| Where should I apply for college?!?!?I need help. I don't really know what I'm doing with all this college stuff. Let met try to explain my situation in GREAT detail. I'd like you to read the whole thing so you get the best idea of where I am right now.
My SAT is a 2240, with a perfect 800 writing but an ugly 680 reading. This is up from a 2130 the last time I took it. I haven't taken the SAT II Subject tests yet, but this weekend I'm signed up for the Physics, Mathematics 2, and Spanish exams, and I plan on doing very well 'cuz I'm a wicked awesome test-taker.
My ACT is a 32, with a perfect 36 math and a slightly ugly 30 reading, but a VERY ugly 29 science. the last time I took it, I had only a 32 in math, but a 36 in science!! But I also had a 24 in reading, so it was a 31 composite.
I'm a National Merit Semi-Finalist, and I might become a Finalist based on how good my SATs are in comparison to other semi-finalists.
I'm an AP Scholar, having gotten a 5 on the AP Calc BC exam (5 AB subscore), a 5 on the AP US Government exam, and a 5 on the AP Comparative Government exam. This year, I plan on taking the AP Physics C, Statistics, Spanish, and Music Theory exams and getting all 5s, since I'm a wicked awesome test-taker.
This is all well and good, but my problem is my grades. I have a 3.04 if you consider all courses on a 4.0 scale, but if you let AP courses go on a 5.0 scale (that's what my school does), then I have a 3.19. My class rank is 128/340, but I also go to a really REALLY good high school. We definitely aren't "A for attendance," so the bell curve might be skewed toward making all of us look worse than we really are. Do colleges see that? Also, at our school, the lowest "A" (4.00) percentage is 95?so a 94?s an A- (which based on my understand is a lot stricter than most other schools, since they usually just go by 10's). So a 63?r lower is failing (0.00). So my 3.19 is actually a lot better than it sounds. But do colleges see THAT? Also, I got ONE F in 9th grade, in an Intro to Engineering class, and that's where I realized that engineering wasn't my thing. So that's definitely bringing my GPA way down.
That's all for high school. I've also taken college courses for credit in math, since my high school ran out of classes. I've taken Calculus III (vectors and 3-D stuff) and Calculus IV (differential equations and linear algebra) at UW Waukesha, getting an A in both. Those are both 200-level classes. I'm currently taking Discrete Mathematics at Wisconsin Lutheran College, getting probably either an A or a B (I can't tell for sure until the end of the semester). That's 200-level. I'm also signed up for Modern Geometry at Carroll University, where I'll most likely get an A. That's 300-level!!!!! So if you look at math, I'll be a junior upon matriculation. With AP stuff, I'll also be a sophomore for polisci and a sophomore for physics, so I'm ahead of the game in that way. But, WILL COLLEGES SEE THAT???
I also have adequate co-curriculars and leadership roles. I've got a good balance between number of involvement and depth of involvement.
So my main question is this: which of the many many colleges out there is best suited for me? I don't care about campus life or location or even cost, as long as all of these are REASONABLE. No cockroaches, on planet earth, and not on the same order of magnitude as the US National Debt, then it's good enough for me. No, what I care about the MOST is will I be able to get in, and how prestigious is it for when I'm applying for jobs?? I want to go to the best possible school that I can get into.
I'm currently in the middle of applying to Harvard, Drake (in Iowa), Cornell (in Iowa), Coe (in Iowa), Stanford, U-Michigan, Boston University, and University of Wisconsin: Madison (Wisconsin, duh). I'm considering also applying to Yale and Marquette (in Wisconsin). Notice how widespread this is: Harvard and Yale at the top, and Coe at the bottom, honestly.
Please help??? Some of these applications are due December 1st!!! mohamed, thank you so much for your reply! it's nice to know i'm not in this boat alone.
Asked By: Matt - 11/27/2011 |
I know how you feel , i have such a high SAT score at 2150 and i am in enrolled in sports , and extracurricular activities, including JROTC. My high school is ranked 2 in state and in top 45 in the country, so its very competitive , my only problem is my gpa , ALL my classes were honors and APs but i failed one class and it has brought my gpa down to a 3.4 and i also take colleges courses at a local college to transfer some credits so i look like a more diverse and unique student. So i contacted my guidance counselor and the problem is Harvard and Yale take your gpa very seriously and even though the other stuff is great many students have that plus a 4.0 GPA so you may look good when they compare you with applicants from your school but when theyre comparing internationally it might be a bit of dilemma , so apply to those schools, definitely Stanford or Dartmouth and Columbia , so keep up the good work and pray for the best
Answered By: mohamed - 11/27/2011 |