Where should I apply?! I need safeties!

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Will have a dreadful cumulative GPA because of certain circumstances, moved countries after 7th grade. Between middle school and high school, have been in 3 different schools. Dad stayed in country previously in, so separated from him for 4 years with a few visits here and there. Won't go too much into detail but basically having to adapt to that countries' schooling system for 3 years in 2 different schools before transferring to the international school in the city because there were no places for my grade available, and the fact that I moved houses twice, the second of which was 2 hours away from the second school I attended for two years, depressed me to a very large extent. I probably sound like a brat, but I don't know how else to put it. Also since for freshman + sophomore year my school was so far away from my house, the rents didn't let me do any EC's, too much driving if I was to be committed etc.. </p>

<p>Second school: school doesn't offer AP classes, these are all PRE-IB, except PE obviously
Freshman year: 78/100
Physics
Biology
Chemistry
English
Math
Arabic
Spanish
History
PE
Art</p>

<p>Sophomore year: 81/100
Biology
Spanish
English
Math
History
Economics
PE
Art</p>

<p>Current School:
Junior year: UW GPA 3.8
IB Biology HL
IB History HL
IB English HL
IB Theatre Arts HL
Arabic Ab initio
Math studies (lol i know)
TOK</p>

<p>So yeah, upward trend. But those are overrated and are just mentioned to make people feel good about how much they messed up and cleaned up their act, right?
- Taking the SAT's in May..already getting tutored for it.
Current rank: Top 15%</p>

<p>EC's: (I am not cramming activities to look good on my college app, I entered a new school with a different, more positive outlook on things and I am genuinely interested in everything I am currently pursuing, since I didn't get the chance to before)
- Varsity Volleyball, MVP
- Co-founder of a club that raises money to pay the electricity bill of senior citizens that can't afford to + visit them in their own homes if they aren't physically capable of leaving their houses (which are actually run down-shack-like houses)
- MUN, most articulate delegate
- Internship at student-run magazine printed on behalf of a national magazine
- Representative of a campaign that promotes an end to derogatory words/racial slurs
- NHS
- On the committee for recycling club at school
- Have an A1 diploma in Spanish from a spanish teaching institue in Spain
- School Art Award (sophomore year)
- Theatre Workshop/Production in Germany for a week (Junior year)</p>

<p>My summer:
- interning at dad's company (2 weeks probs)
- Phillips Exeter Academy Summer School (5 weeks)</p>

<p>Ethnicity: white/middle-eastern (US citizen living abroad)
Not applying for fin aid</p>

<p>Major: communications/journalism w/ a minor in either business or econ</p>

<p>Would BU and Syracuse be my safeties or reaches? Which schools should I apply to as safeties? Any matches?</p>

<p>Top 3: USC!!!(i can dream, no?) BU, Syracuse</p>

2

<p>Are you currently attending a US or British-style International School? If so, sit down with your own guidance counselor, and find out where students with grades like yours have been admitted in recent years. Often the counselors at these schools are very good at helping students find good colleges.</p>

<p>If you are attending a different type of international school and/or your own counselor can’t advise you, stop by the closest office of EducationUSA and chat with the advisors there. If none of them have worked with a US citizen lately, they have colleagues in other offices who have. [EducationUSA</a> | Study Abroad, Student Visa, University Fairs, College Applications and Study in the U.S. / America](<a href=“http://educationusa.state.gov/]EducationUSA”>http://educationusa.state.gov/)</p>

<p>A safety school by definition meets these four criteria:

  1. You can afford it without any aid other than federally determined (FAFSA) aid, and/or guaranteed state aid (you probably don’t qualify if you are outside the country), and/or guaranteed merit-based aid offered by the college/university itself.
  2. You are dead certain that you will be admitted based on your grades and/or test scores. Many public colleges and universities will post this information right on their websites. Again, this can be tricky for you if you don’t classify as a resident of any one particular state. If your own high school has many years of data indicating that no student with your profile has ever been rejected, then you probably can consider that college/university to be a safety as well.
  3. Your major is offered - or if the safety is a community college, there is a guaranteed transfer program or articulation agreement in effect with a 4-year college/university for your major.
  4. You will be happy to attend if all else goes wrong in the admission process.</p>

<p>Sit down with your parents, and find out how they expect you to pay for your education. What are they ready, willing, and able to chip in? What are you responsible for? How do they feel about you taking college loans? How do they feel about you working while you are in school during the year and/or during vacation times? What you can afford will determine where you can attend, and how deep you have to dig to find that affordable safety school. </p>

<p>As you are currently outside the country, find out if you have a state of legal residence for tuition and fees purposes. You might not. If you’d like help with that issue, send a PM to Ana1 who has experience with the subject.</p>

<p>Wishing you all the best.</p>