In search of some good schools!

College Search & Selection
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<p>To get a good idea of me, here are some of my specs.:</p>

<p>SAT:
590 Writing
540 C. Reading
750 Math</p>

<p>SAT II:
760 Chem.
650 Physics
630 Math 2
<em>I took them all on the same day! But I will retake them ASAP</em></p>

<p>GPA: 4.35/4.6 (weighted)</p>

<p>Rank: 22/631</p>

<p>EC's:
Nothing stellar, and it probably would not help me much by listing them, but some things that I've been involved with:</p>

<p>Courses I've taken:
9th- All honors
10th- All honors classes & Orchestra
11th- AP Chem, AP American Studies I, and the rest were honors classes (Spanish IV, Pre-calc, Physics, English III)
12th- All AP Classes (Environmental Science, Physics, English IV, Spanish V, Calc BC, American Studies II)</p>

<p>Model UN
Varsity Tennis (Freshman Year - Present)
Honor Society (Treasurer in 9th grade)
Student Council (Treasurer in 9th grade)
Class Council
I've been involved in a few other smaller things, but nothing amazing.</p>

<p>I am mostly interested in chemistry, and I am considering entering the medical field. I know my stats are not stellar, but I'm hoping to bring them up (especially the SAT's). My first choice college right now is JHU, and I know it will be quite the reach, but I will keep on trying. I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions (reach, matches, and safeties) that I could consider. I understand that CMU is good for computer science, but how do they rank
in the pure sciences? Thanks and I appreciate your time! :)</p>

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<p>Also, are colleges interested in having you there if they send you mail about their school?</p>

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<p>I think most colleges get students' names from the College Board when you take the PSAT (or SAT?). Usually I don't think they want you (specifically) to go to that school. They want students (in general) to apply. It also doesn't mean you're going to get into that college.</p>

<p>...Sorry I can't answer to your first post. I'm not really in a position to give sage college advice. ;)</p>

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<p>Thanks for your help anyway. If anyone has any suggestions of which schools I should look at, that would be greatly appreciated!</p>

<p>P.S.- I have thought about it: JHU as a reach and maybe Lehigh Univ. as a match or less of a reach? Also, does anyone know of any good safety schools that I can look at? Thanks.</p>

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<p>Your math SAT will stand out if you are interested in sciences. If you have directed your SAT scores to be sent to schools, you may find that tech-oriented schools may be quite interested in you. A friend's son was recruited and offered a significant scholarship to Clarkson U (in Potsdam, NY) based on his math SAT. He was good but not great student (probably top 25%) with average verbal SAT. Clarkson is a very good science/technology school to consider, probably a match for you. A letter from such a recruiting school will be very direct about offering scholarship aid. A simple letter asking you to apply may not mean much. Schools nowadays unfortunately bow down to the god of USNews Rankings. By increasing the applications they can appear more selective and increase their score in the ranking system. Such rankings are widely recognized as very arbitrary and very meaningless but they are used for recruiting nevertheless. </p>

<p>Are you limiting yourself to east coast? What size school are you looking for? Some considerations: Rutgers (match if out-of-state; safety if instate [where do you live?]. RU is very strong in the sciences); U Rochester, Brandeis (reaches, but strong in sciences); Most state universities will serve you well in the sciences and for going on to grad or medical school if you do well. Penn State (match), UConn (match to safety), UMass (safety), U MD (match).</p>

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<p>Thanks for the advice/suggestions. I live in the suburbs of Philadelphia, and right now I have been focusing mostly on east coast schools, but I am open for suggestions that are outside of this region as well. I will look into Clarkson U some more, because it does sound very appealing. Thank you!</p>

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<p>I also just have a quick question about interviews. Which type of schools require these, and by how early should I schedule one if I do want an interview?</p>

