Where should I apply??

College Search & Selection
1

Hi everyone! If you wouldn’t mind taking a look at my quite extensive application summary/outline i typed out and making some suggestions regarding safety, match, & reach schools I should look into applying to I would really appreciate it! Im from Long Island and would prefer not to go too far (around 8 hours max). Thanks so much!

I am currently finishing finals as a junior in high school.
I am a white female and am currently undecided as far as a major goes. I’m interested in entrepreneurship/business and the sciences.

Current SAT score (old version): 2080
Breakdown: 630 CR, 680 M, 770 W

Unweighted GPA: 4.0

• Four national honor societies in the fields of math, science, history, and English.

• Key Club (freshman, sophmore, and junior years. I will be a member my senior year as well)

•Interact Club (a member my junior year, which was also the year it was first introduced in my school)

^ These clubs are volunteer organizations devoted to giving back to the community as well as the nation on a larger scale. Key Club is my main priority, and I partake in almost all of the events (which there are a lot of).

Some include:
An annual talent show to raise money for cancer (I have worked on the raffle committee for three years) called “The K Factor”

Sears Tour: We are assigned an underprivileged child from our community and take them on a trip to sears where we have $150 per child to spend on cold weather attire (we then wrap them as gifts for Christmas, and include donated toys and books)

And many more small events and drives!

• Relay for Life (freshman, sophmore, junior years. I was captain my sophmore year)

• Concert band (since elementary school, I play flute)

• Marching band (sophmore, junior year. I will be a member senior year as well)

• Varsity Crew team (rowing; member of the team sophmore & junior years. Will also be senior year)

LEADERSHIP Positions:

• I was selected to be section leader of my section (flute) in marching band this year

• Secretary of the Math Honor Society

• Recording Secretary of the Science Honor Society

• Relay for Life Captain 2015

As I am only a junior, I am still working on SAT II tests and finishing up AP classes (I am taking the Math II subject test tomorrow).

I am currently enrolled in AP US History & AP Language and Composition, took AP World History my sophomore year.
I am scheduled to take four AP classes next year (AP Calculus BC, AP Physics, AP Literature, AP Economics). Whatever classes I have that are not AP are honors.

Here is a list of my top choices at the moment, I would appreciate if you would chance me for as many as you can:
Boston College
Boston University
Northeastern University

Please mention any other school recommendations!

Given this information, I was hoping to receive some feedback with regard to my chances of being admitted to these schools and any advice you have to offer to help increase these chances.

Thanks so much!!

2

What are you looking for in a school?

Obviously, the three you already have down are common in that they’re in Boston, but they’re each very different. Are you looking for a more traditional college feel with school spirit and sports? Or more of a pre-professional feel? Urban, or suburban?
Most importantly, what is your family’s financial situation and ability to pay for college? There are thousands of colleges out there, and the answers to those questions and any more information on what you’re looking for will help CCers help you.

3

@whitespace I visited all three of those schools in Boston and although they were very different (BC- catholic, NE- pre professional, BU- urban) I liked them all. However, I think I preferred the feel of BC the most. I also really liked Lafayette college in PA, hopefully that gives u an idea of the kinds of atmospheres I like best. As for finance, my family doesn’t usually qualify for need based aid (my brother is a sophomore at Carnegie Mellon), however my parents want me to go to whatever school fits me best. I want a school that’s reputable academically, but also want a school spirit atmosphere. By no means a huge party school though. Hope that helps, thanks again!

4

Your chances at Northeastern are pretty low. Same at BC, but to a lesser extent. You SAT is decent and your GPA is really excellent, but your ECs are a bit… average. Nothing stands out.

5

You are probably borderline for all three schools. If I were you, I would take the SATs in October (and maybe November too) and try to get 1400+. In addition, please try and do something over the summer and in the autumn that will really stand out in your application.

6

@londondad what types of things would stand out? Should I search for an internship? Get more involved with volunteering? My good friend and I are in the process of trying to start a chapter of a foundation from the west coast. It was founded by my dads colleague whose daughter unfortunately passed away due to a distracted driver. It’s a volunteer club that gets involved in local communities and the nation as a whole, since the girl was extremely involved that way, but it also raises distracted driving awareness, which is an extremely relevant topic among teens (plus my school takes it very seriously, we have an entire week to raise awareness of the dangers of driving). It’s not yet a big organization, as the tragedy occurred recently (only about a year ago) so it’s certainly not well known, but I think if we brought it to the east coast that would really help it take off. What do you think?

7

@shannon14 - the foundation sounds like a good idea. Generally, anything where you can show some leadership and/or some passion for an interest or an academic subject that you may study in college would be good. Why don’t you speak to your guidance counsellor for some idea? Good luck.

8

I think your EC’s are above avg. You’re an athlete, a musician, you volunteer. You seem like an involved person with school spirit. Rowing a is hook with some colleges. Is there a way you do something more with that sport?

Also if you like BC and Lafayette, you might also like Franklin and Marshall, Villanova, Skidmore, and maybe, Bucknell. Skidmore might be less preppy than the others, but you’ll find people like yourself into arts and sports