<p>Im a high school junior looking to apply to these two colleges in the early fall. My weighted high school GPA is a 3.999 and my unweighted is around a 3.777. My first and only SAT score (so far) is a 1590. (CR: 540) (M: 570) (W: 480). By the time of graduation, I will have about 6 honors classes and 5 AP classes. I'm taking four high school units of all subjects (English, Science, History, Spanish), and 5 units of math. Also I received an email from university of pittsburgh stating that they are granting me special status when I apply, saying that my ambition struck a chord to them. What triggers them to send this special status when my SAT score isn't that great? Also, Does anyone know if Pitt takes into account the writing part of the SAT? I'm going to retake the SAT ( I know the score is not up to par with Pitt ) and also take the ACT later on in hopes of improvement after I get some tutoring. Thanks for any input or advice.</p>
<p>Below 25th percentile in reading; below 25th percentile in math; below 25th percentile in writing. I’m pretty sure they send that email to a lot of people. Very little chance unless you bring that score up.
<a href=“http://www.ir.pitt.edu/cds/2013-14CDS.php”>http://www.ir.pitt.edu/cds/2013-14CDS.php</a></p>
<p>My alma mater undergrad.
Your HS must not have very good academics. You are a classic example of grade inflation at the HS whereby your SAT scores have more weight.<br>
Go to college data dot com for specifics. The 25th percentile is 1730 for Pitt and you are at 1590 and we don’t even know your EC’s etc. Focus on those SAT’s. You may not want to send those scores to Pitt. I say that because I don’t believe colleges actually superscore. I believe they average the 2. Red flags will pop up when they see big increases, etc.
So, it is imperative you have a study plan for the next 4 months in prep for SAT in October.
You need to understand the admissions/college ranking game. Colleges want lots of applicants so that they can have lower acceptance rates to move up in ranking. That is why the BS letter. They want you to apply to improve their stats.</p>
<p>They offered a streamline application and an earlier admission decision. Others have told me that it’s a privilege to get this and that the people pretty much always get in who are offered this. Not really sure who to believe since I’ve heard so many different opinions. I find it hard to believe that they send this to EVERYONE. Can you tell me how they determine who to send it too? People say it’s based on gpa and sat scores and those who have met minimum admission requirements.</p>
<p>Don’t believe everything people say.
Just look at the facts/stats at who gets admitted and if you meet the 25percentile. Currently you don’t.
Unless you know what these “others” gpa and sat were, then you don’t have any information regarding the letter.
Sorry to burst your bubble.</p>
<p>Um okay haha. Do you have any insight on the other portion of the question about Duquesne?</p>
<p>Go to college data dot com.
Has all the info you want on every college. Admission, what they tend to give in aid, etc.
Duquesne 25th percentile is 1550.</p>
<p>Oh okay thanks! And I think my GPA is above the average for duquesne so that school might be a better option.</p>
<p>You can still apply to Pitt but with your SAT right now, it looks like a reach. (They might accept you for a satellite campus.) Work on getting your SAT up. I believe Pitt does superscore the SAT (looks at the highest scores from mutiple tests).</p>
<p>chelsey,
Your parents might not believe its a better option as Duquesne is much more expensive. But unknown what aid (free money) they will provide versus Pitt.
Like QS said, get studying on your SAT. You have 4 months. Plenty of time. A higher SAT score may get you more money at Duquesne also. Figure on 150 hrs over 4 months. I’m assuming you didn’t do much study/prep before your first SAT.</p>
<p>Work on your SAT every day. Take a prep class if you can. Raise that score and apply to Pitt as soon as you get the results back since they’re rolling admissions and the earlier you apply, the easier it is to get in. Try the ACT in September too, since some people do better on the ACT.
