Please help. Poorly ranked high school-- Will it affect my chances?

Parents Forum
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<p>My HS is ranked in the 300s out of 316 (in NJ)..what are my chances at a top rated university?
How much will attending a poor avid district high school effect my chances? Although, thanks to the state, we have a new facility--the academics in my school are still inferior.</p>

<p>My dream right now is to attend NYU or Georgetown. Or maybe even an East Coast Ivy League.</p>

<p>What are my chances for NYU or Georgetown?? Please help!!?</p>

<p>Personal
african american woman--age 16
family income under 60,000
parents did not graduate college (although mother is currently attending college)</p>

<p>Academics
-im a junior.
-I attend an urban public high school in new jersey
-my gpa (as of the end of my sophomore year) is a 4.157
-i took a proctored SAT diagnostic test and received a 1850 (<--this was without a whole lot of studying..so i should get higher when i take the real thing)
-I am in 3 APs right now--i will only take 2 AP tests at the end of the year however before applying.
-During my senior year, i will take another 3 APs.
-I havent taken any subject tests yet but i plan to.
-if it counts for anything...I took a history course (western civ.) at a local community college for 3 college credits.
-I attend saturday school run by the main State University (of my state) for science, math, etc.</p>

<p>extra-curriculars:
-I am the student representative to the board of education
-I am a county director for a student political organization<--the largest student political organization in the state.
-I was Vice President of my class last year
-I played varsity soccer
-I am the financial adviser for a small family/friend operated organization
-I am a member of the National Honor Society
-I am secretary of the French Club
-I am a writer for the school newspaper</p>

<p>Junior Summer
During the summer I will either do a precollege program at NYU or do a thing called LEAD at Wharton in PA.</p>

<p>Am I good for either NYU or Georgetown?
Am I heading in the right direction?
What else is needed? Should I take the ACT too?
Any help will be MUCH appreciated.</p>

<p>PLEASE NOTE: My guidance counselor is not the most helpful person with this whole thing.</p>

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<p>First off just BREATHE</p>

<p>it sounds like you are doing everything in your power to put yourself on the right track. I come from a rather similar situation, so here’s my advice</p>

<p>GPA: your GPA is right on track to where it should be. As long as you are taking the most rigorous courses your schools has to offer, it will look good. However, you need to make sure your class rank is very high(top 5% preferably) since your school is not very well regarded</p>

<p>SATs: Maybe take a prep class. An 1850 is good, but not great. Especially for NYU and Georgetown, you’re going to want a minimum of 2050.</p>

<p>ACTs: I would definatley give them a try. They are a test based on what you learned, not just your aptitude. If you get a good score on them, it will help immensely with NYU and Georgetown(try to aim for a 30 or more)</p>

<p>Volunteer/Work:If it’s possible I would try to do either/both. It will only boost your application. I would say pick Volunteering over work, but just make sure it doesn’t take away from your school work. Maybe do something having to do with your future career(for example, my friend Kate was a page for our local congressman and she wants to go into politics, I’m sure this helped her GW application)</p>

<p>GC: I"m sorry your guidance counselor sucks. Mine does too. Here are a few suggstions. I would try to develop a relationship so they can write a good rec letter for you. I would also do as much research as you can, that way you don’t have to rely on them. CC is a great resource(especially parents class of (your grad year here)) They sometimes know more than a GC</p>

<p>Finaid-you may not want to worry about this just yet, but really you need to get an idea of your financial picture. If you can get into an Ivy or even Georgetown, you shouldn’t have a huge issue paying for school. But, NYU is not known for being fantastic with their finaid. I would definitely find a financial safety that you LOVE. Also, look at some lower tiered LACs that offer merit aid. That way you can get a top notch education without breaking the bank</p>

<p>PM me for anything else</p>

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<p>thanks for your reply!
i am currently ranked number 1 in my class, btw.
and thank you for the advice about aid!</p>

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<p>r6l has good advice for you. You sound like a good candidate for NYU or Georgetown especially if you can get the SAT scores up - and by all means do try the ACT, many students find it easier. Pre-college programs are okay, but there is nothing wrong with working or volunteering either. I actually think working for pay has a slight edge over volunteering. </p>

<p>As you get a better idea of what you are interested in for college (course of study, location, size) ask the parents here for suggestions. They’ll be happy to help you put together a list of reaches, matches and safeties. Many will tell you that the most important thing is to find a safety school you like. For you I’d suggest you look at both George Washington and American which share the DC location and offer similar access to internships and visiting professors with ties to government, but are not quite as selective.</p>

<p>The rank of your high school does make some difference - when elite colleges know a school they may be willing to take kids from the top 5 to 10% of the class (or more for really highly rated schools), if they don’t they may be less willing to gamble. However if you are currently number one in the class and remain near the top, I don’t see that it will be a big issue, especially since you look to have respectable SAT scores.</p>

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<p>Georgetown requires 3 SAT Subject tests, so you should start thinking about when you will take them and in which subject. Most other schools that require subject tests only require 2. </p>

