3.2UW GPA, reach schools and targets [MO resident, 970 SAT, finance, French, pre-law]

Chance Me / Match Me
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  • US domestic
  • State/Location of residency: Missouri
  • Type of high school (or current college for transfers): Strong high school considered as private because of prestige
  • Other special factors: first generation to college

Cost Constraints / Budget: no budget

Intended Major(s): finance major, French minor, pre-law

GPA, Rank, and Test Scores

  • Unweighted HS GPA: 3.27
  • Weighted HS GPA: 3.75
  • Class Rank: N/A
  • ACT/SAT Scores: 970 on SAT when I took it the first time and didn’t study - studied and retook it, waiting on results

List your HS coursework

  • English: AP LANG
  • Math: Pre-calc
  • Science: bio,chem,earth environment
  • History and social studies: AP gov
  • Language other than English: French 5

Extracurriculars

National Honor Scoiety

Social media manager for American Cancer Society

HOSA

Key Club

Nonprofit volunteer work

Essays/LORs/Other
Very strong essay and supplemental which explains my low grades because of family things

Schools
American University
Bard College
Boston College
Campbell University - EA
Carleton College
Connecticut College
Elon University - EA
Fairfield University
Lehigh University
Macalester College
Reed College
Rhodes College
Trinity College
University of Richmond
Virginia Tech
Wake Forest University - EA
William & Mary

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Meaning “no limit” or “unknown”?

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Have you looked at the Common Data Sets for the listed schools, especially Sections C7 and C9-C11?

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no limit.

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I’m in NC and think you would have a decent shot at Campbell and Elon. Your SAT score is low, so consider submitting after you take it again only if you are above the 50th percentile. You might try the ACT too. Some students like it more. It would be good to have a good test score to show admissions that you can handle college.

You can see Elon’s Common Data Set here: Common Data Sets | Institutional Effectiveness | Elon University

Section C is going to tell you about grades and scores needed for admission.

Several of the colleges on your list are super reaches. Elon is probably an appropriate level of reach. It’s not really a target, though. Try to find more targets and safeties.

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Choose one ED1, one ED2, apply EA or Priority everywhere you can. Indicate you want to apply for a French major since it’ll be less competitive than Finance (which is generally one of the most competitive majors). Even if a college doesn’t admit by major strictly speaking, they do have to have a diversity of academic interests in the class and fewer students express interest in French/prelaw than in Finance/prelaw.

American University
=> Reach; apply EA or ED, test optional unless you have 1300+ on the latest test; they’re big on demonstrated interest so join their mailing list with your dedicated college email address, check every other day or so, click on interesting links (especially those related to languages, study abroad..) so they build a profile, and read what you clicked on - all of that is tracked; apply for the French/Business major to increase your odds rather than finance (you can switch later on if you wish).

Bard College => not the place to go to if you’re interested in Business or finance. Reach.

Boston College => out of reach

Campbell University - EA => target

Carleton College => out of reach

Connecticut College => big reach. Apply for French. ED1 if you don’t apply ED to American, or ED2.

Elon University - EA => high target/low reach

Fairfield University => target

Lehigh University => out of reach (replace with Dickinson and/or F&M for a reachable reach, applying for French; add Susquehanna, apply to Honors as well as Business and French. The college itself is a target, Honors a reach but if your essay is very strong it’s possible.)

Macalester College => out of reach (replace with St Olaf for a reachable reach and/or University of St Thomas or Luther IA or Hamline for a match after checking these 3’s French offerings and picking the best???)

Reed College => out of reach (replace with Lewis&Clark College, a low match, and/or University of Puget Sound, a target?)

Rhodes College => high match

Trinity College => high reach

University of Richmond => out of reach

Virginia Tech=> high reach depending on major

Wake Forest University - EA => out of reach

William & Mary => out of reach

“Out of reach” colleges are colleges that typically expect 1380-1400+ on the SAT and an unweighted GPA 3.75 with 8+ AP/IB classes.

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Excellent suggestions for replacement colleges/universities.

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If you’re at a private, talk to your counselor. Most of these you should apply TO and many don’t have finance. The good news - is the school name won’t matter for law. You’re in Missouri - look at Truman State. Harvard, Penn, and UVA - top 8 law schools - have kids from well over 100 undergrads in their first year class including directionals. Penn shows the entire school - over 200 schools.

