list of schools+poly. sci.

College Search & Lists
1

<p>Student:</p>

<p>User Name: Skierguy1127
Gender: M
Location: Lodi, Ohio
College Class Year: 2013
High School: Public
High School Type: rarely sends grads to top schools</p>

<p>Academics:</p>

<p>GPA - Unweighted: 3.31
GPA - Weighted: 3.31
Class Rank: top 50%
Class Size: 242</p>

<p>Scores:</p>

<p>ACT: 23</p>

<p>Extracurriculars:</p>

<p>Significant Extracurriculars: Active in my church, Active at the conference level of my church, youth group, job (25 hours/week), french club, key club
Leadership positions: co president of french club, leadership team of youth conference level of my church
Volunteer/Service Work: two mission trips, volunteer for Obama</p>

<p>Desired College Characteristics:</p>

<p>Location type: Urban, Small City
Size: Small (Under 2,500), Medium Small (2,500 - 5,000), Medium (5,000 - 10,000)</p>

<p>Area: East Coast, Midwest, Southeast
Importance of cost: Very important</p>

<p>Ok I am interested in many colleges, here is a list:
By the way I want to study political science.
However there is a small chance I may switch to pre-law or urban studies.
what are your opinions of these schools, and my chances of getting in?
I really want to lower my list to a more managable number.</p>

<p>Albion College
Allegheny College
American University*
Baldwin-Wallace College*
Earlham College
Guilford College*
Hiram College
Hofstra University
University of Maryland*
Ohio State University*
Ohio Wesleyan University
Washington & Jefferson College*
The College of Wooster*</p>

<p>(Ones with an * are ones I am more serious about)</p>

2

<p>Very, very slim chance at University of Maryland. Since you are out of state, your stats would have to be a lot better than what you stated–last year it was hard enough for kids in-state to get into fall semester 2008 (some of my friends got bumped to spring semester admission, and they’re in-state from a big feeder school to UMD as well!). I’m assuming you’re referring to University of Maryland-College Park, right?</p>

<p>UMCP experienced a 19% increase in applications last year, with the total going over 27,000 applications. It’s getting super competitive for a state school. And it’s a pretty large state school, with over 25,000 students–a bit too big for your stated tastes.</p>

<p>I’m not sure how competitive your stats look for Ohio State, but you should talk with your counselor about that. Definitely keep that on your list–as well as add other Ohio in-state publics as well, like Miami University of Ohio.</p>

3

<p>AU seems like a bit of a stretch, have you taken the SAT? Some people who don’t do that great on one test do better on the other.</p>

4

<p>do you think i could get into Ohio State?</p>

5

<p>That’s unlikely. You are below the 25% for the ACT and 76% of students were in the top quarter of their class. You may want to start looking at a more local state school or CC. Most of the colleges I checked on your list have you in the bottom 25% which makes it difficult to get accepted.</p>

6

<p>Last year’s numbers for Ohio State would put you in the bottom 10% for ACT score (91% scored 24 or better,with the middle 50% range being 26-30).</p>

<p>57% graduated in the top 10%, and 91% graduated in the top 25%.</p>

<p>Ohio State would be a huge reach.</p>

7

<p>what about allegheny? I visited with them and from the way the admission councelor sounded, I am a good candidate for the school. She then continued with detailed information about the school. I thought this was possibly a good sign. What do you think?</p>

<p>So far I have been admitted to Albion ($13,000/year scholarship) and Guilford ($18,000 total scholarship)</p>

<p>I have raised my GPA from a 3.31 to a 3.38 and my class rank is now 90/244
I also raised my ACT from 23 to a 24</p>

8

<p>Ohio State and Guilford have two very different environments–Ohio State is huge, and Guilford is pretty small. You need to pick which one suits you better. Also, do you want rural or urban? That kind of thing. It can help you narrow down your list substantially. Since you’ve already been admitted to some schools, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with applying to more reaches, unless you wouldn’t be happy attending Guilford or Albion. </p>