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<p>B U M P ! !</p>

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<p>Lehigh!</p>

<p>TOO SHORT?!!?</p>

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<p>People on this site seem to stress (and get stressed by) interviews, but they are optional, especially for non-HYP schools. My son was acccepted into a number of very good schools without doing any interviews. They could conceivably make a difference for borderline credentials or if applying to a HYP where everyone has 800 SATs and A averages. But if you interview well (think about it) I would encourage you to schedule one. Just contact the admissions office to find out about timing. You have plenty of time.</p>

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<p>Thank you for your input, collegedad1. I feel that I am not on the borderline per se, but below it, especially when it comes to SAT scores lol... I probably will not apply to any HYP, but I think I might have a slim chance at Cornell.</p>

<p>thethoughtprocess,
I didn't quite catch what you meant by your reply, but if Lehigh is a bigger reach than I thought, then I feel ridiculous lol... anyway, can you interpret what you meant by 'too short?'. Thanks for your time, both of you.</p>

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<p>For starters on the east coast, huh...</p>

<p>You should definently look at Dartmouth along with Johns Hopkins for your reach.</p>

<p>Some good matches for you would be:
Case Western
Brandeis
Lehigh
Tufts
Clark(MA)
Penn State</p>

<p>Safeties(not exactly safety safeties):</p>

<p>SUNY-Stony Brook
Drexel
Drew
RPI</p>

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<p>Krabble, I was saying that you should use Lehigh as a match</p>

<p>I said "too short" because of that obnoxious 10-character limit lol</p>

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<p>Thank both of you for your time. How does Dartmouth compare with JHU when it comes to pure sciences? And also, how does JHU compare when it comes to pure sciences? lol, sorry if these are stupid questions! Also, is Dartmouth very realistic, since my SAT scores are so low.</p>

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<p>well not really, try and get them up</p>

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<p>Realistically, your reading (old verbal) SAT and writing SAT (most colleges are still not sure how to use the new SAT and probably weight the old math/verbal more) will make Dartmouth and JHU pretty major reaches. Also I would consider Tufts to be a bit of a reach based on your scores. You will probably bring up your SATs by 50 points just by retaking, but its not realistic to expect to match your math SATs. On the other hand, as i said before science oriented colleges like Lehigh and the tech institutes will definitely be attracted to your math SAts. Unfortunatley, since ranking on the stupid USNew list is based in part on admitted kids' SAT scores, top 40 colleges are reluctant to take kids with scores that will lower their averages. I think that's just an unfortunate reality.</p>

<p>But having said that I really do want to emphasize to you that you do NOT need to go to a top 40 school to be successful. If you go to ANY top 100 school, including many of the state universities that will be a match for you or to some of the tech schools you are interested in that you are definitely qualified for, and work hard and excel there, you will be going to a good grad or professional school to complete your training. And if you work hard and excel at the next level you will be getting a good job. DO NOT think that you need to go to JHU or Dartmouth to suceed. It's just not true, as almost any parent can tell you from their life experience. This site is way overloaded with hyperachieving HS kids with a lot of their self esteem invested in the prestige of their college. That's fine if that's what is important to them. But it has little to do with academic or life success.</p>

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<p>collegedad1:</p>

<p>First off, let me thank you for the time that you have taken to help me understand my situation and provide insight into which colleges I would be comfortable with. I must say, I do not expect to be admitted into any of my reach schools, but it would certainly be awesome if I were. It would not upset me too deeply if I did not attend a name-brand or uber-prestigious school, but then again, it would not upset me if I did get accept either lol... I'm trying face reality now and not get my hopes up too much (no, I'm not being unconfident, I just don't like disappointment). I do agree that a state university can provide me with an equally satisfying education, but one like Penn State (main campus) would be far too big for me. I will definitely have a number of match schools/safety schools, for it would be foolish for me not to have them. I also have a quick question about JHU's admissions policy: A rising freshman (of JHU '09) explained to me that JHU accepts a number of lower-end SAT scores as well (near 1200~), but I figure those go to athletes or those in a particularly interesting situation. Now that I think about it, my application looks very plain, lacks a hook, and though it may have a decent school transcript, the standardized tests are surpassed by 99% of other applicants. I'd rather face the reality of my chances now than later, and really, I do not quite compare to those that will get accepted, unfortunately. For a while though, it felt like I may have had a chance, because many acceptees have told me that Johns Hopkins' essay is a major factor (as well as EC's)- and I plan to commit an extraordinary amount of time doing this, but I feel that there is nothing I can say that will convince them that I am the student for them. I had a feeling that this was the case, and I though I want to be confident, I do not see it happening. Any thoughts on this would be greatly appreciated. Again, thank you for your time, and I hope this brings more insight into my decision making!</p>

