I might add Miami University in Oxford, Ohio for defined merit awards, here, Scholarships | Costs and Financial Aid | Miami University, coupled with good undergraduate teaching.
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With very similar stats I received a full ride to my state’s flagship and was able to attend cost-free and maintain a 4.0, which then helped me attain admittance to a T14 law school. That law school (UCLA) is significantly more expensive now, but I would never have had the freedom I’ve had in my life had I not gone in debt-free. You may love law, you may hate it. The worst thing is to be saddled to doing a job you hate because you have a mountain of debt.
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Hi! Thanks for contacting me. I’ve been off of here for several months after being stalked by two people who had opened multiple accounts. So, sorry it took me so long to respond.
Can you give me the breakdown of your SAT score and are you planning on taking it again? Also, did you take any courses over the summer and what classes were you able to sign up for senior year?
Thanks,
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Sorry to hear about the people bothering you on here! I hope they’re gone now.
My current SAT is Math(750) R&W(700), though I’m taking it again in November and I’m getting ~1500 on practice tests
Over the summer I took french II and economics to free up more space for my current year. I’m taking
AP Calculus
AP Physics
AP Computer science fundamentals
AP Chem
AP English Lit & Comp
French III
[My counselor told me she would rank my classes as “most rigorous” for common app]
On my AP tests last year I got APUSH (4) Lang & Comp (4)
My ECs also improved by a lot and if it would help I’d be willing to put these in a pm
Thank you for all the help!
*Caveat: These are only my opinions. I realize others have their own. Please don’t thrash the goat. I’m only trying to help and was asked to do so by the OP who privately messaged me to come back on here.
@Osowiec, I’d still throw on an online college or community college bio course outside your high school. The reason being is that several (but not all) top schools have college bio as a freshman prerequisite, and if you haven’t had that level of bio already, and someone else has, that could potentially lower your academic index score at some of the very top places you’re most likely wanting, even as an intended history major since you would be required to take it along with everyone else.
I’d take a college French course online during senior year since you didn’t make it up to AP French, even though you took a year over the summer. (Thanks for doing that at my recommendation, btw.)
I’d also focus on retaking that SAT the next sitting. I know you can get this higher! You’re smart. Retake it and then send it to your early schools (even if you’ve already submitted your app on November 1st and your test scores come in after that). I’d still send this score to the test optional schools that will use SAT scores in their admissions decisions (the UC’s don’t, btw).
In addition to taking that college bio class, I’d also back up my history major with some activities that line up with that interest. A lot of kids just stick a major on their application with the intention of changing it later. Even schools that don’t admit by major are still looking at that because they don’t want to admit an entire class of people who all want to do the same things and look the same on applications. They have to diversify the incoming group (through interests, majors, hobbies, etc.). All the various subject areas and departments need students taking their classes. If history is your major, I’d volunteer at a historical society or museum. Give a paper at one of them, or start volunteering with their archives in order to show more interest in the subject area with EC’s.
Also, your senior year courses are great as far as rigor is concerned, but now you don’t have a social science, and this could be a red flag for someone indicating they want to study history. For that reason, I’d also throw on an online college history class. There are several online colleges that offer “work at your own pace” courses for history and other classes in the social sciences. You would have several months to complete it and you could finish most of it over winter break if you select a flexible class. I like Berkeley Extension and UND’s online anytime classes for that reason, but there are others out there.
I’ve mentioned this before, but at the very top private schools, you pay what your family can afford. I realize that sometimes families fall into a gray area, and this can still make it hard to afford the schools you really want if you have siblings, etc. As some here have said though, depending on finances, you could end up paying less at a highly selective private college than at your state college or university.
With all that said, if you really think you can get your SAT up even higher, I’d look at the following schools: JHU (If you get in here, and due to Bloomberg’s mega-donation, this “could” potentially be totally free for you. The catch is getting in though, so I’d fix those things I indicated as best you can.), UIUC, UWisc, UVA, the Univ. of California schools you are interested in (UC schools have their own application and a different timeline that is due at the end of November), UMich, Northwestern, UChic (If you can write extremely well and get someone to look over your essays.), William and Mary, Tulane, WashU St. Louis, Cornell, maybe even UPenn and Brown (if you fix everything I suggested and can write the Sam Hill out of your application essays). This is what I meant by “going big.” Of course, throw on some safeties.
Thanks,
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Thank you so much for all the help. I’ve taken note of all of your recommendations and will do them to the best of my ability! Since me ECs align a lot better to PolSci Ill most likely apply to schools that are easy to switch majors in under that. In the mean time I’ll study for SAT and do your suggestions. Thank you everyone for all your help, Ill post my college results on here once I have them!
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