I'm really scared I'm not going to go to college

Applying to College
1

<p>I just got rejected from my ED school, and I’ve panicking because I’m worried I won’t go to college. I really need advice on schools to apply to for the regular wave of applications. </p>

<p>My stats:
Asian female at very competitive high school (top in state)
GPA 3.3 UW, 4.1 W (I’ve taken highest honor classes whenever possible, with 2 exceptions)
SAT 2290 (730 W, 800 M, 760 CR) superscore/// 2270 @ highest sitting
SAT II: Math Lvl 2 800, Chem 730
AP: 5s in APUSH, World, BC Calculus/AB Subscore, 3s in Chem and Bio (taking Econ, Stats, Physics, and Spanish now)</p>

<p>ECs:
Varsity Policy Debate (takes up most my time (10 hours a week + entire weekends at tournaments, I’ve been in a couple of elimination rounds at national tournaments but nothing huge, spend 5 wks a summer at camp)
Founder and President of an environmental policy club, brought over 150 solar panels to my town working with a town program
Flutist/Band section leader/Parade Band
Peer tutor at school’s learning center
Political Campaign Volunteer (just canvassing and phone bank work, not an actual internship)</p>

<p>also have Chinese School TA, assistant swim instructor, and field hockey in previous years</p>

<p>I applied to:
EA:
University of Michigan
Northeastern
UMass Amherst</p>

<p>Regular:
U Illinois at Urbana Champaign
Georgia Tech
University of Southern California
UC Berkeley
UT Austin
Washington University at St Louis</p>

<p>Applying to:
BC
Brandeis</p>

<p>I know my GPA is awfully low and my ECs aren’t spectacular. I’m really worried that a large portion of my schools are reach schools, and I’m applying to environmental engineering and computer science/engineering programs, which are said to be far more competitive than most colleges’ stats show. Could I get some feedback on what my chances at these schools are, and if I should consider applying other places?</p>

2

<p>Well I have similar stats and I’m hoping to get into UC Irvine or UC Davis, so I would say you are reaching, considering I’m scared on not getting accepted into those. The good thing is you applied to several more schools than I did, so hopefully 1 is bound to accept you. Especially university of Illinois and Umass, I’m pretty sure you’ll get into those, unless engineering screws you over. But It definitely is possible! Good luck!</p>

3

<p>I’m pretty sure you’ll be accepted to at least one of those schools, but since you’re applying to lots of competitive schools, it’s a good idea to apply to a so-called “safety school” (such as a nearby state university) just in case. Good luck!</p>

4

<p>It sounds like you picked your school list from USNews.
You should consider applying to UT Dallas.</p>

5

<p>You need to apply to some less selective schools as a backup. And are finances a concern? You’ve applied to a lot of out of state public schools that will not be very generous with financial aid.</p>

6

<p>What is your home state? Is your major offered there, and if so, what does your own guidance counselor advise about your chances for admission into that program?</p>

<p>Every student needs at least one dead-on safety on their list. Your GPA and test scores would guarantee you automatic admission and automatic merit-based aid at a number of places. Check through this thread, and see if anything looks good to you. <a href=“Links to Popular Threads on Scholarships and Lower-Cost Colleges - Financial Aid and Scholarships - College Confidential Forums”>Links to Popular Threads on Scholarships and Lower-Cost Colleges - Financial Aid and Scholarships - College Confidential Forums;

7

<p>I live in MA and UMass, Northeastern, and UT Austin are my likely schools</p>

<p>However, I’ve started panicking because I realized the graphs through which I decided what would be my likely schools were for general admissions, and I’m applying to the College of Engineering at every school, which is more competitive</p>

<p>Does anyone have any suggestions to what other schools I could/should apply to that have good engineering programs? </p>

<p>(also really anxious because quite of few of my friends have been accepted to Harvard/Dartmouth/MIT/Cornell/Prestigious LACs)</p>

8

<p>I am surprised you were not accepted as a female engineering major, unless you applied to a very top school. Ask your GC call your regional admissions director at that college to get some feedback on your application. Sit down and talk to counselor as to what you can do to enhance your other apps.</p>

<p>I think you will get into a number of your choices. I seriously doubt you will be shut out unless there is something “hinky” in there that you are not sharing with us. However, EVERYONE needs a school that is sure to accept and is affordable. Are you applying for financial aid? So do add in such a safety, so you can be sure of an acceptance. </p>

<p>However, you are likely to have some nice choices. A rejection from a lottery ticket ED school does take the air out of you. It hurts and makes you doubt everything. I think you’ll feel better when some of the EA accepts come rolling in. My son’s best friend only applied to his ED school, no EAs, and he is hurting and scared, just as you are, but has nothing coming in since he did not apply anywhere else early. You’ll be in a better place than that soon. </p>

<p>Still, the crux of the college search is to find an affordable school that is certain to accept you and offers courses you want. You haven’t done due diligence in coming up with such a school, as you have cherry picked well known schools which is easy-peasy. Get to work. </p>

9

<p>This applicant’s GPA was probably the killer. It might also be an issue for some flagship engineering programs like Illinois and Texas.
UMass looks like the perfect safety for her if the family can afford it.</p>

10

<p>State schools tend to weigh GPA quite heavily.</p>

<p>In any case, getting rejected ED is no reason to panic if it’s a reach school. What school was that?</p>

<p>BTW, you’re aware that OOS publics won’t provide much fin aid, I hope.</p>

<p>That out of the way, keep in mind that at UIUC, their various CS+whatever programs in LAS are easier to get in to than CS in Engineering.</p>

<p>Finally, there’s no reason to panic because

  1. Some schools are easier to transfer in to than straight out of HS (UNC comes to mind for OOS students). UMich, UVa, UIUC (LAS), USC, Cal aren’t very difficult either if you keep your CC GPA high and go to the right CCs (in fact, UVa, USC, W&M, & all UC’s besides Cal & UCLA have auto-admit transfer arrangements with certain CCs if your GPA is a certain level, though granted, they may not promise you a place in CS).
  2. Harvard Extension is an option.</p>

<p>Life and where you end up is what you make of it.</p>