What is the chance of getting in?

Silence1113 · August 13, 2010, 6:02pm

State of Residence:
New York

GPA:
Unweighted: 92.1 (According to CollegeBoard that’s a 3.7)
Weighted: 93.92 (According to CollegeBoard that’s a 4.0)

**Note: Mainly people living in New York City will understand me, but I go to a specialized High School. You get a specialized diploma as a special. And grades are worth more in these schools. (A 3/4 in a specialized high school, might be worth a 3.5-4/4 in a normal High School)

Advanced Classes:
AP World History-4
AP Chemistry-4
AP US History-3

**Note: This senior year I will take AP AB Cal, AP Economics and AP Literature

SAT:1890
Math: 680 (According to college board this is in the average)
Reading: 620 (According to college board this is in the average)
Writing: 590 (According to college board this is below average)

**Note: I am planning to retake the SAT this October and try my best to boost up my writing score.

ACT: 25 (Below average by 2 points, according to CollegeBoard)

According to the new NYU admission policy* I just need to give them either a
-SAT score
-ACT score
-3 SAT II scores
-3 AP exam scores

So I am not planning to take the SAT IIs

*[General</a> Requirements](<a href=“http://www.nyu.edu/admissions/undergraduate-admissions/applying-for-admission/freshman-applicants/general-requirements.html]General”>How to Apply)

Rank: My school doesn’t give ranks so I don’t really know…

EC: Member of MSA (3 years so far), Member of Chess Club (3 years so far), Member of Chinese Chess (1 year so far), SAT Prep Club (A Semester). Volunteered 171.5 hours at a public library. Volunteered at a local pharmacy for about 50 hours so far.

**Note: I signed up for National Honor Society for senior year.

I am planning to apply Early Decision to NYU-College of Arts and Science this November.

What’s my chance?

P.S.: I’m planning to give NYU my SAT score and the AP exams that I got a 4 on.

Silence1113 · August 14, 2010, 3:18pm

Bump please

socalgirlsd · August 14, 2010, 10:17pm

Hi there Silence 1113. Looking at your stats, it seems like you need to improve your SAT score a lot. Your gpa looks ok, and I think you have a pretty solid extra curricular list. I’m not sure if you’ll get into CAS for sure considering your gpa and SAT score, but I think you might (I’m not saying for sure) have a shot at LSP. I’m saying this b/c I had around the same stats as you except the gpa part. If you have any questions, I’d be happy to answer them on here, or through email. Btw, I’m going to be an incoming freshman and am in LSP.

SnappleSpice · August 15, 2010, 12:28am

Like socalgirlsd, Im an incoming LSP freshman. My GPA was about the same as yours, and I didnt go to a specialized high school. I took one AP junior year, and 3 senior year. My SAT was about the same, but my ACT was a 28. I had about the same amount of ECs as you too. I feel like I wrote a really personal essay, and I know I got 2 awesome teacher recs because I picked teachers I was close with and who knew me really well.

Silence1113 · August 15, 2010, 11:24am

Thanks Socal and Snapple for answering.

In terms of GPA, that’s actually the one that Im not worried at all lol. I would have have gotten a 4.0 unweighted gpa in another normal High Shcool. I even asked my guidance counselor about this and she confrimed. She said that Universities have a grade converter so all grades are balanced…it wouldn’t make sense if all High School grade were looked at in the same light.

Yes, I agree, the SAT score is my fall. But I’m planning to retake it and I’m aiming for a 2000+

The reason why I want CAS is that I later on want to go to med-school. So I think pre-med is the way to go.

But I have been reading a lot of topics on CC these days and I’m getting so lost.

From what I read, NYU is the “rich-boy’s school” in that its stingy when it comes to financial aid. Which I really need. Also there policy is not a “…meet student needs 100%”. And I really don’t want to start my life, espicially for pre-med since Ill still need to go to med, with a debt.

So here’s my 2nd question:

Assuming that my EFC is 0. And I do not dorm in the Uni. (I live close by). How much will my financial aid be? How much will I pay?

SnappleSpice · August 15, 2010, 2:05pm

I’m not sure about your 2nd question, but as for financial aid, I do not think NYU is a “rich boys school”. I’m only going to be a freshman this year, but since I live fairly close, I’ve been to the campus multiple times, even sat in on a class once (which I recommend doing with your top schools). Most of the kids I’ve talked to have a LOT of loans and will have to pay NYU quite a large amount of money once they graduate. My total cost was about $55,000 (with the cheapest dorm, a LCT in Rubin hall), and I’ll be paying most of that myself. I did get all the loans I needed through NYU, but only very small scholarships (like a $4,000 LSP one…not a lot when you look at the big picture, although I appreciated every penny I was given).