<p>The typical CC advice is to take the subject tests in May or June of the year that you are taking the related class. When selecting which subjects to take, strongly consider the subjects that correspond to any AP classes that you are taking this year.</p>

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<p>You should also look at your in-state public schools for a financial safety. See which one you like best.</p>

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<p>If you can get good enought ACT scores, I would look at UAlabama for a good financial safety. Their merit is amazing</p>

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<p>

</p>

<p>Is the precollege course at NYU competitive and scholarship based or is it non-competitive and expensive? I have heard great things about the LEAD summer program, there’s a poster on the Hispanic subforum who’s son attended last year, he had a wonderful experience and it seems to have been a positive addition to his college applications this year.</p>

<p>p.s. ditto what sacchi said about the SAT IIs, GT is 1 of 2 colleges in the nation that require 3 of them. I don’t know if they waive SAT IIs if you submit the ACT??</p>

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<p>eh okay I will take SAT IIs in us history, math 1, and i have to pick another.
will it look bad if i take 2 histories? </p>

<p>and ugh I really want to go to the schools i mentioned! where I live almost EVERYONE gets into Rutgers…but i just don’t want to go there! I’ll apply…but still… I really despise New Jersey at this moment in time. </p>

<p>Also, how good does interning at a law firm look? There are soo many of them in my town.</p>

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<p>You might try Lit, my younger son it was very similar to SAT1 CR except with poetry added. Are you taking an AP Science this year?</p>

<p>Interning at a law firm would be a good thing to do.</p>

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<p>Then don’t apply to Rutgers…if you get good SAT or ACT scores your financial safeties could be Bama, ASU, or any schools with guranteed merit</p>

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<p>Note that Rocketlouise said GUARANTEED Merit. That would be based on grades and/or scores.</p>

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<p>It would probably be better to take the SATII in Math II instead of I if you can–Math I has a brutal curve. If you are taking precalc this year, you should be well-positioned for Math II in June.</p>

<p>As long as you have one math/science SATII I don’t think it makes much difference what the third one is, unless you are applying to engineering/science/math programs, which evidently you are not. How about French?</p>

<p>You’re getting a little pressed for time on testing, so you’ll have to plan carefully. People usually recommend taking no more than 2 SAT IIs at one sitting. So if you are taking the SAT in May, you could take 2 SAT IIs in June, and a third one in October or even later in the fall. If you take the SAT earlier, you can split the SAT IIs between May and June and have time to retake the SAT in the fall if need be.</p>

<p>Taking the SATII in subjects where you are taking APs is a good idea, but be aware that the subject matter can differ. Some kids I know have really been caught out by this. Make sure you get the a prep book for the SAT IIs you plan to take and do the practice tests and study the review material.</p>

<p>You are doing everything right. All you need now to maximize your choices are the best scores you can achieve. You are obviously a motivated student. with a strong work ethic in academics and out. What selective schools will want to know about you is whether you can be successful there, given your admittedly weak HS. Top schools don’t want kids flunking out. Scores on APs and other standardized tests help to deal with that concern.</p>

<p>BTW, NYU has notoriously poor financial aid. As an AA female from NJ, think outside your immediate area when it comes to picking schools. Especially if you can get your scores up into the 680+ (over 700 would be better) per section range, you should be considering excellent LACs like Pomona, Claremont McKenna, Wellesley, Amherst, Williams, Macalester, Carleton, Bowdoin, Smith, and Bates as well as universities like Rice and the University of Rochester (which has some very large merit scholarships). Your rank, grades, and activities are good for Ivies, if you can bring in strong scores.</p>

<p>CC parents will be able to suggest good target schools for you when you know more about your stats.</p>

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<p>Have you thought about Questbridge?
There are tons of CC threads with information. You would be a great candidate.</p>

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<p>Thanks everyone for the replies!!</p>

<p>Yes I am taking a science–AP Physics.
next year i am going to take AP Bio</p>

<p>And okay–i’ll try to take Math 2 then. </p>

<p>Okay I will definitely try to extend my search to include more merit-based schools.</p>

<p>This whole process is extremely nerve-racking.</p>

<p>And yes I was looking into Questbridge–I will probably apply.</p>

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<p>And I am actually in French III
but i do not think my french is strong enough for a SAT subject test</p>

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<p>Both my kids had no problem taking 3 SAT2s in one sitting. They said it was much less stressful than the SAT1.
Which AP Physics? Physics B aligns with the SAT2 pretty well, but if you are taking C, you’d probably have to do some reviewing of the subjects it doesn’t cover.</p>

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<p>I agree with Math 2 for precalc. My S by mistake took Math1 & did poorly. In the fall, he took Math2 (when he was reviewing precalc in his AP Calc course & did MUCH better. Many universities want you to take Math 2, particularly if you’re interested in pursing math/science in college.</p>

<p>Sounds like you’re doing a great deal right! Give yourself a pat on the back, take a deep breath & keep going forward!</p>

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<p>thanks! i do not want to major in anything in the math/science field.
im more into economics/political philosophy</p>

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<p>You will need math for econ.</p>