Trying to find my ceiling

College Search & Lists
1

<p>Hey everyone, right now I’m a little confused as to what my ceiling is in terms of what are the most prestigious schools I can get into. Also any reccomendations would be greatly appreciated, thank you in advance!
Student:</p>

<p>User Name: Partizanct
Gender: M
Race: Caucasian Eastern European, for what its worth 100% fluent in a european language
Location: Minnesota
College Class Year: 2014
High School: Public
High School Type: sends many grads to top schools</p>

<p>Academics:</p>

<p>GPA - Unweighted: 3.90
Class Rank: top 10%</p>

<p>AP Psychology - 4 on test
AP Composition - 4 on test
AP Euro History - 4 on test
AP Physics - in progress
AP Calculus AB - in progress
AP MacroEconomics - in progress</p>

<p>Scores:</p>

<p>ACT: 32
SAT Subject US History - In progress
SAT Subject Literature - In Progress</p>

<p>Extracurriculars:</p>

<p>Athletic Status - list sport and your level: 4 Years Varsity Basketball
Honors and Awards: 4 Years A Honor Roll
DECA
600 Various community service hours</p>

<p>Desired College Characteristics:</p>

<p>Location type: Urban, Small City
Size: Small (Under 2,500), Medium Small (2,500 - 5,000), Medium (5,000 - 10,000), Large (10,000 - 18,000), Very Large (Over 18,000)</p>

<p>Area: Other, East Coast, West Coast, Midwest, Southeast, Southwest
Importance of cost: Secondary</p>

<p>Schools I’m looking at:
UC Berkeley
UCLA
University of Chicago
Northwestern
Carlson School of Business
Boston College
Emory
Columbia
USC
Georgetown
Duke
DePaul
NYU</p>

2

<p>I don’t think you have a ceiling. The most prestigious schools admit students with your credentials. The difference is that the most prestigious schools get so many applications with students with your credentials that they can’t admit all of them so your chances of getting in to the most prestigious schools becomes more of a crap shoot.</p>

<p>I would put Minneosta and Wisconsin on your list for financial safety. Minnesota residents pay in-state tuition at Wisconsin. It’s a great school for the money.</p>

3

<p>Res ipsa, thenk you so much for your input! Paying for college is not a huge problem for me, and I don’t like either of those schools in terms of their proximity to my home. Could you also chance me on the list of schools that I am currently exploring? Thanks again!</p>

4

<p>Something like this???
High Reach: Columbia
Reach: Berkeley, UCLA, Chicago, Northwestern, Duke
Match: BC, Georgetown, USC, Emory
Low Match: NYU
Safety: DePaul</p>

<p>Berkeley and UCLA are tough to judge because you’re out of state, and with all their problems in California it might be easier to get in if you’re willing to pay the full out of state price without any aid.</p>

5

<p>You have a shot at them - Depaul is a safety, Emory a match, U of C, Northwestern, NYU, USC are low to middle reaches, Columbia, Duke are high reaches. Georgetown may depend on the school to which you apply. Can’t say about the others.</p>

<p>When you say “Carlson School of Business” did you mean the Carlson School of Management that is part of the University of Minnesota? From the outside it looks like your match/safety. And, at $19,000 a year, a bargain. So, your questions should really be, “what school would I attend over Carlson?” And, “how would my parents feel about spending an extra $30,000 a year for Northwestern, Columbia, NYU, etc.?”</p>

6

<p>I have to disagree with res ipsa: you do have a ceiling. While some people with your stats and coursework get in everywhere, at the most selective schools they are hooked. Apparently you are not.</p>

<p>I’d say Columbia and Duke are high reaches. Georgetown, U of C, Northwestern, Berkeley are reaches. Emory, USC, and BC are probably matches. DePaul is a safetey. NYU is overpriced.</p>