<p>Hello everyone I am looking for some advice on safeties, matches, and reaches and my current college list!
GPA: UW/W 3.4/3.8 (trying to explain GPA through Guidance Counselor letter and my essays)
Scores: ACT 27 (retaking had issue that morning)
Sat: 1750, 1910 (retaking currently testing at 2100 so I'm prepping a ton
SAT 2: Planning on taking US history, World History, Lit, Bio
AP Tests: 4- AP World 4-AP Psych 4- AP Lang 5- APUSH
Taking: AP Gov, AP Macro, AP Lit, AP Bio next year
Have Taken: 1 concurrent enrollment course, mostly honors and AP
ECS: Track, Cross Country
Mock Trial 3rd in Region (hoping for state next year)
National Competitor for Debate
Founder of Peer Tutoring Club
National Spanish Honors Society
National Technical Honors Society
Law college class taken at top 10 school over summer
Beautillion and Black Leadership Conference
Currently have 2 jobs
Volunteering= 50 hours
Financial situation: Pretty Bad: Did EFC said expected income IM was 9000 and FM was 8000
African American URM</p>
<p>Some colleges I'm Looking at:</p>
<p>Major reach: Georgetown, Emory, Tufts
Matches: Syracuse
Safety: University of Utah</p>
<p>Looking for a great college town but I do not really want to go to a massive school
I love old looking campuses but not really a big deal</p>
<p>I currently have a sibling at Harvard so I don't know if that makes a difference</p>
<p>Plans: Majoring in International Relations and/or Philosophy so any recommendations about strong schools in those would be awesome :)</p>
<p>I appreciate all the help and advice anyone can give me on some other schools and any other recommendations!</p>
<p>Having a sibling at Harvard won’t help; legacy is if your parents or grandparents are alumni. Even though you’re URM, and your ECs are good, your scores are pretty far from their norm.</p>
<p>George Washington University? I know their international relations program is quite good, and even though it’s no Georgetown it is still an excellent university. However, it can be quite pricey— should plug in your numbers in the NPC for GW. It’s probably a low match if you can get those SATs up. I would also look into American (which is also a little pricey), but DC is basically the center for IR.</p>
<p>How would you feel about liberal arts colleges?</p>
<p>Im really interested in LAC’s if you have any to recommend and thank for the advice! @enigmaticescape </p>
<p>Why is Utah your safety? Do you live in Utah?</p>
<p>Don’t use the FAFSA EFC as a reference point. Run the net price calculator that each school has on their website to see what kind of financial aid you might expect from that specific school.</p>
<p>A lot depends on your financial situation and how your retesting comes out. GT, Emory, and Tufts are likely out of reach with your current scores. And none of the schools on your list would be considered LACs, all are universities. </p>
<p>Are you female? You might look at Mount Holyoke. Dickinson is also very good in IR. </p>
<p>Thank you @intparent !!</p>
<p>I do live in Utah and I am a male I probably should have said that originally! And if I got my scores up do you think those three would be less of a reach? And do you have any other recommendations? </p>
<p>do you have any language skills, OP? and how are you and math getting along?</p>
<p>I’m taking Spanish 4 next year and I’ve taken it every year since Freshman and me and Math are ok (not in any AP math classes) I’m more of a English/history guy @jkeil911 </p>
<p>What year are you going to be this fall?</p>
<p>Senior! @jkeil911 </p>
<p>Give me some idea about how you’re doing in math and what course you’ll be taking this year. How did you do on the math part of the ACT and the last SAT?</p>
<p>Well, your GPA is pretty low for them. But your chances certainly improve with better test scores. By the way, best to have your guidance counselor address the reasons for your low grades if possible. Don’t use your essays for that. It just sounds like making excuses… use your essays to show something about you that makes them want to bring you to campus. Something that makes you interesting and unique.</p>
<p>Hmm… looking at other schools with your current stats that meet need and are decent in IR: Colby College in Maine (your stats are low, but being a URM would help), Macalester in Minnesota (same situation as Colby), Occidental in California (meets need and your stats are closer), or Connecticut College (meets need and your stats are close, but be prepared for preppy… if that is okay, then consider it). Of these, I personally like Macalester and Occidental the best. And although Dickinson doesn’t commit to meet full need, they may for a student they want from a geographically diverse location and a URM.</p>
<p>I’ll be taking Trig/Pre Calc and I’ve been doing alright in math last year I got A’s both semesters in Alg 2/Trig</p>
<p>The math parts of the sat and act are my weakest
