^ where did he end up? It might help OP.
@sbarsodo: what about Berea? You’d have a decent shot - and if admitted you automatically get a free tuition scholarship + a job that pays for your room/board but here you also get cash, jobs you can put on your resume.
@SBarsodo What would be your cost at USO? You have an amazing in-state university with all sorts of financial support. You would also likely be able to transfer a lot of your credits, and perhaps skip a year or more.
More known for Engineering than anything so probably not the most perfect fit for the OP. The bit question, which we fell prey to, is about the Ivy Leagues. Certainly we’d probably be all-in if he were accepted to one. One in particular left us in utter awe from the trip. But possibly from what we know now things may have worked out perfectly with a chance that we dodged a bullet.
I assume with an AA you will be applying as a transfer student, and (a) there are VERY few spots in the Ivys for transfers and (b) yes, your ACT will be a dealbreaker. And scholarships are hard to get as a transfer. Not impossible, but hard. Best of luck.
^No, OP is dual enrolled so any college class taken before HS graduation counts for rigor in HS, not as a transfer.
Top colleges know that some students can only have academic rigor if they’re dual enrolled.
However, as you say, the ACT is a dealbreaker, as is the choice of courses (which is appropriate to transfer to a directional university, not for a top 50 university - the lack of calculus would be another deal breaker for most top finance programs, and elite colleges wouldn’t approve of the gaps in English and Foreign Language.)
He shouldn’t “take” the AA at the end of his dual enrollment - just don’t apply for it. It’s kind of pointless for a student who is about to enter a 4-year college (and if the student fails to graduate with a 4-year degree, which is unlikely for a top HS student, they can go back and ask to receive their degree…)
It did provide heightened HS rigor and prepare him well for a rigorous 4-year college, while showing proof positive he can be successful in college. As a result, he should have excellent results with admissions between various Ohio publics (assuming he’s from Ohio) + some top colleges that also meet need, like Denison or Dickinson, which have business majors and are test optional.
Some top colleges (by selectivity); * = test optional, don’t submit test scores
Denison*
https://denison.edu/academics/global-commerce
Dickinson*
https://www.dickinson.edu/homepage/127/international_business_and_management
St Olaf
https://wp.stolaf.edu/management-studies/
Beloit*
https://www.beloit.edu/academics/economics/
Gustavus Adolphus*
https://gustavus.edu/econ-mgmt/
DePauw*
https://www.depauw.edu/academics/departments-programs/economics-management/majors-minors/
Hobart&William Smith*
hws.edu/academics/economics/
Susquehanna university*
https://www.susqu.edu/academics/majors-and-minors
Wabash
https://www.wabash.edu/academics/business
Thanks for the advice. I will look into the colleges listed. I never really looked at the private colleges in Ohio until it was brought it up in this discussion. I figured I would not be able to afford them. I see now that many private colleges have good financial aid packages. Would I be able to get better scholarships at public universities in Ohio or does it just depend on the school?
It really depends. You need to run the Net price calculator on each college listed on this thread.
Denison (test optional = apply without sending test scores and work on these essays) would likely be fairly inexpensive compared to other colleges but it’s a very selective university ( a reach). Still worth taking a shot.
No matter what, run the NPC on every single college listed public and private.
If you want a true financial safety, apply to YSU and its honors college.
You have a great attitude. You still have a ton of great options. You could just keep going to Toledo or another in-state school and finish your degree 2 years early then go to graduate school. That’s seriously worth it’s weight in gold, because you literally just finished a 2 year scholarship already.
