<p>Hey, I’m in a real rut here. I attend Stuyvesant and have very mediocre grades and am taking the SAT this saturday. We also need to pick an ED school by tmorrow. I would really appreciate it if you guys could give me some suggestions as to possible early descision schools that would accept me and are still a bit of a reach but not unrealistic and some possible schools I could apply to normal descision. My stats are as follows… it’s not pretty. </p>
<ul>
<li>720 Math IC SAT II</li>
<li>estimated 2100 on SAT I </li>
</ul>
<p>-background: asian</p>
<p>overall average: 79%
science average: 85%
math average: 75.8%
english average: 85.3%
history average: 82.6%
foreign language average: 65%</p>
<p>I’ve taken a decent amount of electives however I didnt include it in the average. I also didnt average in gym, health- 85, music-failed with a 60 first time then 100 on second time taking it, drafting- also failed second term of this my first time then got an 85 in a course taken to replace it, comp sci- course that replaced drafting, 85 in it, art- 65, etc. With them my average would be slightly lower. </p>
<p>NY State Standardized Exams
Math A: 99
Math B: 88
Span Regents: 88
Global History Regents: 97
US Hist Regents: 99
Physics Regents: 94
Living Enviorments Regents: 93
Chemistry Regents: 81
English Regents: 84</p>
<p>This year I am taking one term of AP AB Calculus and a year of AP Physics B. </p>
<p>I have been involved in a few clubs thoroughout the years at Stuy and have held mid-level positions in a few of them. I also did research during the summer pertaining to physics at a college. </p>
<p>The kind of schools id in a ideal situation attend would be very preppy, have a great premed program and is looked upon in a favorable light by med schools. It should also not be difficult to obtain top grades and would have lots of pretty girls =) And having a georgeous campus in a great location doesnt hurt either. But I realize that with my stats it isnt possible to get it all =/ But any suggestions as to realistic ED schools (tomorrows the deadline for my school!) and normal descision schools would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks!</p>
<p>Given that ED is binding it doesn’t seem like a good idea to apply just for the sake of applying. More to the point, given your grades, which are at best mediocre and look even worse compared to you good Regents exam scores, I think you would be better served by talking to your college counselor and figuring out some good schools that might look more kindly on you if your first-semester senior grades show real improvement. It’s great that you got into Stuyvesant but I don’t think coming from a good high school is going to make up for grades that really kind of shout out a warning regarding work habits and effort if not ability.</p>
<p>Why is an ED school necessary? You clearly don’t have ANY choices, no less a first choice. What’s the point?</p>
<p>Five wonderful schools where you are likely or reasonably likely to get in, and have excellent pre-med programs are St. Olaf’s, Kalamazoo, Knox (which has coordinated med. school admissions with Rush in Chicago), Beloit, and Hope Colleges (all in the midwest.) You will generally find better admissions “values” with your stats in the midwest.</p>
<p>Well I figure it couldent hurt to apply somewhere early descision. Especially if it could help my chances of getting accepted. But you guys are the experts and I value your help.</p>
<p>I agree completely with mattmom, DO NOT apply early decision unless you are absolutely in love with a school. You take away your choices. With your stats, I’m going to recommend you save your money and go to a SUNY school, also apply to CUNY Honors, you might make it and if not - you can at least get into CUNY. I think CUNY Queens’ pre-med program isn’t bad.</p>
<p>Also, have you had a meeting with your college counselor yet? They’re always very helpful and know Stuy students and their place in the admissions game very well (again, I graduated from Stuy last year and remember the process).</p>
<p>Trinity in CT, Bucknell, Skidmore, Conn College, & Lafayette all fit your description. </p>
<p>But I agree, it is silly to apply ED to a wholly uninvestigated school.</p>
<p>Many schools have an ED2 option, with a due date usually about Dec 15-Jan1. That’ll give you a chance to investigate more prior to making a choice. Maybe visit 3-5 schools in the NY area that have different kinds of atmospheres, so you can see what you might prefer (LAC, University, rural, suburban, etc)</p>
<p>Why is Stuyvesant insisting on such an early ED declaration from you? Most ED apps aren’t even due until November.</p>
<p>You might consider Denison–very good science program, and you’d be a little bit out of their usual track for applicants, which might make you attractive to them. The campus is just beautiful, the kids are a bit preppy without being starchy, and it’s in a good location–in a relatively smnall but pretty town, walking distance toall kinds of little places, with a shuttle to a major shopping district, etc. in a larger city.</p>
<p>I don’t think you should apply ED anywhere seeing as how you dont have any idea where you want to go. I was going to apply ED to Cornell and I researched it for a year, but now i’ve changed my mind bc i dont htink im sure enough. That’s not what you should do, that’s just an example of how much thought 1 person put into an ED D (early decision decision :-p). Anyway, stick with RD. This way if you find a first choice in December, you wont be locked in to some school you don’t like. GOod Luck! :)</p>
<p>At the risk of parroting everyone else here, you’re not a good ED candidate.</p>
<p>ED is for a student who has already found a school that is his #1 choice, a school that he believes it a good fit and that he wants to attend above all others. That’s not your situation. </p>
<p>The decision-making process isn’t “I want to apply ED–now, to what school?” It’s the other way around. One looks at schools, and if one institution emerges as a strong, clear favorite, he might consider whether or not he wants to apply ED there.</p>
