<p>Now that we have pinned down a bit more what my son is looking for, I’m turning to the folks at CC for help!</p>
<p>As you can see above, he has a very uneven profile. He didn’t try as hard as he could have in high school, was also very busy with sports/job/student government/etc. I think he will eventually “snap to attention” at some point.</p>
<p>His stats are: 3.2 GPA (weighted, without gym and health), 1430 (760M, 670V) and 2060 SAT. No rank at our school, accelerated courses (physics and calc in 11th grade) but no APs (need an A in previous course to qualify for them). Four year varsity football player, four year student government officer (elected), part time job (even during football season), leader in school, very charming and would do well in an interview situation.</p>
<p>Looking for: </p>
<li><p>School where there are some good sports to watch</p></li>
<li><p>Not too small but not gigantic (5,000 to 15,000 maybe)…definitely not the small LAC type.</p></li>
<li><p>Not too far from the Northeast, although is looking at Indiana as a safety (but it is huge!)</p></li>
<li><p>Not Jesuit</p></li>
</ol>
<p>You guys are all better than a college counselor, I think!</p>
<p>As in Indiana U-Bloomington? That is NOT a safety, it is more like a reach. The SUNY schools might be a good option or the CUNY schools. UMASS but apply to the other satellites (Boston for ex) Vermont, New Hampshire. etc.</p>
<p>SUNYs are not really sports schools, except maybe for hockey. I’d suggest Miami of Ohio, Ohio University, University of Delaware, James Madison University. Your son’s test scores and ECs should help override the lower GPA, not that a B+ is bad. Lots of B+ students get into all these schools.</p>
<p>Really? It has a 71% acceptance rate (according to CB which I have found to have some faulty info) and his stats seem to be in line with who they accept. I’m honestly not being sarcastic, I’m just wondering what your reasoning is.</p>
<p>Indiana is not a reach, as it’s not that hard to get into and I do know some kids that got into Indiana OOS with about the same GPA and had lower test scores. Good luck.</p>
<p>The middle 50% for SAT scores at Bloomington are:
Math: 530-640
CR: 510-620</p>
<p>You could definitely consider it a safety since your son’s scores are over 100 points higher in each section. I don’t know what the average GPA is at IU, but I’m sure your son will get in.</p>
<p>An easy flight from the NE and a saftey - maybe merit $ -would be Univ of South Carolina.
Also in SC is Clemson, more of a match
Virgina Tech may be a saftey
I second American and James Madison
Univ of Miami is a higher match</p>
<p>Penn State, Rutgers, and University of Maryland might be reaches (with the GPA, but not the SAT scores), but they fit the requirements. With Penn State, even if he doesn’t get into University Park, I believe there is a program in which he can go to a different campus for two years, and transfer to University Park for his last two years. </p>
<p>Although those are big schools, they all have smaller campuses within. </p>
<p>University of Connecticut would be my vote. Possibly a match, maybe a high match. State schools tend to have good sports teams, especially around here, which is why I am specifically pointing these out. </p>
<p>It would help to know what state you live in, and what his intended major / areas of interest is / are. Also, by “not too far” from the Northeast, how far do you mean? I was thinking like DC to Maine, but this might be a larger stretch than intended.</p>
<p>What will his recs be like? If they show that he has little skills and because of that he got a low GPA it would baffle the officers because he has great test scores. If they avoid the “low effort” part it would reflect well on him in that they KNOW that he is not putting in the best but he is charming and a great addition. I think he needs a way to prove to the adcoms he will actually try in college.</p>
<p>If he manages to convey that point the reach could be very high. Maybe Duke? (Very, VERY, very, difficult. I would think). If he is unable to convey that, I am not sure. </p>
<p>May I ask why he is looking OOS for a safety? I am curious. Depending on where you are in the NE you could get a good and cheap safety.</p>
<p>You probably are not going to get a break on tuition and R&B for these OOS public Us. Keep that in mind if you have a budget. It is possible to be awarded instate tuition at USC, so you might want to read what the requirements are. Also, Clemson might give some merit money, just not sure if the gpa is high enough.</p>
<p>You guys are the best. There is so much great advice here.</p>
<p>We live in CT. We have already been to UConn, which he liked (even in the pouring rain!). However, guidance has told us it may not be a certain admit because of his GPA. Also, it was on the outer limits of large for him. Even though he is very outgoing, our high school is very small (850 kids in total) so he has started to realize how big a “big” school really can be.</p>
<p>He does not know what he wants to study…he used to think business but says he is now undecided. </p>
<p>Is Bucknell too much of a reach?</p>
<p>Thanks again…</p>
<p>P.S. I think his recs will be good…he is very very active within the school and a student leader. I think the teachers that he has chosen know him well…he has had one teacher for three years (Latin) and does very well in the class. The other teacher he has had twice and doesn’t do as well, but the teacher likes him very much. You’re right though, the whole thing is a double edged sword…if they say he works hard, then people will wonder about the low GPA, unless they talk about how involved he is at the school. He wanted to get a recommendation from the adviser to student government, but the person does not teach an academic subject (teaches music and band…oh, my son is in the band too) and it appears the recs must be done by academic subject teachers…</p>
<p>Principalviola…to address your question…in CT I don’t think there is a public safety that would be a fit for him. The other publics besides UConn have much lower standards, accepting students with GPAs in the mid 2s and very low SATs…</p>
<p>easy… here are the schools he should apply to</p>
<p>-Uconn
-SUNY (any one of them)
-Boston University
-Boston College (high-match, low reach)
-NYU (YES NYU)
-Northeastern
-American University
-George Washington University
-Lehigh
-Mcgill (Canada. Very budget friendly. Good sports too)</p>
<p>-Uconn
-SUNY (any one of them)
-Boston University
-Boston College (high-match, low reach)
-NYU (YES NYU)
-Northeastern
-American University
-George Washington University
-Lehigh
-Mcgill (Canada. Very budget friendly. Good sports too) (Reach)
-Duke (Extreme Reach)</p>
<p>I’m kind of in a similar situation to him; I’m also an URM. I don’t mean to invade on your thread lol, but are schools like GW, Lehigh, NYU, BC, and Wake Forest not reaches in his case?</p>