college admissions and more!?

Question

Anyone with any experience with college and admissions and everything.. help?

Okay let me tell you some things about me..
-Junior in high school
-3.7 unweighted GPA [4.0 Weighted]
-Took 3 AP classes
-Varsity Golf for 3 years
-Clubs [French honor society, national honor society, leader of diversity awareness, wolf pups, future business leaders of america]
-didn't take the ACT yet, but on the PLAN test (pre ACT test) I got a 26
-PSAT score: 1895 (haven't taken the SAT yet)

Okay well I'm thinking of applying early decision/early action to either Cornell, Columbia, or NYU. Do I have a chance ? I know it's really hard to get accepted and I need to raise my ACT/SAT score and everything. Based on what I have so far though what do you think? Realistically... Oh and should I apply early decision/early action?

* Also can you give me more information on early decision/early action?

Answer 1

Okay. I'm a sophomore at UPenn now, so I must have done something right.

Anyway, looking at your grades and clubs, I see that that's probably just about the same kind of thing that I had. You do look fairly well-rounded.

You're going to need to do better on the SAT than the PSAT, though, better than 2100, I'd say, to have a decent shot.

I would only apply early decision if you are CERTAIN that you want to go there. Keep in mind that if you apply ED and get in, that's before you see any financial aid information, so you'd better be sure that you can pay for it if you do get in and worst case scenario, don't get the financial aid you want/need. I don't have a problem applying EA, but none of the schools I applied to had it. Yes, there's a slightly better chance of being accepted ED/EA than regular admissions, but again, do it if you're certain that that's your choice.

But in general, make sure that you have a kick-*** app essay and some excellent recommendations. The grades and test scores get you in the door, but it's the other parts of your application, like your essays, that can make the decision in your favor. The thing about the best colleges in the country is that once you're academically good enough to get into any of them, you're academically good enough to get into all of them. It's just the little things that are going to make the difference in getting accepted.

Good luck, and make sure that you don't slack off your senior year. Colleges, especially the exclusive ones, DO care.


edit: you said you wanted more information on ED/EA

ED: you apply and if you get accepted, before Christmas, usually, you have to take it. This is BEFORE any financial aid information comes in. Only do this if you're dead-set on the school. Yes, there's a slightly better chance of getting in, but it's not worth it if you're not 110% sure.

EA: you apply early, and if you get accepted, you DON'T have to take it. However, this option is not typically available at all schools. I feel that it's better than ED, but that's possibly because I like to know all of my options before being forced to make a decision

Answer 2

Colleges will receive a copy of your high school transcript when you apply so they will usually see the cumulative (as it is the cumulative that is on your transcript). Ask your school registrar for a copy of your transcript and see whether it's cumulative or not. You can also ask if the college that you plan on attending looks at a cumulative or a separate GPA. Also, you should strive for those high GPA since a high GPA applicant is more likely to be picked than a low GPA applicant. As for the admission essay, that plays a very important role whether you're applying to a large state university or a small liberal arts college as the essay is really the thing that separates you from the rest of the pack. Hope this helps.

Answer 3

The best idea is to get a good test preparation book or software soon. The sooner you begin practicing and studying for it, the better the test score will be. It is also a good idea to get in touch with the golf team coaches at all of the schools you are interested in if you are interested in playing college golf. Also, you will need to register for the NCAA database. An idea might be to try for a leadership position in one of the clubs next year. Everything looks good on everything else because most colleges use a hollistic approach on college admissions.

Answer 4

how can you get an 1895 on the PSAT, when the score is out of 1600?