I am curious. First, you say the highest math you have completed is Algebra. Is that Algebra 1 or 2. Most standardized test include math through Algebra 2 if you only completed Algebra 1 it could make doing better even on the SAT a challenge. Second, what do you want to study? Finally, a comment. There are two things that need to happen in order to attend a university. You need to be accepted and you need to afford it. It looks to me like you have an affordable option at a good 4 year institution, the University of Toledo. With your grades and ACT score and living at home you could likely finish your degree with little debt and it would be affordable without your parents financial help. There are other Ohio colleges which could be affordable such as Bowling Green, Kent State, Youngstown State etc. They may be more difficult because you would have to live on campus and that would be half the cost of attendance. As for selective universities they look at several things. Grades are important but so is course rigor. Tests are typically important but more so in context with the rest of the transcript. As others have mentioned you are competing with the very top students in the country, even the best students have around a 5-10% chance of acceptance. I would not pin my hopes on that. Good luck. You’ve done great.
Wrt the university of Toledo: it’s a solid university. However the added benefit more elite universities provide is networking; when your family can’t introduce you to their friends with a business, your university can. You use your 4 years to build your resume with professionally attractive experiences and you use the opportunities offered by your university - leadership course, club leadership, working on campus as an admission rep or z tour guide, internships, study abroad.
That’s why you need to choose wisely what university you attend.
UToledo is a good choice but there’s more out there.
@MYOS1634 I don’t disagree but you still have to be able to afford it. Going to an elite university who covers most of your COA is a tremendous opportunity but is unlikely even for the most elite students. I am not trying to dissuade the OP from applying but realistically elite universities will not be an option. Since the parents have stated that they would not assist in paying for college that is a huge consideration.
I think it is important to make the most of your opportunities at any university you attend. Sometimes standing out can help create the networks you need. U of T is a realistically affordable option. Many other schools might be academic matches but financial reaches. Toledo would potentially offer great opportunities for those in the medical field or allied health, engineering and to a lesser degree business. They might be better served by an LAC for many other arts and science degrees but either way they would need to actively seek out opportunities. If the parents were willing to be involved financially it would change the calculus. In the OP’s case I think it would be wise to keep themselves hopeful but realistic.
This is a near-EFC0 student with near-max Pell. Therefore a sought out applicant especially at “meet need” schools. Tippy top schools are unlikely due to test scores and course choices but the test optional top tier not tippy tops are absolutely within the realm of possibility for reaches. Denison should be a strong contender for this student.
That is exactly what my thoughts are. I understand that applying to a lot of colleges is helpful, but is there some sort of fee waiver for sending your ACT scores? I have applied already to most in-state universities. Ex. University of Toledo, Kent State, Ohio State, University of Akron, Ohio University, and Bowling Green. I would love to apply to Dennison, but since I am homeschooled it is hard to find a teacher that would write a recommendation for me. I never actually saw or had lasting relationships with any of my high school or college instructors. My counselor wrote a letter for me, but I had to fill out a form to tell her what to put in it. Would this be similar if I asked a teacher? Also, would I ask a college professor or do I have to ask a high school teacher?
I would also like to add that I plan on working during college to help pay for tuition.
Ask two professors at UToledo, including at least one who had you in a small group (discussion section, seminar, your Composition course which must have been small…)
Yes you can include relevant information, in particular such as…
Their letter doesn’t have to be in on November 1 even if the EA deadline is November 1 for the student - they have about a week to complete it but ask now. IF you ask for a letter for an EA deadline in November, apologize for the short delay and explain you didn’t even know about the EA system until two days ago …
If you apply RD you have a bit more time.
Don’t forget tOSU and UCincinnati.
Check the honors college pages at each college and apply to all which have an application. Beware, some will have a November 1 priority deadline - meaning if you don’t let that deadline your application will be considered after everyone else’s. So really aim for that priority deadline.
At UCincinnati, look at the co-op option.
I’m a little mystified at some of the advice on this. Apply to University of Chicago because they’re test optional? The OP posted what classes he/she has taken and in my opinion the ACT of 25 is about right. As has been mentioned on other threads comparing GPA’s and class rank is worthless. I would think some better advice may be to look up what schools can I get into with an ACT of 25 and go from there.