I have a 3.8 unweighted and 4.4 weighted GPA, I’ve taken 6 AP classes and only taken 4 regular classes (all electives) with every other class being honors during my sophomore and junior year.
I scored a 1230 on my SAT (shooting for a 1350 on my retake)
Don’t really have extracurricular other than 97 hours of volunteering at a science center, daycare job, chorus + guitar for 4 years, and archery for 1 year.
I’d say I’m on the higherish end of average and am not too sure what kind of schools to apply to and what would be considered a safe, target, and reach school for me.
What state are you in? Do you need financial aid? Try to improve your SAT. Taking the full-length, timed practice exams on Khan Academy and reviewing your answers is the fastest way to improve. With the stats you posted, I would consider EA applications to UNC and/or University of Miami. Also check your school’s Naviance, if they have it.
You’re an excellent student and congrats.
Your scores are already excellent to be considered for hundreds of wonderful colleges and universities.
Yes, perhaps a few more points on a standardized exam might open a few more doors.
But lack of choices won’t be an issue.
It is important to know what you like. What you want to study and your strengths/interests.
A profile like yours with great essays and the right majors could be be some pretty selective schools if that is what you are after.
There are many test optional schools now as well. That is important if you are a really academically focused student who may not do quite as well in short form sat and act environments.
Finances are hugely important. Where and what type of environment is also key. Big or small. Liberal arts or stem focus. Long term dreams etc.
Don’t discount your ECs. D18 had a long time volunteer position, choir, and show choir. Similar UW gpa but no AP and lower test scores. She received some nice merit aid at schools where she was in the top 75%.
What are you interested in and where are some places you might like? Area of the country?
“I’d say I’m on the higherish end of average”
Average for all high school students is about a 3.0. Average for students who go on to university is a bit higher than that. You are a little bit above average for students who are going to go on to university. Depending upon what state you live in, and your budget, your in-state flagship might be a target school, or if you live in a large state maybe the in-state #2 or #3 or #4.
If you tell us which state you are in, what major or majors you are considering, and what your budget is, then people here on CC can suggest possible universities to consider. As much as you can think of regarding what you want in a university might help also, since there are so many universities to choose from.
Some SAT preparation before your retake might be helpful also.
“Don’t discount your ECs.”
This. Your ECs are very solid.
For those asking, I am from Florida and I really do have my heart set on going out of state. For majors I’m looking into something with English/Writing, Music, or Film/Video, however I actually have no clue what I actually want to do. I would need financial aid and scholarships since I will be paying by myself and I’m not too picky on the school’s environment but i would prefer somewhere or the East or West Coast
If you are interested in California schools, target private schools since UC’s or Cal states will give little financial aid. You need to get your SAT up into the 1400 range for many of the CA privates with good FA.
You need to have your parent(s) fill out an FAFSA estimator that you can find online and see what your family EFC is. Financial aid will only cover costs above this amount and the form it is given (grants, loans, work-study, etc) varies greatly school to school. FA is a whole topic in itself and since you are expecting to need it, you should get a book or read online articles to start understanding it now so you can choose schools that are affordable
Scholarships are a different matter, they do not depend (usually) on your family circumstances. Also something you need to spend some time researching
According to your other thread in the financial aid forum, your parents, while middle income, do not plan to help you with college costs at all. Is this correct?
This is going to make OOS schools challenging because it would seem you need a complete full ride to attend them. Full rides are not easy to come by and tend to be highly competitive. Your SAT score would need to bump up a couple hundred points to be competitive for a totally full free ride, IMO. Or for possible admission to extremely generous colleges that guarantee to meet full need for all.
You are very fortunate to live in Florida which has Bright Future, Plus a lot of public universities from which to choose.
Another school you might consider in FL is Flagler. The cost of attendance is modest for a private school…and if you got enough merit aid, it might be affordable.
Eckerd is outstanding for your academic interests (it’s outstanding for creative writing, with a famous writers retreat), you’d get to be in an ideal setting, by the beach and near a city, plus you’d be able to use BF and they have honors+ merit scholarships for 1350+ scores.
Apply as soon as you have you new SAT scores to a variety of Florida universities (UF, NcF, FSU honors…)
Run the NPC on Kenyon, Denison, Kalamazoo, Knox.