<p>Outside of state schools for the in state, there’s just about a 100% correlation between college quality and price.</p>
<p>
Overall, a student accepted to Cal Poly has a 3.8 average GPA and a SAT CR+Math of 1200. They do not consider ECs (none of the CSUs do), so it is strictly by the numbers. They also have very specific course requirements that must be completed or you would not be eligible for admission. </p>
<p>Cal Poly and the other CSUs cost about $28,000 - $30,000 per year for out of state students.</p>
<p>I think Northwestern has good financial aid.</p>
<p>UM Morris is a great oos school, the public liberal arts college of MN, and it is very reasonably priced.
[University</a> of Minnesota Morris | About Morris](<a href=“http://www.morris.umn.edu/about/]University”>About UMN Morris | University of Minnesota Morris)
The low price does not reflect a low quality education.</p>
<p>USC’s average GPA is a 3.7 according to Princeton Review and Cal Poly’s is a 3.8? Does that make sense? I’d be majoring in journalism, so I don’t think it would be as hard to get into. The only colleges in Cali people have heard here are UCLA, USC, and UC Berkeley.You never hear much about any other schools. Does it have national rep? Pomona College is one of the top colleges and so is Amherst, but I don’t know anyone (including my parents) who have heard of either. Tuition is $17,658 for Cal Poly OOS, room and board must be a lot then. SUNY seems cheaper. </p>
<p>What does one do? Is a 200k education worth all the debt? I do not want to be in a lot of debt at 22, but I want a solid education which I will enjoy. I do not want to be miserable for four years. </p>
<p>Northwestern has a great journalism program, but that’s even harder to get into and is a huge reach. My father won’t fill out the EFC form because he says his financial situation will be a lot different in a year. He says it won’t be accurate, I told him to give it a try but he wouldn’t. I wouldn’t know how to find all the information to fill out the form.</p>
<p>U of Minn- Morris looks good, but it’s rural. I’m open if the nearest city is an hour away and there are things to do in the area. It is tier 3, but ratings aren’t everything. My other response is on the other page.</p>
<p>Any feedback on The College of New Jersey? The tuition seems cheaper and it’s in the northeast and it’s a suburb.</p>
<p>
USC uses UNweighted 9th-11th grade GPA, and the 2009 average was 3.8 UNweighted. <a href=“http://www.usc.edu/admission/undergraduate/private/0910/FreshmanProfile2009.pdf[/url]”>http://www.usc.edu/admission/undergraduate/private/0910/FreshmanProfile2009.pdf</a> Cal Poly SLO uses the UC/CSU GPA, which is</p>
<p>-10th and 11th grade only [CSUMentor</a> - Plan for College - High School Students - GPA Calculator](<a href=“Cal State Apply | CSU”>Cal State Apply | CSU)
-Academic, A-G courses only [CSUMentor</a> - Plan for College - High School Students - High School Subject Requirements](<a href=“Cal State Apply | CSU”>Freshman: Admission Requirements | CSU)
-1 extra GPA pt for up to 4 year-long AP or IB courses. Honors courses do not receive an extra GPA point for out of state students.
And to be eligible for admission:
-15 specific year-long courses [CSUMentor</a> - Plan for College - High School Students - High School Subject Requirements](<a href=“Cal State Apply | CSU”>Freshman: Admission Requirements | CSU)</p>
<p>NOTE: In addition to the 3.8 unweighted GPA in a rigorous course load, USC’s average SAT was over 2100.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Cal Poly’s 2010-2011 cost of attendance (which includes room and board) for an in-state student living on campus is $21,582 [Cal</a> Poly Financial Aid - Cost of Attendance](<a href=“http://www.ess.calpoly.edu/_finaid/coa1011.htm]Cal”>http://www.ess.calpoly.edu/_finaid/coa1011.htm) Out of state students pay an additional $248 per unit. Cal Poly is on a quarter system and most students have 15 to 18 units per quarter, for a total of 45 to 54 units per year. That is an additional $11,160 to $13,392 per year for out of state students. That makes the out-of state total $32,742 to $34,974 per year at Cal Poly SLO.</p>
<p>My freshman year was terrible. I would def meet Cal Poly’s GPA requirements/average by the time I am a senior. </p>
<p>I will have:</p>
<p>4 years of Social Studies: AP Human, AP World, AP US, and AP Micro/Govern</p>
<p>4 years of math: accel alg I, cp geometry, cp alg II, cp trig (integrated math)</p>
<p>4 years of honors language arts, AP Lit senior year</p>
<p>4 years of science: Honors Bio, Honors Chem, AP Physics B and AP Environmental Science </p>
<p>3 years of French</p>
<p>2 years of Drama</p>
<p>2 years of Journalism</p>
<p>You are missing your VPA. It is required for all UC/CSU campuses.</p>
<p>Note: Eligibilty means an applicant will be considered for admission, it is not a guarantee of acceptance. There is also an eligibility index you would have to meet after you take your SAT and/or ACT.</p>
<p>Ahhh - you added Drama while I was typing. Drama will satisfy VPA.</p>
