I’m a junior currently looking at colleges, but I have a rather low gpa (3.1 unweighted, 3.6 weighted). Freshman year I was plagued with a severe illness. It caused me to miss numerous days of school, and left me feeling unmotivated. I am much better now, and so incredibly thankful for that. This year I’m taking 2 APs, and have A’s in both, as well as in the rest of my classes (all honors). I got a 2070 on my SAT. Over the summer I was also accepted to a selective summer program at an Ivy League. Next year I will also be taking 2 more AP courses. I run cross country, participate in my school’s musical, and run track. I am a member of about 5 clubs. I work at a local restaurant and volunteer for a mental health advocacy group (I’m interested in Law and Social Justice). When applying am I confined to a state school, or do I have a shot at more selective liberal arts schools? What can I do to make myself look like a better candidate for a spot at schools during the application process? I also am signed with a top modeling agency in New York, and it would be ideal to attend an NYC school. Any suggestions for colleges in the NYC area?
I am running late for an event and wrote this super quickly, my apologizes if my thoughts are scattered.
You should apply to a mix of safety, match, and reach schools. Ask your GC to address your freshman year health issues in their recommendation. It may ir may not help, but it is a reasonable reason for a GPA issue. It carries more weight from your GC than from you.
Look at Sarah Lawrence and Eugene Lang
Barnard or NYU would be long shots, but probably not out of reach if your grades have a strong upward trend (especially if you can raise your scores a bit). Your admission chances at Sarah Lawrence (or Eugene Lang) would be better. Can you and your family afford ~$60K/year? If not, run the online net price calculators to estimate costs.
Why do we think the OP is female? Not sure, just asking if you are or not.
The lower the cost the better, but 60k is not out of the question.
What is unconventional about this college search?
You can also look at Fordham – there are 2 campuses to choose from – a traditional campus at Rose Hill in the Bronx (with access to Manhattan via campus transportation, subway, Metro North RR) and a smaller urban campus at Lincoln Center. Your GPA is a bit low, but your SATs are strong for Fordham so you have a shot. The school has non-binding EA.
If money is no object, you can look at Pace. You should have no trouble getting in.
" I also am signed with a top modeling agency in New York, and it would be ideal to attend an NYC school."
How flexible a schedule will you need or want in order to meet your work responsibilities? If you expect to be working quite a bit for the next couple of years, you might want to consider concentrating on that instead of school work, and then head off to college when you are prepared to devote yourself to it full time.