Reaches...Matches...Safeties - No, i'm not an Ivy Leaguer!

College Search & Selection
1

<p>I created a thread earlier, and got many helpful comments on my schools and which ones were a good fit for me. You can find the thread here: </p>

<p><a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=81524%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=81524&lt;/a> </p>

<p>Anyways, i've put a lot of thinking into this, and wanted to narrow my list down a lot more. I hope that others could help me.</p>

<p>I'm seeking a Public university with a strong athletic program that would be fun to go to. I have no preference where I go, big city, rural, suburban, wherever. I would like to go to a large school however, with an active student body.</p>

<p>I'd like to major in Sport Management/Administration, but it's not a must. Business Management/Administration also interests me as well. Michigan is a first choice school, and basically i'd like to look at schools a little less prestigious than Michigan, in case I don't get accepted.</p>

<p>My ACT score was a 29 (about a 2000 on the new SAT, 1360 on the old). I have a 3.6 weighted GPA with a strong curriculum (who doesn't?!). My extracurriculars are strong, involved with the orchestra, ice hockey, a few clubs, volunteering. </p>

<p>Here's my list of reaches, matches, and safeties. Please add schools, make comments! I love when everyone does that, it really helps me!</p>

<p>REACHES:
Virginia
North Carolina*
Illinois*
Florida*
Maryland*
Wisconsin
Texas*</p>

<p>MATCHES:
Michigan* (In state- not sure if this is a reach or not)
Pittsburgh
Georgia*
Miami (OH)*
Rutgers</p>

<p>SAFETIES:
Penn State
Washington
Minnesota*
Clemson*
NC State*
Iowa*
Purdue
Colorado-Boulder
Michigan State
Indiana*</p>

<ul>
<li>- offers sport management</li>
</ul>

2

<p>whats your uw gpa in just your academic classes</p>

3

<p>I don't know why but I keep seeing Clemson every time I read a post from you. It would be a fun place to go to school and the academics are pretty impressive. Kansas ,and Mizzou have really good campuses and are in good college towns , too. Check them out. I'd be worried about selectivity at several of your schools. IU, Michigan,CU for three. In fact I think a lot of your safeties are solid matches. Do a really thorough job of researching the stats. I really like to put kids at the 75th percentile stats wise at OOS schools or selective privates. Maybe that's too conservative, but hey-you won't be left without a chair come April.</p>

<p>I applaud you for knowing what you want. I'd stick with the program you like. Doesn't one of the Arizona schools have a well known sports management program? You can make a dang good list from just the schools that have your program. No need to settle.</p>

<p>P.S. Your ACT to SAT conversion is wonky. Go to collegeboard. If you can't find it PM me and I'll look it up for you .</p>

4

<p>michigan is not a match...sorry</p>

5

<p>Unweighted GPA - 3.54 (although I included foreign language). Without foreign language, it's still 3.52.</p>

<p>I didn't find the collegeboard comparison, but this site <a href="http://www.npasfa.org/ACT-to-SAT.htm%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.npasfa.org/ACT-to-SAT.htm&lt;/a> did the trick. It said 1300 (old SAT) would be equivalent to a 29. I'm guessing that's about a 1950 on the new SAT.</p>

<p>I nearly put Kansas and Missouri on my list! They would be safeties, right? I would love to go to schools there, should have good campuses and athletics. Missouri doesn't offer my major, and I can't check to see if Kansas does right now. I think they do indeed offer Sport Sciences (not sure if that is the same as management and administration or not), as I found a link here that describes a transition method from a community college to KU Sport Sciences <a href="http://www.kckcc.edu/counsel/ku/sport.psp%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.kckcc.edu/counsel/ku/sport.psp&lt;/a> . The KU website is down currently, though.</p>

<p>I believe that Arizona State has a program, a nice lady I was referred to named carolyn gave me a reccomendation telling me to look into it. </p>

<p>You were right about my safeties being matches. My ACT scores aren't great for many schools, I actually had schools lined out as REACH, REACH-MATCH, MATCH, MATCH-SAFETY, SAFETY, but figured that would be too confusing, so I clumped a bunch together.</p>

<p>As for my major, you're right. I shouldn't do something else that I don't have a passion for. I don't need a business degree at a great school, when I can get a degree in SM at a good school. It will prepare me better in life, and i'll have a better experience in college.</p>

