New Member, General Questions :)

Applying to College
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<p>Hey, as you can probably tell by my username I'm a junior this year. I first starting looking at college information about a week ago, and this site is so helpful! I have a couple questions, I hope you guys can help me out.</p>

<ol>
<li><p>I registered for the SAT in May as my school recommended, but I also figured I'd take one in December to see where I am after my minimal PSAT preparation. Just after paying the $75 late registration, I found out that some colleges see all your scores. How bad does taking it more than once look? I was planning on taking it maybe a third time in March as well, if December goes terribly, but now I have no idea. Advice?</p></li>
<li><p>I have one B on my transcript (87 or 89, can't recall), first semester AP World History as a sophomore. How bad does this look? I managed a low A second semester, and then a 4 on the exam.</p></li>
<li><p>It would be very helpful if you could recommend a couple of match/safety schools for me. :) I'm aiming for a top university but after reading horror stories of great students being rejected or waitlisted everywhere, I'll definitely be applying to a couple different tiers. Also, please not in Texas (I hate the climate :P ).</p></li>
<li><p>What do DD, DS, LAC, and HYP mean?</p></li>
</ol>

<p>Here are some general facts about me
Female
White
Live in Texas
4.19 GPA, Class rank is 20ish/270ish
I'll have 6 APs under my belt at the end of this year. (World History (4), BC Calc (4), Stat, US History, Chemistry, Spanish Language)
Very interested in math and science, but unsure of my major/career.
Great extra curriculars
Above average leadership/community service</p>

<p>Thanks in advance!
All advice is appreciated :)</p>

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<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/52585-abbreviation-thread.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/52585-abbreviation-thread.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<ol>
<li><p>Colleges only start looking at you funny if you’ve taken the SAT more than 3 times. It’s a very good idea to take it before May, if you can. Do at least take a couple of practice tests before your December date, to familiarize yourself with the format and the time involved (i.e., sit down at your cleared-off desk for a three hour span, and take it like you mean it, then score it and think about what you got wrong and why).</p></li>
<li><p>A B won’t hurt you. Try not to do it again. :)</p></li>
<li><p>Before anyone can suggest schools for you, you need to do a few things. First, find out what you and your family can afford, and whether you need financial aid or scholarships (they’re not the same thing). Then, take some sample tests to figure out what your SAT range may be. Then, start thinking about what size/environment/atmosphere you might like–state school or private, etc. Then when you have examples of what you think you’d like, people can suggest options you might not have thought of. (Don’t forget to think about women’s colleges: for a woman who’s not afraid of a single-sex school, they are a great experience and an admissions “bargain,” in that they’re not as hard to get into as coed schools with similar rigor and reputation.)</p></li>
</ol>

<p>Good luck!</p>

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<p>Many schools require you to send all test scores when you apply. They assert that they use to determine admission either that test with the highest composite score or the highest subscores that you have from multiple tests (called superscoring). Thus, assuming they are honest (and many applicants have a hard time believing that), taking a test and scoring low won’t hurt you if you take it again and score higher.</p>

<p>If, as it appears, you are a Texas resident, and your class rank continues to be as high as it is, you will have the advantage when applying next fall that every public university in Texas will be a safety. Under Texas law every public university in Texas, other than University of Texas in Austin, must accept you if you are in the top 10% of your high school class. And that is true regardless of your SAT score. For University of Texas Austin the required rank can vary from year to year but it will be either top 9% or top 8% when you apply.</p>

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<p>Ok, thanks. I seriously don’t want to go to school in Texas though, I’ve lived here for most of my life and don’t like it. I’m kinda leaning towards California or the East Coast, but I’m open to anything. And I don’t think a women’s college would be a good fit either.</p>

<p>I’ll definitely start studying for the SAT then, and not go in cold like I was planning. Is the Official SAT Online Course from collegeboard a good resource?</p>

