Hi Friends, first of all, I apologize if you see any grammar, spelling or punctuation errors in this thread because I was a student who did not know how to read a 6 letter English word till last Year. So guys I wanted to know even with my low SAT scores which is 1150 (1700 Old) I could get into good colleges. By good colleges, I did not mean Ivy Leagues but universities like Notre Dame. NYU, UCLA etc. I had only lived in this country only 10 Months when I took my SAT. I came into the US at the end of MAY 2015, then in October when I took my PSAT I got a 950 and In March 2016, SAT I got a 1150. English is not even my second Language because I know other 2 Languages better than English I am speaking now.
I have a pretty Good Academics (All classes Honors and some AP’s) and have a 3.5 GPA out of 4.0.
Volunteer work Of 750 Hours in Orphanages, and Churches.
A lot of Work Experiences like Subway, Spanish restaurant, Painter, Tree Cutter and Maintenence Worker.
A lot of leadership positions like Mathematics honours society president, Arts Club President, Class Representative, Keyclub Secretary etc…
And also I am a first generation student and a low Income Student.
(Parents make only less than 20000$ a year).
Assuming since you recently came to this country, you will be applying as an International applicant?
Since you are low income, you will need to target schools where you have a chance of getting good financial aid, so strike off your list most public universities such as UCLA. Also drop NYU since it gives lousy FA.
There are far more knowledgeable posters that can hopefully steer towards some schools that will give you some FA, but with your families income and at the moment non-competitive stats it will be a uphill climb. Very few schools will give you a significant amount of FA to finance your college ambitions. You might want to consider your local community college and then transfer.
You will not get in to schools like these with your current gpa and test scores.
On another thread, someone suggested that you look to see if you can stay in high school for another year. If this is possible, it could be the best thing for you.
FLORIDA. What is my Weakness in my college application? I am 100% sure that my Recommendation letters are 100% positive, and good ones. My college counselor and English teacher have told me My essay is also great. Just because my SAT is poor will they just reject me? I go to the 3rd best school in FL and the 16th Most challenging school in the entire US. My GPA is only 3.5 but I have taken more than 35 credits(24 is required). Only A’s and B’s No C’s(Mostly A’s)
You still will not get any financial aid for UCLA, only federal grants and loans which is a drop in the bucket compared to the cost of $55K/year.
You might want to look at Questbridge: https://www.questbridge.org
But you still need competitive stats for have a solid chance.
Admissions to college are primarily based on GPA and scores. Your SAT scores will get you rejected at those same schools you listed. Here is a common Data Set for Notre Dame. https://www3.nd.edu/~instres/CDS/2015-2016/CDS_2015-2016.pdf Look at section C. C1 shows less than 20% of applicants were admitted. Section C9 shows the bottom 25% is at 1350 for CR and Math in the SAT. Section C10 shows 91% of applicants are in the top 10% of their class.
Colleges mostly look at your SAT and ACT scores plus your essay and grade point average. With your GPA, I think the schools you are applying to would be your reach schools. You should still apply to them if you feel so but there is a greater chance that you might not get in. I would also suggest you try to do the SAT one more time to increase your score or try the ACT. I had average SAT scores and I had a 3.5 gpa and I didnt get into 2 of the colleges that were my reach schools. I would suggest you also use websites like Niche, input your information and they can tell you what schools are reachable for you.
Can you keep retaking the SAT until you reach a score that is above your desired college’s average? It really does matter a lot, sadly. EC’s and grades will not save you.
@isacsunny As you are low income and will require need-based aid, you should target schools that meet full need and where your record would be strong for admission. As mentioned already, NYU and the UC schools will not provide that aid, and Notre Dame would be a high reach, both for GPA and test scores.
I would apply first to a few in-state public options where your stats fit the academic profile of the school.
If you are interested in a more personalized education, you might look into the Colleges that Change Lives schools, which are geared towards the B/B+ student. Most of these are small liberal arts colleges of 2-3,000 students.
Clark University, for example, might be a good fit for you. Very international student population and fairly generous with financial/merit aid.
You might also look at test optional schools - check fairtest.org
Finally, do you have time to retake the SAT or take a practice ACT test and see if that format works better for you?
First, register for the October SAT. Do this today as the deadline is near.
Because you’re lower income, you get fee waivers - two for the sat reasoning, two for the act, and two for Sat subjects. Use them.
You’ve surely improved since last Spring - +200 in six months from psat to sat, with increased langage proficiency you could get 1300 this time around and have many more choices.
Plan to take sat reasoning in October and December, plus in November sat subjects (math2, one humanities subject, one of your choice which could be one of your other languages), plus act in October and December.
Prepare using Khan Academy. Look at prep books from your school or town library, as well as this website for the "xiggi and silverturtle method’ in the test forum.
Look at SAT-optional colleges: Bowdoin, Wesleyan are extremely selective but meet 100%, as do Dickinson and Denison (although less selective, they’re still highly selective schools. You’d have a shot in particular at Dickinson, which is very international-minded.)
Ask your college counselor - as a top public school, your HS is used to sending students to good colleges and they know what it takes to get there.
Borrow a Fiske Guide, or Princeton Review’s Best Colleges. Start reading.
Good colleges you have a shot at: U of Kansas, Miami University in Ohio, Fordham, Florida state, U of Iowa, Iowa state, U of Oklahoma, U of Arizona, U of Kentucky, Marquette, U of Minnesota, Purdue, Indiana university.
If you are a FL resident, you have some good in-state options: UF is probably a reach with your GPA, but you can try FSU, and you would have a pretty decent shot at UCF, USF, and excellent chances at FGCU. New College, if you’d like a smaller school.
I wouldn’t recommend FGCU since they prioritized football over instructional budget. I guess trying for a specific market in Florida, but not the one OP’s in
Also, apply to honors colleges - FIU and FAU have pretty good ones.
As a lower income student, you must disregard OOS universities that don’t offer merit scholarships.
ALWAYS run the NPC on EACH website (since each college calculates differently AND has different resources!)
It gets recalculated for Florida public universities only though. A 3.9 Florida GPA means you have a good shot at USF. and honors college, plus UNF, FAU, FIU honors colleges.
As a low income student it also means a good shot at FSU CARE.
