Well, I'm a senior in high school in California. I have done some research on universities, but I probably don't know as much as I should by now. Since I'm in CA, I'm going to blanket the UCs (obviously), and apply to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo + other CSUs. However, I don't really want to stay in California if there is a chance to go to the New England/Northeast area of the US.
From my research I got some places like Rutgers NYU University of Maryland From this thread: tufts CMU
I'm not exactly an amazing student. My unweighted gpa is like 3.5. So no tip-top schools like MIT for me. I would prefer if they were in/near the city though because I'm not a fan of universities in the middle of nowhere. Private/Public not an issue
Well, need more info like what you're interested in studying, the field you're going to work in for the rest of your life, your main goal and dream in life, etc....
Well a biologist... hmm... geez, that's a tough one... well I really can't give much of an opinion on this, but I will be a little bit bias until I think of something else stating you should come to the city of New York City (eg. NYC or Columbia or any schools here) so that we can meet and have lunch!! (and play Starcraft) ^_^
On September 16 2009 12:58 QuickStriker wrote: Well a biologist... hmm... geez, that's a tough one... well I really can't give much of an opinion on this, but I will be a little bit bias until I think of something else stating you should come to the city of New York City (eg. NYC or Columbia or any schools here) so that we can meet and have lunch!! (and play Starcraft) ^_^
On September 16 2009 12:59 FragKrag wrote: Columbia is too gosu for me
it would be amazing if i could go though.
Well yes and no, I once applied to Columbia (the engineering school) and got waitlisted... but you are right, their acceptance rates are like 17%, crazy...
That being said, if your SATs OR your community service are really good, plus your application essay and all are nice, then you have a good chance!
Remember, your gpa isn't the only one that counts when the colleges view your application, there are 2 other factors: ACTs/SATs AND Community Service/Extracurricular Activites
my sat is terrible (2030) sat II are ok (750 US History, 730 Math 2c), and I have like 40 hours of community service + no extracurricular activities.
I'm not going to make it. It depends on what I get after I retake the SAT I guess though.
I realize UCSD has one of the top programs, which is why it is the university I want to get into the most, but I don't want to stay in California. One because of the mentioned budget cuts, and two because I like the east coast more :|
On September 16 2009 12:59 FragKrag wrote: Columbia is too gosu for me
it would be amazing if i could go though.
Well yes and no, I once applied to Columbia (the engineering school) and got waitlisted... but you are right, their acceptance rates are like 17%, crazy...
That being said, if your SATs OR your community service are really good, plus your application essay and all are nice, then you have a good chance!
Remember, your gpa isn't the only one that counts when the colleges view your application, there are 2 other factors: ACTs/SATs AND Community Service/Extracurricular Activites
yeah but most of applicants at schools like columbia have all lol. top schools have gotten ridiculously hard heh
have you looked into tufts, boston college and schools like that? i don't know too much about them but i have some friends who attend those schools and really enjoying it
come to CMU. i got in, you can too! in Pittsburgh, good school, and we have a CSL team.
also, this:
On September 16 2009 13:05 QuickStriker wrote: Remember, your gpa isn't the only one that counts when the colleges view your application, there are 2 other factors: ACTs/SATs AND Community Service/Extracurricular Activites
my gpa sucked (i skipped a lot in HS) but my SAT and extracurriculars pwned.
have you considered early decision? its a double edged sword: it usually helps you get in and gives you a stress free remainder of senior year. however, it is binding and kills any freedom of choice you wish you had.
I haven't looked into Boston College much, but I know it's a Jesuit college. I don't know how that will affect what I do, but it doesn't seem very inviting. (may be illogical, but w.e).
I think I might consider Tufts though. I'll look into it.
CMU is one of my dream universities. Carnegie is one of my all time heroes.
I actually have considered early decision. I'm not sure what to choose though.
Another thing to note: I don't know many teachers here because I came here my junior year so I'm not sure if I can get many recommendations.
On September 16 2009 13:09 FragKrag wrote: my sat is terrible (2030) sat II are ok (750 US History, 730 Math 2c), and I have like 40 hours of community service + no extracurricular activities.
