I saw somebody with a less impressive transcript than mine, and others were recommending schools that I considered out of reach for myself. This was the impetus for me to post my transcript and see what schools others think I could get into with my classes and grades.
(Summer School)
Chemistry S1 P Acad: A
Chemistry S2 P Acad: A-
(Junior Year Semester 1)
DS Physical Education Acad: P
California. I haven’t received my results for my SAT or ACT score, but I expect my SAT to be from 1850-2000 and my ACT to be around 29-32. My family is working on a budget of about 40,000 per year. In terms of EFC, my family isn’t paying any money to my college tuition.
Calculate your [UC GPA](GPA Calculator for the University of California – RogerHub) and come back with the total. Remember to only include your A-Gs. In all likelihood the California publics will prove to be the least expensive option for you, unless you get into a meet full need college.
The jury is really out until those test scores come back. Grades look good. Above average, but not crazy high like your parents beat you.
I’d say if your test scores pan out where you want them, you have a way in at any top state school like Cal, UW-Madison, Michicgan, UWashington, etc. A decent shot at mid-tier private schools too.
This student may well have a $0-$5,000 EFC, making UW Madison, Washington, and McGill totally unaffordable unless s/he also happens to hold dual Canadian citizenship.
UC Riverside is an academic and probable financial safety. Offers a range of majors, most of them quite well developed. @ucbalumnus does UCR still have the autoacceptance program for certain students?
I was the most interested in McGill university for its high ranking in philosophy. Is there a school that would fit my desire for good philosophy program and not be totally unaffordable?
You don’t need to go out-of-state for philosophy. UCB, UCLA, UCSD, UCSB, UCD, UCI, UCR all have good to excellent reputations. UCI/UCR are rated above UCSB/UCD for philosophy grad programs (overall), so if there is any spillover effect into undergrad, even the least selective two schools above are good options.
U of Toronto is the exceptional program in Canada, at least at a grad level. The size of U of T is a big issue for undergrad, though, plus the sink-or-swim mentality of many large Canadian publics, so there is probably zero (academic) advantage to heading to Canada for philosophy undergrad when you live in CA.
Considering your stats, many LACS that meet full-need would be good options for philosphy.
Your parents will likely be asked to contribute, except at the very top universities (Harvard, Yale, Pomona, etc). http://www.thecollegesolution.com/colleges-that-meet-100-of-financial-need/
Look into Questbridge: http://www.questbridge.org/
UToronto or McGill will be unaffordable for someone whose family is 40K.
EFC means “how much the FAFSA formula expects you to pay” (it’s usually NOT what your family thinks it should pay). And it’s the minimum - if you don’t get merit aid or get into a 100% need school, you’re likely to have to pay much more.
WHY do students take that test without studying?
O_o
28is good, but what is your school’s average?
The good news is that math is the easiest section to improve.
You have two very strong sections, focus on math and science and you could bring up your score substantially, especially science which is mastered through a bunch of practice through ACT workbooks.