Which Colleges Should i Look At?

College Search & Lists
1

<p>Weighted GPA 3.7 - most probably 3.8 or 3.9 by fall of this year</p>

<p>Unweighted 3.3</p>

<ul>
<li>And there lies the paradox (both are on a 4.0 scale but in wieghted you can get upto a 4.5 i.e. more than a 100%)</li>
</ul>

<p>SATI = 1900</p>

<p>ACT= 25 (without studying) English 28, Math 28, Science 23, Reading 22. I am aiming for above a 30 on the ACT. Hopefully that shall help.</p>

<p>Courses : Mostly APs.</p>

<p>What are my chances in the top 100, 75, 50, 20 colleges in the USA. </p>

<p>ECs: Debate, Speech, Student Congress, Robotics, Amnesty International, Volunteering</p>

<p>High School Profile: One of the top in my state. Very competitive.</p>

2

<p>Your post is too general. Way too general. (suspiciously general)</p>

<p>What year are you in?</p>

<p>Mostly APs?.. c’mon now… which ones have you taken?</p>

<p>Have you received any disctintions in your ECs? How do your ECs reflect passion and dedication?</p>

<p>What major are you considering?</p>

3

<p>Major: Either COmputer Science or Engineering</p>

<p>APs: Biology, Chemistry, Euro History, US History, Computer Science, English ( for Lang and Lit)
Honors/ENriched: Chemistry, Math, English
Class of '07 - A junior right now</p>

<p>Distinctions in Speech , Debate, Robotics</p>

4

<p>I would say you’re not looking at schools in the top 20, but you should be fine at many in the top 50. For a CS/engineering major, it will be important to get your math ACT into the 30s or get a 720 plus SAT for a good program. Then look at Lehigh, CMU and schools at that level.</p>

5

<p>^Suze gave good advice. Also… forgive me for being a B, but for getting into top colleges, you need to work on how to sell yourself. </p>

<p>I’m glad you went into more detail in your second post. However, you still do not come across as proud or even excited about your accomplishments. Although I realize you’re probably the modest, nonchallant type, and that this is only an internet forum, you have to keep in mind while filling out those apps that admissions is competitive. You are your own best advocate. </p>

<p>So, my suggestion: really emphasize your distinctions in your ECs. What makes your disctinctions noteable? Did you place first in a big competition? Also, I’m not sure if the AP test scores will show up on the transcript, but if they don’t, make sure you find a way to squeeze them in.</p>

<p>But congrats! I’m sure you’ll get into a good school. :)</p>

6

<p>I’d suggest that rather than start off by worrying about which colleges you can get into, you spend some time thinking about which colleges you would want to get into. </p>

<p>In other words, what are you looking for in a college experience — do you want to go to a specialized engineering school, a large university, a small university, a liberal arts college with an engineering or comp. sci program? Will money be an issue? What type of social life would you like the school to have? Where would you like it located? Which extracurriculars are important enough to you that you’d like to continue them in college? And so on…</p>

<p>Once you’ve done that, you can start narrowing down which schools are likely to fit what you need and want, not just which schools are in the top 100, top 50, etc. — then do some research to see which schools match up best with what you have to offer in terms of high school curriculum, grades, test scores, and extracurriculars/achievements. </p>

<p>Ideally, you should NOT start your list with a bunch of colleges that are going to be stretches for you, but rather first find several schools that fit all of your needs that you are likely to have a good shot at. Then, after you have a solid mix of realistic choices, you can add in those stretch schools. </p>

<p>Make sure you also keep money in the picture – talk with your parents now about what they can reasonably contribute, and do some research on what colleges will EXPECT them to contribute - the two don’t always match up and it’s better to know up front and plan accordingly.</p>

<p>If you’re sure about engineering and computer science, you also want to make sure that you attend a program that is accredited by the American Board of Engineering Training (ABET) - you can search the database of ABET accredited schools by different majors at <a href=“http://www.abet.org%5B/url%5D”>www.abet.org</a>. </p>

<p>Good luck - if you follow these steps, you will likely have a far happier outcome this time next year than if you just aim at schools because they happen to be listed high on some arbitrary rating.</p>