<p>Thank you so much for the response! Out of the schools, I was looking at which ones would you consider matches/reaches? And which ones do you suggest would be good for me? I’m really clueless about which schools because the college counselor at my school is not very helpful to say the least.</p>
<p>Yes, I am an Illinois resident, and my state has tuition agreements with Wisconsin and Minnesota. I believe it’s reduced at Wisconsin and in-state tuition at Minnesota. Judging from their stats, they’re probably safeties academically, but I can’t really be sure because my school’s naviance system is really off because of all the over-qualified students my school sends to UIUC, Minnesota, and Wisconsin every year (thanks to financial reasons and terrible my school’s terrible college counseling department). For instance, for Wisconsin on my school’s naviance it says the average SAT is a 2340 and the average ACT is a 34, but my guidance counselor assures me that it’s a safety. Realistically, though, I really don’t want to attend a public because it’s less individualized attention and the students aren’t as focused (at least the ones I know that go there from around here).</p>
<p>After reading what you wrote, I think I’m going to take subject tests in October and the SAT in November. I really want to take literature and chem in the fall because I think a perfect chem score will help me stand out and I read on here that a high lit subject test can somewhat compensate for a lower CR score (and likewise math level 2 can ompensate for a lower math score). Really it comes down to 1) taking an SAT over too many times (I took it 3 times already. I’m aware some schools have score choice, though) and 2. cost because subject tests are cheaper than taking an SAT over again. The first time I took the SAT I got a 1790 (CR: 610 Math:540 Writing:640), and my parents paid for it. Then, I went out and bought a couple SAT books with my own money and was able to raise it to a 1880 (CR: 620 Math: 600 Writing: 660) a few months later. After some more studying, I finally reached a 1990 this June. I have to pay for basically every standardized test I take (my parents paid my first SAT and two of my subject tests) because my parents honestly can’t afford it. My parents work at a grocery store, and together they make somewhere between $70,000-$80,000 a year, which isn’t really a lot around here (I live in a decently-sized raised ranch, but that’s only because my parents bought my house cheap for only $100,000). On top of that, my younger sister is a level 10 gymnast (lots of $$$) and we support my aunt (mom’s sister) who has polio. I had a job my sophomore year, and I got a paid a little for helping out with my school’s STEM program these past two summers; I use that money to pay for everything. I don’t want to ask my parents for more money because I know my tests and school stuff are enough of a burden on the family already. </p>
<p>As for my parents’ education levels, my dad is a high school graduate (He’s dyslexic, so he’s always had trouble with school), but my mom is not (When I said first to graduate high school, I meant on my mom’s side). My dad is from an affluent North Shore town and was born here, but my mom was born in Mexico and didn’t get to finish high school because she came here when she was 17. My dad’s side of the family is actually really well-educated; I have cousins who graduated from MIT, and my grandfather, although born in Peru and into a poor family, was a neurosurgeon. </p>
<p>Thank you for the link! I’m reading the thread right now, and I find it both interesting and helpful.</p>