<p>So I've revised my college list a bit. I have my match schools and safety schools picked out, but I'm struggling with my reach schools. Here are my stats:</p>
<p>Unweighted GPA: 3.89
Weighted GPA: 4.92
SAT: 1270/1600 and 1950/2400 (I'm retaking the SAT in October)
5 on AP Psychology
3 on AP World History
Waiting on scores for US History, Human Geography, and English Language
I have a rigorous schedule for senior year
2 years of varsity cross-country, 1 year varsity tennis, 1 year jv track
2 years of National Honor Society (secretary) and National Spanish Honor Society each
2 years Key Club and 1 year Green Group</p>
<p>That's very brief but here's my list so far just to give you an idea.</p>
<p>Safety Schools: Florida State University, Butler University, Indiana University
Match Schools: Elon University, Clemson University, University of Florida, DePauw University
Reach Schools: University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill (#1 choice), University of Notre Dame (just for fun)</p>
<p>I think I want one more reach school but I can't pick from:</p>
<p>University of Wisconsin
University of Maryland
University of Washington
Pennsylvania State University
University of Michigan
Wake Forest University
Bucknell University</p>
<p>I'm interested in psychology, english, physical therapy, and possibly dietetics. Help anyone?!</p>
<p>To me these are the only reach schools in your ‘pick from’ list:</p>
<p>University of Michigan
Wake Forest University
Bucknell University</p>
<p>Out of those schools which one would you recommend as far as my interests? I’m indecisive over attending a big school or a smaller one too.</p>
<p>Plus I’d be applying out of state for all of those schools</p>
<p>Michigan and Wake Forest. Maybe Bucknell. The others are matches to safeties.</p>
<p>It looks like you like medium-big schools with good sports and decent-looking population:</p>
<p>I think these will appeal to you as reaches (similar to UNC-Chapel Hill and Notre Dame):
Boston College
University of Southern California
University of Virginia
College of William and Mary</p>
<p>If you want to add some high reaches (reasonable if you raise your SAT’s to 2100):
Vanderbilt University
Emory University
University of California, Los Angeles
University of California, Berkeley</p>
<p>Those are all awesome schools. I was looking into Virginia but I know it’s going to be difficult considering the small percentage of out of state students. Also, what is a good number of schools to apply to because I was aiming for 10 but its going to be over $400 (including DePauw and Butler which are free).</p>
<p>Can you pay full? Or do you need financial aid?
10 is good.</p>
<p>No I can’t pay full. I don’t expect to get a lot of financial aid but I my dad is very willing to take out loans and I’m searching for scholarships.</p>
<p>I would have to second Wake Forest. Heck, it may not even be a reach as your GPA is good and I think they got rid of their requirement that you submit SAT scores…</p>
<p>Yes I think because standardized tests aren’t required an interview is recommended instead.</p>
<p>can anyone else help me?</p>
<p>I think you should probably look more into Big Ten universities, though a few of them are on the list you can’t pick from.</p>
<p>Oh no, I mean that I can’t decide which one of those I want as my third reach school.</p>
<p>As long as your high school is OK with 10 or more applications, you can apply to that many schools. Really, though, think about what you’re going to use to make a choice if you were accepted to all those schools? Could you make those distinctions now? If not, what would you use to differentiate them?</p>
<p>Start with the safeties. Find 1-3 schools which 1) you’re nearly certain to be accepted to; 2) you can afford; and 3) you’d be happy to attend. This is your baseline. Anything above this is an upgrade. Decide on these first so, if “forced” to attend, you won’t feel resentful about going there (I like your current safeties:)).</p>
<p>For matches and reaches, rather than focusing on which is the “better” school, think about what you want it to have. Urban/suburban/rural? Large/medium/small? Variety of majors? Distance from home? Male/female ratio? High-achieving student body? Sports? Think about where you’d like to be when you get out of school. Visit some schools (not necessarily on your list) nearby (I’m guessing Indiana) to get a feel for what each type of school is like in general (ideally during the school year, but can initially be done during the summer). A visit prior to applying is best, but certainly before acceptance. Being unsure of your major, the large public universities will have more options to choose from, even beyond those you mentioned.</p>
<p>ANY of those potential reaches would be fine, but don’t concentrate on whether it’s a reach or a match. Find schools you want to be at for the next four years using whatever criteria you decide on. Best of luck!</p>
<p>That was very helpful! Thanks for the great advice! =)</p>