Nowhere to go?

College Search & Lists
1

<p>This could just be me, but I’m having a hard time finding schools “on my level”. I’ve got exceptional grades and test scores for my relatively moderate public high school, but compared to a lot of people on here I’m kind of mediocre. While searching for schools, many of the colleges nearby had requirements far below me and were extremely easy to get accepted to. However, it seems like the next step up is the Ivies which seem to be pretty far above me. Is anyone in the same boat? How did you find somewhere “in the middle”?</p>

<p>As a side note: I’ve already been <em>easily</em> accepted into two local schools (one of them even offered me admittance into their honors college, haven’t heard from the other’s honors college) and got rejected from Yale early decision.</p>

2

<p>what state are you in?</p>

3

<p>Michigan</p>

<p>I got accepted to Western and Tech</p>

4

<p>What about Ann Arbor, Duke, Notre Dame, Vanderbilt, Emory, Pomona, Vassar, Wesleyan, Colgate, Georgetown? From the sound of it, there are many more that would be on your level.</p>

5

<p>by Ann Arbor I’m guessing you mean UofM Ann Arbor?</p>

<p>I already applied there and haven’t heard back, but the many students from my school who go there have lower GPAs, lower test scores, and less ECs than me.</p>

<p>Aren’t Duke, Notre Dame, and Vanderbilt roughly as difficult to get into as some of the ivies?</p>

6

<p>try Wake Forest, comparable to but easier than Vanderbilt , harder than most Flagship State schools.</p>

<p>and you can’t really go wrong with Michigan</p>

7

<p>There are also kids at Ann Arbor with stats equal to yours. I can tell you that many top kids from Illinois go to Michigan and pay out-of-state tuition, so you will find your peers there. And you wouldn’t expect a large state to be homogenous. So, if you got your application in early enough, it sounds like you will have Ann Arbor as one of your choices.</p>

<p>In terms of other schools, the real question is whether you and your family will pay the difference in tuition over your state schools. If not, you need to look at financial aid, and make thet a priority. Depending on your EFC, you may be looking at Ivies, or you may need to look at schools ranked about 50-100 which make generous merit offers.</p>

<p>You can find the acceptance rates and SATs for schools by searching for their Common Data Set, which is generally availbale through the school’s website, There is also a list of links to the Common Data Sets posted here on CC. Many schools saw their acceptance rates drop last year; Duke and Georgetown are in the low 20 percents, and Vanderbilt is in the high 20’s.</p>

8

<p>Good advice above from rsxwheeeeee. Vandy’s not as selective as the Ivies. A lot of top LACs would also fit into the range that you describe.</p>