D is going to be a senior in HS next year and was wondering her chances at the following schools that she has told me she is interested in. (We live in VA)
Virginia Tech
Indiana
Appalachian State
South Carolina
Oregon
SUNY Buffalo
South Florida
UNC Asheville
Ole Miss
Alabama
She has a 3.35 UW and 3.66 W with a 1230 on the SAT and 27 on ACT. She has also taken 4 APs and the rest of her courses were on an accelerated path.
If anyone can help me decipher which of these are reaches, safeties, and targets based on your experiences I would be very grateful
Have you looked at what the middlet 50th percentile SAT scores? that often gives you a good idea
Each school’s common dataset is your friend.
I would have hope.
Hello, I am not actually familiar with these schools, but after researching some of their statistics, I have some advice on what you could do to transform those reaches into safeties…
First of all, I would generally expect that taking 4 AP classes really boosts the GPA. Taking 4 and seeing a boost by .31 does not seem adequate. What are her letter grades in these AP classes?
Another question-- what is her intended major? Is it a STEM major, or is it more centered around liberal arts or social sciences? These are important determinants for college admissions because you might get into a university if you apply with one of their less popular majors… Also, in case she is an athlete, academics will not be as heavily regarded, of course-- because then academics wouldn’t be your daughter’s career objective.
This is an important time of the year for her… AP Examinations coming up!! Performing well on these will show colleges that she is capable of competing at a national level and can think on her feet.
I highly recommend dedicating summer to a job shadow or internship program that connects to her career interests. It’s definitely easier with something like healthcare, but math and engineering activities are harder to find. I suggest always keeping in touch with counselors at school because they can be very helpful in making decisions and letting students know about summer opportunities…
Also, every person, no matter how great, has room for improvement. I would say (just my opinion) that for taking 4 AP classes, her GPA doesn’t seem to add up. Grades may not be reversible, but you can definitely still take the SAT and ACTs again! Spend summertime–around an hour a day, studying for either the sat or act-- pick one. dont study for both, this will only waste the extra time you could’ve spent focusing on one test…
Assess what is most difficult for you on the SAT. It could be:
Time management
English Comprehension section- (for example, if it feels like there are way too many opinion questions on there!)
Math- just way too hard. or maybe you are over thinking it… the SAT questions truly are easy. find the easiest and laziest way to solve the math problem and that is how you solve it fast. because no grader will see all your scratch work and thinking.
Hard to focus-- you might have heard this wayy to often, but get sleep.
Know TRIGonometry!! people, even myself, overestimate our memory. Yes, i may have taken trig class, but that doesn’t mean i remember enough to actually apply my knowledge on the test quickly and accurately enough.
My score went from a 1280 to 1420 by assessing all these things. I got in to UCLA, UC Berkeley, and other schools–all in my major. all i am saying is that SATs and ACTs reallly really matter. In fact, a really good SAT score will probably cover up for a so-so GPA. But remember–not vice versa (a good GPA will NOT cover up for a so-so SAT score)
this is because GPA depends on the: extra credit teachers give and factors that bias a grade
but ALL students take the SATs/ACTs and are tested under the SAME conditions, so those scores are more reliable.
Definitely use the summer vacation to make these changes. And all your current scores are quite good too, but I know that a student that takes 4 AP classes has the potential to keep on improving. Good luck!