Needing BIG Advice

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Hi,</p>

<p>So I'm a high school junior who is looking now into Business (Maybe Finance). Let me tell you about myself:</p>

<p>-Mostly As, two or three Bs a Marking Period
-3rd in my class of 250
-4.1 GPA
-Taking the most difficult classes available
-Class President/Student Council VP
-Key Club (Publicist)
-Ski Club
-Special Olympics
-Character Club
-Soccer and Volleyball Player
-Maybe accepting an Internship at a Business Office (Yes, as a junior)</p>

<p>-Eagle Scout
-Highly involved in the Boyscouts
-I ran a big Youth Leadership Conference for the Boy Scouts of America New Jersey (150 participants, 50 youth and adult staff)--Met the President of Boyscouting, etc.</p>

<p>Here's the ugly part:</p>

<p>SAT Score: 1500 --(First Time, Wasn't a good day, i can definitely do better)
ACT: 23 --(First Time, Just got that score today)</p>

<p>College Choice (Starting from First To Last--Feel free to Chance me)</p>

<ol>
<li>Wharton School of Business-UPenn</li>
<li>Cornell ILR</li>
<li>University of Virginia</li>
<li>U of South Carolina</li>
<li>U of NC-Chapel Hill</li>
</ol>

<p>Safetys:
6. Rutgers-New Brunswick
7. Seton Hall</p>

<p>Other Maybes: Notre Dame, Drexel, Penn State, NYU, Georgetown, U of Miami</p>

<p>Am i shooting too high? I'm really trying to get those SATs up.I'm not the best test taker. I feel as if i have everything i basically needs for the majority of the list, except for a good SAT score. I deal with CEOs, and lots of business people who i know will give good recommendations and all that, but I'm lost with those test scores. Help? Thoughts?</p>

<p>Any other business schools that are really good that maybe i should look at? </p>

<p>Thanks so much--Sorry it's long.</p>

2

<p>You’re right, without the test scores most of these schools are impossible. You would need a 700 plus score improvement to have a shot at Wharton, way too much to ask of most.</p>

<p>You are the perfect candidate for score optional schools. While few of the best schools on that list offer business as an undergrad major, most successful business people were not business majors in college.</p>

<p>Go to Fairtest.org and have a look at the list, it has many good schools with good Econ departments.</p>

3

<p>What can your family pay? If you haven’t had the big money talk with your parents yet, it is time to sit them down and do that. Until you know whether you will need financial aid, and how much, you really can’t do much about your list.</p>

4

<p>Correct, we have not talked about that. I assume that it isn’t the biggest issue as we are middle class, coming with an income of 150-170 but anybody else?</p>

5

<p>Unfortunately, 4 out of your 5 top choices will be reaches, if not out of reach, due to your current test scores. University of South Carolina is likely the only exception. That school looks out of place on that list, especially considering your strong GPA, class ranking and EC’s.</p>

<p>You may want to add some LAC’s and private colleges to your list which are test optional or that don’t place as heavy an emphasis on your test scores. Wake Forest may be a very good fit. Bucknell and Villanova may also work, although they are not test optional. Good luck to you.</p>

6

<p>With your family income almost every place will expect you to be full pay. However, your parents’ real ability to pay may be significantly lower than that. You need to know your parents’ figure so that you can evaluate your options.</p>

7

<p>$150-170K is upper middle class, but you’d be surprised at how many families with that income can’t, or don’t want to pay $60K/yr, so do have that talk.</p>

8

<p>Chances: Wharton- Out of reach (With a significantly higher test score you would have a slight chance, but its a crapshoot even for the most qualified applicants)</p>

<p>Cornell ILR- High Reach (considering an improvement in test scores) out of reach the current scores</p>

<p>UNC and UVA- High Reach with current test scores, but only a modest improvment would be needed to put them in to a low reach range and make them worth a look.</p>

<p>SC- Probably a slight reach with your current scores, but a match with only a modest improvement</p>

<p>If you can’t make a significant improvement in your test scores (I highly recommend a prep course or at least a prep book) then you may do better to look at regional universities or state flagships of smaller states, for example my state school, University of South Dakota has a stellar AACSB accredited B-School, as do several others.</p>

9

<p>Okay thank you all.</p>