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<p>For what it’s worth:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>I personally wouldn’t recommend taking an SAT ‘cold’ just so you can see how you did. As you note some colleges want to see all your scores. If you need practice, get a study book and take practice tests. Others have a different view – but I think that if a college may see something, you should go in prepared. College Prep – Personally, I’m a fan of the Princteton Review Materials. Both my D’s took SAT review courses that were more or less based on these materials. If you’re going to be diligent in studying, a formal course probably isn’t necessary.</p></li>
<li><p>Your GPA/class rank looks good. Certainly it wouldn’t eliminate you from any school. However, HYPSM (which is Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Stanford, MIT, btw), you may be a bit below average. If you look at the next level (selectivity, not necessarily educationally), i.e. Cornell, Penn, Duke, Northwestern, etc. Your grades are very much in the ball park. I wouldn’t worry excessively over an occasional B. Most sdmitted students (even in the Harvard Yale do not have perfect transcripts).</p></li>
<li><p>Match/Safety – Without seeing SAT or ACT (or PSAT) scores, it’s really impossible to predict at this stage. Also, the question is what do you mean by Match. Let’s say we have your grades and a 2200 SAT. Certainly those statistics would match up well for the admitted students for, say Brown. However, Brown has something like a 15% admit rate, so they reject the majority of students who meet their profile. Would you consider this a ‘match’ or a ‘reach’. (If you consider it a reach, then there is no school in the top 20 or so that is a match – for ANYONE). In any event, your question can’t be answered right now.</p></li>
</ol>

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<p>The Official SAT book from college board (the “blue book”) is actually a very good place to start, especially since you’ve only a couple of weeks before the December test–there are ten practice tests right there. Check out silverturtle’s and xiggi’s SAT prep threads in the SAT section, too.</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/sat-preparation/68210-xiggis-sat-prep-advice.html?[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/sat-preparation/68210-xiggis-sat-prep-advice.html?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/sat-preparation/955109-silverturtles-guide-sat-admissions-success.html?[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/sat-preparation/955109-silverturtles-guide-sat-admissions-success.html?&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>Thanks for all the great advice! I picked up the SAT Book at a local bookstore, so I’ll try and get through a lot of that this week (Thanksgiving break :smiley: ). Last year (sophomore) I got a 201 on my PSAT with no preparation or sleep (my English teacher assigned a HUGE paper due the same day, I was not happy). I’m still waiting for this year’s results, I’m really hoping for NMSF. I know my GPA/rank aren’t outstanding, I’ve focused more on taking difficult classes and being “well-lopsided.” I’m considering all of the HYPSM-type schools reaches, as they’re not a guarantee for anyone, and I’d like to find a couple schools just under those to be match/safety schools. Man, this whole thing just generates more questions. So:</p>

<p>Do you think that if I took the 3 lists of Top 100 Physics/Math/Engineering schools and consolidated it into one list, I’d end up with nearly all of the colleges that I should be looking at? Taking into account that I’m not sure exactly what field of math/science I want to pursue.</p>

<p>Which schools require 3 SAT IIs? I’m planning on taking Math II and Chemistry this year, but I don’t know which other one to take if I need 3… Are you just supposed to take the ones you’re really interested in, or is it better to take a wide range? I could possibly take US History too, but I doubt I’d get an 800.</p>

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<p>no american schools require 3 any more</p>

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I don’t know if Many is the right word. I don’t know if there are more than 20 that do out of 3000 colleges in the US.</p>

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<p>^^^ But with OP’s grades, she may be considering a number of those 20.</p>

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<p>^^ Yes, I am. Also, is it better to take a variety of SAT IIs or only the required two? (looks like Math II and a science for most schools I’m looking at)</p>

<p>I made a college list, finally. I know it’s quite long right now (40 schools) but if you see any glaring omissions or schools you’d eliminate let me know :)</p>

