Hi, I am currently a junior trying to form a list of possible schools. I am interested in studying business and I have plenty of matches/ reaches, but need to consider more safety schools.
Info:
3.53 unweighted GPA (Out of 4.0 scale)
3.85 weighted GPA (Out of 4.0 scale)
Act: 28 (assume a 31)
Every class that I could take was honors with 4 Ap’s
My high school has incredible reputation
Average/ Typical Ecs:
Member of 5 clubs all for at least 2 years. I’m gonna have executive positions in some of these
Coached Youth 5 Sports teams
Many Community Service Hours
Member of 2 Relay for Life Teams
Sports:
Varsity Soccer
Captain of JV
Soccer all throughout high school
Recreational Basketball
Awards/Honors:
Tigers Pride Award
High Honors Level Met X5
Honors Level Met X2
Won first place in Marketing & Product Development in competition for MICA Corporation
School List:
Reaches:
U of M
BC
UNC
William & Mary
Matches:
Wake Forest
Richmond
Northeastern
Maryland
IU- Bloomington
Is your family independently wealthy and willing to pay $50-70K/year for college? If not then you might not have safeties. A safety must be affordable. You have Public Us from 8 states that I counted. You will be paying the Out of State premium for all but 1 (at most).
Then you’re probably OK on the cost side. I’m not as certain on the GPA/scores. A 28 is within the mid 50% for Miami and your GPA is on the low side. Close to the same for Penn State and Elon. If you do get your ACT to 31 Penn State looks like a safety (since your GPA is on the higher side for them). U Dayton would be an option for you (similar stats to Penn State). Good business (entrepreneurship) program.
@“Erin’s Dad” 55% of students for Miami (OH) had a High School GPA of 3.75 or higher. My weighted GPA is a 3.85, so I should be in the clear in terms of GPA. However, yes you are right about the ACT. 28 puts me slightly above their 50% mark. A 31 will almost guarantee my admissions. Even without the 31, the school has a selectivity of 69%, so I think I will be alright. Elon is less selective as my current act is beyond their range and I think my GPA for that schools is fine as well. Also, from what I just searched, Dayton doesn’t even seem to have a top 100 business program and since that is my main focus with school, I don’t think Dayton would be ideal.
@LuckyCharms913 Loyola Maryland is an appealing school, especially for a safety school with a well-respected program. I will have to do more research, but that could potentially be added to my list.
I wouldn’t say low match either. Miami OH’s 25th percentile GPA is 3.47, so you’re just above that. You’re below Penn State’s 25th percentile GPA, which is 3.55. Your ACT is one point above their averages, which are both 27. I don’t know exactly how those schools evaluate GPA and SAT/ACT, but many schools look at GPA first and then consider test scores after that.
You want to find schools where your 3.53 is average (and not 25th percentile) and then some where it is above average. I don’t have any suggestions at the moment but I may be able to come up with some later.
Do you prefer private/public big/small close/far away? Etc. Looks like you have a lot of big state schools in your list - you like those?
Most of the safeties are rolling admissions (PSU) or priority anyway. You will likely know well before application season is over. Apply early to them and you will KNOW where you stand. If you get accepted, you were right about them being a safety. If not, you were wrong. Find another one.
I agree about adding Loyola Maryland. Wonderful school with lots of opportunities. They are also test optional.
Also, how about Bentley if you’re sure you want to study business.
@NavalTradition When colleges look at GPA, don’t they look at the weighted GPA? Also, I’m pretty sure that when sources provide undergraduate admissions stats, they state the weighted GPA, which explains my reasoning for the safety schools. I did not make my college list on my own it was with the help of my parents who have already gone through the process and they confirmed my beliefs. This would make sense because my brother had lower stats in all areas was accepted into these schools and received money at the same schools that I consider safeties.
@“Erin’s Dad” Yes I believe that it is considered a weighted GPA on a scale of 4.0. For example, I found this online after looking it up:
Penn State GPA
The average GPA at Penn State is 3.57.
(Most schools use a weighted GPA out of 4.0, though some report an unweighted GPA.
When you look at the average admissions stats at some of your “safety” schools, you need to realize that they often have higher bars for out-of-state applicants than for in-state. I would say your chances at UNC, for instance, are very, very slim. If you are applying to undergraduate business colleges, furthermore, they might be more selective. Statistics for huge universities like Penn State or OSU are often misleading if they are not broken down by department.