<p>Hello all, I am currently a HS sophomore and if I was wondering, what are some good schools that are not Ivy league? I am currently on track to finish HS with a 3.78 GPA (un-weighted) and I am pretty sure that is not an Ivy league contending GPA. Pretty much a school with solid academics, a good social scene, and a city on the bigger side (does not have to be NY or LA huge, but not some small 50,000 person town). </p>
<p>Also a little bit about me:
-So far I've played football Freshman and Sophomore, and this year will play baseball.
-I plan to play those 2 sports the rest of HS
-I might join a few EC's (problem is none really interest me here)
- and to compensate for a lack of EC's, I have volunteered and plan to volunteer regularly</p>
<p>Since you are a sophmore you can take this year to just learn about the different types of colleges and what they have to offer to see if something sparks your interest. then you can look for more colleges that have those features. Have you had a chance to look through a reputable book like the Fiske Guide?</p>
<p>Have you taken any psat or practice SAT’s? </p>
<p>Have you discussed budget with your parents?</p>
<p>Yeah, on my practice ACT I got a 21, and a projected of 24-27, but in all honesty I was NOT AT ALL PREPARED. I didn’t get to sleep the night before until like 12 30 or later, I was really nervous due to that fact, and halfway through 2 of the tests near the end I had to start marking random answers due to time running out. I have not discussed college at all, but both of my parents earn very little money so im not even sure they could make a difference</p>
<p>You should focus on schools that meet 100% of demonstrated need; many of these are top school, but not Ivy League schools. That means ACT/SAT is very important.</p>
<p>This is normal. The ACT is a pretty simple test but their time limits are really hard to fit everything in; it’s one of the reasons I didn’t take it. A lot of people find the ACT easier, but try your hand at the SAT as well. It is much easier to finish on time - although admittedly the CR section can be difficult. However, you’re still a sophomore you still have plenty of time to study for this stuff. Also I think if you practice with the ACT enough, you can eventually finish it on time.</p>
<p>Secondly, you say your GPA is only a 3.78 - one, this isn’t bad. Two - since you have a couple more years, you STILL can try to bring it up to a 3.85+ or so which is competitive.</p>
<p>I would also say you really don’t have to start looking now for colleges but it’s good that you are. I only started summer after junior year, and many of my friends only started a month before applications (last November). From experience, I can tell you that other than 2-3 colleges, your other college choices will vary - you will decide you don’t want to apply to a few, and decide you want to apply to others. So whatever list you come up with now will very very very likely be different by application season.</p>
<p>Nevertheless, I think it’s easiest to start with deciding what you want to major in first rather than where you want to study (although you don’t have to but that’s how I - and many of my friends - figured out where we want to go). The latter will come easier to you once you know what you want to do. Even if you don’t have a specific choice as of yet, start with academic interests. Go from there. Then narrow down whatever colleges you find based on cost, location, social scene etc.</p>
<p>Also, there’s a vast amount of great non-ivy schools, so you won’t have a problem finding those. However, I think you probably meant non-selective schools though since the ivies are just 8 colleges. A university doesn’t have to be an ivy to be selective.</p>
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<p>If they don’t interest you, don’t join them. For example, don’t do MUN if you hate public speaking. Don’t join orchestra if you despise group music. If you do the things you like rather than what you think colleges want to see, you’ll probably get a lot further in terms of passion for your ECs. And depth is good. So whatever you DO in fact enjoy, go deep into it. Even baseball/football is perfectly acceptable.</p>
<p>Good advice from Truust. And you really need to have that conversation with your parents about their expectations in terms of both what they can afford and any other ‘boundary conditions.’ If they expect you to be within driving distance, for example, that narrows your search. </p>
<p>And I second Truust on the ECs - just pick 2-3 that you really care about: It’s quality, not quantity that matters. If you love sports, do that and maybe one or at most two other things. A part-time job counts as an EC, by the way, so if money is an issue, you can start putting aside some savings.</p>
<p>Scholarship-wise, if you don’t concentrate all of your applications in the most selective schools (even ones that aren’t ivy leagues), but rather a step or two down, you can still find fantastic schools that you would love, but if you fall considerably above their average GPA and test scores, you are a very likely candidate for merit aid (if it’s offered).</p>
<p>If you are really good, say 1st or 2nd team All-City, wherever that is, but not at Div 1 level, and you can maintain your GPA and score 25+ ACT, the harsh reality for the rest of us is, all the above advice is moot, you’ll get into a top school ahead of just about any non-sports kid. The rules are totally different for top athletes - if you’re just average, you do have to play with the same rules as the rest of us.</p>
<p>oh, well, that’s different about the GPA. Thanks for clarifying that. Try to avoid projecting performance into the future and you will arrive at a more realistic understanding of your potential. Combine a 3.7 with a 28-30 on your ACT and we have some idea of where to point you. You’re not ivy, near-ivy, or UC Berkeley/Virginia/UNC material (unless the ACT leaps, in the case of the latter schools).</p>
<p>All this has been good advice, esp having that early talk with the parents about money. It is the place to begin for those whose parents won’t sneeze at dropping a quarter mil on 4 years of school.</p>
<p>And as for ECs, try very hard to find one in which you take a leadership position. Team captain is good, and a leadership position in your volunteer work (head candy striper or some position of responsibility). Places like Tulane are going to be interested in someone like you, but 3.7/30/strong ECs is a good start for a place like Tulane or Pitt or Bucknell or Bard but it’s not a guarantee. It’s early yet. Stay focused on schoolwork and preparation for the standardized tests. Keep in touch with your guidance counselor and your guidance office staff. Look for opportunities to meet college counselors at college fairs all over your county and beyond. You’re so wise to be starting early. Have that talk with mom and dad and get a real figure to aim for. That talk will enable you to narrow the search quite a bit, perhaps. There are some large state unis that will offer automatic tuition/free-rides for high test scores/GPAs. Keep demonstrating maturity throughout this process. Good luck.</p>