<p>I believe UCLA and Cal, don’t cap their weighted gpa. Most other UC’s do, and UCGPA technically only counts 10th and 11 th grade, and “A-G” classes. And can cost $55k/year out of state, but I’m guessing you know that. </p>
<p>Pepperdine is not a “notorious party school!” 
In fact, last I heard ( admitted students event 2008) it was fairly conservative ( but not Liberty conservative). The three you know were students there?</p>
<p>I would suggest the opposite- less reach/competitive schools and more of match schools type of approach. You will be spending a lot of time on applications to reach schools that may very well not pay off for you. Try to really hone in on reach schools that value volunteering and are more holistic and place less emphasis on SAT scores and GPA. Then cast a wider net on the match safety schools.
Also you need to really have a talk with your parents on what they can afford. A reach school without merit can hit $60,000. So this aspect is not to be taken lightly.</p>
<p>Why are you planning to study for AP psych? You can’t take the test until next May, when a good score will be too late to help you. Many colleges don’t give credit for it, as it’s not taught as a lab science in high school (and you won’t be doing a lab if you self-study) and intro pysch in college usually has a lab.</p>
<p>Take the time you would have put into studying psych and get the best possible grades you can this semester.</p>
<p>Goingnutsmom, Hm. That does sound like an effective strategy. However, I also want to spend some focus on reach schools. Regarding the cost of some of these schools, my parents and I have already discussed this and have agreed on all of the schools I’ve chosen.</p>
<p>Jonri, I am going to study for and take the AP Psychology exam because psychology is what I intend to major in. Also, when I interviewed at one of my reach schools, I mentioned the fact that I was self studying for it and the admissions officer told me to mention it in every interview and put it on every application.</p>
<p>Shrinkrap, Great! Thanks for the clarification. And yes, I am aware of the expenses of attending the UCs from OOS.
Regarding my Pepperdine comment, I’m sorry if I’ve offended you! Yes the 3 students are currently at Pepperdine (but are nonstop party animals, so I guess that accounts for their insistence that Pepperdine is a party school :rolleyes: )</p>
<p>Bump…</p>
<p>Pepperdine is a party school AND (very) conservative, those two are not mutually exclusive!</p>
<p>Make SURE your parents have $50,000 set aside to pay for your schooling. If they say they’ll take on a loan, change your strategy: loans are not guaranteed and if your parents already have loans or have a non stellar credit history the banks simply won’t lend them enough (or at all); you’re only allowed $5,500 for your first year and in the best circumstances it’s dubious your parents could borrow $40,000 per year (= X4). So you have to be sure.
Your parents may not understand how financial aid works. </p>
<p>The first 3 schools you need to focus on are your safety schools. Everyone can have dream schools, that’s easy. What’s hard is finding safety schools that are similar in atmosphere/vibe and academic offerings to your dream school. Those schools are the most important for you because if for any reason you aren’t admitted to your dream school or can’t attend any other school, you still have a choice. Just go back to April on CC (any given year) and you’ll have tons of posts “I didn’t get in anywhere, what do I do now?” (“didn"t get in anywhere” typically means “I got into a bunch of schools but can’t afford them and I don’t like my safety” - a safety should be a school you like and can afford).</p>
<p>Assuming your parents have $50,000 (X4) set aside for your education:
UC Berkeley, UCLA: impossible
UMich, Barnard, Wellesley: high reach
Kenyon, Case Western, UC SD: reach
UC Irvine, Davis, SB, Denison: reach/match
Ohio State, Agnes Scott, Wooster, Purdue, UIUC: match</p>
<p>IF your parents don’t have $50,000 set aside for your education:</p>
<p>UC Berkeley, UCLA, UMich, UC SD: impossible
Barnard, Wellesley, Kenyon, Case Western,: high reach
UC Irvine, Davis, SB: reach match for academics but unaffordable
Denison : reach/match
Ohio State,Agnes Scott, Wooster, Purdue, UIUC: match (but may be unaffordable depending on state of residence)
Not sure re: Purdue and psychology!</p>
<p>For psychology, a good match school would be Clark (in Boston).</p>
<p>More suggestions for matches and safeties in psychology:</p>
<p>For psychology, a good match school would be Clark (in Boston), Wheaton (in MA, also outside Boston), Allegheny, Austin College, UW-Madison; perhaps Furman, Rhodes, and Whitman (more of a reach) . Albion, Mills, and Gustavus Adolphus, also with a respected psychology program, would be safeties.</p>
<p>I don’t understand being able to afford these schools yet also applying for financial aid. </p>
<p>The OP said she is in Ohio.</p>
<p>@sally: I’m afraid OP’s parents may think that if she gets into some of these schools, they’ll “figure it out” financially - including with loans. Based on what she said re: NPC’s, her family makes enough that she wouldn’t qualify for a lot of need-based aid, but that’s vastly different from being able to afford OOS fees at the UCs, and the 3.3 will be a problem for merit aid elsewhere. Now OP’s family may well have enough money (“we agreed on these schools” would mean "we have about $50,000 set aside for each year of study) so all of what intparent and I wrote may be moot but I think we can agree too many posters only think their “chances” in terms of academics, not in terms of affordability, so, I’d rather be over cautious 
