I need to talk to someone!

College Search & Selection
21

<p>The rating system usually goes something like this:
Dream (Most Difficult)<br>
High Reach
Reach
Low Reach
High Match
Match
Low Match
Safety (Least Difficult)</p>

<p>So a high match is almost a reach, while a low match is almost a safety.</p>

<p>I would look over your list and see if there’s anything you want to cut. I wouldn’t characterize UMD, UMBC, Stony Brook, Pitt, Umass, Purdue, Bing, Syracuse, JMU, VTech or Indiana as small or medium sized. Why do you like them?</p>

22

<p>Well you’re right, @‌butterfreesnd
I think that I’m just being more open to my options.
I’m open to about 2k-20k
And pitt because I’m from pitt and it’s free
Purdue umass Indiana umd vtech id like to keep for now because I just need my options to be open.
It’s a gut feeling, I suppose.</p>

23

<p>I want to apply to a vast array of colleges and see what happens.
After colleges reject me etc then i think I can narrow down my options much more efficiently</p>

24

<p>If you want a small to medium sized school an feel, take American U and Syracuse off your list. Beside, American is test optional and your SAT isn’t in the top 50th percentile and your GPA is far below what they expect.</p>

25

<p>@anniebeats I visited syracuse a few weeks ago and I was very impressed with the size and feel.
My only concern was the party atmosphere.
13000-2000</p>

26

<p>So you are comfortable with a school that has 25,000 students? If so, that opens up your options a lot. The experience at Syracuse however, is miles away from the experience at SRU. SRU is small and in the middle of nowhere. There is nothing to do besides party.</p>

27

<p>@anniebeats I’m leaving my options of size open even though preferably a medium 10000 school would fit me better</p>

<p>And sru is really a last option if I need it.
I hope not to need it</p>

28

<p>Also add ohio and Delaware.</p>

29

<p>

</p>

<p>Huh? Do you mean room and board will be free because you’ll live at home?</p>

30

<p>@guidedbywire sorry I meant free to apply.
They will reply quickly and I’m curious to see if I’ll be accepted there</p>

31

<p>Bump</p>

32

<p>What’s the highest level of math you’ve completed? What grades did you get in that class, in physics? Have you taken any CS class in high school?</p>

<p>Syracuse = reach/out of reach
Binghamton = reach
Rochester = out of reach
Case west = reach
Stonybrook = reach
Marquette = match
Dayton = match
Rochester tech = match
American = out of reach
Providence = high match
Virginia tech = reach
Purdue = match (but weed out: they admit kids with your stats then… weed them out)
Miami oh = reach
Maryland = high match
Umass = match
Lehigh = out of reach
Indiana = match
Bucknell = out of reach
Allegheny = high match
James Madison = high match
Pitt = high match
Ohio north = match
Shippensburg = safety
Marist = match
Rensselaer = out of reach
Bradley = match
The college of New Jersey = reach
Slippery rock = safety
UMBC= match
sacred heart = safety</p>

<p>Out of 30 schools, 5 are out of reach and should be culled; out of the remaining 25, you have 7 reaches and 4 high matches (ie. near reaches) but only 2 safeties.
It’s very unabalanced.
Based on the schools you like, I would add Penn State Behrend (4,000 students and, if you feel like going to a larger campus, you can automatically go to University Park after 2 years, but if you don’t want to change you can stay there all 4 years) as well as Greater Allegheny (a better safety than SRU since you have the same option as above and are closer to Pittsburgh for recreation).
If you like Purdue, UMD-CP, UMass, why don’t you apply to Penn State? It’s very “grassy” and if you apply this week as undecided, checking that you’re willing to do the Summer Session, your odds are okay. (The longer you wait, the harder it will be for you to get into any rolling admissions school, including Penn State and Pitt).
However, huge schools don’t seem to be your cup of tea, so check out:
U Scranton (similar to U Dayton), Lycoming, Pennsylvania College of Technology, Ursinus, Washington&Jefferson, Loyola-Maryland, Elizabethtown, Juniata, Alfred, Adelphi, Drew, Fairleigh-Dickinson, NYIT.</p>

33

<p>@MYOS1634‌ </p>

<p>What’s the highest level of math you’ve completed? What grades did you get in that class, in physics? Have you taken any CS class in high school?</p>

<p>I’ve taken CALC AB
AND I’m taking calc BC this year</p>

<p>My grade in calc ab was a b
I plan to get a b+ or a In calc bc this year</p>

<p>I took physics last year and got a c+ with a very unhelpful teacher to my 504 plan.</p>

<p>I’m taking ap physics this year and my teacher is much more humanistic and I will probably get a good grade b or above
I took Visual Basic last year and got an a
I’m taking AP comp sci this year and plan to get an A</p>

<p>I would like a medium or small school
2-20k people</p>

<p>My preference wouldn’t be Purdue or Indiana or umass but I’m trying to keep my options open because I know rejection will be a high probability.</p>

<p>I know I only have 3 safeties or so
shu
Sru
And shippensburg
But those are really my last choice options I hope to do better than that.
Binghamton and syracuse and rochester are my first choices
I know I have NO CHANCE at rochester thouvh</p>

