Son's Chances??

<p>Son a junior in very good public high school in MA. Has a 4.7 weighted GPA (out of 6.0) -- have no idea how this translates on the 4.0 scale but he is a solid B student, having taken 3/4 of his classes at the Advanced level. Will take 3 APs next year (Bio, Stats, Latin); President of Latin Club; varsity golf and crew; few other clubs at school throughout high school and has done a bit of volunteering and will work at a law firm this summer.</p>

<p>School doesn't rank but he's in top 30% (75/260).</p>

<p>SATs: 700M, 620CR, 520W -- will take again in June.</p>

<p>Also, not applying for financial aid -- does this even matter?</p>

<p>Anyone out there with honest opinion would be most appreciated! Thanks.</p>

<p>Applying for financial aid will not impact the decision, but he needs to raise those scores a bit and more importantly, that GPA quite a bit.</p>

<p>GPA's kind of a moot point now that junior year is 3/4 over -- don't they look mostly at the grades in 9-11 ? 1320 not enough on SATs? Do they want more in the 1400-range? I hear so many conflicting theories re: FA -- some people think it definitely plays a role, and others say no. </p>

<p>In any event, I thank you for your reply.</p>

<p>If I recall correctly, NYU is needblind, but perhaps not. In any case, I don't think that not applying for financial aid will affect decision much. The SAT scores aren't horrible, but higher ones would help counter the low GPA. Senior year is VERY important in decision-making. More than anything, making his first semester of senior year his best semester academically will help a lot (schools like to see improvements in students). That semester was certainly my best and I would venture to say that it helped me get in.</p>

<p>i never sent in a midyear report. they never asked for one. i still got in.</p>

<p>When you ask what are your son's chances, what is it you're hoping for? Ivy League acceptance, merit awards, or just getting in to a college where he'll be happy and receive a good education? I think he has excellent chances for the latter. If he's willing to look outside of his geographical region, there are many school who want to attract students from other parts of the country.</p>

<p>What school is he planning on applying to?</p>

<p>Thanks Salem and Scorpion: Just want him to get into a decent (not delusional about Ivy League!) school that he'll be happy at -- something in the NE/PA/Mid-Atlantic area. He's a pretty regular-type kid (nothing avant guarde about him). I know it's tough out there, but if you have any ideas of what might fit his stats, send them along! I know he doesn't want a really small school.</p>

<p>Thanks!!</p>

<p>Well all the different colleges at NYU have different standards, and thus different degrees of difficulty to get in. What does your son want to major in?</p>

<p>Wants to major in Latin -- go figure! As that is his best subject and he's president of latin club, do you think he'd have a shot?</p>

<p>Thanks so much for your information and help.</p>

<p>I think 1320 is a solid score, and I've seen others accepted with 1140, so his scores are the least of his worries.</p>

<p>With that said, I think your son has a good shot at getting in. </p>

<p>Good luck to him! :)</p>

<p>His SAT's are a little on the low side (maybe around 40th percentile). More importantly however, I would tell him to work extremely hard senior year to bring up his GPA, because even if his GPA doesn't rise by that much, colleges like to see a strong upward trend. His extracurriculars seem fine though, and at this point, truthfully he would probably be looking at GSP. However, with a little work, he should be able to get in.</p>