What’s your EFC and your parents’ budget? Have you run the NPCs (Net Price Calculators) on each website yet? (You have to do it for each college since each college calculates financial aid differently!)</p>
<p>Beside Pitt and Duquesne, go to each website and fill out the “request information form” for: Temple, Chatham, Juniata, Albion, Alma, Hiram, Ohio Wesleyan, Albright, Arcadia, Lycoming, UScranton, Hartwick, Elmira, Simmons, Goucher, McDaniel, Quinnipiac, Penn State Erie-the Behrend College. You may get a “free application” off the 2mn spent filling out the form and you’ll indicate your interest. All of these colleges would be accessible provided you increase your SAT score and keep that GPA, some would probably give you decent financial aid too.
Remember that you need:
- 2 safeties (schools you like, are 100% sure you can get into, and know you can afford after running the NPC.)
- several match schools, typically between 3 and 5 (schools you like, know you can get into but aren’t 100% sure, and know you can afford after running the NPC)
Then you can add as many “reach” schools are you wish or can afford.
Since Pitt is free to apply for you, include it in your reaches.
Increase your SAT score and it’ll become reachable - right now
The mail they sent you is a marketing ploy. A third party has been contracted to send it to every student who’s within certain parameters. You were within the parameters but it doesn’t mean you’re a shoo-in at all. They just want you to apply. Do so but only when you’ve taken the SAT again and increased your score.</p>
<p>Tom- my parents want me to go to whatever school I want. They already know about the cost of Duquesne and say that we can easily afford it. I know that I have to increase the SAT for Pitt but it’s not like it’s impossible that I won’t get in with that score either. On about.com it says the Pitt scores are:
SAT Critical Reading: 570 / 680
SAT Math: 600 / 690
SAT Writing: 560 / 660
The lower number is for the 25th percentile of students who enrolled in (not just applied to) the college. For Pitt for example 25% of enrolled students received a math score of 600 or LOWER. Therefore, 25% of people who are enrolled in Pitt are in my score range. For math and reading I’m only slightly below these average and I’m sure I can pull it up. Plus my combined reading and math score meets their score of a minimum of 1010 on college data…? I realize I’m not a shoo-in but it’s not impossible quite yet.</p>
<p>I’m planning to write a pretty good essay and I’m getting a letter or recommendation from my Honors Trig teacher in which I have 100% and straight A’s in the class. This will strengthen my application.</p>
<p>As for applying to other schools. I want to stay in the Pennsylvania area so I’m planning on applying to Pitt, Duquesne, Penn State, Carlow, and Chatham. If I don’t get into Pitt, I’ll probably go to Duquesne which is still a great school.</p>
<p>MYOS- do you know which parameters I was within to receive the special status since it apparently “obviously” isn’t the SAT score? </p>
<p>Also, it says that Pitt only “looks” at the writing score or just wants it included. Then they combine your highest critical reading and math scores to determine admission. It says this on there website…</p>
<p>These “25%” numbers are deceptive - they don’t apply to you. They only apply to hooked applicants (applicants the college really, really wants for its own reasons: athletes, legacies, kids who have overcome overwhelming difficulties). If you’re only around the average (ie., the college’s admitted students are at 570, you are 550-590) that makes it a reachable reach if you’re unhooked. For you to have a match, you should be above the average and close to the top 25% (so if the average if 570 and the top 25% is 680, to be a match you’d need to be in the 620-680 range). For the school to be a safety, you must be above the 25% (in the same example, be 700+) and if you’re looking for a scholarship, you need to be in the top 5-10% of applicants.
The % also apply to those admitted, not just those enrolled. </p>
<p>The parameters are likely to be: lives within 200 miles, has more than 1550 SAT and at least 3.3 GPA. </p>
<p>Take the SAT again after preparing seriously.
