with my stats, how high in college rankings can i go?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>STATS: </p>

<ul>
<li>Live in NC</li>
<li>Ethnicity: asian - american</li>
<li>Weighted GPA: 4.6</li>
<li>Class Rank: Top 6%</li>
<li>Majoring in education</li>
</ul>

<p>SAT:
math: 690
critical reading: 610
writing: 650
essay: 10</p>

<p>ACT:
Composite 28
English 29
Science 21
Reading 27
Math 33
Combined Writing / English 30 (subscore: 11)
- will take subject sat's later</p>

<p>Leadership (trying to emphasize passion for education)
- Public Relation Chairman of Key Club (Freshman - present)
- Environmental Club freshman year - senior year, but became treasurer & lunch recycling chairman junior year
- Teacher's Assistant of an AP Chinese Class for my entire sophomore year
- cofounder & copresident of a tutoring club, tutors 7+ hours weekly (junior - present)
- intern for a professor of education at unc chapel hill (june 2010 - present)
- Teacher's Assidtant of a PreK Chinese Class sophomore - senior year (sophomore - present)
- teacher's assistant of my entire social studies department in high school (sept 2010 - present) </p>

<p>Activities
- French Club freshman - present (note: completed AP French)
- Debate club junior - present
- national honors society (junior - present, 20 students chosen out of 557)
- cary teen council (junior - present)
- piano lessons & music theory lessons 1998 - present
- volunteers at food bank weekly (junior - present)
- on my church's leadership team (sophomore - present)
- chinese school (1998 - 2008, stopped after completing AP Chinese)
- nc state red hat engineering program 2007
- nc state creative writing program 2007
- Tutored in an Elementary school 4 hours for a week my entire freshman year</p>

<p>awards:
- golden presidential service award (250+ hours of volunteers ervice)
- most dilligent in chinese school
- most improved in chinese school
- teacher's choice award
- student's choice award
- silver award for a piano statewide competition
- honors roll (3 year, continuous)
- ap scholar award</p>

<p>ap's i took:
- ap chinese
- ap government & politics
- ap psychology
- ap us history
- ap english 3
- ap environmental science
- ap french
- ap english 4
- ap human & geography
- ap calculus ab
- ap calculus bc</p>

<p>ap's my school offers that i didn't take: ap bio, ap stats, ap chemistry, ap physics, ap spanish</p>

<ul>
<li>i know i have good teacher rec's & my essay is pretty good (not to be obnoxious haha)</li>
</ul>

2

<p>There are many rankings. Which one you have in mind?</p>

3

<p>You have pretty good stats. My suggestion, don’t just run after rankings. Get a college that is good for you, not the one which is ranked high by usnews.
Since you have asked about how high can you apply, I would say, with these stats you can opt for some very good top notch colleges(probably Colgate, Colby, Oberlin etcetera)!</p>

4

<p>you should really look at some test optional schools. [Optional</a> List | FairTest](<a href=“http://www.fairtest.org/university/optional]Optional”>ACT/SAT Optional List - Fairtest)</p>

5

<p>Throw out your copy of USNews “Best Colleges.” You will get much better advice here on CC.</p>

6

<p>grades are excellent but your SATs will probably keep you from getting into the top 25 or so.</p>

7

<p>There are some very good schools that will take you.</p>

<p>The problem may be cost.</p>

<p>How much will your parents PAY each year?</p>

8

<p>Lafayette, Bucknell, Holy Cross. Holy Cross is SAT optional and need-blind for financial aid(same as Ivies).</p>

9

<p>@mom2collegekids, i prefer to keep it less than $38000 a year.</p>

<p>thanks for the suggestions (:</p>

10

<p>Regarding budget, that means you would need about $18,000 - $20,000 in either MERIT or NEED BASED financial aid each year.</p>

<p>Have you run the EFC Estimator calculator to find out what your EFC is?</p>

<p>As far as MERIT, the problem is going to be your SAT scores. It’s odd writing this, since 1300 is within the top 10% of student scores across the country, but I’m not aware of a Top 100 school that would give substantial Merit dollars to a student that was not in the top 10% - 20% of their admitted class in terms of test scores – and top 100 schools, even those closer to 100, usually have a top 10% at around 1350 or 1400.</p>