I'm not going to make it. It depends on what I get after I retake the SAT I guess though.
I realize UCSD has one of the top programs, which is why it is the university I want to get into the most, but I don't want to stay in California. One because of the mentioned budget cuts, and two because I like the east coast more :|
Hmm... well... that's no good then imo, I had similar (and a little bit) better qualities when I applied for Columbia and it still didn't work... well, alright, let's not shoot for something impossible then...
NYU is still a good possibility. It was my dumb idiotic decision of not applying there that made me where I am today. But east coast is awesome and NYC is the best city imo. So I will suggest you to shoot for NYC but don't just stop there, apply as many colleges as you can! I applied 10 and got accepted to 8 where I considered 8 of the 10 as safetys only to see the 2 I didn't get in as the non-safety. In any case, good luck!
On September 16 2009 13:19 FragKrag wrote: where are you today? :p
as in, I'm here in my school library cafe doing assignments and a 5 page paper doing this stupid all nighter thing on my very own birthday; raging myself because I got no "happy b-day" comments from any of my 300 so called "friends" on facebook or... o wait, what college I am right?
Well, I was at GWU (George Washington University) for 2 years as an engineering major (4 different types of engineering I was, kept switching) and now, after 1 year break from school (and was an english teacher in Korea), I'm now in Brooklyn College doing a Broadcast Journalism major as a new transfer student this semester.... in NYC where my house and life is...
One last advice: DON'T APPLY TO GWU!!! It sucks, I hate it, you'll probably hate it, the #1 most expensive school in the entire US, and it's full of bs... if you must apply to a school in DC, Georgetown, no question asked..
On September 16 2009 13:19 FragKrag wrote: where are you today? :p
as in, I'm here in my school library cafe doing assignments and a 5 page paper doing this stupid all nighter thing on my very own birthday; raging myself because I got no "happy b-day" comments from any of my 300 so called "friends" on facebook or... o wait, what college I am right?
Well, I was at GWU (George Washington University) for 2 years as an engineering major (4 different types of engineering I was, kept switching) and now, after 1 year break from school (and was an english teacher in Korea), I'm now in Brooklyn College doing a Broadcast Journalism major as a new transfer student this semester.... in NYC where my house and life is...
One last advice: DON'T APPLY TO GWU!!! It sucks, I hate it, you'll probably hate it, the #1 most expensive school in the entire US, and it's full of bs... if you must apply to a school in DC, Georgetown, no question asked..
American U here IR major glad to hear that GWU sucks lol i applied to GT and GW but got waitlisted by both. but i wouldnt have gone to either because of costs; AU gave good aid
not to rain on the parade, but the most important factor in applying to colleges is where you are coming from. are you in public or private high school? what's the mix of colleges from previous graduates look like?
if you don't view yourself as a tip-top student, CMU is going to be a challenge. if you are going to be a biology student, don't overlook the mega-large universities, they usually have very strong science departments. penn state, SUNY, uconn, and UMD come to mind.
I come from San Jose and I go to a pub high school (Cupertino High School). When I look at previous years, there are people who went to Purdue, John Hopkins, MIT, Princeton, Columbia, Cornell, Washington in St. Louis, and a bunch of others. Being that it is California, the majority went to UC or CSU or Community college. There are actually a lot of people that went to Berkeley (more than any other UC)
On September 16 2009 13:13 FragKrag wrote: I haven't looked into Boston College much, but I know it's a Jesuit college. I don't know how that will affect what I do, but it doesn't seem very inviting. (may be illogical, but w.e).
I think I might consider Tufts though. I'll look into it.
CMU is one of my dream universities. Carnegie is one of my all time heroes.
I actually have considered early decision. I'm not sure what to choose though.
