Safeties and Matches For Moi

College Search & Selection
1

<p>I've posted in the What Are my Chances, becoming overconfident of my abilities to make it into those top schools. Needless to say, I've been told that the schools,</p>

<p>Stanford, NYU, BU, Amherst</p>

<p>are reaches for me.</p>

<p>Thus this lowers my confidence.</p>

<p>My Sat Score of 2005 was</p>

<p>Critical Reading 490<br>
Math 580<br>
Writing 560 </p>

<p>My AP Scores</p>

<p>US History: 3
World History: 3
English: 3</p>

<p>My type of school:</p>

<p>-A lot of students
-Gay-Friendly
-Great English Program
-Great Theater Arts Program (Inspired to become a screenwriter)
-Only NorthEastern or California College.
-Diverse
-Great financial aid package</p>

<p>Hopefully I can find a safe match school but I'm still aiming for NYU and Amherst/Williams type of schools.</p>

<p>~Anh</p>

2

<p>NYU isn't a reach...</p>

<p>It's impossible for you</p>

<p>We need more criteria than just ACT scores and location. Is $$$ an issue? Do you want a large university? Small? Urban/Rural?</p>

3

<p>study hard and retake the SAT. Try to get 650+ on each section. And Amherst/Williams are reaches for everyone</p>

4

<p>if you get below the national average score for critical reading, the odds of your acceptance at schools like Williams = 0.</p>

5

<p>I think you seriously need to do more research. I hate to say it, none of the schools you mentioned are possible. Look to schools like Hobart, Skidmore. IF you have a top 10% GPA, you dont have to send SAT scores to Bowdoin or Bates so those might be possible.</p>

6

<p>have you considered Emerson College in Boston?</p>

7

<p>Surprisingly Enough lol, I have a 4.5 GPA.</p>

<p>I am ranked 3rd out of 33, which isn't a big deal.</p>

<p>And I want a large university as opposed to small but I can deal with small. My school has a partnership with Clark University of some sort, allowing full tuition to Clark if we stay at University Park Campus for the whole time.</p>

8

<p>Btw, one person from my school, ranked #1 in the class, went to Brown University, with a lower SAT score than myself. That raises hope for me doesn't it?</p>

<p>Then again, he had a harsh background and grew up in a different environment than I have.</p>

9

<p>I thought this was a joke when I first looked at your scores...</p>

<p>But, you should consider the University of San Francisco.</p>

10

<p>Clark sounds pretty good...</p>

11

<p>Clark might be an excellent choice if you don't mind staying close to home.</p>

<p>Look at the book "40 Colleges that Change Lives" and definitely consider applying to schools that do not care about SATs.</p>

<p>With such a great GPA, is it possible you have a problem completing the test fast enough? Did you do any prep? Might still be possible to really raise score. Even 600+ on all sections would be a big help.</p>

12

<p>Yeah, you have a few options. 1) Try the ACT 2) Apply to Bowdoin/ Bates (your best shot into a top school) 3) Go to your doctor to see if you have time issues with tests, maybe you can get extra time 4) Just go to clark. As is, your scores are really ruining your chances. You might be into NYU as a reach, but Williams/ Amherst are out of the picture. BU might be a good match with your current scores/ GPA.</p>

13

<p>Also be aware that the majority of kids say new england or calif, so if you pick a school in the midwest or south you might be able to get into a place slightly more selective academically, just because you;d be bucking a geographic trend. Then again, make sure it really is gay friendly if you are in a red state.</p>

14

<p>I unfortunately do not have the urge to go to Clark University. Staying in Worcester for 15 years already, makes it tough for me to continue schooling here.</p>

<p>And no, I do not have a test timing problem. I guess I was not really that great during that test date.</p>

<p>I had a lot of test prep before then. My English teacher was Teacher of the Year in Mass in 1988 I believe. He is an awesome dude and knows how to prepare the students to take the English part. I am decent in math, being the first person in my school to get a perfect score in Math on the MCAS. I guess I just just choked on the SATS.</p>

<p>What would be the minimum SAT for me to even have a chance at NYU/AMherst/Williams</p>

15

<p>If you are a normal kid (not URM, not $$$, etc) you probably need about a 700+ on each component to be at all competitive.</p>

16

<p>Stanford is actually a safety...Just write good essays and you are a shoe-in</p>

17

<p>Harvard, don't be mean.</p>

<p>NYU/BU are easier than Amherst/Williams but not a lot.</p>

<p>You should shoot for schools where your SATS put you in top 25% as safe schools. SATs in top 50% are reachy. Also look for schools that take 60%+ of applicants.</p>

<p>Great Financial Aid is another factor. For merit aid, shoot lower. For need based aid, look for schools that have big endowments and that meet 100% of need with fewer loans, more grants.</p>

<p>Check out Wheaton, Wells, UMass, Simmons, Skidmore, Goucher, Bennington, Hampshire, Loyola Marymount, Mills, U of Redlands, UCSC, and the various State Us that might work for you...</p>

<p>NO SAT: Bard (<em>ideal</em> per description), Bowdoin, Bates (Google: SAT not required.)</p>

<p>Going outside your preferred geographic area: Beloit is very close to your wishes (WI.) There may be other out of area schools that would like the fact you come from another region & bring diversity.</p>

<p>Not sure about gay-friendly factor but look into: TCNJ, St Lawrence for nice LACs possible in your stat range</p>

<p>If you are female try Mt Holyoke, Smith etc.</p>

<p>donkey, you will find a great school!!</p>

18

<p>bowdoin could be ur ideal school because they dont require sats. the small LAC will be great grad school preparation. Your AP scores are good so just find a way to truly stand out among the crowd in your essays.</p>

19

<p>I would look into the sat optional schools (there is a list, maybe it is at fairtest.com). I would look into all of the UMass campuses (not just Amherst), and I would consider Clark, even if for a year, and then transferring if I did not like it. Clark is a good school, and you might wind up staying and liking it.</p>

20

<p>Bogus that NYU/ BU arent much easier than Amherst/ Williams. They are MUCH easier. I know so many kids at BU/ NYU who couldnt get into Williams with a 10 million dollar donation. NYU is harder than BU, but both arent even close to those LACs, unless you are looking at particular NYU programs like Film and Business.</p>