<p>As for Need Based Aid, assuming your family income is under $125,000 or so per year, and assuming not a lot of assets other than your primary home, many private colleges would try to accomodate an out of pocket of $38,000 for you. If your family income is at $100,000 or less, then a lot of schools would work out less than $30,000 for your family.</p>

11

<p>math: 690
critical reading: 610</p>

<p>Total 1300 M+CR SAT</p>

<p>Are you retesting in November?</p>

<p>i prefer to keep it less than $38000 a year.</p>

<p>So, is that the amount that your parents will pay? Or does that include student loans and other student money??</p>

<p>As far as MERIT, the problem is going to be your SAT scores. **It’s odd writing this, since 1300 is within the top 10% of student scores across the country, but I’m not aware of a Top 100 school that would give substantial Merit dollars to a student that was not in the top 10% - 20% of their admitted class in terms of test scores **-- and top 100 schools, even those closer to 100, usually have a top 10% at around 1350 or 1400.</p>

<p>Actually, when you look at the numbers, SUBSTANTIAL merit (like full tuition) tends to go to those in the top 5% (or less) of the school, while “good merit” (like half tuition) tends to those who are within the top 8-10% of the school. </p>

<p>Those within the top 20-25% of a school, tend to get merit that essentially provides like a 10-20% discount on COA. </p>

<p>even those closer to 100, usually have a top 10% at around 1350 or 1400</p>

<p>I know that my kids’ school (ranked #79) gives full tuition for M+CR 1400+. Last fall, 488 freshmen qualified and there were just over 5,100 freshmen. So, less than 10% got the big money. And, that school is unusually generous. </p>

<p>If her M+CR SAT were just 30-50 points higher, she’s get bigger merit from a few schools.</p>

12

<p>I’m guessing that if her parents will pay $38k per year, then she wouldn’t qualify for much or any need-based aid.</p>

<p>If she won’t qualify for aid and her SAT won’t qualify her for merit, then many privates won’t work.</p>

<p>Do you know what your FAFSA EFC and/or your institutional “family contribution” might be?</p>

13

<p>@mom2collegekids, I am not quite sure what you mean by this question?</p>

<p>Unfortuantly, I know that I am not qualified for many scholarships as I am not an American citizen. Furthermore, that is a reason why I need a scholarship; I am unable to hold a job due to my citizenship.</p>

14

<p>Oh…you’re not a citizen?</p>

<p>Are you a visa holder? If so, then ignore the part about FAFSA EFC.</p>

<p>To clarify…for many privates that give int’ls aid, you would have to fill out a CSS Profile financial aid application. </p>

<p>However, I’m thinking that you won’t qualify for aid because your family may earn too much and/or have too much assets. Also, you’re an int’l…that’s another problem.</p>

<p>So, are you taking the SAT again in November? You really should!</p>

15

<p>@mom2collegekids, yes i am a visa holder.
well, i have already taken the sat 3 times. i am really just a bad test taker :frowning: some people tell me not to take the sat a 3rd time, bc it’ll look bad if i do poorly 4 times - what do you think?</p>

16

<p>*bc it’ll look bad if i do poorly 4 times - what do you think? *</p>

<p>At this point, what difference would it make negatively??? 3 times? 4 times? no real impact if the score stays the same, but could be positive if the score goes up.</p>

<p>You’re not applying to schools where the number of tests might make a difference (like ivies). You’re looking for merit and those schools won’t care that you took it 3 times or 4 times or 5 times or more.</p>

17

<p>kitty: there are very few schools that stipulate in their application instructions that you send ALL test scores… and they’re usually in the top 25. </p>

<p>We now have Score Choice</p>

<p>You will get to choose which testing date scores are sent to your colleges. If you take the SAT 4 times, you will likely send two scores… the one with your highest Math score, and the one with your highest CR score (if it isn’t from the same sitting as your Math).</p>