34

<p>I expect to have a top tier essay and I hope to get near 1900-2000 on the sat to show I am a capable student and I’m hopeful that my letters of recommendation are very good as well.</p>

35

<p>Be aware that it’s very difficult to go from a B in Calc AB to an A in BC. It is, however, impressive that you’re taking Calc AB <em>and</em> BC.
That C+ will really hurt your odds at all the match and reach schools - keep in mind you won’t have a 504 plan in college, even if they do accomodate you.
<em>Checking out accomodations should thus be a priority in your choices</em></p>

<p>Remove the Out of Reach schools from that list and look for more matches and for schools that are low matches. Keep about 5-6 reaches/high matches, then add more matches and safeties you like better.</p>

<p>URochester won’t happen. It’s really pointless to apply. Syracuse and Bing are high reaches as is - For Bing, if you brought your SAT score to 1900 you’d have a shot with a 3.6 but with a 3.1 it’s almost impossible. For Syracuse, you’d need a lower SAT score (1800-1850) but they’d still want a 3.6 GPA. If you had 3.4 and 1800 it’d be different but these shouldn’t be your “top choices”. They’re unlikely. You need to find schools similar enough to them that are matches - although I do encourage you to apply to both since “you never know”.
So, your task for now will be to find these schools you like a lot yet are not reaches.</p>

<p>Go visit Penn State Behrend, it sounds like a great option based on what you want - strong for science, not too big but with possibility to get to a bigger campus if you wish, nice campus…
Try to visit Washington&Jefferson as well as Greater Allegheny (ask your guidance counselor your school’s rules for college visits, ie., whether you can go on a Friday when class is in session).</p>

<p>More universities for you to investigate (=> check out their website to see if you’re interested then run the net price calculator and bring the results to your parents; if they give you the go ahead, check out their accomodations and/or email to indicate interest and ask questions about typical accomodations). </p>

<p>All of the following would be matches or low matches unless indicated.</p>

<ul>
<li>Catholic colleges: UScranton (PA), Loyola Maryland, Salve Regina (RI), Stonehill (Boston), Molloy (NY), Manhattanville, John Carroll (OH), St Michael’s in VT .</li>
</ul>

<p>In California:

  • University of the Pacific has a great co-op program and a nice campus.
  • UCSC would be a terrific choice for a full-pay student interested in CS, since is right by the Silicon Valley (not in it, but close enough :p) Nice campus, nice surroundings, and it’s a UC even though it’s a match for your stats. Only caveat: you must have taken art between 9th and 11th grade as well as 2 years of a foreign language. Also, it’s rather large (16,000 undergrads).
  • Cal Poly Pomona, known as CPP, is a safety. A large Tech school, about 30 miles from LA.</p>

<p>In Colorado, University of Denver and CU-Boulder are possibilities.</p>

<p>If you like Providence, Quinnipiac is similar but a bit closer to a match for you.</p>

<p>In the South, check out Berry College (GA, match), UNC Raleigh. </p>

<p>If you like cities, Lesley in Boston, Ogglethorpe in Atlanta (both low matches - you may even get a merit scholarship if you SAT score improves), St Edward’s (in Austin, Texas).</p>

<p>Go through the list and write back, indicating the ones you liked and the ones you didn’t - this way, other posters may have more suggestions in line with what you like.</p>

36

<p>@MYOS1634‌
I did get a c+ in physics but i plan to get a b or b+ or better in AP physics because after my psychological help I’ve found a way to succeed and I plan to work much harder my senior year.
I know this is very ignorant sounding but my parents don’t think penn state branches are worthwhile and I’m not interested in penn state in general.</p>

37

<p>Also @MYOS1634‌
I want to stay relatively closer to pittsburgh
An 8 hr drive is the furthest away I’d like to go…</p>

38

<p>I’m mostly not looking for size in a school but a nice feel.
Shippensburg I visited as my mom called it was very “grassy” and I felt at home </p>

39

<p>Well, Behrend is not a “regular” branch campus, it’s a 4-year college and it’s got an excellent engineering-and-science programs.
I don’t understand why your parents think SRU is fine, but not Greater Allegheny though. I mean, SRU is better and depending on your SAT score you may even get into the Honors Program, whereas Greater Allegheny is pretty much open admissions, but it’s close to Pittsburgh (not as claustrophobic as SRU) and you can transfer easily to Main Campus. If they allow you to apply to PASSHE schools, check out West Chester University and Bloomsburg, too.</p>

<p>It’s fine that you’re not interested in Penn State in general though, I get that giant schools aren’t everyone’s cup of tea :slight_smile:
Especially when there are tons of schools that you can get into - see above.
I think it’s comparatively easier (ie.doable) to go from C+ to B in AP Physics 1 than to go from B to A in Calculus. Often, the difference between C+ and B is work and motivation. But the difference between B and A is not just work. </p>

40

<p>My parents aren’t exactly normal.
There’s a reason I’ve had psychological issues.
It’s not just the chemicals in my brain.
Sorry</p>