Temple, Chatham, Juniata, Hiram, Ohio Wesleyan, Albright, Arcadia, Lycoming, UScranton, Elmira,Goucher, McDaniel, Penn State Erie-the Behrend College are all either in PA or very close. Check out their website and fill out the “request information” form from each, then look at the brochures to see which ones are interesting to you. Those would likely be appealing to someone who likes Duquesne. Also, google something titled “How my daughter made the most out of college” that presents what you can do if you’re a dynamic, driven, A- average, 1650-1700 SAT student-athlete attending Juniata College.</p>
<p>Okay thanks. Do you think from the information that I provided that duquesne would be a reach? Also do you know if Pitt and Duquesne look at the SAT writing score? What do you think my chances are at Carlow, Chatham, or Washington and Jefferson?</p>
<p>If you can pull that SAT score by 50 points or so, Duquesne is a safety. Pretty good chances at Chatham and W&J, too. If you can afford it, Carlow is a safety as of now. I do think you should look at more schools though - your GPA indicates that you’re a strong student: with some work* you should be able to increase your SAT at a level that reflects your abilities and get into better schools. If your parents can pay from a college fund or from their income, it’s one thing, but try to find schools that don’t rely on loans for financial aid. In any case, with a better score, your profile would be strong enough to get you into pretty good schools (as mentioned above). </p>
<ul>
<li>use number2.com. It’s free and tracks your errors so that you get the same type of problem until you know how to solve it, which is the process you need to go through to increase your score. For math, use Khan Academy.</li>
</ul>
<p>Thanks! I’m getting some tutoring for the SAT which I’m retaking in October. I’m taking the ACT in 3 weeks because supposedly if your a good student in the classroom you do better on the ACT (I’m not sure if this is true). I’m taking a practice ACT tomorrow at a tutoring center so hopefully my ACT will be good enough for Pitt so I can get early admission. It’s a shame that the special status really has no meaning. If I don’t get into Pitt early admission and I’m wait listed, I basically have no chance. Online it said only 13% of wait listed students are admitted to Pitt. Im not sure if any of these colleges that I’m considering even consider my sat writing score. Someone said Duquesne and Pitt don’t take the writing portion into account at all. I have no idea if that’s true.</p>
<p>Waitlisted isn’t the same as deferred. Early Admission students can be admitted, rejected, or deferred. Being deferred means your application is considered again along with the RD applicants.
Also, Pitt has rolling admissions, not EA. It means they go in rounds throughout the year: it’s easier if you apply earlier, and the later you apply the harder it gets because the class is filled and there are fewer spots left so they can afford to be quite choosy for the last spots left. So if your June ACT is good, apply to Pitt right away, and at that point either you’ll get into Main Campus or into a branch campus. There is no EA, ED, or RD in rolling admissions.
Being waitlisted means not getting an answer and having to wait until June, so you have to deposit elsewhere and keep your fingers crossed. That won’t happen to you for Pitt: either they’ll consider you for Main Campus or will offer a branch campus if you apply by October.
It’s true that some students do better on the ACT. It’s more straightforward what you learn in class (process/knowledge/skills) whereas the SAT is more skills-based thus trickier. The ACT requires you to be very fast and accurate since there are more questions to complete in less time, however no points are taken off for wrong answers.
Typically both Pitt and Duquesne only look at CR+M, but W may be taken into account in some cases such as for honors programs or scholarships (so it must be taken anyway).</p>
<p>Okay thanks for clarifying that! Does Pitt typically admit students who are deferred later on who are in my position? I heard that they ask to see your mid year senior grades sometimes to aid in their final decision and they will also consider the October retake on the SAT. I think if they request my grades, that could increase my chances of being admitted. If you are deferred by Pitt, do they always request mid senior year grades and does this have a pretty strong impact?</p>
<p>The mid year report does make a huge difference if you’re on an upward trend and they see lots of A’s and few Bs, no Cs, confirming the trend and pushing you to the admit column ( if your scores are average for their admitted pool, ie. 1250/1850 or more). Or, the reverse, if it looks like you’re slacking off and getting a few Bs and lots of Cs… that would almost guarantee a rejection.</p>