I need advice

<p>Hello...
I really want to go to Emory University and I already applied Early Decision II...but I have a huge problem. My parents do not make a lot of money and I am worried about if I may be admitted and cannot afford it...plus I think I have little to no shot in the RD pool...On the other hand I really REALLY want to go to Emory and I feel I have a better shot in the ED II round of getting in...should I go to regular or stay ED?...</p>

<p>4.03 GPA
Ranked in top 1% of class...in IB Program making straight As
Lots of leadership in ECs and may be coordinating a huge city project for inner city schools (I do not want to say specifically because it may reveal my identity)
ACT: 26..superscored 27 (please do not just make fun of me)</p>

<p>I am really intimidated because everyone applying has like 2000+ SAT scores or 30+ ACT scores and they do not even think their scores are good enough. It is insane. I do, however, know a senior admission dean personally and they think I am awesome and we talk on a regular basis...I am really unsure of what to do (which is why I am here)...and I need help. What do you guys suggest I do?</p>

<p>You can back out of ED if you can’t afford it–but you’re expected to do so before you’d get decisions from other schools. </p>

<p>You should seriously consider applying to Oxford also. You’re actually allowed to apply ED to both at the same time. Emory (neither the College of Arts and Sciences nor Oxford) does not superscore the ACT. </p>

<p>A 26 puts you 4 points below the 25th percentile of the admitted students class at the College of Arts and Sciences. That means that only 25% of admitted students have a 30 or below and you’re 4 points below that. At Oxford, the 25th percentile score is 27, which you’re closer to.</p>

<p>Yeah I know I am on the low side for scores…I really am not interested in oxford though. I’m shooting for main or nothing…I am also retaking the ACT in February…I am in a not so great situation…oh and I also have questbridge affiliation…if that helps at all…the QB app makes you write so many more essays than the common app…they get to know me really well…maybe that may help?..</p>

<p>What about Oxford turns you away from applying there as well?</p>

<p>I’m sorry but I’m going to be real with you. Your ACT score is holding back from getting admitted. I don’t think your getting into the main campus because your ACT score is just too low. Just as another poster said, that puts you at the bottom 25% of the class test score wise. Also, neither the main campus nor Oxford superscore the ACT. There are going to be applicants who have as good of a GPA as you but have better test scores. You have a better chance of getting into Oxford, but you don’t want to go there. Won’t it be too late to take the ACT in February because the application is due in January?</p>

<p>The February ACT would mean that Emory would mean that Emory would get your score after the ED II deadline.</p>

<p>As a low-income student, your first concern needs to be getting into a school that will be affordable. Those tend to be flagship public schools in certain states and top private colleges. Given your stats, you should apply to Oxford just to have a good chance at a good school that you could expect to be financially viable (you don’t have to apply ED there).</p>

<p>I was a low-income student rejected from the Atlanta campus with a 2120 SAT, pretty baller ECs, and several relatives who had attended Emory.</p>

<p>@aigiqinf I talked to an admissions officer already. They just need 1 set of scores by the deadlines. If you take a test after and the scores come in they will review them and Emory already has my 26 so taking another ACT would still be okay and accepted. I will look more into oxford and consider it.</p>

<p>@saye329 Well if I get turned away there is nothing I can do about that…</p>

<p>@FlyEagle I appreciate your honesty and I know Emory is a reach school for me. I just applied Early because I thought it may help my chances a little bit…do essays count any though?..or is it all numbers?</p>

<p>They count, and the rigor of your curriculum counts, so it’ll help. However, you just have to keep in mind that many others will have great essays, ECs, high rigor, some SAT II scores, and better SAT 1 scores. As I’ve told others, if you have taken any APs or HL IB exams in the past (not this year) and have done well, send those scores as it’ll show some more academic aptitude. </p>

<p>Also, Oxford appears to be a really nice way to start at Emory. The educational experience is probably richer there than on main campus for the first 2 years and, trust me, it makes a difference. Yes, your extracurricular life may be more “stereotypical” on main, but unless you get to start advanced courses are going into a major/exploring an area that allows you to proceed straight to special topics courses (or maybe you’ll enter the voluntary core), you probably won’t be blown away (as you would not at most elite research 1 universities). Also, you don’t have a choice but to get a quality instructor over there whereas the culture on main is mainly to choose some “chill” instructors for freshman and sophomore year. Due to these differences, many Oxford students experience more intellectual development and often have a better work ethic than those on main. Not to mention, they tend to just care more about the academic part of the experience which pays off in terms of performance in a challenging curriculum, writing an honors thesis, getting rec. letters. Profs. notice when students care as opposed to simply just caring about the grade. Main campus can jade many otherwise great students to the point where they have low expectations and expect mediocrity and more like a cruise-like experience. This is common at selective institutions where it’s more so a competition reduced to a race for grades (don’t get me wrong, Emory is not as intense as Harvard or anything like that, but naturally, with lots of high achieving pre-profs., there is an unconscious competition, where many will just settle for high grades instead of an education to ensure that they keep up in the race). There are also weird patterns in extra curricular scenes at these sorts of schools. The academic experience at selective R-1 places is prone to becoming very over-rated or a mere stepping stone sort of situation. Don’t be ashamed or concerned about going to Oxford. It really has the potential of being better for you. It focuses heavily on teaching and learning and provides excellent experiential opps. early on. Just saying not to over-rate the experience at selective R-1 schools and certainly don’t under-rate LAC type of environments even if it’s less selective. There are many weaknesses and strengths to both. And to be blunt, main campus seems to actually look to Oxford to inspire certain educational improvements: [The</a> Nature of Evidence | EmoryWire Magazine](<a href=“http://www.alumni.emory.edu/emorywire/issues/2013/december/of_note/story_1/]The”>http://www.alumni.emory.edu/emorywire/issues/2013/december/of_note/story_1/)</p>

<p>Read the “Why the focus on main campus only?”</p>

<p>It basically says, “well, Oxford beat us to it”. Those INQ courses (okay, many Oxford courses) are probably much better than many freshman and sophomore courses you’ll take in ECAS unless you truly believe you benefit from sitting in large lecture halls passively taking notes and being asked a question every now and then. There are certainly many courses that are comparable and give it a run for the money. But since main is bigger, they are more competitive to get into especially if you are not an upperclassman. If I went to main and was not science oriented, I would (starting freshman year) go for any non-intro. courses that I could that do not require pre-reqs and choose the best freshman seminar I could to maximize the experience, even though the tendency is to flock to 100 level courses. Many such courses are honestly glorified state school courses (kind of large) with smart people in them, so maybe you will get interesting conversation/discourse. However, since they are often pure lecture based, engagement tends to not be as great as it would be in the smaller set-ups at Oxford (where you would not have to try this hard to find the small/richer ones because that’s just the way the place is) or in the courses I allude to. If you run to these courses, you’ll sometimes wonder why you were so gung-ho and freaking out about coming to main, trust me.</p>

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<p>Sorry, I mistyped–your February score will arrive after you receive an admissions decision, not just after the application deadline.</p>

<p>@bernie12 Thanks so much for that thoughtful response…I really will consider Oxford now…I was thinking that Emory main campus was larger, but had small class sizes. Like smaller than what you are stating. Thank you.</p>