ACT was a 24 and SAT was a 590
I’ve been doing extensive prepping since I received those scores because I score so much better on the CR/W and math drags me down so I’m doing all I can to get it up
@jkeil911 </p>
<p>Very good. You know why I’m asking about languages and math, right? They’re expected to play a big part in any career in international relations. If you were strong in these two areas, they might give you a leg up at a reach school. But they’re not, so that’s that. Your debate skills and mock trial experiences are good. Your writing skills are okay from what I can see. Let me think on good schools for you some more and get back to you.</p>
<p>In the interim take a look at this website and note the two programs, the summer one and the graduate school one. I have students who have joined the foreign service and have gone thru the graduate program. It has been a big help, if you’re interested in going that route. The summer program is good if only to see other Black students who are crazy about international issues getting together. I’ve pm’d you.</p>
<p>Thank you so much @intparent I will definitely look into those colleges!</p>
<p>And thank you for the advice on the essays I was really debating that so thank you for the clarification! </p>
<p>OP, is there any chance you could take AP Stats this year? It’s the math thing, of course, but it would also be some exposure to a subject many students find baffling in college. It’s not that tough a course, usually.</p>
<p>Okay, I did some thinking and researching and checking, and this is what I came up with for reaches and matches. Every non-technical school is going to have enough philosophy resources to satisfy anyone who isn’t intent on graduate school. So I focused on international relations. I think it’s important that there be some international students on the campus where you’re studying international relations, so I took that into consideration in scratching together a list. The percentage of students from overseas is shown alongside the school’s name.</p>
<p>UMiami 9%AA 14%intl reach
Clark U 22% intl. match
Lafayette College 5% intl high match
Hampshire College 6% intl match
UAlabama 4% intl match
Syracuse 15% intl. match
Miami U of Ohio 6% intl match
Macalester 13% intl reach
Dickinson 7% intl match</p>
<p>I didn’t take into consideration cost, so you’ll have to run the npcs.</p>
<p>I can definitely try to add AP Stats to my schedule this year and thank you for all the statistics I am definitely getting a feel for where I could end up! @jkeil911 </p>
<p>Yes, he will have to run net price calculators, as most of those schools do not meet need, so very likely could be unaffordable for the OP. I also have to say… I don’t think the % of international students is particularly relevant in IR school selection… Most IR majors require students to study abroad, many for a full year as part of their program. And you would hope a school strong in IR could help students wrangle an internship or two in the IR area. But I wouldn’t think just having international students in the student body would matter a lot…</p>
<p>good opportunities for contact with, maybe friendships with, people who are going to be returning overseas, some of them to leadership positions someday, is never a bad thing for an IR person. I find a lot of American students have no idea what’s involved in IR; they often want to do some good in the intl arena but they want to do it on their American terms (witness the language skills issue). They need to see that something is lost when the international citizen has to come to the American on American terms. Even seeing international students in their albeit American kitchens and at their social events is a start for some American college students interested in the arena. It can help define areas and regions of interest for them. Americans are always playing catch-up in the global arena.</p>
<p>the study abroad and internships are a given if you’re doing IR. else don’t go to that school. why wait til you get overseas to engage the globe?</p>
<p>@ APUSH25
How about Bard College or Hampshire College? Hampshire’s part of the 5-college consortium in the Amherst area, so you could take classes at Amherst, Mount Holyoke, Smith, or UMass. Hampshire does not have an old-looking campus, though. But some of the other schools you might be taking classes at certainly do, and the area is a GREAT “college town.” </p>
<p>Bard might not be too reachy if you applied through their Immediate Decision Plan, which has a much higher acceptance rate. My daughter had very similar GPA, though SAT, and she was accepted through the IDP. Bard’s not really in a college town, though.</p>
<p>Skidmore seems like a good match for your wants, but might be a little reachy stat-wise (though URM might counter that.) I also second intparent’s suggestion to look at Bates.</p>