<p>Well I’ve been looking at two schools for a long time now. NYU and Occidental. Their both out of my reach but I love the place. Does that mean I should apply there early? I also dont see the point in missing out on an oppurtunity to get into a more selective school via. ED. I mean guys I appreciate you advice but there is no way that I’m not going to apply early I think its a hugely wasted oppurtunity.</p>
<p>Occidental is NOT particularly preppy. Have you even visited Occidental? I would especially recommend against applying ED to a school on the other side of the country.</p>
<p>For regular admissions, in addition to Mini’s excellent suggestions of midwestern schools, I’d suggest the following schools, all of which are good for pre-med and have a decent “preppiness” factor:</p>
<p>match schools: Juniata ¶, Ohio Wesleyan, Hartwick College(NY), Jefferson and Washington ¶, Washington College (MD), University of the Pacific (CA)</p>
<p>realistic reach schools: Gettysburg, Franklin & Marshall, Dickinson, Allegheny (all in PA), Chapman, University of San Diego, and the University of Redlands (Calif).</p>
<p>These schools are not particularly preppy, but would be decent matches for you and have decent pre-med programs: Clark University (Mass), Goucher College (MD), SUNY Geneseo, SUNY Oswego, SUNY Oneonta.</p>
<p>in this situation, you should apply ED if you know that if you were accepted, you would be absoutely, one hundred percent sure that you would be okay with spending the next four years of your life in a place that you barely know and have never visited. if you really wanted to apply ED, you should have spent some time considering your options and thinking about what school would really fit you instead of asking other random people for advice the day before you need to make a decision.</p>
<p>The advantage of applying ED seems to be seriously exagerrated by posters on CC. ED really only pushes over a small percentage of applicants who are borderline. I would say that the biggest reason ED acceptance stats are higher than RD stats is NOT that it is much easier to get in ED but because ED applicants have a dream (and by dream I mean perfect not a reach) school picked out and chances are they’re already a perfect fit for it.</p>
<p>Oh, and for those curious, Stuy has about 800 kids in each graduating class, the only way for them to get out transcripts and counselor recs in time for college deadlines is to have students choose which schools they’re applying to about a month before deadlines. This goes for RD as well.</p>
<p>Let’s put it this way. If you are going to skip the investigation of schools and just make random guesses, you might as well randomly guess right now and do an ED school as randomly guess later RD; and randomly guess which RD to attend. if you are a very unpicky, happy-go-lucky & adaptable person, you might get lucky and like the school. It’s just some kids do NOT fit at every school.</p>
<p>We were hoping you might choose to do more research. As I said, you can still enjoy any advantages of ED by using the ED2 option; you have another month presumably before ED2 stuff needs to be in at Stuyvesant. </p>
<p>West coast , midwest, or southern schools will be less reachy than comparable northeastern schools. I would say Oxy is a realistic reach for you.</p>
<p>I second Juniata and Knox as good schools with a high percentage of med school acceptance. Try Antioch, too, but it’s a lot more independent than others in requirements to graduate from.</p>
<p>Really, though, I agree with others that you’re missing the point of ED. It’s THE dream school, not one chosen from a forum board of suggestions. </p>
<p>I hope financial aid isn’t an option, too, when it comes to your uni choice, or that would make ED unrealistic, as well.</p>
<p>Excuse me if I say what may have already been said, but in addition to the fact that you should NOT apply ED if you haven’t “fallen in love” with a particular school, NOT ALL schools give an advantage to ED applicants! In fact, in some schools, you have a BETTER CHANCE with REGULAR DECISION!! Check out each schools actuall stats before assuming anything!</p>
<p>While I agree the ED advantage is not available everywhere, I have to disagree with just part of what you say. </p>
<p>Some kids would be elated to attend 2,3,4 schools-- all great fits for them. I do not see a problem with a kid simply picking one of their 3 or 4 favorites and just going for it with ED. My D did this-- there were several schools she really liked. She picked one that had a slight edge ED, but she was denied. She then did ED2, and again, just picked one from the remaining 3 that particularly appealed to her-- though she could easily have picked a different one for different reasons. ED2 was an acceptance. For full disclosure, she is an athlete so ED is also more critical for getting the coach’s support. However, my S is not an athlete and I would support him doing this too. As someone told us, hard decisions do not necessarily get easier if you wait to make them. She went from the POV that she was admitted to all her schools-- which would she then pick to attend? </p>
<p>Flash forward-- She is now over the moon with joy at this school. Maybe her instinct to pick it was apt, and maybe it is the “perfect fit.” Or, maybe, she is elated now because her level of expectation was really reasonable-- because she saw her list in clusters, rather than strict rank order with only one “dream.” </p>
<p>When you’re looking pragmatically for “a great school” rather than “the great school” ED can still be appropriate, and maybe it helps with ultimate satisfaction too.</p>
<p>I think it is important to try to avoid the “one true dream” mentality, especially if it a very selective school.</p>
<p>I had two rules for my kids as they made their college list: (1) If you haven’t visited your safety schools, you don’t have a safety school yet; and (2) no ED applications to schools you have not visited. These are the only schools you absolutely must know you won’t hate because you could very well end up at one of them.</p>
<p>1Down2togo: Seems like a wise rule. I only wish I could apply those rules to myself. But oh, well, hope the website and Livejournals give enough of the atmosphere.</p>