Theres really no way to know until you apply and they give you an estimate. If your going to med school, you can defer your loans even longer, when you’ll hopefully be a doctor who makes good money :)

As for dorms, the cost for me to be in my LCT at Rubin for 1st semester is a little over $3,000. I dont plan on dorming for all 4 years because its an expense that may not be worth having later on (I dont know if I will want to be living in a dorm for the next 4 years, and Im lucky enough to have a few apartment options open through family members). Im not a college student yet, but Im pretty sure dorming will be a huge part of the college experience, and I really wouldnt want to miss out myself, so I would advise you to spend a little extra to dorm for at least the first year. NYU dorms are actually reasonable, especially for NYC. NY state school dorms cost $15,000 a year, and for me in my LCT on 5th ave. I’ll be paying around $6,000 a year, so thats pretty awesome.

I’ve told a lot of people on here that they should just apply if they love NYU. Dont let the money put you off, if you want to go to a good school, youre gonna have to deal with some loans. It sucks that it costs so much, and yes, it will probably be hard to pay off, but in the end if NYU will make you happy and your focused enough in school, I think you’ll find that youre happy with your choice.

Silence1113 · August 15, 2010, 3:08pm

True, but I’m more in love with being a doctor than the college that I go to :p

I don’t mind the college that I go to as long as I end up in med school.

As for the college experience feel, I think its a bit overrated, but I do see your point that part of college is feeling independent etc. But then again, I really want to have the least debt as possible. :S

It won’t be fun later when you are working for the sake of paying debt.

A friend of mine who graduated High School 2 years ago, got into NYU for free due to scholarships. Considering that NYU doesn’t offer much aid he must have gotten a lot of scholarships haha

I’m now thinking of applying to Yale or Columbia, after taking the SAT II and SAT (again), since they have better financial aid packages and Ill apply to NYU for RD

I would have loved to go to NYU but I just won’t be able to have that debt espicially for undergrad :/

SnappleSpice · August 15, 2010, 3:31pm

Well, its great that youre in love with wanting to become a doctor…but if your only a senior in high school, you have 5 years before you actually get to start working on that. I would suggest picking a school you enjoy going to, even if it means paying a little bit more simply because if youre not happy, youre not going to do well.

And no, of course paying off debt wont be fun, but with NYU’s location there are a lot of advantages in career fields that will help with that. Going to NYU will be fun (and a lot of work) for four years, and when that ends I know Im going to have a nice degree that will help me get to where I want to be. The location in itself is worth the high price…you cant find those city resources in places like Boston or state schools (not to say that they arent good schools). Sure, I’ll be paying an extra bill for a long time, but thats not going to stop me from enjoying life after college.

You make it sound like you dont think your education is worth much…yes, you can go to a cheaper school and get a good education, but just know a lesser known university isnt going to stand out when youre one of thousands fighting for a spot at a graduate school, or even a job after undergrad. I understand your fear in not wanting a ton of loans, but if NYU is your dream school, you should go for it and find ways to make it work. You also only live once…money isnt everything.

nyyankees2012 · August 15, 2010, 3:39pm

Silence: Even though they offer better FA, Yale and Columbia aren’t any easier than NYU to get into, especially with your current stats. Given what you have now, you’re probably looking at an LSP offer at best…

If you don’t mind the college you go to as long you’re going to med school, I would seriously reconsider NYU/other expensive elites and look into state schools. You’d probably have no trouble getting into a good state school and would save your big expenditure until med school, where the name on your diploma matters a bit more.

Silence1113 · August 15, 2010, 5:30pm

@Snapple: I once again agree but here is the thing is that your pre-med School doesn’t really matter much when you apply to Med school. Only your grades and MCAT scores matter.

Also about the finance, maybe you could understand my view a bit here:

"You need to make sure you have a financial safety school that you can afford so that you have another option if NYU is impossible financially once you see your FA award. Don’t get caught up in the ‘it’s my dream school’ mentality. If the money is not there without enormous debt then go elsewhere. "

<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/823938-how-much-can-family-earning-33-000-get-fafsa.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/823938-how-much-can-family-earning-33-000-get-fafsa.html</a>

@NYyankee: Of course it’s much much harder getting into an Ivy league. That’s why I’m taking the SAT IIs, retaking the SAT and for an extra Ill retake the ACT.

Ill actually study hard this time…before I used to go without much studying.

And the reason why I even thought of Ivy Leagues is that Yale sent to my parents a postcard in the mail that said:

<a href=“http://i920.■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■/albums/ad50/ahmed_iv/yale.jpg[/url]”>http://i920.■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■/albums/ad50/ahmed_iv/yale.jpg</a>

^^^So as you see, they are the ones that sent me an invite to apply. Also Penn sent me an invite to apply and so did Dartmouth.