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<p>KRabble88 </p>

<p>There was an interesting article in a recent Time Magazine about the impact of income on the application process and how poor nonminority, nonathlete kids are discriminated against in the application process. They actually showed acceptance rates at 19 "top" schools in your SAT range (1250-1299) and there was a large variance: Athletes were ~70%, legacy ~50%, minority ~50% and low-income ~30%. Not sure how you fit, but it does show that there is in fact a spectrum of acceptance rates for even the higher end schools and you do stand a finite chance of getting into JHU. And don't get me wrong, going to a prestigious school is great. I hope you get into the school of your choice. I was proud my son got into a good school. But my own experience was going to a state school (Rutgers) because of financial reasons, but doing well there and going to Cornell Med School. And many of my classmates at Cornell were from non-Ivy, middle level colleges who excelled there. So I am familair with that career pathway. I do encourage you to apply to JHU and work hard on that essay if you think this is your first choice. There are enough vagaries in the selection process that you really just never know. But take the time to know that JHU really is the "one" for you. You may well find that when you make your visits to other campuses that you will change your mind. There is a lot to be said to feeling the "vibe" of a place and just feeling very comfortable with the campus, kids, and professors. You will go to some campuses and just know that they are not a good match and go to others and know that they are a great match. And some of the latter places will be match up well for you in acceptance.<br>
What size campus are you looking for? One place that also comes to mind now is Tulane which is very strong in the sciences, is only ~6000 undergraduates and if you pull up your reading SAT by 50 points will be a match for you.</p>

<p>Some final thoughts for you on maxing your application. Your EC's are not bad; varsity tennis for 4 yrs is actually impressive. But you are missing community service and leadership. You could start this summer, doing some community service - can you think of some community service that you could then bring into the school as a club, where you could develop the program, thereby showing leadership, commitment, and service at the same time you get the benefits of personal growth that will come from the experience? I think that could really make you stand out to colleges.</p>

<p>You sound like a very thoughtful young person and I wish you the best of luck. Please keep in touch and let me know where you end up applying and how you do. I'm also happy to any any other questions that might be helpful to you.</p>

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<p>Thank you for your reassurance in this hectic situation. I am an Asian American male, in case that will be of any good to me. Tulane has been a college that has come up a number of times throughout my search for colleges, and though at first I was not completely interested because of its location, I have heard many great things from the school. I will be sure to add Tulane to my list of colleges, and hopefully I will be able to visit it some time soon. As for community service, I have only done very little throughout high school (about a total of 50 hours through all years), but they are not very focused on one thing. However, two of my friends and I have set up a tennis clinic for children (through the township) as a volunteer project this summer. We are currently doing it now, however the total number of hours accumulated looks like about 70 hours. I did not mention this in my specs., because I felt that it would not influence my likelihood of getting into any particular school, since a measily 70 hours hardly stands up to the amount that other applicants may accumulate. I will certainly keep in touch with you, and the least I can do is keep you informed on how my college process is going. Thank you greatly for all the help you have provided me- it has brought me a deal of confidence, and I will definitely keep in mind what you have told me.</p>

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<p>I think your tennis clinic is great and definitely should be something to be proud of and made aware to colleges. Can you expand it and bring it into the school? Can you get the town or better businesses to donate money for tennis rackets for kids? Or get sporting shops to donate the rackets for underprivileged kids? Think big!!</p>