Ohio state

Hi!!
i’m an out of state female who really really wants to go to ohio state. i am a junior as of now but i have a 3.5 and a 28 on my act. what are my shots?
i have exceeding abouts of extracurriculars and have one slight connection in. do interviews help? and does early decision/ action help?
let me know!!!

You probably have a great chance! I went to Ohio State undergrad, and even though admissions has gotten tougher in the last 10 years you should also get scholarship money…

thank you!! the internet says that it’s way harder to get into but i think that it’s over exaggerated. i’ve heard of people with low 3’s getting in!

Look into ED/EA as well. It should help, and look at other similar schools as backups. Places like University of Illinois, Michigan State, etc…

According to tOSU website… 28 ACT puts you right at the 25% percentile… 75% of admitted students have higher ACT scores than what you have. 95% of students rank in the top 25% in class rank, with nearly 65% in the top 10%.

As a marginal OOS candidate, you will not likely get in (though it is possible), and even if you do, you are unlikely to get any financial aid whatsoever apart from loans.

My out of school expierence:
-I have done over 100 hours of community service at a local old folks home
-I organized a breast cancer walk in my community for a teacher at my school
-I help teach at my church every sunday
-I have retail work expierence
-I am an ambassador for a company that helps marine life
-I play 2 varsity sports

My out of school expierence:
-I have done over 100 hours of community service at a local old folks home
-I organized a breast cancer walk in my community for a teacher at my school
-I help teach at my church every sunday
-I have retail work expierence
-I am an ambassador for a company that helps marine life
-I play 2 varsity sports

Publics often don’t care much about ECs.

Ask your parents if they’ll pay the high OOS costs. If they will, then super. If not, then that will be a problem.

@collegeisstressful6541 Early Action is a must (there is no Early Decision and interviews are not offered). You need to get your ACT score up by a point if you have any hope for merit aid. 29 ACT composite is the minimum threshold to even be considered. Also, your gpa needs to be in at least the top quarter of your class. And you should have taken a rigorous course schedule with at least some honors and APs if offered. Otherwise, this school is a “reach” for you even despite your strong extracurricular activities.

by the end of highschool i will have taken 3 aps and 1 honors. should i take more next year?? also i go to a very prestigious and top ranked highschool in california- so that may help

Being from a top ranked high school can cut two ways–if it offers a lot of honors and AP courses and you only took 1 honors and 3 APs during your four years in high school, then one could surmise that you did not take advantage of the rigorous curriculum your school offered. This can hurt your chances for admisson. On the other hand, if your gpa at this top ranked high school is in the top 10 or 25% of your class that would help. Also the fact you are from california should help as Ohio state looks to recruit out of state applicants from geographically diverse areas. I dont think they have as many california applicants as applicants from the northeast and midwest. Have you taken any honors or APs during freshman thru junior year? My son took 6 or 7 honors courses and 1 AP course during freshman thru junior year and then 5 AP courses senior year. His gpa was in the top ten percent and had 31 ACT. He got in around thanksgiving thru Early Action. Make sure all the documents in your application are submitted amd received by Ohio State before the November 1 early action deadline.

Is your 3.5 weighted or unweighted? Keep taking the ACT to get your score up which can only help.

What do you want to study? Why Ohio State? Is it the size, the sports, a specific program, a parent who has attended? If you were to ask me to classify among reach, match or safety, I would call Ohio State a mid reach for you. Your grades and test scores are around the 25th percentile and rigor of curriculum is probably average to a bit below average for OSU. If you’d like to attend apply early but remember that it is a reach, especially for an OOS student. There are other Ohio schools that would be a match or a safety for you and you’d be more likely to receive some scholarship money from. Some are excellent schools especially for specific areas of study.

Sometimes former OSU grads can think it’s easier to get in than it is. When I graduated from HS 40 years ago the average ACT score was a 21. Even as little as a five years ago it was a 26 or 27. Good luck.

How about Cleveland State, Youngstown State, U Dayton?

You might get merit there.

You might be surprised about Cleveland State or Youngstown. Cleveland State really wowed my daughter. All new buildings, research opportunities, new dorms and serious merit. I think she may end up there and I had never taken it serious. Youngstown state has money pouring into it because of President Tressel. Student enrollment is up, scores/quality of students is ticking upward, serious merit and a really shockingly nice campus.

Please tell us your situation. Talk to your parents.

Ask your parents if they’ll pay the high OOS costs. If they will, then super. If not, then that will be a problem

I had a 33 ACT and around a 3.8 UW GPA. I was OOS. My father did his MBA there as well. Decent essay and EC’s. I was flat out rejected this year and so were other people with similar stats to mine. Honestly, you should try to improve your stats because of this. OSU seems very unpredictable.

And definitely apply early as they are rolling. I applied in January and that might have cost me.

Ohio State’s middle 50% ACT score is 28-32, so you need a 31 to be safe (higher for more competitive majors). Also take 3-4 APs next year. GPA should be 3.8 UW to be safe with a lot of extracurriculars, leadership, volunteer experience and good essays (OSU has a holistic review). I was OOS and had a 31 ACT/1430 SAT and got 15K/year merit aid.

my son who will be attending in the fall had the following stats-OOS
3.5 (top 25 %) from a top 50th ranked HS in the country ( took 5 honors, and5 APs)
He will be a history major and received 14k / year. The average ACT for the class of 2016 was a 29.
ACT scores will probably be higher this year. Good luck.