Of course it doesn’t mean that they’ll accept me because they invited me but they don’t send invites to everyone and it at least tells me that I have a chance.

While the Ivy Leagues are expensive they have the

“meets 100% of that student’s demonstrated financial need”

policy.

Which NYU doesn’t have. (Penn offered me to just pay 6k per year in their invite letter)

I really like NYU a lot actually and would have put it as my number 1 choice anytime since I like the Uni as a whole…but… :/

OK this is what Ill do. Ill apply to Yale EA. Ill apply for many outside scholarships. If I get enough then Ill just go for NYU…I prefer it anyways since its closer and in the city.

ariela09 · August 15, 2010, 6:39pm

Silence, when you took your PSATs, did you check the box that said you would like to receive mail from colleges? Because, in all honesty, I don’t think that Yale would have sent you that card based on your SAT or ACT scores. Whenever I was applying to schools, I got similar post cards and mail packages from Harvard, Columbia, Rice, etc, and while my scores were high (2000+), they were definitely not Ivy worthy.

What I’m trying to say is, PLEASE don’t get your hopes up because a great school sent you a card asking you to apply.

Also, if you’re planning on sending your AP scores to NYU, you can’t send just the ones you got a 4 on. You have to send all of them.

Silence1113 · August 15, 2010, 7:12pm

@ariela: Yes I did. But many people did and many of them did not get this postcard. Many Universities did not send me such as Columbia, Princeton or Harvard.

And as you read int eh postcard, they sent it based on my SAT or ACT score, not because I checked the box on the PSAT.

Don’t worry Im cautious. Of course I know that my current SAT score is relatively “bad”. But I will improve it and post my new SAT score soon.

Also really? I was going to send in my SAT and my 2 APs would have been extra…if I need to send all then I guess Ill just send my SAT (after I imporve it)

Also WOAH the GPA calculator that I used was very wrong.

These are my real GPAs

Unweighted: 3.8
Weighted: 3.9

[GPA</a> Conversion Chart](<a href=“http://inquiry.princetonreview.com/leadgentemplate/GPA_popup.asp]GPA”>Calculate Your GPA With Our GPA Scale | The Princeton Review)

Also on my school site it says:

"Consistent with most NCSSSMST Schools, students at xxxxxxxxxxxx High School are not
publicly ranked. The only ranking conducted is for the top ten students during the valedictorian
selection process. Individual ranks are never released to students or the public. "

I guess Ill never know.

ariela09 · August 15, 2010, 7:40pm

Silence, even though the card didn’t say it, there is probably a good chance that it was because you checked the box on the PSAT. Check the average SAT/ACT scores for Yale on College Board to see what I mean.

It’s good that you’re cautious, but I just want to make sure that you’re being realistic. I went to a very (very!) high ranking high school and it was always kind of funny to see the younger students be cocky about their college choices. I knew a few people who ended up having to go to community college, because they only applied to Ivys or schools that were stingy with financial aid. Be sure to have a good list of safeties, especially if you really need money.

Silence1113 · August 15, 2010, 7:50pm

Well, what the card did say was:

“Through information provided to us by the College Board or ACT testing programs, we have identified your child as a student who might be a good candidate to selective colleges such as Yale.”

From hear we can say:

1-If it was because of the PSAT, they wouldn’t have mentioned the ACT.
2-They would never consider anyone a good candidate for merely signing up to get mails from colleges.

Furthermore, trust me, I am completely aware that the AVERAGE student has SAT scores from 2100+ . But who said that an SAT score is everything? lol

Anyways, yes, all this is merely for early admission for regular admission I would never be as crazy as to only apply to Ivys and top schools. That would be insane.

I have a couple of schools (State ones) that I know for a fact Ill get into as a safety net during normal admission.

But thanks for the precaution!

Silence1113 · August 15, 2010, 9:16pm

One last thing, Ariela.

I read this interesting post in this topic:

“I had a 4.0 gpa, but only a 1910 on my SAT. However, I got an 18k scholarship to steinhardt. But like icefire said, the big scholarships go to people who also got into ivys. I got into Cornell (shocking, I know), which is guess is why I got as much money as I did with such a low SAT score.”

<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/new-york-university/979676-what-kinds-students-get-good-financial-aid-nyu.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/new-york-university/979676-what-kinds-students-get-good-financial-aid-nyu.html</a>

He’s more or less like me and got into an Ivy. The point I’m just trying to make is that it’s not just SAT scores that matter.

And yes I’m aware that this isn’t very common.

But once again, thanks for the reminder, I appreciate it :)

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