Is this a good variety to apply to? Help me limit my selection!

College Search & Selection
1

<p>I currently have a list of fourteen colleges that I am interested in, and I want to make sure that I have a nice variety to apply to, enough safeties, matches, or reaches for a good selection pool. I can provide you with some of my academic information, and hopeful you can give me some feedback!</p>

<p>Weighted GPA: 4.24
Unweighted GPA: 3.86
Class Rank: 27/446
ACT Score: 28</p>

<p>***Please keep in mind that I am a senior next year, and that I am expecting my GPA and class rank to rise, I am predicting that by the end of senior year I will have a 4.35 GPA and be around 20/430 in class rank. I am not sure how my ACT score will change by then. I would also like to note that my grades slipped first semester sophomore year, and for the last three semesters (In the hardest classes I have taken thus far) I have maintained straight As (no A-s). I have full intentions of maintaining straight As for the last two semesters of high school.</p>

<p>I am an I.B. Diploma Candidate, and I'm taking the following classes Senior Year:
I.B. History of The Americas HL
I.B. Chemistry HL
I.B. English SL
I.B. German SL
I.B. Math SL
I.B. Psychology
Physics I (AP)
Zero Hour Broadcast Journalism
Zero Hour Theory of Knowledge
Personal Finance (Summer)</p>

<p>ECs:
National Art Honor Society - Freshman
Student Senate - Sophomore
National Honor Society - Junior & Senior (Public Relations Manager)
German National Honor Society - Junior & Senior (Secretary)
German Club - Junior & Senior
EF Educational Tour to Germany (Three Weeks)
Member of the Youth Advisory Council for a Foundation - Freshman & Sophomore
Scholar Bowl - Junior & Senior (Public Relations Manager)
Math Club - Junior & Senior</p>

<p>Awards:
Department Award for English 11th Grade
Department Award for Mathematics 11th Grade
Student of the Month - January of sophomore year
Letters: Academics (4.0 GPA for a semester), Broadcast Journalism, German Club</p>

<p>BROADCAST</p>

<p>Broadcast Journalism Leadership
Web Director - Sophomore, Junior & Senior
Line Editor - Junior
Filmed Graduation and Male Pagent Show (earning money)</p>

<p>Awards in Broadcasting:
Best Photographer (10th & 11th)
Best Human Interest Feature Story (10th & 11th)
Best Technical Guru (10th)
Best News Story (10th)
Best Overall Package (10th)
Go-Getter (10th)
Best Website (National Competition) ($5000 Award)
Many More...</p>

<p>Community Service
100 Hrs of community service at a VA Hospital
40 Hours of Student Mentoring
10 Hours of Community Service at Elementary Day Care
Four Volunteer Projects for NHS
150 Creativity, Action, and Service hours of IB Diploma</p>

<p>Here are some of the colleges I am looking at. I would appreciate any information you could give on them, but mostly I am looking to see if they are a good range of colleges to consider! I am really looking to limit my list to no more than 10 colleges.</p>

<p>COLLEGES:</p>

<p>Cornell University
University of California-Berkeley
John Hopkins University
University of Michigan
Carnegie Mellon University
Georgia Institute of Technology
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
University of Florida
University of Minnesota Twin Cities
University of Texas-Austin
University of Wisconsin - Madison
University of Colorado at Boulder
University of Washington Seattle
Purdue University - West Lafayette</p>

<p>***I am looking to study Chemical Engineering, and I love traveling, so I have determined that all of the above colleges are good choices for me.</p>

<p>If you have any questions please feel free to ask. I really appreciate your help, thank you!</p>

2

<p>You may have determined that all those schools are good choices for you but have you determined if your family can afford them? You have public Us from 11 different states. You can only be in-state for one of them and you’d pay significantly more as an OOS student at those places. Are your parents willing to pay up to $60K/year for your college? You may also want to consider taking the SAT as an alternative to the ACT. Some people just do better on it.</p>

3

<p>I am taking the SAT soon, and practicing for it now. I have discussed the finances with my parents pertaining to the schools that are on this list. I have some in-state schools that I am considering however, but I am pretty confident in my ability to be accepted to them.</p>

4

<p>I definitely recommend taking the SAT at least once, as some of these Western schools like Berkeley require it. It seems like you have a good selection of matches, but what do you look for in a safety school? Are you sure you can pay tuition for each of these schools? </p>

5

<p>sassypineapple -</p>

<p>While some places do require one or more SAT subject test (also known as SAT II tests), no college or university in the US specifically requires the SAT general exam. If such an exam is required, either the ACT or the SAT are equally fine.</p>

<p>schlaubaerchen -</p>

<p>Ask your parents to sit down and run the Net Price Calculator at the website of each of your own home-state public Us that you haven’t listed above, as well as for each of the places on your current list. Many of the NPCs are linked through the College Board so it’s likely that they won’t actually have to enter the data that many different times. Be absolutely certain that you know where the money will come from, and that each place on your final list can be made fully affordable. Don’t be the student who starts a “What do I do now, I can’t afford anywhere that I got in?” thread next March 1.</p>

<p>Remember that a safety has to meet these four criteria:
You can afford it without any aid other than federally determined (as by the FAFSA) aid and/or guaranteed state aid (in your home state) and/or guaranteed merit-based aid offered by the institution itself.
You are flat-out guaranteed admission based on your grades and/or test scores and/or any other special talent/ability.
Your major is offered.
You will be happy to attend if all else goes wrong in the admission process.</p>

<p>If there’s nothing yet that meets those criteria, take a look at these threads and see if anything will work for you:
<a href=“Updated list of schools with auto-admit (guaranteed admission) criteria - Applying to College - College Confidential Forums”>Updated list of schools with auto-admit (guaranteed admission) criteria - Applying to College - College Confidential Forums;
<a href=“Automatic Full Tuition / Full Ride Scholarships - Financial Aid and Scholarships - College Confidential Forums”>Automatic Full Tuition / Full Ride Scholarships - Financial Aid and Scholarships - College Confidential Forums;

<p>Wishing you all the best!</p>

6

<p>with a 28 act score right now I cornell, UC Berkely, johns Hopkins, Carnegie melon are all probably reach schools and you honestly will have a hard time to get in to one of these without a >30 act composite</p>

7

<p>By “one of these” do you mean the four you listed or all of the ones that are on my list?</p>