanish Language: 3
-I had great extracurriculars, recs, and a pretty decent essay.
I applied to:
-Ithaca College
-Penn State
-Rutgers
-Mount Holyoke
-U Tampa
-University of Florida
-Fordham
-Villanova
On May 1st everyone is going to be declaring where they are going, and I’m going to be stuck at a school I hate
My intended major is: Biology, but I’ll probably change it to something physics related
Are all of the college’s affordable? You have a number of excellent and varied choices on your list.
if you prefer you can take a gap year and reapply.
Yea, they’re all around the same price. $35k, my parents can pay. How would a gap year work? Do I have to do something big over my year off?
Those are the schools you are choosing between? What type of school would you prefer?
Any chance that you can go back for another visit to one or two? You might remember why you applied there.
Why do you “hate” these schools? What schools would you “love”? With your stats higher ranked schools would have been pretty much out of reach.
You are setting yourself up for a miserable freshman year anywhere you choose and likely more disappointment when you fail to transfer up.
If my child said such things with so many great options to choose from, I would advise him/her to forgo college, get a job, and move out.
With with the exception of amount Holyoke they’re all pretty big schools, I prefer a smaller environment where I don’t need to try as hard to stand out. Mount Holyoke is all girls and in Massachusetts. I would much rather be in a major city in a smaller college. Ithaca, U Tampa, Mount H, Penn State, and Rutgers were all my safeties. I think the problem is that I applied to too many safety schools, and bad locations for outside opportunities
Were you rejected at your reach schools?
The schools you were admitted to seem in line with your stats. You could take a gap year and apply to a new set in the fall. More LACs maybe? However I’d suggest reconsidering Fordham and Villanova. Both are medium sized schools with Fordham in NYC and Nova just outside Philly for internship possibilities. Neither has a particularly big campus so they may feel a bit smaller than their student body size suggests.
I know plenty of people with the same and lower stats that got into higher ranked schools that I now desire. It’s not all about the numbers, and my stats are decent or average for many schools in the top 40-50
But did you apply to any of those schools?
Only Georgetown, I was accepted everywhere else
I think you applied to a nice range of schools. I also think that higher ranked schools would have been a reach for you. If you do not like these choices then my advice is to take a gap year and reapply.
What location and social scene are you looking for that can’t be found at these schools?
Based on what you said in post #8, it appears that Fordham would be the right place for you. Major city. Maybe not a small college, but it’s medium-sized. About 6,000 at the Rose Hill campus, and 2,000 at the Lincoln Center campus.
I visited Fordham a few weeks ago, and the surrounding area was a big turn off for me. I don’t like how everything is super fenced in and the divide it has from the rest of the Bronx. It was also very religious, which I did not know until I did more research. I am an atheist so that may be a problem with my peers. It also isn’t as highly ranked as other schools I applied to or could’ve gotten into.
I’m pretty dumb for not researching the schools harder, but Villanova is even more religious than Fordham. When I was accepted, there was a priest congratulating me in my acceptance video. I am a atheist
I think that list sounds like a great list of acceptances and seems to match your stats pretty well. I don’t think taking a gap year and reapplying will get you into more selective schools, but it can get you into smaller schools at the same level. If you really aren’t happy with any of your choices, and your parents are supportive, take a gap year. Do more research next time. You don’t want to aim higher, but you do want to make sure the schools are good fits.
What higher ranked schools did you have in mind? I know students at several of the schools on your list who had similar or higher HS stats, and they find the work to be challenging. Did you make honors at any of these schools?
If you want a smaller school then I would take a gap year and reapply.