Another thing to note: I don't know many teachers here because I came here my junior year so I'm not sure if I can get many recommendations.
i encourage you to not be bothered by the school's religious affiliation and give it a chance. my friend at boston college grew up at as a presbyterian christian, but really likes it there. i mean it's itn boston, the town of colleges. i wouldn't mind living, partying and studying in boston.
if you are considering early decision, you need to start preparing pretty damn soon. get your SAT, SAT subject tests, recommendations and essays all ready to go. if you feel like you won't be doing be presenting your best application through the early decision, i recommend you to not do it. early decision certainly helps, but keep in mind that e.d. applications are usually much more qualified than the regular cycle applicants.
how close are you to your junior teachers? that's an unfortunate situation, because recommendations are very important, obviously. since you can't go back in time and create closer relationships with them, actively seek out your senior teachers and get to know them better. one of my recommendations actually came from a senior teacher. use the time left to be proactive about it, so you won't have regrets later when you are applying.
you could try for columbia engineering they have a higher acceptance rate and have some cool stuff too although ur gpa is low, so maybe nyu would be a better fit. i liked tufts when i visited, but its cold. not as cold as uchicago tho LOLOL
University of Maryland. Just because I'm in it ;p So I'm extremely biased. If you have any questions about our uni, i'll try to answer to the best of my ability.
I'm not too close with my junior teachers. Thinking back I definitely should have gotten a bit closer, but I do have 1 teacher I can ask. I figure I can ask a senior teacher, but most of them don't even know my names at the moment
I have all of my stuff ready for early decision, just need to decide where to send it
My sister wanted me to apply to u of chicago, but I don't really want to go lol. I don't really like Chicago tbh, but the university seems really good.
How good are the sciences and maths at U of Maryland?
Thanks for all the help by the way. I really appreciate it! <3
I'll remember to do something for you guys later on or something.
I think one of the most important things to think about is how much you'll enjoy living there the next five years. If you're only going to a school because of its reputation or how strong one of its programs you're interested in (hell, you might even switch) is, then you might find yourself miserable for a significant portion of your life if you didn't take the time to actually consider the school in factors other than academics.
For example, you'll want to consider the surrounding community, the weather, the food, the environment, the campus culture, student life, school spirit, etc., etc., and in the end, gauge whether or not you can see yourself growing as a student and a person there. Sure, a school's reputation is a very important factor, but I'd actually argue that actually liking being at school is more important by far. No amount of college ranks and professoring will get you to actually engage in material more than personal interest.
Remember that yes, college is about learning new things you're genuinely interested in and gaining skills for a successful future, but you will also be forming important bonds and memories which you'll carry with you for the rest of your life. Whether you want your lasting memories of college to be studying like mad for a test you could care less about or streaking with friends during a hurricane is up to you.
Thanks for the input Empyrean. I know that choosing a university in a good environment is extremely important. One of the reasons I want to get out of California is because I don't like it here. I've been to just about every notable area of California and stayed there. San Diego, San Bernardino County, LA, and San Jose. Just doesn't seem right for me, and I like the east coast.
As for campus culture, though I'm not a great student, I tend to avoid being social, and I'm not really big on school spirit. That said, I'm not going to choose a school where I think that I would feel uncomfortable in. I like the bigger universities because I get to make more connections with other people and see other points of view.
Why on earth would you go to a university when there are plenty of liberal arts colleges that will fill 100% of your need-based financial aid and give you smaller classes and teachers more focused on teaching in the bargain?
I would recommend Wabash, but it's an all-guys college and that's a 100% turnoff for just about everyone. The acceptance rate is 30% despite that fact, though, so that should tell you a little bit about how good of a school it is. I swear if it were coed it would be as selective as Harvard.
On September 17 2009 13:31 Empyrean wrote: It might be a bit of a stretch given your stats, but have you considered the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill? It's a great school.
EDIT: Also try the University of Virginia in Charlottesville.
Isn't it ridiculously hard to get into if you're out of state?
I'm biased as fuck, but come to Brandeis because we're a liberal arts college that is also a university (pretty good one too, on par with Tufts and BC). Seriously, just go for any college in Boston, best college city by far!
On September 16 2009 12:59 FragKrag wrote: Columbia is too gosu for me
it would be amazing if i could go though.
Well yes and no, I once applied to Columbia (the engineering school) and got waitlisted... but you are right, their acceptance rates are like 17%, crazy...
