<p>I like colleges in the city like Boston University and New York University. Preferably in the New York and Boston Area. </p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>BU is definitely a match, would be surprised if you didnt get in, NYU on the other hand would be harder to get into with the GPA</p>
<p>Some threads on the parent’s side where this has been discussed:</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/1026754-under-3-6-applying-top-schools-2010-11-a.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/1026754-under-3-6-applying-top-schools-2010-11-a.html</a></p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/767118-under-3-6-gpa-applying-top-20-parents-thread.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/767118-under-3-6-gpa-applying-top-20-parents-thread.html</a></p>
<p>Keep in mind there are different varieties of a 3.6 GPA. Weighted or unweighted? Rigorous curriculum? Competitive high school? </p>
<p>Make sure to ask your school counselor for recommendations as well. Seeing where students from your school with similar stats were accepted is very helpful.</p>
<p>Is that 3.6 GPA weighted?</p>
<p>it’s unweighted. my high school is pretty competitive, top 15 in state. i take all honors/ap’s</p>
<p>Will your parents pay for wherever you go? If so, then great!</p>
<p>If not, then NYU and BU will be a problem since neither school meets need.</p>
<p>If you don’t know how much your parents will pay, ask them, That is important info.</p>
<p>i think we’re pretty well off so money probably won’t be a problem. i also have a job so that should help with the finances. i shall ask them anyways.</p>
<p>I got into NYU with a 1980 SAT score and a 3.76 GPA weighted…Yeah you’ll be good for NYU and definitely BU.</p>
<p>Add Cornell, Tufts, Northeastern, BC to your list.</p>
<p>Fordham University, Pace University, George Washington University</p>
<p>Since your 3.6 GPA is unweighed, and assuming you took a fair share of AP classes, I think you have a shot at most universities in the Boston and NYC areas:</p>
<p>REACHES:
Columbia University
Harvard University
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Tufts University
New York University (Stern)</p>
<p>MATCHES:
Boston College</p>
<p>SAFETIES:
Boston University
New York University (CAS)
Northeastern University</p>
<p>^agreed 3.6 is low for top schools, but unweighted puts it in context. I think with good essays, leadership and recs you have a reachy shot anywhere. bc and nyu would be matches I think, wouldn’t call nyu Cas a safety just yet.</p>
<p>Many of the top colleges don’t tell us the GPA range of their entering class, but my guess is Columbia, Harvard, and MIT would be pretty similar to Princeton, which does tell us that their admit rate for applicants with a 3.6 GPA is 4.2%, or a little less than half their overall admit rate of 8.8%. On the other hand, for SAT scores in the 2100-2290 band, the admit rate is 9.4%. I’d say Columbia, Harvard, and MIT are reaches for the OP, but I’d call them “high reaches.” A rigorous curriculum in a highly ranked HS certainly helps, but these schools see tons of applicants with stats in this range, so there would probably need to be something very special in the essays, ECs, and/or recs. But it’s worth a shot.</p>
<p>Not sure how wide a net you want to cast on “New York and Boston area.” Brown is in Providence, a smaller city but less than an hour outside of Boston. It certainly has an urban feel. As does Yale, for that matter, though New Haven is even smaller; about 90 minutes from NYC. And then of course there’s Penn, urban all the way, about 90 minutes south if NYC. Someone mentioned Cornell but that’s in a small town about 4 hours drive from NYC, so to me that’s not “in the New York area” unless by “New York” you mean New York State. Princeton is actually quite close to NYC but not at all urban. Brandeis is another quite good school just outside of Boston; I’d place it in the “match” range. Fordham would be a pretty good urban “safety” for the OP, similar to BU in selectivity: US News places both in the “more selective” category, which I guess means not everyone gets in but the threshold isn’t that high.</p>
<p>i am going to disagree with Alexandre –</p>
<p>REACHES: (agreed)
Columbia University
Harvard University
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Tufts University
New York University (Stern)</p>
<p>MATCHES:
Boston College (reach)</p>
<p>SAFETIES:
Boston University (match)
New York University (CAS) (reach/match)
Northeastern University (agreed)</p>
<p>Dunnin, I have never known an A- student with a 2200 on the SAT that was rejected by BU. The average graduating GPA for Freshmen according to BU’s Common Data Set is 3.49 with only 30% exceeding 3.6. The Mid 50% SAT for last year’s Freshman class was 1760-2030. The OP strikes me as being well above the 75th percentile of BU students. </p>
<p>NYU CAS may be a match, but it is no reach.</p>
<p>I think BC is a match, not a reach. 25%-75% SAT is 1880-2100. The OP clearly surpasses that. And their GPA doesn’t warrant a reach from BC either.</p>
<p>I consider Boston College a reach because my GPA is too low and don’t they usually weigh GPA more than SAT scores? </p>
<p>And Princeton, Tufts, Cornell? Don’t flatter me :P</p>
<p>thanks for your help so far! anyone else?</p>
<p>I won’t say Princeton but you should include Tufts and Cornell in your list.
Have you give any thought to Syracuse University? It can certainly work as a safety. Even New School can be a safety.</p>
<p>It all depends on what school or major within the University the OP is applying to. If you are trying for the arts–portfolio or audition trumps any scores or grades. If you are interested in liberal arts…I think all the comments above are probably relevant. </p>
<p>I think the scores on the APs and the SATIIs are critical if you are thinking of a science or engineering school/major. Most schools can’t tell by decent if not wow grades if you are prepared for a rigorous science or math curriculum so they rely on the subject tests for a better feel for how a student will do. So these grades are perfectly fine for Carnegie Mellon, for example, if you have a really high math score and 4-5s on all science/math APs.</p>
<p>Alexandre,</p>
<p>It is true that for BU OP’s SAT is quite high, however the 3.6 uwGPA is not. For me a Safety is a school at which where <em>both</em> GPA and SAT are above the 75%.</p>