especially with a first-gen kid who has very successful immigrant parents.</p>
<p>Ok, so what IS a “party” school? Especially a “notorious” one. I thought it implied at least a moderate amount of alcohol use. When we visited I seem to remember more than the usual alcohol restrictions ( A “dry” campus, and they took it seriously) and more than the usual “who-can-be-in-whose-room-when” restrictions. </p>
<p>Oh well. I hope it means everyone is having fun.</p>
<p>And BTW, I am not in the least offended either way! My D really liked the perceived “non party” reputation back in 2008, but ended up choosing Duke. We thought THAT was a “notorious party school”! Go figure.</p>
<p>MYOS1634, I really appreciate your comments, and I dont think that they are “moot.” In fact, I dont think that its a bad thing to be “over cautious” especially, like you mentioned, as a first generation American college student. My parents and I have been discussing various aspects of financial aid and other kinds of monetary aid with my high school counselor. Slowly, but steadily, I think we will be able to work out the best financial plan for myself.</p>
<p>Shrinkrap, To be honest, I’m not quite sure what a party school is! I’ve simply been told by others that Pepperdine is filled with “rich, drunk kids.” (That quote came from one of the three “party animal” students that I mentioned earlier! Surprise surprise!) However, at this stage in the search process, I’ve learned to take these opinions and warnings with a grain (or bucket) of salt.</p>
<p>Also, as someone who shies away from rambunctious high school parties, I am slightly baffled by your daughter choosing Duke. I’d always thought that it was a very studious school! Again, correct me if I’m wrong!</p>
<p>My daughter chose Duke for a number of reasons, none of which was because of it’s “party” reputation. That really worried her, and I think she might have gone to Pepperdine if they had offered her merit money. Duke IS a studious school, but in a “work hard, play hard” way, and we felt they were known for their drinking, which is what I felt “party” school meant. I suppose it can also mean not taking academics seriously, which is absolutely not true about Duke. </p>
<p>Wikipeida says </p>
<p>“The term party school is used to refer to a college or university (usually in the United States) that has a reputation for heavy alcohol and drug use or a general culture of licentiousness.”</p>
<p>Under Pepperdine Wikipedia also says " The 2005 edition of the Fiske Guide to Colleges has also noted Pepperdine as being one of the nation’s largest conservative colleges. U.S. News & World Report (see “Pepperdine at Glance” in the external links section) has ranked Pepperdine as the 53rd best national university for undergraduate education. It is also ranked one of the 10 worst party schools in the country.[44]"</p>
<p>Anyway, she went to Duke, and it took awhile, but she found her peeps. I’m sure the same would have been true at Pepperdine. Both my kids were pretty “straight edge” (compared to me at least!) when they went to college, but they ultimately found their peeps. …I think. </p>
<p>Son is still a junior at Loyola Marymount. Not “top tier”, but he was a (barely) B student with similar SAT scores, so you might want to check that one out too. We learned about it on a “parents of B students, western version” thread on the parents forum. I can find it if you are interested.</p>
<p>Shrinkrap, I’m glad to hear about your daughter’s success in finding the right college! I’m sure that I will eventually find a school, though it may take some extensive searching! Regarding Pepperdine, I’m interested by the fact that it’s listed as one of the worst party schools. But then again, it’s all up to the individual student I suppose. Also, I would love to share the parents thread with my parents, and would appreciate it if you could find it!</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/907349-western-schools-3-0-3-3-kid.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/907349-western-schools-3-0-3-3-kid.html</a></p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/707436-new-3-0-3-3-gpa-parents-thread.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/707436-new-3-0-3-3-gpa-parents-thread.html</a></p>
<p>There’s several more. Like this one;</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/939935-3-0-3-3-gpa-parents-thread-2012-hs-graduation.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/939935-3-0-3-3-gpa-parents-thread-2012-hs-graduation.html</a></p>
<p>and this one…</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/class-20xx-community/939937-parents-hs-class-2013-3-0-3-3-gpa.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/class-20xx-community/939937-parents-hs-class-2013-3-0-3-3-gpa.html</a></p>
<p>Shrinkrap,</p>
<p>Thank you so much for the links, I really appreciate it!</p>
<p>One more question: Would I have any chance of getting into Bryn Mawr?</p>
<p>Or Oberlin College?</p>