14.6% last year, but you stand a better chance than applying for the college. 8.92%....ouch.
you can always take a shot and apply early decision though. that's what i did; you're going against a tougher applicant pool, but the overall ED rate is like 25% and for the engineering school i think it was close to 35-40% when i applied.
If you think you are remotely qualified, it might not hurt to take a shot
On September 17 2009 14:58 FragKrag wrote: I actually don't want to go towards the south. Virginia is like the south bound for me.
The thing about Virginia, is that it's not as southern as people would think. Sure, some rural parts in south west virginia such as near University of Virginia Weiss is southern as fuck, and places south of richmond such as Dry Fork are red neck as hell.
But places such as Northern Virginia (Such as George Mason University) and also I go to Radford University which is 5 miles away from Virginia Tech, it's really not southern at all. Sure some of the locals are poor country folk, but everything is college oriented, and it's even an uprising area (getting more businesses and financial companies) so you don't get the southern feeling at all.
University of Virginia is incredibly hard to get into, EVEN if you have a 3.8+ GPA INSTATE. I know a friend who had a 4.0 and still got rejected.
But some Virginia/DC colleges that are worth looking into would include:
Radford Virginia (Gotta put it #1 here as I go here!) Virginia Tech George Mason University (within 5 miles of D.C.) American University (in DC) George Town (in DC) Virginia Commonwealth University (in Richmond and even though it's easy to get into as I got accepted with a 2.86 overal GPA in high school, they are a big school, and post-graduation it doesn't look bad at all (my dad who is a partner for a HUGE global accounting firm just hired someone who went there, where they usually only accept people from ivey leagues) and a LOT of clubs/teams/study abroad programs) Old Dominion University (In Norfolk/New Port News)
On September 17 2009 13:16 FragKrag wrote: Thanks for the input Empyrean. I know that choosing a university in a good environment is extremely important. One of the reasons I want to get out of California is because I don't like it here. I've been to just about every notable area of California and stayed there. San Diego, San Bernardino County, LA, and San Jose. Just doesn't seem right for me, and I like the east coast.
As for campus culture, though I'm not a great student, I tend to avoid being social, and I'm not really big on school spirit. That said, I'm not going to choose a school where I think that I would feel uncomfortable in. I like the bigger universities because I get to make more connections with other people and see other points of view.
what's this? wanna get out of the west coast? need a big university? dont need social scenes or school spirit? want to do econ?
NO PROBLEM, uchicago has all you need fun goes to die here we also have a starcraft club although expect your gpa to be shitty
On September 17 2009 13:16 FragKrag wrote: Thanks for the input Empyrean. I know that choosing a university in a good environment is extremely important. One of the reasons I want to get out of California is because I don't like it here. I've been to just about every notable area of California and stayed there. San Diego, San Bernardino County, LA, and San Jose. Just doesn't seem right for me, and I like the east coast.
As for campus culture, though I'm not a great student, I tend to avoid being social, and I'm not really big on school spirit. That said, I'm not going to choose a school where I think that I would feel uncomfortable in. I like the bigger universities because I get to make more connections with other people and see other points of view.
what's this? wanna get out of the west coast? need a big university? dont need social scenes or school spirit? want to do econ?
NO PROBLEM, uchicago has all you need fun goes to die here we also have a starcraft club although expect your gpa to be shitty
On September 17 2009 13:16 FragKrag wrote: Thanks for the input Empyrean. I know that choosing a university in a good environment is extremely important. One of the reasons I want to get out of California is because I don't like it here. I've been to just about every notable area of California and stayed there. San Diego, San Bernardino County, LA, and San Jose. Just doesn't seem right for me, and I like the east coast.
As for campus culture, though I'm not a great student, I tend to avoid being social, and I'm not really big on school spirit. That said, I'm not going to choose a school where I think that I would feel uncomfortable in. I like the bigger universities because I get to make more connections with other people and see other points of view.
what's this? wanna get out of the west coast? need a big university? dont need social scenes or school spirit? want to do econ?
