<p>My DS has his list but was told by GC that he needs one more match school and he is holding all apps & teacher rec info up until he figures out one to add… HELP… here are his stats</p>
<p>Senior, male, public school (CT). weighted GPA 4.0
SAT, 640cr, 690m, 650w
SATII BioE, 730, MathI 670</p>
<p>retaking SATI in Oct, and SATII Lit in Nov.</p>
<p>Lots of ECs, 5 APclasses & mostly honors, </p>
<p>Wants to be in south or west… interested in anthropology/music/film-media studies.</p>
<p>He seems to prefer Southern California… how about UC Irvine or University of San Diego? Or if he could be persuaded to look north - USF, St. Mary’s, or Santa Clara? Berkeley would seem to be a stretch to me.</p>
<p>If nice weather is a factor UCI does seem to make sense the weather there is very similar to Claremont. I don’t know any links re acceptance stats for OOS students into the UC schools but that seems like it would be a good resource for figuring match status at the various campuses.</p>
<p>University of Redlands is another possibility and I second USD as well.</p>
<p>Great suggestions, thanks. I’ll slip the list onto his desk…</p>
<p>2boys: Do you know much about Chapman? Unfortunately we didn’t get a chance to visit. </p>
<p>Keilexandra: We visited CMC & he was impressed with the style of teaching & philosophy of school. Our HS doesn’t unweight or rank so I am not sure what it is.</p>
<p>Historymom: USD - have you visited? My neice got accepted there last year but she chose to stay in the East (UDel). We did visit UCSD but again, no time to check out USD… wish we had at least driven thru campus… We were there on a Friday and “horrors” drove back to LA that afternoon… 3+ hours. Can’t complain though, because all week we did not hit traffic once so it was a small price to pay. We both really liked UCSD although I feel it isn’t perfect match for his interests.</p>
<p>It’s easier to get into from out of state than UVA, and it has the advantage of close proximity to Washington, DC, which many students enjoy. Lots of out-of-staters from farther north, so he wouldn’t feel out of place.</p>
<p>Another nice bonus to UMCP is that the university gives a lot of AP credit and allows students to use AP credits to satisfy general education requirements, thus allowing those who enter with multiple APs to have greater flexibility in their schedules. </p>
<p>The feel of the school isn’t southern, though (although the campus looks very southern), probably because large numbers of students come from the DC or Baltimore suburbs, and the area beyond the immediate vicinity of the campus is a borderline slum. So if your son was actually admitted there and was considering going (rather than merely applying to shut up the GC), I would advise a visit before making a decision.</p>
<p>Safe or match: Tulane, Loyola-New Orleans, Santa Clara U.</p>
<p>Sorry I don’t know the strength of these schools in all of the fields your S is considering, but they fit his stats. Two of these are medium sized schools, Loyola might be too small for him?</p>
<p>BTW, what are you considering UCSD and UCLA as to reach/match? These are VERY tough schools to get into even for Ca. residents. Non-resident would be major longshot, imo. Perhaps some of the “lesser” (but still excellent) UCs - UCSC, UCDavis, UCSB. Even then, if the UCs are anything but a reach on his list, I think he will need to supplement them as well.</p>
<p>If the GC says this, I think the GC is poorly informed. It is very difficult to get into both of these schools from out of state. I don’t think they should be considered matches for ANY out of stater.</p>
<p>In place of an unweighted gpa, the OP should calculate a UC gpa for a better idea about chances at the UC schools. OOS applicants cannot weight honors classes and the UC gpa only includes certain qualified classes. There’s an explanation of how to calculate the UC gpa on the UC website.</p>
<p>With 6 schools in southern california on your list I’m surprised that Chapman isn’t already there. It is the first place that also popped into my head when I saw music and film/media. It is a very common addition as a back up to USC to any list for those interested in film. They are great in that area…the Dodge school, I believe. Music is phenomenal there…they are well known for it…I think the choir was featured in ‘Sister Act’ years ago. Don’t know if they have an anthropology major but would have something related and probably some specific courses.</p>
<p>Chapman is in Orange County…not too far from Disneyland. It’s nice…housing is very nice. We toured with D1. Also toured USD and Redlands which were mentioned above and just about every other CA college at least once! Let me know if you have any questions…but like I said, I would think Chapman would be an obvious contender. They have a good rep for fin aid also.</p>
<p>Another one I forgot - which would be more of a safety - is San Francisco State University. Part of the CSU system with a VERY fine film school.</p>
<p>Yes, UC schools are on his reach list. GC iwas just concerned that the “matches” Miami & Tulane (forgot to add that on orig. post) are colleges he has not visited. Obviously he’d visit if got accepted & not to his top choice.</p>
<p>Why does he NEED to have x number of schools??? I would just no to the GC and submit choices he actually wants. I would hope there are also some safeties on his list.</p>
<p>^^ I certainly see both sides of this. GC doesn’t want kid to hear “No” from his reaches, then go visit previously unseen matches and decide he doesn’t like them. Family doesn’t have the time or want to spend the $$ at this point for more visits.</p>
<p>It should all work. As long as he has a safety and a match or two that he knows he’ll like… he’s good. More is better if app fees are not an issue. It’s never a bad idea to continue to look at and refine the list, especially when the focus is a good one - not comparing and contrasting reaches, but making sure there’s a solid set of match and safety possibilities.</p>