Hello so I just would like to know if I’m being to hopeful or if i’m basically screwed. I want to apply to schools such a georgetown, penn(my mom went there as a grad so is it legacy) etc. but cannot apply ED due to money. This is a brief resume
Race: Latino
GPA: (my school doesn’t have AP) 3.82/4
ACT: Haven’t officially taken but I know I can hit a 28 with studying
Debate team have won penn tourneys attended others, nearly national qualifier(1 win away :’(, state qualifier.
Part time Tour guide at the penn museum. Where I show exhibits and etc.
Baseball team
Student Union,Arab Club, Sports stats club, Art club, Debate club/team (potential captain next year)
Potential member of student government(my school gets it next year which I hope to be president)
Have done a lot of community service
Worked my junior year(currently a junior)
I coach flag football for kids in the fall
Multilingual (spanish and english)
Might earn college cred this summer
Worked at my local school district in the ESOL department and was a translator among other task
Apart of my chruch youth group and do service projects
Perfect Attendance
1st place for national history in my city and am going to states in may
Will receive a CTE certification in digital video
So what school seem slightly realistic? or my chances at anything since I really am stressed about my schools
@Luke273
Generally for schools such as Gtown and Penn you need an ACT of 32+. If you do come in at 28, you are probably looking more at schools like Miami (FL), Boston U, Tulane, and a few others which are somewhat similar in character to Penn and Gtown. Better if you get the ACT done soon and come back with a real score instead of basing everything off a guess.
I am not sure grad school counts as much for legacy, and even if it does legacy doesn’t go far these days.
Do you have a budget, geographic & size preferences?
More info. What are your academic plans? Size and pressure preferences? Location?
- Give up all hope and cry yourself to sleep tonight.
Serious: You’ve got the makings of a competitive applicant. Study the ACT and get your score up for it. If you can find some way to apply early, do it. I understand it is financially a burden but if you have friends, family, or potentially scholarships that will help you meet your needs, I would do it. Your likelihood of admittance is significantly higher applying early (especially at Penn, where they admit half of their freshmen in the ED round).
At any rate, we can’t chance you without proper and clearer information.
business, economics and political science. still choosing
Holistically I think you could be a competitive applicant, but as others have mentioned, your ACT score will matter a lot–study as much as you can and try to break 30 (32+ is best). It may help off-set a less rigorous course load, though of course if your school has no APs, it has no APs. With a high enough score + GPA (and a counselor letter hopefully affirming you’ve taken the most rigorous course load available to you), you’ll get your foot in the door, and then the rest of your app will need to shine.
You have a lot of elements that came up on that recently released report about changing what matters in college admissions–you have a lot of service/community based ECs, plus I’m assuming you’ve been working b/c you have to (?). That’s something colleges say they want to start giving a bit more credit for. The story you tell through your essays, short answers, teacher and counselor recs will matter, in concert with your URM status.
So Penn and Georgetown will be reaches for you (they more or less are for everyone), and I would recommend rounding out your list with more target and definitely some safety schools (financial safeties, most importantly!). Depending on test scores, you should qualify for automatic merit at Temple. For target, depending on your ACT, I would look at the schools others mentioned: Boston University, Miami, Tulane… plus also Northeastern, American University, George Washington University… all of these have competitive merit and preferential packaging (and American and GWU are neighbors to Georgetown if DC is the attraction for you). They’re by no means safe in terms of finances, but if you win the admissions lottery, they could offer you very competitive aid. This all said, for financial coverage reasons, if you DO get a competitive ACT and your holistic package is polished and strong, I would also apply to a few more Ivies. If you beat the odds and get in, you’ll get the aid. Harvard and Yale are very generous.
Oh and depending on how low income you are, you might want to check out Questbridge and see if your area has the Posse program.
Your next post should be “Odds of affording a Top School”. Seriously, your school selection should be based on which one has the best program for your major, and not so much a big name school. Most majors it won’t matter for your BA/BS, so save your money and go to a state school for your 4 year and then look at a “Top” school for your Masters.