NO PROBLEM, uchicago has all you need fun goes to die here we also have a starcraft club although expect your gpa to be shitty
I doubt he could get into Chicago.
i got in with a 3.5 and im asian O.O just write a killer essay is all ~
On September 17 2009 13:16 FragKrag wrote: Thanks for the input Empyrean. I know that choosing a university in a good environment is extremely important. One of the reasons I want to get out of California is because I don't like it here. I've been to just about every notable area of California and stayed there. San Diego, San Bernardino County, LA, and San Jose. Just doesn't seem right for me, and I like the east coast.
As for campus culture, though I'm not a great student, I tend to avoid being social, and I'm not really big on school spirit. That said, I'm not going to choose a school where I think that I would feel uncomfortable in. I like the bigger universities because I get to make more connections with other people and see other points of view.
what's this? wanna get out of the west coast? need a big university? dont need social scenes or school spirit? want to do econ?
NO PROBLEM, uchicago has all you need fun goes to die here we also have a starcraft club although expect your gpa to be shitty
I doubt he could get into Chicago.
i got in with a 3.5 and im asian O.O just write a killer essay is all ~
my college counselor isn't much help. She said "UCs", and when I asked her about east coast colleges she kind of blanked out and gave me some scattered suggestions like Florida and Emory or something -_-
I just want to be in the New England area, and my sister has been pressuring me to early action with Chicago.
In terms of just the experience I would probably choose NYU or Georgetown.
Not sure if you can get into either with a 3.5 GPA; would have to look at your extracurriculars and SAT.
You can easily get into UMD though. Side note, wouldn't really count UMD as a New England experience or Georgetown for that matter but the area is nice.
The major you want doesn't matter that much when picking and undergraduate program. Almost all schools have really good academic programs. I would say take the school that gives you the most money, because if you want to be a real biologist then you need to go to graduate school (and that costs a lot of money)
On September 18 2009 05:18 StartAgain wrote: NYU will eat all your money. No joke~
NYU offered me more money than I was expecting, and I happen to know the financial aid is more than a lot of my friends from similar (read, exact) socioeconomic backgrounds at colleges including UPenn and Cornell.
People underestimate how good of a school JHU is. It's very much on the same level as UChicago, and comparable to schools like Cornell and Berkeley (for out of state).
Of the colleges on your list, CMU 100% I think. Of course I don't know you and have no idea what you're like (or what kind of school you'd like), but as a graduating senior from NYU this year who fucking hates this place, the biggest mistake of my life was not applying to CMU. The place is fucking fantastic- great professors (from the few I've seen) and beautiful location with what seem like some pretty awesome people. A Californian in particular may very well appreciate the mentality there.
One school I would not consider (other than NYU; honestly, this place sucks- most people I have spoken to like it much less than when they got here. The idea of it is much nicer, though admittedly I'm the only one who despises it so intensely) is JHU. My GPA/SATs weren't much higher and I folded their acceptance letter into a paper airplane when I saw I got into Rutgers (<- true story). Safety at best.
On September 18 2009 15:08 FragKrag wrote: What the hell? Half of you guys say JHU is easy, the other half of you say "omg so hard"
t.t
Edit: As an update, I am pretty much guaranteed to EA U of Chicago at the advice of my sister.
What are your extracurriculars, sports, and leadership?
How about your AP scores?
Only knowing a GPA and SAT score make it pretty hard for people to honestly talk about your chances at schools, but I know for sure that a 2050 3.5 is hard-pressed to get into either Chicago or Hopkins.
I have a 5 in AP US History and 4 in AP European History
As for extracurriculars I have Engineering club (2 years), and math club (1 year). No sports/leadership.
I'm retaking the SAT in October which will be in time for admissions to Chicago, and I'm hoping to get 2100 +. I'm getting mid 2100s to a low 2200 in my practice tests (assuming I get a 4 on the essay)
Also they made an error on my transcript which I caught today. AP US should have been an A, and two math classes should have been Honors + As.
That doesn't sound like a guaranteed EA to UChicago. Especially since like 60% of UChicago's decision is based on the essays they give you and not on GPA/Scores/EC's.