Suggest some colleges that coincide with my interests and academics?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Hi everyone. I'm pretty new to the "getting ready for college" scene and was just wondering what some of you here would suggest I aim for considering my situation. Right now I'm a high school junior, so I don't really have SAT or ACT scores to report just yet. Reading the rest of the threads on these forums is sort of alarming me because some of the colleges I want to go to are seeming less and less realistic to me after seeing all the amazing profiles and crazy ECs. But here you go:</p>

<p>Male
Caucasian
College class of 2015
NJ public HS (~1200 kids total)</p>

<p>If not one of the top 5 students, within top 5%
PSAT scores of sophomore year (taking again in a month):
Total: 1970
CR: 560
Math: 800
Writing: 610</p>

<p>GPA uw freshman year: 3.75
GPA w freshman year: 4.125
GPA uw sophomore year: 4
GPA w sophomore year: 4.5</p>

<p>Honors/APs taken:
AP Statistics (A)
AP US History I (A)
Unified Math III (B)
Unified Math IV (A)
World History Honors (B)
English 9 Honors (A)
English 10 Honors (A)</p>

<p>Honors/APs taking now:
AP Chemistry
AP Calculus AB
AP Language and Composition
Spanish IV Honors (most likely A)</p>

<p>Honors/APs to be taken Senior year:
AP English 12 (Literature and Comp.)
AP Calculus BC
AP Physics C
AP Biology
AP Computer Science
AP American Gov't and Politics
Spanish V Honors (possibly taking the AP Spanish test?)</p>

<p>APs taken:
Statistics - 5</p>

<p>I plan on taking the Chemistry, Biology, Physics, Calc AB, Calc BC, Lang. and Comp., Computer Science, and possibly Spanish APs.</p>

<p>ECs (barely any):
Model UN 2 years (Vice-President 1 year)
-attended RUMUN 2008
Created Spanish Speaking Club
Created a Circassian Youth Group (outside of school)
Student Council Representative 1 year</p>

<p>I definitely want to major in Math, and possibly considering Spanish, Physics, or Computer Science as a double major. </p>

<p>What are some reach/match/safety schools that I should consider? Maybe some that don't necessarily care much about ECs? I don't mind size of the school, location, and for now I won't worry about pricing (although I will have to later on).</p>

<p>Are the following too high of a reach?:
Carnegie Mellon
University of Chicago
Georgetown</p>

<p>Thank you in advance!</p>

2

<p>With such a broad array of academic interests, consider liberal arts colleges in the mix. You might find that they are more amenable to allowing you to meld those interests into a single program of study.</p>

3

<p>Which specifically could you recommend?</p>

4

<p>I’m a Rhodes College alum and employee, so of course I recommend it every chance I get. Spanish and Physics are both strong. Our CS program is very, very small but it’s a part of an overall strong Math department. I majored in CS and business at Rhodes, and I loved it.</p>

<p>I’d search for LACs by location of the country where you’d like to be, by “degree of urbanization” (that is, are they in a city, suburb, or out in the sticks), and then start looking at ones whose student profiles match your stats. Virtually all will have the majors you’re interested in. College Navigator on the Department of Education site is really useful for that kind of search.</p>

5

<p>Michigan would be a reasonable match.</p>

6

<p>I’m familiar with both Chicago and Georgetown. For a prospective Math major, possibly with a minor in CS or Physics, I would recommend Chicago highly but not Georgetown. In these fields, unless the place has changed significantly in the past few years, GU is not in the same league as Chicago or CMU. </p>

<p>Right now, your CR and W scores are low for these schools (especially Chicago and Georgetown) so you’ll want to raise them.</p>

7

<p>Chicago and Carnegie Mellon sound like good fits. Georgetown receives a ton of applications, so it is hard to get in. I agree that improving your SAT CR would help, but still, Chicago looks at the person more than at the statistics. University of Rochester is worth looking at. Definitely look at Johns Hopkins as well.</p>

8

<p>You present a very strong academic profile, but have two problems: CR 560 and light ECs. I gather that you didn’t take the APUSH exam? Why not? Combined with the 560 and 610, it might make you look as if you were avoiding a major weakness. I advise you to take the AP English exam for your current class, especially if you think you can get at least a 3 on it. U Chicago in particular is a school where reading and writing at a high level is crucial for everyone. You need to do something to reassure them that you can do it. Bringing your CR score up 100 points (or more) would do a lot for you. Luckily you have plenty of time to do so. Another thought is to take the ACT. Some people find its questions more straightforward and less tricky to deal with. You may be one of those people.</p>

<p>The U of C will require a recommendation from an English/Social Sciences teacher. It also has more writing on the app than most places. If you can get a rec from your AP English teacher that indicates that you are stronger in that area than your current scores make you look, it will help. As well as writing excellent and imaginative essays, of course.</p>

<p>It’s hard to imagine that someone could achieve your grades without being able to read and write effectively, but if that type of intellectual endeavor is something you can do but don’t particularly enjoy I would doubt that the U of C is really a fit for you. Or Georgetown, for that matter. Carnegie Mellon seems like a much better choice. (Note that I am not suggesting that CM doesn’t care about writing! :slight_smile: )</p>

<p>I would look at the U of Rochester, but I would also want to explore some of the more technically-oriented schools: RPI, WPI, Rose Hullman, et al. Pitt is a thought, too.</p>

<p>The kind of school that doesn’t care much about ECs is usually the kind of school that is very stats oriented…and there the 560 is going to hurt.</p>

9

<p>That critical reading score is going to hurt a lot if those are your reach schools. You need to bring it up. As is, it doesn’t look consistent with your AP/Honors humanities classes and grades, so I’m guessing it’s a matter of practice rather than a substantive deficiency in your skills.</p>

<p>Your ECs are fine but not exceptional-be sure to emphasize what you have to offer in terms of contributing to campus life.</p>

<p>Otherwise, I’d suggest you get your SAT scores (take the ACT as well), and do more research around the characteristics of the schools that interest you most. No preference for size or location suggests that you haven’t done enough research because these things account for significant differences in the kind of educational experiences available. If you know what you want and need to thrive, and how competitive you are academically, we can give you more targeted recommendations.</p>

10

<p>Thank you for all your responses and suggestions. To address a few things:</p>

<p>“I gather that you didn’t take the APUSH exam? Why not?”
I am in APUSH II this year so if I do take it, it would have to be May 2010 since it is cumulative of the info in I and II. </p>

<p>I do realize my ECs are very weak, but is it true that math and science schools don’t care much for ECs and lean more towards grades and test scores?</p>

<p>My CR score: I really hope I can improve this and took AP Lang. and Comp. to help me learn to understand literature better. My problem seems to be interpreting pieces and I see this being the downfall of my college admissions.</p>

<p>As for Johns Hopkins and Rochester, what would you say my chances are there?</p>

<p>Edit: Does anyone have in mind any safeties I might be almost-guaranteed entrance to?</p>

11

<p>University of Illinois Urbana champaign would be a safety but not really a financial safety.</p>

12

<p>You think I have a good chance there?</p>