<p>Also, I never know my weighted or unweighted GPA. My schools gives me my % average and cumulative GPA. My schools adds 10 points for every AP class I take, but takes it off when calculating my cumulative GPA. Instead, they add .5 for every AP class. I had a 3.333 last semester and should have around a 3.5 cumulative GPA this semester. I have taken two years of AP classes, so I would have a 3.3 unweighted GPA after this semester. If you count just academic classes, I would have a 3.1ish. We do not get any extra points for honors classes. When colleges calculate weighted GPA’s, do they give you .5 or 1 point for AP classes? Do most colleges give you extra point for honors classes?</p>
<p>When figuring your UC/CSU GPA, please remember that ONLY FOUR AP courses will be granted the extra GPA point for out of state students, and honors courses are not granted an extra point. It does not matter if your school gives extra weight to those courses, UC/CSU does not.</p>
<p>(I am not saying it is “fair,” I am just saying that is how it is done.)</p>
<p>If anyone was wondering:</p>
<p>AP US History
Int Alg II
AP Physics B
Honors Language Arts
Journalism
Honors French II</p>
<p>Technically UC/CSU gives more points towards AP classes. I only get .5 at my school, not 1 point. After you take 4 AP classes, do you get .5 for the rest? I should have 7 all together. What do most colleges do when calculating GPA? I am always confused when I see schools average GPA because I never know if it’s weighted or not.</p>
<p>I’m also not really interested in any UC’s. I have been researching colleges since 8th grade, lol. But I am just even more confused with the process. My counselor doesn’t know much about OOS schools, mostly everyone stays instate here. However, people are going to Columbia, Duke, etc this year. People have gone to NYU in the past, but it is rare.</p>
<p>You don’t need to worry about how your school does it. Use the calculator on CSU mentor. A=4, B=3, C=2, D=1. Add 1 point for up to 8 semesters (4 year-long courses) of AP classes. Only use academic, A-G courses from 10th and 11th grade.</p>
<p>ONLY 4 year long AP courses will receive weight. No extra weight for additional AP courses.</p>
<p>This information is specific to the UC/CSU systems - not other colleges.</p>
<p>I understand, but I’m not going to bother to do it until I get my transcript. I’m in the South, so we get out pretty soon. My question is, how do most colleges figure their GPA? The majority of colleges I like aren’t a CSU.</p>
<p>You will have to investigate each college’s website. I linked you to USC - which uses unweighted 9th-11th, academic courses only. Many of the colleges on your list will re-calculate your GPA. So many high schools started weighting so many classes that the GPA reported by the high schools became a bit unreliable.</p>
<p>It is a very good idea to wait until you get your transcript. Even better, wait until mid-way through your Junior year when you have completed your first round of testing and know your grades through the middle of junior year. Then you will have a much more realistic picture of what your options are. Good luck!</p>
<p>Thanks! I really do know what type of college I want. NYU is my top choice and it is my dream college. I know there are so many outside scholarships. I have looked on fastweb and scholarships(.com), but I cannot apply yet and I would have to write a lot of essay’s! My back up plan is to go to Flagler College. I guess I can see how much aid I get from each school. Cal Poly is on my list now though. How many colleges do you suggest I apply to? I always read different numbers and I cannot eliminate any colleges from my list. Is 12 too much? I can’t visit the majority of my list. But I still have time at least, I started the process early.</p>
<p>Would taking the ACT in February and the SAT in March 2011 be a good idea?</p>
<p>I have loved the college process so much that I almost applied to Simon’s Rock, hence the name early_college. But it wasn’t a good fit at all.</p>
<p>If you make a good list, about 8 should be fine. 12 would be okay, but the applications get a bit expensive. Once you add in the application fees and then the fees for sending test scores, transcripts, etc., count on $100 per school to apply.</p>
<p>By a good list I mean that you take a clear-eyed look at your qualifications and make sure that you have 2 or 3 admissions-AND-financial safeties, 2 or 3 admissions matches, and only 2 or 3 reaches. For a school to be a safety, you must be in the top 25% in **BOTH **GPA and test scores, and your family must be able to afford it.</p>
<p>Feb and March would be fine for your first round of testing. It leaves you time to take subject tests in June and then take another try at the ACT or SAT (whichever you did best on) in the Fall of your senior year. Some community colleges offer inexpensive test prep courses over the summer - you might look into that, but wait until you have taken the test once so you know what your weaknesses are.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>Thanks so much! You have really helped me. Do you suggest getting a prep book for the first time I take the SAT/ACT? My parents want me to take a prep class, but I will wait until after I take the SAT/ACT the first time. I will start studying this summer. Should I focus on one test first? My mom got a prep book for the PSAT for my older brother, he never used it. I never used it either lol, but I will this time! I got a prep book for AP World and never liked it.</p>