<p>Boston U – Boston, MA
Brandeis U – Waltham, MA
Brown U – Providence, RI
California Institute of Technology – Pasadena, CA
Carnegie Mellon University – Pittsburgh, PA
Case Western Reserve U – Cleveland, OH
Columbia U – New York, NY
Cornell U – Ithaca, NY
Dartmouth College – Hanover, NH
Duke U – Durham, NC
Georgia Institute of Technology – Atlanta, GA
Harvard U – Cambridge, MA
Johns Hopkins U – Baltimore, MD
Lehigh U – Bethlehem, PA
Massachusetts Institute of Technology – Cambridge MA
New York U – New York, NY
Northeastern U – Boston, MA
Northwestern U – Evanston, IL
Princeton U – Princeton, NJ
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute – Troy, NY
Rice U – Houston, TX
Stanford U – Stanford, CA
Stony Brook U (SUNY) – Stony Brook, NY
U of California (Berkeley) – Berkeley, CA
U of California (San Diego) – La Jolla, CA
U of Chicago – Chicago, IL
U of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign) – Urbana, IL
U of Maryland (College Park) – College Park, MD
U of Michigan (Ann Arbor) – Ann Arbor, MI
U of Minnesota (Twin Citites) – Minneapolis, MN
U of North Carolina (Chapel Hill) – Chapel Hill, NC
U of Notre Dame – Notre Dame, IN
U of Pennsylvania – Philadelphia, PA
U of Rochester – Rochester, NY
U of Texas (Austin) – Austin, TX
U of Washington – Seattle, WA
U of Wisconsin (Madison) – Madison, WI
Vanderbilt U – Nashville, TN
Washington U (St. Louis) – St. Louis, MO
Yale U – New Haven, CT</p>

<p>Edit: I know it has 2 Texas schools, my parents convinced me not to eliminate them offhand, yet…</p>

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<p>What is your financial situation? Can you afford full pay (ca. 50k+/yr) for a private. Will you qualify for need based FA? Will you need merit scholarships? Can you afford full OOS tuition at the OOS publics (UNC-CH is the only one on your list that treats OOS students like IS for FA)?</p>

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<p>Umm, I’m not sure. My parents have mostly handled that and not discussed it with me so far. I know we are fairly well off, a lot of savings/assets but average income. I think my mom mentioned something about the FAFSA, and if a school uses only that for financial aid it we could qualify for a lot. They also expect I’ll be able to get scholarships for at least some of those schools. At this point I’m not really worrying about FA, I’m just kinda trying to take a broad stroke of the top 50ish schools that seem to fit my interests.</p>

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<p>If a school requires SATIIs at all, it will probably require 2 (Georgetown is the only one I know of that asks for three, but Georgetown’s odd, because they don’t look at your writing score from your SATI. The original requirement of some colleges for three predated the writing section of the SATI); some will only look at your two highest (e.g., Duke); still others require two, but will look at all you send (e.g., Harvard); some STEM schools require specific tests, like Math (e.g., MIT). You’re probably fine with the two you plan; the schools I’ve seen say just to take the tests in the subjects you think you’ll do well in (with the exception of the language test, if English isn’t your first language; in that case, don’t take the test in your first language). Your transcript will demonstrate your breadth of competence.</p>

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<p>For most students, there is no particular advantage to taking more than 2 subjects tests, as long as both scores are good. </p>

<p>There are exceptions for some special situations, e.g. homeschooled students. Additionally, some schools use foreign language subjects tests for placement.</p>

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<p>Average is a relative term, there’s a big difference between the mean income and what most people consider ‘average’ for their area.</p>

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<p>Most, if not all of the privates will use the Profile as well as FAFSA.</p>

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<p>IMO you should sit down with your parents and have a discussion about how much they are willing and/or able to pay. And they should try some of the NPCs to get some idea how much, if any, need based FA you might get. I’ll leave it at that, good luck.</p>

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<p>I asked them point blank about paying for college and they just told me not to worry and to quit talking about it. I’m fairly sure this means that they will cover wherever I want to go, and in any case they aren’t concerned about it right now.</p>

<p>So, if anyone sees any top math/science schools I may be missing, or some on there that seem out of place, let me know so that I can edit it. :)</p>

<p>And thanks sacchi! My SAT II questions are all cleared up now.</p>