<p>That said, realize that a lot of the schools on your list are reaches. If you would rather go somewhere else, try to find colleges that are on par with Guilford and Albion. I would really suggest the school I’m at now, Presbyterian College in Clinton, SC. We have a really great Political Science program for such a small school (around 1200). A decent number of students go on to grad school/law school/med school. You could probably get some merit aid, and their financial aid is really decent. Just be sure you don’t mind the idea of a very Greek-centered campus and a social scene that revolves around weekend frat parties. Also, it’s pretty rural, but Greenville is only 45 minutes down the road, and Spartanburg a little closer, and many people go there for the weekend. I’m from Columbia, and I haven’t found the rural location to be difficult at all.</p>

9

<p>really? I have to look into it. I feel lame when I say this, but I try not to look at colleges that are too far of a distance. I know I need to break m bubble, but it may be possible that the only reason I do not go to Guilford is so I do not drive 8 hours to get there. That said, I’m going to apply to American. However I feel as though the news will look grim for me, so I am planning on making my final decision between Baldwin Wallace, Guilford, and Allegheny.</p>

10

<p>American is such a reach that it’s really not even worth paying the application fee. You’re better off dropping it from your list and adding a great safety school. Allegheny is not a safety school for you. It’s more of a high match to reach school.</p>

<p>Also, University of Maryland is a pretty high reach for you. Your GPA and ACT are well below the cut-off. Here are some statistics for you from their website:</p>

<p>All Admits Fall 2007</p>

<p>In the Fall of 2007, students admitted to the University of Maryland had an average (weighted) GPA of 3.96 and the middle 50% of SAT scores ranged from 1240 to 1380, and between 28-31 on the ACT. As a result 25% of the admitted students scored below a 1240 on the SAT and 25% scored above a 1380.</p>

11

<p>It’s very important for you to check the specific college websites and try to find the “freshman profile”. You can also go to the CollegeBoard website, type in the name of the college you’re researching, and you will see the admission’s statistics.</p>

<p>Washington and Jefferson is probably a match for you. Not a safety, but a match.</p>

12

<p>I have a close connection with an American graduate… I believe that could help me.
Plus, I never expected Allegheny to be a safety. I planned on it being a match that tipped in my favor.
I guess I should just post another thread when I actually receive my admission decisions.</p>

13

<p>I’m not trying to sound mean. I’m just trying to ground you a little so you understand that your academic statistics are on the low side of quite a few of the schools that you are considering. American is way out of your reach. Being a legacy will give an edge (but you still need your academic statistics to be within the 50% and above range), having a parent working in the particular school will give you an edge, being a top athlete will give you an edge, but simply knowing a graduate will not.</p>

<p>It’s important to understand where you fit in the application pool. Did you take any AP classes? Did you take Honor’s Classes? Being a Poly Sci major, do you have any strong leadership roles such as in Student Government? Or Student Council? Debate team? Captain of an Athletic team? </p>

<p>You will go to college and with your strong desire, you will thrive once you get there. Make sure you have a wonderful safety acceptance in your hand and be sure to research the statistics of the incoming freshmen for the colleges you are interested in. Be realistic is choosing where you apply and be open to adjusting your list. </p>

<p>Good luck and I wish you the best. PS–check out the Stats Profile on CC ( upper left side of the page). Not as accurate as College Board or the college website but it is more info to to look at. Just plug in the name of the college.</p>

14

<p>[url=<a href=“http://admissions.american.edu/public/contentPage/contentPage.asp?docID=69]Profile[/url”>http://admissions.american.edu/public/contentPage/contentPage.asp?docID=69]Profile[/url</a>]</p>

<p>Here is the link for the American University profile. This is the type of info on the college websites that you should research.</p>

15

<p>I know you dont need more colleges, but you should look into some SUNY schools</p>