<p>University of Southern California
NYU
Cal State Long Beach
Pace University
Yale
Northeastern
San Diego State University
San Francisco State University
Marymount Manhattan College
Cal State Fresno</p>
<p>I am a junior in New England. I have a 3.8-3.9 (UW) and 4.40 (W). I take all honors classes and am currently taking one AP class. </p>
<p>I have great ECs. I am a part of five clubs. I am president in one of them and I started one club. And I have attended an Ivy League's summer journalism program and because of my EC I have been on the NY Times!</p>
<p>I was a lead volunteer at a prestigious hospital and have 224 hours of service. I am also a part of the student government. </p>
<p>I got a 149(0) on my PSATs, but I was sick that day and I studied for about 30 minutes. I am not making any excuses. I got a 1950 on my first practice SAT test!</p>
<p>I will get a 2000+ on the real test if I study hard enought!</p>
<p>Will that ruin my chances for those schools?</p>
<p>I will STUDY HARD for the SATs and I have enrolled in Kaplan!</p>
<p>Hi I disagree with the post about no to Northeastern, I think its a good choice. The fact that you have several schools outside of New England is a good move for geographic diversity. Do you have any special interests? Anything you are leaning towards as far as studies.</p>
<p>It doesn’t matter if we like your college choices, its if you like your choices. Without test scores however, we can’t accurately gauge chances but I don’t see why you have a bunch of tier 2/3 California colleges on your list. Do you have Cali residency? I would also suggest a financial safety which would most likely be the flagship of your state.</p>
<p>your chances at nyu, usc, and yale are pretty low, if any. you have a fair chance at northeastern, and your other choices seem to be a good match/safety for you.</p>
<p>Assuming a 2000 on the SAT with a 3.85 my guesses are:</p>
<p>Yale - No</p>
<p>USC & NYU - Maybe</p>
<p>Yes to the rest, though I agree there would seem to be better options than flying cross-country to pay out of state tuition for those particular schools. Others you might want to consider: Florida, Miami (FL), BU, Wisconsin, Illinois, Northwestern & George Washington. Some will be reaches (Northwestern) but I think others are attainable. </p>
<p>Your results will depend on your GPA, SATs/ACTs, recommendations, essays and ECs (most likely in that order). So while you expect your essay to be “amazing” I’d worry more about the standardized testing.</p>
<p>The link below shows that if you can get a 2150, you’d pretty much fit the profile of the average admit to USC.</p>
<p>It’s not a realistic list – both at the top and at the bottom.</p>
<p>Very few out of state students attend California State Universities. And many of the students at these universities are commuters. There is no easy way for an out of state student to get into a top rated California public university. If that however is your goal, and you can afford the out of state tuition, consider one of the mid or lower UCs – such as Riverside or Merced. At least these are not commuter schools. </p>
<p>There aren’t as many private colleges in California as in the Northeast, and USC is selective+. Consider University of Santa Clara or USF in the Bay Area. These may be a match for you.</p>
<p>For your match and safeties pick 2 universities in your state. To the extent that there is an “exchange” program in your state with other local state universities add one or two of them to your list.</p>
<p>For your reach schools look for colleges a notch below Yale.</p>
<p>Those suggesting UCs are looking for big names and not listening to the OP, who is seeking to major in journalism. No UC campus offers an undergraduate journalism degree, whereas the mentioned CSUs do.</p>
<p>Particularly, SFSU and SDSU have strong journalism/mass communication departments, and aren’t really “commuter schools,” either - both are large, diverse urban universities.</p>
<p>I would add the University of Nevada, Reno to your list. State flagship with good campus life and a noted j-school.</p>