But here’s my assessment - and maybe full pay will help you but:

American - no

Bard - no

BC - wouldn’t apply

Campbell - yes - I believe very religious

Carleton - don’t apply

Connecticut - no

Elon - toss up but leaning no

Fairfield - no

Lehigh - wouldn’t apply

Mac - wouldn’t apply

Reed - wouldn’t apply

Rhodes - academically no but you are full pay so maybe

Trinity - no

Richmond - no

Va Tech - no

Wake - don’t apply

W&M - don’t apply

I’m saying don’t apply not to be mean - but I don’t see a path. You need to build a list for your academics - so you oddly have Va Tech….well how about Mizzou, KU, Arkansas, Missouri State. Since you love languages, IU would be a home run. Ole Miss as well. These are the types of schools you need to apply.

You have a lot of LACs - how about Augustana (SD), Beloit, Coe, Hendrix, Southwestern, Susquehana, Washington College.

You know who’s a big cross shop to American - U of Denver - that’s a worthy try.

I guess I’m not seeing it - based on what you provided.

But talk to your counselor.

The good news is - if they offer French (check everywhere), your goals can be met anywhere.

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Others have already covered the territory as far as evaluating your current list. You do have some realistic ones on there, so you shouldn’t be shut out, but it is likely to be a rejection-heavy application season; will you be okay with that?

Have you considered URI’s International Business Program? You could get a dual degree in French and Finance, and spend a year studying and doing an internship in a French-speaking country. A lot of students in URI’s international programs end up getting offers from companies they interned with during their year abroad. URI’s location is lovely, too - not far from Conn College. A lot of upperclassmen live at the beach.

The pre-law aspect doesn’t need to be a big factor at this stage; you can be pre-law in any major, at any college. The LSAT is an important factor in law school admissions, though, so take any opportunities you have along the way to refine your standardized test-taking skills.

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Schools like first generation students, but you are at least a tier too high with those grades. SAT needs to be several hundred points higher. And finance and law want good grades as well. May want to consider other options. In business field, accountants are in short supply. If you are interested in French, there is a shortage of language teachers in many areas.

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I wouldn’t necessarily assume that the OP can’t up their game in college. They wouldn’t be the first to do so. But the need to do so needs to be acknowledged and planned for; and over-reaching in terms of admissions competitiveness most likely isn’t the way to get there.

This is why I think a larger school with a wider range of student achievement could be the best bet. OP wouldn’t be trying to “come from behind” with a better-prepared cohort, but they also wouldn’t be lacking for cream-of-the-crop peers to emulate and compete with. Every flagship university has students who could have attended the most “elite” schools on OP’s list (but couldn’t afford to, didn’t want to, etc.) The cream rises to the top, and OP can aspire to be in that category. But attempting to leapfrog above the level of past achievement, based on supplemental writing “which explains my low grades because of family things” might not serve the OP well, whether because it won’t work, or because it might and could then result in a poor set-up for success.

Of the current list, Elon seems like the best fit to me. If a private-college experience is desired and financially attainable, this seems well-chosen. High Point could be worth a look too (maybe better than Campbell for the OP’s goals).

Providence College could be a good alternative to BC. Loyola New Orleans could be a fun place to study French, and they have a robust finance major. DePaul is worth a look too (and they have a 3+3 law program). St. John’s, which has its own campus in Paris. Santa Clara perhaps, especially for a full-pay ED app. Tons of options in terms of Catholic schools, but gunning for one of the 2-3 most competitive ones is probably not a winning strategy.

Miami of Ohio could be a good alternative to William & Mary.

Reed is a terrible fit - no clue why it’s on the list at all - but I agree that Puget Sound could be a great alternative, as it has strong business programs. Maybe Willamette too.

I agree with tsbna that U of Denver deserves a look. Not only does it overlap with American in terms of applicant pool, but it’s a better fit in terms of its greatest strengths (business and IR, rather than poli sci and federal government adjacency being so dominant).

Bottom line is that colleges are looking both for potential and for a track record. A student with a soft GPA, a soft SAT, and vanilla EC’s may indeed have the potential, but the track record isn’t going to beat the odds at highly-rejective schools, and it’s likely for the best that it doesn’t. They need someplace that’s attainable but will also provide challenge and room for growth. That could be any number of public universities, or it could be a smaller, supportive private - that’s a matter of preference and budget.

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