<p>I'm a junior in high school and I started my college search a couple of months ago.
At first, I didn't want to attend a religious school, but lately I've been drawn to Loyola. I'm not sure what it is about it. I almost feel like there's a sort of modern and practical energy about it, and I really want to attend a liberal arts school.</p>
<p>However, Loyola's test scores and GPAs aren't the highest. I have a 3.4 GPA right now (due to a really bad sophomore slump last year) which I'm working on bringing up, but my first time taking the SATs I got a 2060.
My question is: should I really be worrying so much about the numbers when judging a school's academic quality? Is Loyola an academically challenging school where the teachers are still available and maybe even caring? (Yes, I already know about their palace-like dorms. :P)</p>
<p>Both my parents attended Columbia University, so they have high hopes for me. I am also considering Johns Hopkins, but I really want to attend a school where I'll have time to relax somewhat, and 'higher-up' schools seem way too competitive for my tastes.</p>
<p>Am I selling myself short by shooting for a school like Loyola as opposed to Hopkins? HELP!!!</p>
<p>Loyola College is a good school! It’s not super religious since it’s Jesuit (I attended a far more religious college near Boston named Eastern Nazarene College), but that’s not necessarily a bad thing depending on what you’re looking for. They are less of a liberal arts school, though, too. They just changed their name to “university” recently because they said that they were more of a research university than a liberal arts college.</p>
<p>Don’t worry about the numbers. Worry about the kind of school you want to attend. Besides, attending a school where everyone’s SAT scores are super high doesn’t automatically make you any smarter or more accomplished, and it can make for a less-diverse college experience. Let’s face it: most people in the U.S. don’t get our SAT scores, and you need to learn to deal with bright and motivated individuals who score well below you on standardized tests anyway. So focus on the quality of the school, the location, and the instruction – not the SAT scores.</p>
<p>I say go for it, and just attend Hopkins for graduate school, since that’s a very well-established research university. 2060, eh? That is a decent score. That’s about what I got. Get just a little higher and you could attend my alma mater with a full-tuition scholarship. :)</p>