<p>Well I'm applying for some pretty prestigious universities / colleges:
Brown U
Boston U
Tufts U
American U
Georgetown U
George Washington U
Johns Hopkins U
St. Johns U
Columbia U &
Howard U</p>
<p>But I was disappointed with my SAT score: 1860. CR:630 M:620 W:610
I didn't study AT ALL so I didn't do amazing.
I also have just an OK GPA.
3.551 unweighted
4.351 weighted
I also have ok AP scores:
US History: 4 Lit. & Comp.:4 Calculus: 3
No 5's :( probably should have studied for those too... -_-</p>
<p>I am going to take the SAT subject tests on January too and I don't know weather I should take 2 or 3...</p>
<p>What would you recommend? Do you think i'll be accepted into the colleges I want to go to?</p>
<p>I am a senior. :// can’t retake them… Have to do the SAT II’s…
But I do have MANY extracurriculars that I am VERY involved in…
A short list would include NHS: Treasurer, Debate: Preaident, Dem. Party intern, and 4 years in band.</p>
<p>Lol I saw your other thread, didn’t realize you were an URM. You have a pretty good chance at some but add a few more safety/match schools. Nobody has a “good” chance at Harvard.</p>
<p>So are all those applications already in? If not, you might just want to leave off a few “reaches”, where your SAT’s aren’t in the mid fifty. If you’ve already submitted them; don’t worry about it now; just relax and wait.</p>
<p>BUT make sure you have some financial safeties that you would like to attend. What are your financial safeties?</p>
<p>PS the URM thing might help with a marginal SAT, but not a marginal GPA at the tip top schools ( i.e. Columbia, Brown). Not sure about weighted vs unweighted.</p>
<p>Nope only St. John’s in for now which is more a safety. Would you have any suggestions as to which I should scrap?</p>
<p>Also could you explain to me what exactly financial safties are?
I’m not exactly well versed in College Confidential lingo lol (I had to Look up URM)</p>
<p>Financial Safeties are match schools that will not burn a hole in your pocket. These schools are usually your public state flagship universities and the like. You would definitely get in Howard maybe GWU and Boston U and American U? All the rest are low to high reaches. What is your class rank?</p>
<p>Don’t cancel applications, but financial safeties are schools that you can afford, often some sort of in state school with a lower tuition where even if you didn’t get the best package you could still manage to attend.</p>
<p>What state do you reside in? I’d suggest looking into your state university system, as many of them provide educations comparable to higher ranked institutions. Your reach schools, I’m afraid to say, are rather unlikely, but I still wish you the best of luck. Georgetown, Columbia, Brown, Tufts, and Johns Hopkins are very selective schools - I had a friend who had legacy status at Columbia and very high scores who was rejected from the first three. Remember, there are URM students who “didn’t study at all” for their standardized exams and still banged out 5s and 2250+ scores, so you’ve got some pretty stiff competition. The deadline for essays is near, so try to make them as great as possible. Other than that, make sure you have good financial safeties that you’d feel comfortable at.</p>
<p>I don’t necessarily get the idea of a “financial safety” considering the original poster hasn’t stated that she is in a dire financial situation or anything of that nature?! Or am I missing something?</p>
<p>And I disagree with many other posters. Using examples as evidence that things don’t always work out is just as effective as using examples as evidence that things do work out. What will an example prove to the admissions office? People simply like to use prior experiences as an indicator of what “may” happen, but considering that none of us are adcoms on this thread (I’m assuming) and few have an accurate idea of how the process even works (most statements like these are simply rumors), no one can say that said examples and prior experiences are an indication of how one will perform when they themselves go through the admissions process.</p>
<p>SATs aren’t everything and it is very likely the original poster will do well if (s)he writes excellent essays and proves herself as worthy to that specific college/university. GOOD LUCK! :)</p>
<p>“I don’t necessarily get the idea of a “financial safety” considering the original poster hasn’t stated that she is in a dire financial situation or anything of that nature?!”</p>
<p>Our EFC is probably 50k, hardly “dire”, but I expect my sons list to include schools that we can/will pay for, based on what we have discussed. Seems like the rate limiting step to me.</p>
<p>No one here has indicated that; I believe we are all aware of the process of holistic admissions. However, when one aspect of the package is weak, then it does negatively impact the chances of the applicant. Denying this incontrovertible fact is disingenuous.</p>
<p>Many posters on CC tend to focus so holistically on SAT scores that they do not see the entire poster’s credentials. I’m not denying that an 1860 is the same as getting a 2250, but what I am saying is that the OP should not feel like it will considerably hold them back. Because I don’t feel that such a thing is true.</p>
<p>For much of the schools on the OP’s list - Boston, American, GW, etc. - an 1860 is actually a very decent score and for others - Brown, Columbia, Harvard - adcoms will look past the weak SAT scores for other credentials that make the candidate look impressive before coming to a judgment.</p>
<p>It is - my apologies to the OP and any others who read this thread who thought I might have indicated otherwise. </p>
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<p>Yes, and I think I conveyed this sentiment accurately in the statement that you quoted. Holistic admissions mean that the other portions of the OP’s package will be considered; however, we should bear in mind that they will not “look past” the scores but consider them to have parity (in terms of importance, that is) with other aspects of the applicant’s package. That’s all.</p>