Is this better?
Safety- Alabama, Baylor, UIUC
Match- Penn State, Auburn, FSU, Georgia
Reach- UT, UF, Duke, Vanderbilt
I’m just a little nervous that Duke and Vanderbilt are too unrealistic. Are my safeties and matches enough to be sure I’ll be accepted somewhere?
yes, that’s a good list. You’ll for sure get into Alabama (+Honors college) and you’ll get into 2-3 of the others in the safety/match category.
Definitely retake the ACT in September (there may be a July option too) to have a better shot at Vanderbilt ED.
Thanks! Will I have a lower chance if I retake the ACT and get a lower score or will they not be able to know that?
Also does it help if according to Naviance I’m close to the average of scores for people who have been accepted to Vanderbilt from my school? With that, the fact that I’m applying ed, and since I’m not going for a super competitive major I feel like I have a chance but I don’t want to get my hopes up.
Looks like Alabama would be an automatic scholarship for you. If affordable, it is a safety. In that case, you can shorten your list by eliminating all colleges you consider less desirable than Alabama.
If Alabama really is your second choice after Vanderbilt, then your list may just have those two colleges.
But make sure that they have the academic offerings that will prepare you for teacher credentialing in the state you want to teach in.
It sounds like you really love Vanderbilt. If you do, START STUDYING NOW for the ACT, and get your score way up there.
I second what @ucbalumnus says. If you love Alabama, you don’t really need matches. Why shoot for a school that you like less than a school you know you can get into? Some students want to apply to a few just to make sure you have a choice in case your priorities or needs change in the next year. But there is no requirement for matches.
I love Alabama but I think that I still do want options.
And I really love Vanderbilt. I’ll retake the ACT but honestly I have a feeling I won’t be able to increase my score by much if at all.
Ok sorry for all of the questions that I’m asking, but if I don’t need to apply to matches, does that mean I can apply to more reaches? Or should I still apply to matches?
You should apply to a few matches nevertheless.
Add the reaches later (unless they have EA): focus in safetes and matches, don’t offer the honors college applications, do a thorough job on Vanderbilt Ed.
Thanks! I’ll definitely apply to more matches/safeties. I know I keep changing my list but at this point I’m almost 100% sure about Vanderbilt and Alabama, and I’m also pretty sure about Baylor, Georgia, and Florida, and maybe Texas.
You’ve gotten great advice here. Since you really like Vandy, you should consider putting Wake Forest back on the list as a low reach. They have a pretty similar student profile, though WF is smaller. Still D1 sports, strong Greek, good weather.
(I read through the posts quickly – so apologies if I missed a reason you took it off.)
I only took it off because I didn’t really love it as much as I did Vandy and Alabama and I felt like my list was too long, but I’ll add it back.
Yes, check it out!
I applaud you for carefully cultivating your list. If you can swing the time and application fees, I do think it’s reasonable to apply to between 10 and 12 schools. I know it’s a lot but it really is a numbers game, and since you don’t have a lot of hooks, per se, it can be pretty arbitrary where you’ll be accepted. Playing the odds will give you more choices. I suggest 2 to 3 safeties (make sure they really are safeties), 3 to 5 match, and 3 to 4 reach/high reach.
And having more options also helps if, as someone said, your priorities change. My D18 just went through the process and she applied to big, medium and small schools b/c she wasn’t sure what she wanted. Turned out it was small and she was glad to have 3 or 4 to choose from.
I think Vandy ED will be tough unless your ACT/SAT is higher, but certainly worth going for. Might want to think about another reach for EDII if you strong enough about it.
if you like tulane and vanderbilt add smu. It should be a match school for you. And likely some scholarship money.
I think I mentioned it already, but I don’t like the idea of going to a school that’s so obviously religiously affiliated like smu, otherwise that could be a good fit, thanks!
SMU isnt very religious any more, despite the name. Check out Kentucky & Iowa State.
Just because TCU has “Christian” in the name and SMU has “Methodist” in the name, I feel like you would find them much less “religious” than Baylor. Also, I know you said that finances are not a factor but if you have loans involved, $70K/year for an education degree (which would be what you’ll most likely be looking at from Vanderbilt, Wake, etc.) could be a tough hole to dig out of.
Sorry. I’ll look at SMU more.