I’m currently a high school junior, but not sure which colleges would really be a good fit for me. I’ve looked at Geneseo and Cornell (reach) so far and plan on checking our Binghamton and UVM soon as well as Bucknell. I’m thinking of majoring in Animal or Agricultural Sciences( with concentration on Animal Science) and possibly a minor in Anthropology. I’m looking for a program which shows that I am well rounded for Grad school ( intend to purse veterinary medicine) while also taking something practical to fall back on, basically.
Classes
Honors English
Honors Chemistry ( actually received CLEP credit with class, passed the exam)
AP World - 5
Taking this year
AP Physics (3-4?)
AP Language/ Comp(4-5?)
AP US (5?)
Next Year
AP Bio
AP Lit
AP Euro
Also, 6 years of Spanish and very good regents grades
Extracurriculars ( will be taking these all again next year too)
3 years of Science Olympiad- won a fair amount of metals, not that it matters
Class Treasurer 2 years running
3 years Envirothon
3 Years FBLA ( Treasurer then VP)
3 Years Key Club
Science Club VP X2
Band
Got into sought after Internship position at local zoo, youngest person to do so, started Summer between Freshman and Sophomore year, did a lot of work with Cornell students. Will be getting letter or recommendation from Head Vet there.
3 years Tennis
3 years Soccer
Grades
Unwtd AV so far 95
Weighted 96, Expect to go up a bit (97?) after this year
Top 10% unweighted, Top 10 weighted
This is the bad part.Took the SAT for first time in January, almost no prep, got 1900 overall but 700 English, 660 Writing and YIIIKES 540 Math.
I am planning on retaking the SAT and trying to get that math up. Will also be taking ACT. Is a 29-30 too much for me to hope for? If so, which colleges would that open up for me?
A 29-30 would still be too low for Cornell. You want a 32 at the very lowest.
Do you have any suggestions as to which colleges that would be about right for then?
Do you think I could have a shot at UC Berkeley?
I think you should look at Reed, Grinnell, Pitzer, Vassar, Wesleyan, Colorado, Williams, Middlebury, maybe Univ of Chicago, Trinity, Bates, Oberlin, Union, Bucknell, F&M, Univ of Rochester.
But for these colleges, you’ll need atleast a 2050+ in your SAT. You’ll need to boost your Math score to maybe 680 atleast. A higher CR score would be better too. I also suggest you aim for atleast 32 on the ACT.
They are mostly liberal arts but from your concentration, I got the idea that you would lean more towards liberal arts than engineering.
What is your financial situation? I assume you live in NY state.
No shot for Berkeley unless you are in-state, which I am guessing you aren’t so no.
Yes, live in NY. Truthfully, my family doesn’t have a lot of money, so I’ll be taking out loans and seeking financial aid etc. And I’m looking to pursue a pre vet path, hopefully with a major that shows graduate schools that I’m well rounded well also having something practical to fall back on. Also looking at non-liberal arts schools becuase I’m pretty sure i know what I want to pursue. Was thinking Animal Science or Zoology with minor in Anthropology. Would a great GPA (3.9 Unwtg 4.0 weighted) help me out if I have lower SAT scores? Help please!
I believe my parents are on track to make no income this year ( recently started business) but my fafsa year was the year prior, I believe.
Assuming you live in NY, the agricultural program at cornell is easier to get into as a NY resident and you get in state tuition.
Great! I also qualify for the Top 10% STEM program so that should help. What kind of standardized test scores will I need for the Agricultural Science program at Cornell? That’s really my dream, a20171. Is there any resources online that show data specifically for CALS at Cornell? I can’t find anything recent…
I don’t know where to find info on it online, I only know a little bit about it because my guidance counselor was explaining it to me. Didn’t ask too much about it because I wasnt really interested.
You need to run net price calculators for all your schools. You can find the calculator on each school’s website. Berkeley isn’t going to give you financial aid, it is a state school and they give almost no aid to OOS students. Out of state cost there is over $50,000 per year – it is unaffordable for you.
You need to minimize your costs and loans. Vet school is expensive, and it isn’t a profession that pays that much so you can pay back big loans.
@realperson2990 I honestly think you should just email the Cornell admissions office and talk about your situation and tell them you are interested in the Agricultural Science Program. You should directly ask them the average SAT and GPA for the program and they will give it to you. Don’t be shy to ask. I’m sure it shows you are interested when you are taking the effort to find out.
Your test scores definitely need to be raised unless you do have a legitimate excuse that you can flesh out in your application or by contacting the admissions office.
From what it seems, you’re doing fine, if not excellent.
You have great involvement with multiple EC’s and you have leadership positions.
Just make sure you don’t spread yourself too thin in terms of EC’s: you want to be a part of and hold leadership positions in the clubs you are really passionate about.
Colleges are going to be wary if you’re in 10+ clubs and are playing multiple sports: It seems a little fishy and might make them feel as though if you are in the clubs just to beef up your resume (although that might not be the case).
But do keep in mind, I’m no admissions officer; just thought I might put in my 2cents.
Gotcha. Will definitely be emailing CALS at Cornell about avg. SAT and GPA, thanks for the suggestion Komz1304 . And I really don’t have a legitimate excuse for the Math on the SAT, but will be retaking it Fall of next year. I’m naturally not very good at Math, I just work my ass off in school to do well in AP Physics and other math - intensive classes, haha