Any colleges for a low-average student?

College Search & Lists
1

<p>My stats:
GPA - 3.166 UW 3.5 W
SAT 1 - 2180
SAT II - 760 US History, 730 Literature
AP - 3 European History, 5 English Language, 5 US History</p>

<p>ECs:
nothing noteworthy or marginally important, 250 hours of community service, school newspaper</p>

<p>Classes:
I’ve taken every AP course offered at my school except AP Biology, AP Chemistry, and AP Calculus (totals to be 6)
I don’t want to list my schedules unless its needed for a better evaluation, but I don’t have any class that’s a “soft class”</p>

<p>Noteworthy info:
-income less than 50,000
-first generation college student
-Chinese
-my high school sends about one student to a top tier school per year. Last year, about 350 of the 500 seniors that graduated attended either the local community colleges or began work. </p>

<p>I’m looking for colleges that are decent and I have a good chance of getting into. In state, out of state, it doesn’t really matter to me, though I prefer in state. My reaches are Syracuse and UCSD.</p>

2

<p>You are not low-average. I realize that CC average is very high, but in reality you are not on the low end of it.</p>

3

<p>It would help to know what you want to major in.</p>

4

<p>I’m interested in majoring in either English, Philosophy, or Political Science. I’d like to go to law school, if thats also any help.</p>

5

<p>Not low-average</p>

6

<p>Ditto, not low average. Actually, your scores would put you into the median ranges at some of the country’s best schools. Your grades (and rank?) would be a little too low for the top 25 or so, especially without strong ECs, but browse the US News rankings in the 26-50 range to see if some of those schools appeal to you. </p>

<p>Have you considered liberal arts colleges like Goucher, or (if you are female) Mount Holyoke? Or some of the Colleges that Change Lives (<a href=“http://www.ctcl.org/)?%5B/url%5D”>http://www.ctcl.org/)?</a> If you are a smart but possibly somewhat introverted person, not a big extracurricular “joiner” but someone with serious intellectual interests, these may be good alternatives to a big state university.</p>

7

<p>How about Caltech?</p>

8

<p>@tk21769</p>

<p>Would the 26-50 be reaches or matches for me? And I am male, so no Mount Holyoke. The reason I don’t have many ECs is due to my family’s financial reasons (I worked afterschool sophomore year and I was working as a dishwasher over last summer). </p>

<p>@RamocitoMorales
I’m interested in the humanities, so I don’t think Caltech is a good idea haha.</p>

9

<p>University of Pittsburgh (and take a look at Clemson :p)</p>

10

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<p>The short answer is “both”. That band (give or take a few)) should roughly cover your match-to-reach spectrum, I think. Reaches at the “26” end, matches at the “50” end (to the extent rankings track selectivity). But it will vary from school to school. Some (especially the public universities) are very numbers-driven so especially if you are out of state, your grades/rank may work against you. Others (especially the LACs) tend to be more “holistic” (they look at the big picture including your family circumstances). </p>

<p>I think most of the Colleges That Change Lives, with the exception of Reed and maybe a couple others, would be good “match” schools for someone with your scores and grades. Just to toss one example out, I think Earlham College (USNWR #62) is very likely to accept you. Macalester College (USNWR #29) would be more of a reach, but with good essays you may have a shot especially if you communicate your family circumstances at some point in the process. Both schools have good records for post-graduate outcomes (Earlham for Ph.D. completions, Mac for Law/Business/Medical school placements).</p>

<p>Here is a link to Macalester’s financial aid data:
[Macalester</a> Common Data Set](<a href=“http://www.macalester.edu/ir/cds/cds08.htm#HHH]Macalester”>http://www.macalester.edu/ir/cds/cds08.htm#HHH)</p>