<p>As for safeties, what about Ohio U.? They supposedly have one of the top programs in the country (I can't find any rankings anywhere on Kinesiology, Sport Management, etc!), and I could get a scholarship there. Bowling Green also has said that students like me usually get scholarships, sending me a letter. Western Michigan is in there also. South Carolina may qualify as a "safety" (another reccomendation by carolyn). I'll add those as safeties on another list later on.</p>

<p>Michigan not being a match... well, I believe so as well, although nearly everyone i've talked so says I shouldn't be freaking out, and that i'll get in! I don't know if my GPA is up to par for their standards (3.6-3.9 25-75%), which my unweighted falls below. Also, at their college meeting, they said GPA was the #1 factor, as well as strong curriculum.</p>

<p>Sorry for the novel, this is important to me!</p>

6

<p>A good match would be Washington and a good safety would be Arizona.</p>

7

<p>dont be discouraged h/e...if i were you i would still apply at most of the schools on your list that you want to go to....if you got into uwmadison, mich, texas, virginia, and illinois i would be horribly suprised, you have a good shot</p>

8

<p>ull get into UGA(georgia) for sure</p>

9

<p>Are your parents on board to pay out of state tuition at all of these schools? In some cases it may not be the best value and financial aid is often limited for oos students.</p>

10

<p>I've tried talking to my parents about financial aid, but they keep assuring me that they have enough money to allow me to go where I want/feel comfortable. </p>

<p>When I talk to them about OOS tuition, they bring up how cheap the local community college is, and how I can easily transfer to UMich after two years. Their belief is that you take the same classes at every college the first two years, and basically there is no need to go to Michigan or a great college for undergraduate admissions. </p>

<p>But i've worked hard in school for a respectable GPA under a rigorous curriculum (7 AC/AP classes so far), and have good test scores (29 in ACT) to be doing things other than going to a community college that accepts anyone and everyone. I also want to live the "college life", rather than staying at home.</p>

11

<p>I think I would pin them down. Will they be OK with the $35K/yr some of these schools will cost. If they believe cc is the way to go, they may have a hard time with that much for a mediocre college. Many parents who will pay for Harvard will not shell out equal dollars for another state's school.</p>

12

<p>You haven't looked at UConn yet? Hard to beat them for sports management and business.</p>

13

<p>you have way too many public schools! if you are gonna pay the price, look at some private schools too. </p>

<p>you are too good to go to pittsburgh.</p>

<p>if you get into michigan i'd say forget everything else haha</p>

14

<p>Well, I pinned them down, and they said "Don't worry about tuition wherever you go". I'll just have to pay for Room & Board, supplies, etc. That's what they have difficulty paying.</p>

<p>UCONN - looking at it as a safety school, with my ACT score, i'd be in the top 25% there. Would it be possible for a scholarship? I have a lot more safety schools i'm considering.</p>

<p>I'm having difficulty finding private schools that offer my major. One's i'm considering that don't offer it are USC, BC, and Boston U. Acutally, Miami (FL) and Syracuse offer SM, and I am considering them, as possible 'match' schools. Is it easier to get aid/scholarships for Private schools as opposed to Public schools?</p>

<p>Pittsburgh - I went there for a hockey tournament and loved the city... loved the hills, architecture, just not the driving! Don't offer my major though, i'm likely taking them off my list.</p>

<p>"if you get into michigan i'd say forget everything else haha"</p>

<p>That's what i'm planning on doing, LOL!</p>

15

<p>i have a 32 act, 790m/650cr sat, and a 3.63 gpa (with mich grading system it gets bumped down to a 3.35) do i have a shot at the college of engineering in michigan (i have great ec's)</p>

16

<p>mrsandmani - I'd say you have a strong shot. I just spoke to someone who got accepted with a 3.3 Michigan GPA and a 29 ACT, who was an OOS student. He wasn't great with his ECs, though. You'd be applying to engineering, which would be one of the harder schools, though.</p>

17

<p>thanks .</p>

18

<p>Mrsandman, your GPA is low, but your ACT is solid. You have a chance, but I would say Michigan is a reach.</p>

19

<p>I would consider UConn a match, not a safety. They only accept 50% of their applicants (and that stat is constantly dropping), and your stats are right around average.</p>

20

<p>University of South Carolina has an excellent sports management program.</p>