What kind of college can I get into?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Hello, I'm going to be a senior this year and I am trying to narrow down the range of college choices. Could you recommend some schools that are at my level? Specifically, I am trying to find the highest ranked schools I can get into so I’ll have an idea of what schools to look at.</p>

<p>Scores:
-224 PSAT (above texas semi-finalist cut-off so I’ll get that)
-2160 official SAT...I think it will go up after the June results come back
-3.75 GPA at a rigorous private christian school (although it is not old or very prestigious)</p>

<p>Classes:
*our schedule isn't "block." We go from 8 to 3:30 mon-fri and for the most part we don't get to choose our classes.
*Junior year is the first year that we are able to take AP's and there are only 2 available (APUSH and APLIT, which I got 103/99 and 105/100 in respectively) I am predicting a 4 at the lowest on USH and a 5 on LIT.
*I have taken the most advanced courses available, but my school really doesn't change the course loads for advanced/regular classes until the latter years of high school so...
*9th - honors Geometry
*10th- honors English II, honors World History, honors Algebra II, honors chemistry
*11th- AP English III, AP U.S. History, Honors pre-calculus</p>

<p>For senior year things are still up in the air a little. I am going to be taking general college physics 1 and intermediate spanish 1 at the local comm. college so I don't know how that will affect my schedule for next year.
So far my courses will be: Calculus, worldviews (kind of a Bible related class), economics/government, AP biology, physics, AP English IV, and Spanish III.</p>

<p>By the time I graduate I will have more college credits than the state of texas requires for graduation if that means anything.</p>

<p>Academic Awards:
-APUSH student of the year
-Anatomy and Physiology student of the year
-3rd place in Chemistry and Astronomy at regional Science Olympiad (as far as I could go because there weren't enough participants from my school for us to make it as a team)
-1st place in district academic meet in spelling (not a spelling bee) and literary criticism despite not being told of outside material to be studied before competition...qualified for state but again I did not receive the material (didn't place at state).</p>

<p>Athletic Activities and Awards: (Texas doesn't allow private schoolers or homeschoolers to compete w/ public schools in championships. Thus, I am in the league for private schools -- Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools -- which isn't nearly as competitive)
9th- 11th at state XC meet, 3rd at district in track in 3200m
10th- 7th at state XC meet, 3rd at state track meet in 3200 and 1600, team MVP
11th- didn't run XC, 1st in 3200 and 1600 at state track meet.
12th - I don't plan on doing XC or track but if it will look significantly better then I can get first or second at the XC meet which is in mid October.
*plus I have school records in the 5k, 3200, and 1600.
*I would prefer not to have to do running to get into a university but if I have to then I will think about it. By the way, is it possible to get "recruited" and then drop off the team but still attend the school?
-oh yah, and I played varsity basketball freshman year.</p>

<p>Extra-curricular/personal activities:
-privately coached for over a year by a coach who is now "assisting" with Cornell's distance running program (he taught the main distance coach when he was in high school).
-attended a week-long running camp put on by well-known DFW coach Terry Jessup
-runner's club member in 10th and 11th grades
-member of National Honor Society for senior year (inducted at the end of 11th)
-member of Six Wings, a student led community service group based on Christian values since 10th grade. I have done pretty extensive work with this group including two week-long mission trips and numerous local services such as special olympics, teen-challenge (helps young women in bad situations such as drug abuse and etc.), school clean-ups, day care for parenting seminars.
-volunteer at local animal shelter (30 hrs so far but expecting to get to 200ish before college apps go out). This one probably means the most to me because I am a vegetarian (since 7th grade) and a member of the Fort Worth Vegetarian Society. I care a lot for animals and
- started a competitively priced business to care for animals while their owners are on trips, so that they don't have to locked up in kennels at a vet. (one client who is a published author said he would write a recommendation for me if I asked)
- I am also technically a member of the Red Cross Youth corps although I have only attended the orientation and one meeting.
-I organized and am teaching a free summer long PSAT/SAT prep class at school for mostly younger members of my school and home schoolers in the area.
-I am currently learning to play the guitar and
-am in a small weightlifting club at school.</p>

<p>My school does not release ranking information to colleges.</p>

<p>Thanks for taking the time to consider all of this.</p>

2

<p>Cornell- reach
Bucknell- slight reach
Boston U- safety
Syracuse U- safety..although they're tired of being used as a safety so they may reject you if they get that impression
Northwestern- match
U Chicago- kinda match
Princeton, Harvard, Yale- big reaches...but possible if you improve your test scores!</p>

3

<p>UVA/U michigan- matches!</p>

4

<p>How can Bucknell be a slight reach while Chicago and Northwestern are matches? No offense to Bucknell, but those 2 are more competitive. Not by a lot, but they still are.</p>

5

<p>What if my scores go up to 2200 after the june test. Is that high enough or do you mean significantly higher like 2250+.</p>

<p>Also, what are my odds at Vanderbilt?</p>

6

<p>icekiss45, check your p.m.'s</p>

7

<p>vandy is a good match. alotta kids from my school go there.</p>

8

<p>Do you have an idea what your major will be?</p>

9

<p>business - something along the lines of investments</p>

10

<p>I'd recommend the following:</p>

<p>Rice
Vanderbilt
Emory
Boston College
UT-Austin</p>

11

<p>I'd prefer somewhere without the Gulf Coast humidity. It's killer. </p>

<p>What is the highest U.S. News rankings range that I could get into? I know all about good schools; I just need an objective opinion on the level of school I can get into so I can decide which ones I'm interested in and go visit them. For example am I capable of getting into a 10-15 ranked school, a 15-20 ranked school, or a 20-25 ranked school? See? I am merely looking for a range and not a specific school.</p>

<p>Thanks</p>

12

<p>I think that 10-15 would be a reach. You'd probably get in to any school in the 15-25 range, except for the uber-competitive ones, such as GTown, UVA, Rice, Mich, etc.</p>

13

<p>To be honest, I think you're in the 25-40 range. My GPA, SAT, and SAT IIs were higher but the highest ranked university I was accepted to was Berkeley (20); or, if you consider the undergraduate business rankings, I was admitted to a top 5 business program (NYU Stern). Tufts (27) is a good school in your range, especially if you apply ED. Schools in this range also include: Wake Forest, Lehigh, Rochester, NYU and Boston College.</p>

14

<p>If you want a great business school, apply to Wharton @ UPenn! It's definitely a reach, but it's worth a shot and you have a chance.</p>

15

<p>No, I don't think he has a chance at Wharton. Maybe he has an outside shot at UPenn, at a different school, but his SATs are too low for Wharton.</p>

16

<p>I don't think he's got a good chance at Wharton because of GPA and SAT. I think he's got a good shot at NYU Stern and Georgetown's undergraduate business program (not for the College at Georgetown, though)</p>

17

<p>That's true--especially if his school doesn't release rankings so as to have a basis for comparison, the GPA isn't too impressive. If he's only taken the SAT once, it can still be improved--to over 2200, hopefully.</p>

<p>But I think Georgetown is probably as much of a reach as Wharton would be..</p>

18

<p>Georgetown's business program is considerably less selective than the College. Applying EA wouldn't hurt.</p>

19

<p>My high school is fairly competitive. over a quarter of the students in my class are getting some type of national merit recognition and that's just their PSATs. Also, my parents are divorced and I live with my mom who only made $38K last year. I don't know if that changes much but I might as well state it?</p>

20

<p>That'll change your aid package, but it's not really going to swing college admissions. You could write an essay on it I guess.</p>