Match me to a university?

College Search & Selection
1

Hey guys, so I recently got rejected from my dream school and now I feel totally lost. I originally had several backup schools to apply to, but now I’m not so sure about any of them. If you would like, please suggest or match me to schools that you think might be a good fit. I have already applied to Villanova and a small local school. I got rejected from Johns Hopkins.

Here’s my profile…

GPA: 4.0 UW (Maybe higher- my school goes off of a percentage scale, not a 4 point scale)
98.85% Weighted

ACT: 24
Superscore: 26
SAT: 1200 (New Scale)

Clubs: NHS (Vice President), Students Against Destructive Decisions (President Candidate), Spanish Club, International Club (Vice President), Reading Competition, Ski Club

Sports: Varsity Volleyball (Team Captain), Varsity Cheerleading, Varsity Track, Softball
Traveling Club Track, Traveling Club Volleyball

AP Courses/ Dual Enrollment: Biology, Spanish 3, Spanish 4, Chemistry, Pre-Calculus, Trigonometry, Calculus, English Literature, Anatomy/ Physiology, United States History

Additional Academic Credits: Study Abroad for High School Students, Summer Discovery, National Academy of Future Physicians, and Leadership class for college credit

Service: over 150 hours, Altar server, nursing home visits, soup kitchen, etc.

Additional Information:
-I come from a very small private school and have taken just about every college class possible.
-Also, don’t give me any grief about my standardized test scores. I have taken both tests several times and just cannot seem to get my score up.
-It is likely that I will be salutatorian at the end of the year.

  • I would like to try to go to a school that is in the Northeast, Mid- Atlantic, or Southeast. It would also be good if they accept dual credit as I have almost two years of college completed. -I prefer mid-sized schools in big cities.

My Match schools include Villanova and Syracuse.
My Reach schools include UPenn and Georgetown, but I’m not longer sure of these.

Thank you in advance.

2

Although not medium sized colleges, check our Ursinus College in PA, and McDaniel College in MD. They are both CTCL (Colleges That Change Lives, CTCL.org) schools. I have family friends who have/had students like you (strong academically, but don’t do well on standardized tests) and they have loved their experiences.

3

This may be tough to hear, but UPenn and Georgetown are out of reach with your test scores. Villanova would be a high reach. However, I believe you could manage Syracuse. @mamag2855 has mentioned some good schools, heed their advice.

4

To those already mentioned I would add:

Oxford College at Emory U
College of Charleston
SMU
TCU
SUNY at Buffalo
GWU
American
Providence
Belmont
Fordham
Your state flagship

That’s a nice mix of reaches, matches, and a low match or two, and they’re all urban or suburban and located in the South/Mid-Atl/NE. Belmont is pretty small, but it’s practically right next to Vanderbilt – there are plenty of students in the area.

Oxford College is another way to get into Emory University, which I think is a peer of Georgetown. If enrolled at Oxford College, my understanding is that you do your first two years there and then “transfer” to the main Emory college/campus. You graduate with an Emory degree. @bernie12 can fill you in if you can’t find answers online.

5

With a 24 ACT? You’ve had some bad guidance my friend. JHU, GTown, and UPenn are downright impossible. Villanova is a very high reach and Syracuse is a reach.

6

Larger size U’s which I visited with my kids and was impressed with, and made app lists: Rowan U in NJ, Temple U in PA, Virginia Publics which have a lot to offer but get overshadowed by UVA,and VTech: Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, George Mason U in Fairfax, outside of DC.

Temple is also test optional with consideration for merit aid. My youngest attends and there are a lot of pportunities for smart, motivated students.

Unfortunately, many schools give significant weight to test scores, they like to report them on their websites, and they want them to be higher to improve meaningless rankings, to make them appear more selective, etc. Like it or not, you need to scrutinize how your scores compare to reported averages to assess whether a school is truly a match. I agree with @RoundGenius that Villanova is a reach for you. What colleges do you have on your list for matches, also what safeties?

7

Look into Test Optional schools. Most of them are small LACs, but George Washington University in DC and Wake Forest in North Carolina are mid-sized.

8

Towson U isn’t too remote, I think McDaniel is fairly isolated

9

Also check out Franklin and Marshall College in PA, on the outskirts of Lancaster, PA, a nice small city, has some historic attractions, nice restaurants, pubs , lots of shopping close by, around an hour from Philly if you want to visit.

Your test scores are at around the 25%Ile, so a low match. A friend’s daughter attends and is doing great there. She is doing great research and has had some wonderful internships.

10

Look into test-optional colleges! Your test scores will put you out of reach at most top schools where they’re required, but there are plenty of top schools where they’re not:

http://www.fairtest.org/sites/default/files/Optional-Schools-in-U.S.News-Top-Tiers.pdf

11

As others mentioned, focus on test-optional schools. Some more links:

http://collegelists.pbworks.com/w/page/16119607/Testing-Optional:%20List%20of%20Schools

http://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/slideshows/10-top-ranked-colleges-that-are-flexible-with-test-scores

12

How about Simmons College? It’s medium-sized and located in Boston
Just search for schools with an average of your ACT

13

Is NYU out of reach? How about Gannon, University of Georgia, UMass- Amherst, or WVU?

14

Also, what would Juniata, Duquesne, and Pitt Main be considered for me? Match schools?

15

NYU and UGA are above your scores (NYU more so than UGA). UGA might be a good reach though… Gannon, UMass, Amherst, and WVU seem like good matches. Again, all you need to do is Google search “______ average act scores” or “_____ freshman profile” and compare your stats.
And check for some test-optional schools like suggested by others :slight_smile:

16

The truth is that I would like to go to the best school possible. I worked and worked and worked for four years just for my future to be determined by a four-hour test. I don’t understand it. I sacrificed so many things -friends, reputation, social events, and sanity to ensure that I would be able to go to a good school. Does it matter though? Not really. A student could be Valedictorian with perfect grades, outstanding extracurriculars, glowing recommendations, and a flawless essay, but unless they have the standardized test scores to match they’re worthless. Said student has wasted four years of his or her life trying to achieve the impossible- to be someone other than who they are “predestined” to be. I apologize if I am coming off as ungrateful or bratty, but in a matter of days my whole outlook has been completely remodeled and it is quite difficult for me to adjust.

17

Scranton may be a nice fit. You could also try for Dickinson in PA. You could also try plenty of other schools further up North. I’m not sure how far up you’d be willing to go, but I’m in the NYC area and there are plenty that I like around here.

18

Fordham University

19

@crisisaverted I totally understand how you feel - it feels stupid that so much should be decided by a test when some students are excellent students but just not good SAT/ACT test takers. Thankfully more universities are recognizing this, and if you look at those links there are some excellent universities that either don’t require or don’t emphasize test scores much, and look much more at your GPA and ECs, which are both excellent. You won’t get into Penn or Georgetown (few students do), but there are many other excellent colleges out there. My D worked really hard in high school too and applied but didn’t get into Penn, but wound up at another great college where she’s happy. So don’t despair.

What’s your intended major? You might get some more useful suggestions if we knew that.

20

Yeah, it is really sad that most colleges work that way…

Easier said than done, but try to remember that the best school for you might not be the most prestigious one. A great school is made up of professors who care, students who want to work hard and make a positive impact, an institution that prioritizes its students etc. Make the most of the opportunities you have at whatever school you eventually attend. All your work will not be in vain – it will help you succeed in difficult college classes and beyond. Your worth isn’t measured by the colleges you get in to x

(hoping this doesn’t come off as preaching)