I am a junior in high school and I have no idea what colleges I should be looking at or if I should just go to community college. My school had a very weird GPA system(It says weighted 3.4) so Im just going to write out my grades.
Freshman year:
English C+ Bio B+ Italian l A-
History B Gym A-
Algebra B- Law Enforcement l A-
Sophomore year:
English B- Chem D+ Law Enforcement ll: B+
Hnrs History B- Italian ll B+
Hnrs Geo C Gym A+
Junior year(predicted based on first half):
AP English B Gym A+ Hnrs Comp. Science(1/2 year) B+
AP History C Forensic Science(part of law enforcement program) B+ Financial Lit (1/2 year) A-
Algebra ll C Italian lll B-
Senior year schedule:
AP Literture Hnrs Accounting ll
AP Computer Science Hnrs Law enforcement lll
AP Statistics Art
Other:
-Sat just took in March -Summer accounting class at local community college
-2 Mini Medical Clinics -Law Enforcement and Public Safety Program
-Community service - 4 years of Football
-First Generation College student
So what colleges would fit me just so I can get a general idea or should I just go to cc since my grades suck?
Things to consider…
–Do you have any specific majors/programs in mind?
–Re-post when you get your SAT back. That is an important piece of information.
–When you get your SAT you can try using the supermatch function on the left (under find a college).
–Have the money talk with your parents. How much can you spend annually for college?
–Find out any other restrictions your parents may have on your college choice (ex. geographic etc.)
–Try to narrow down what types of schools you like (ex. size, geographic area) and any traits you do or don’t want in a college (ex. big time sports, Greek Life etc.).
I suggest you get your hands on some college guide books (ex. Fiske, Princeton Review) and start reading. You can probably find these books in your HS guidance office or in the public library if you don’t want to purchase them.
As for money, types of schools, and geographic preference id prefer medium-large school and would prefer good sports but not a priority, anywhere is fine besides west coast and mid west, money is not an issue, and my intended major is accounting.
What’s instate for you? (NJ due to Italian being offered… just trying to guess, it’s not offered in many states/areas).
Your grades aren’t stellar but they aren’t so horrible and you have good course rigor.
Assuming a good SAT score (1200+):
Penn State: apply September 1st, check “summer session” and “DUS” (you can’t start in accounting right away anyway, and DUS is where everyone starts, but checking “accounting” makes things harder). Do this exactly and you’ll have a shot. One big problem with Penn State is costs: it’s 45K and don’t expect any financial aid beside 5.5K in federal loans. Can your parents afford that much out of pocket? Talk to them and ask them how much they can afford (specific amount or range).
USF and UAlabama= you have a shot. Apply as soon as the app is up on line. If you like USF apply to FIU and FAU. At FIU, you can even apply to the Honors College.
Rutgers will be tough for accounting. Look at other colleges with this major.
I think SUNY Albany would be a good addition to your list, as well as Duquesne, UCincinnati, and Ithaca. Bloomsburg, PA would be a cheap safety.
Don’t apply to ASU. Arizona has a two-tier system: Barrett (honors) students get excellent facilities and opportunities due to being excellent, dedicated students, and all the others have to struggle in too-large classes, online classes, etc. You could apply to Barrett but I don’t think you’d qualify.
Baruch: prepare for your SAT well (plan to retake in any case) and your odds are decent. It’s an amazing choice for accounting but… it’s strictly commuter. You will NOT have a college experience, you will NOT get to know your classmates, hang out, etc. It’s quite hard to make friends.
I am from NJ. I was wondering if I applied to Rutgers with a different major and then transfer inside would that help me? Considering I’m from NJ it would be awesome to have a good but also cheap and near home school as one of my options.
Your grades aren’t horrible. I didn’t realize you don’t have your scores yet, but I’ll still try to recommend some schools.
-Clemson University
-Drexel University
-IUPUI
-Montclair State University (For an affordable safety. I don’t think Rutgers is a safety with a 3.4.)
-St. John’s University (NY)
-Temple University
Your grades are certainly better than CC, don’t worry about that. There are two threads on this forum, one is called “where did my 3.0-3.3 student get in?” The other is “where did my 3.4-3.7 student get in?” Search and you shall find. Lots of good and encouraging advice.
Before you investigate any further, you need to have a talk with your parents about what they are willing to afford for college. They may say that money is not a problem but they may not know how much college really costs these days.
Once you have an idea of budget and what your SAT/ACT is, then people will have lots of suggestions. Did you take the PSAT? That will give you an idea of how you’re likely to fare on the SAT.
For NJ schools, I’d look at Rutgers (check out programs at Newark as a backup, although NB campus overall is better), maybe NJIT and College of New Jersey. In the NJ/NY/PA area, depending on your test scores, you might be able to get some merit money from Hofstra, depending on how you do on the SAT. Temple also might be an option
Here is a list of schools that offer guaranteed admission/funding for certain stats. 3.5 is typically the minimum so if you really apply yourself and finish your junior year strong, some of these might be an option for OOS. Bringing up your GPA above a 3.5 will also improve your possibilities for Penn State.
Do I have a chance at IU Bloomington? I know they have a great accounting program which I obviously won’t get direct admit to as a freshman, but even if I can transfer in that would be great. Also was wondering about Pitt and Syracuse. Thanks for all the great responses. Reason I’m so anxious is cause my mother wants me to do some college visits soon and I don’t want to drag her across the country for a college I have no chance at.
All 50 states have public universities where you can study accounting. It’s not an arcane subject that only a few universities teach very well. You said money is not an issue. Does that mean your family is able and willing to spend an extra ~$80,000 on an OOS public university (for virtually the same program of study you could get closer to home)?
IU’s average GPA UW is 3.4; average SAT-M is 610; average SAT-CR is 584.
IU’s overall admission rate is 76%.
These numbers may be rather different for in-state v. OOS, or for certain majors/divisions.
However, I wouldn’t necessarily rule IU out at this point based only on your GPA.
Ask your parents how much they have for your college - how much they can afford each month or each year, or a specific range. Unless they commit to a number, don’t assume money is no object.