What is my best bet for college as an undergrad applying?

Question

i am really struggling with choosing a college that is right for me. Should I go straight into a 4 year university or should i do the 2 years at a jc and then go to a university? Here's a little bit about me:

3.71 overall GPA weighted, 3.55 unweighted
700 SAT verbal / 720 math
founder of non-profit organization
varsity tennis player
student government / student body president
band all 4 years / section leader

and here are the schools i plan on applying to:
Stanford
UC Berkeley
UCLA
USC
UC Davis
USF
UC Santa Barbara
UC San Diego
Harvard
Princeton

I'm basically just going to apply everywhere.

How do I decide if I should go to 4 year or a JC?

Do I have a chance to get in to these places?

Oh and I'm thinking of majoring in Biology.

Any feedback would be appreciated.

Thanks :)

Answer 1

I had the same troubles deciding on a school before college. I'm going into my senior year at the University of Iowa, then planning on Stanford for grad school. I'm going through the process all over again. Anyway...

All the schools you've decided to apply to are great. From my experience its best to narrow down, say your top four schools, then visit them. Can you see yourself among the students, in the cafeteria, the classes, the dorms and is it somewhere you feel comfortable? I think personal one-on-one visits are best because they hook you up with a current student and they can answer all your questions instead of being in a big group.

Meet with a professor in your major, if you know what it's going to be.

If you're planning to keep up the same extra activities in college you might ask about each of those things or set up meetings with the leadership/coaches of that activity to see if you like it.

Most schools have application fees so you should make sure you know how much those are, and when they're due before you apply.

I went to a two year school before transferring. That decision is really up to you based on how far from home you want to go, if you feel ready for a four year school, that sort of thing. Which is really a question only you can answer. It might sound corny, but put schools out of your mind and think about what you want out of college, out of your degree, and further in the future. Then pick the school that will best help you get there.

Two year schools generally have smaller class sizes than the bigger universities and you get more personal attention from the professors. They come big and small, so you can find one that's the right fit. A lot of JC's have agreements with the universities so that you can get an Associates degree and transfer all or most of the credits to the university. This is nice because then you can just focus on your major during your last two years.

You seem like you're well-rounded activities wise with solid grades so I wish you luck. Stanford, Harvard and Princeton are really, really competitive and I don't want to discourage you from trying but I'd suggest cautious optimism. I'd really recommend talking to your guidance counselor--they are a huge help when it comes to applications and essays. You've got good stats, be confident in it and things tend to have a way of working out for the best.

Just make sure that, whether its a 2 year or 4 year school you're comfortable with all aspect of the school because it will be your home for as long as your there.

I've put a couple of links below that helped me narrow my school choices.

Answer 2

Unless your school is a very famous one that has sent a lot of kids on to successful careers at top colleges, I dont think your GPA will qualify you for Harvard, Princeton or Stanford. So,those three are definitely very long shots.


What are you looking for in a school? A person who would be happy at Harvard or Stanford could never be happy at a JC. They are totally different kinds of places. For instance, Harvard has only about 1200 Freshman. When you go there every other kid you meet is a top student, very motivated and hard working. The students come from all over the world and have made it through a daunting selection process - at Harvard and the other elite colleges they are training people to be the next generation of world leaders. Why are you applying there if you think that you would be happy at a JC?

Sometimes some pretty good students go to JC, but mostly not. Most of the JC students are kids who werent dedicated enough or smart enough to get really good grades in High school. They mostly are not going to be the movers and shakers of the 21st Century.

You definitely need to think more about what your life plan is. If you are ambitious, then you need to be at the best college you can get into.... Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Stanford, Duke, UChicago, UC Berkeley etc are ranked high because they provide a world class education to motivated students. If you are not ready for that, then you can get a good education at one of the UC campuses. If your ambition is to be a Jr High School science teacher in your home town - and there's nothing the matter with that - then you will be fine at any of the Cal State universities.

Answer 3

First, all of the UC and CSU schools do not require you to declare a major until your Junior year. I am not sure how Harvard and Princeton handle major declaration.

You will have to deicde if you are ready to go to a large campus, and if you are ready to commit to your education enough to resist the temptations that University life brings.

I assume that you live in California, judging your choices of schools. Most California Community Colleges are wonderful. I attended Santa Rosa Junior College for a year, and it was an awesome experience. Unfortunately, I had to drop because of medical reasons, so my experience there was brief.

Junior Colleges are much less money, and sometimes not as difficult as 4 year schools. With a Biology major, though, you can choose any college you want and it will be difficult.

With your qualifications, you will get into most of the UC and CSU schools. Stanford, Harvard, and Princeton are much more competitive so don't be heartbroken if you don't get in. It is nothing against you as a student.

Answer 4

Those are all well colleges, even though UVA and UNC-Chapel Hill are tough to get into if you are from out-of-state. Depending on how a long way you desire to journey, any other colleges to don't forget are Indiana, Wisconsin-Madison, Notre Dame (even though no longer so much of a bar scene there), Maryland-College Park, Duke and Wake Forest. Wake is smaller than your 7,000 scholar prohibit, however they have got Division I exercises, a beautiful campus and a pleasant surroundings. If you are making plans to consult with UNC, you might readily consult with Wake, Duke and N.C. State on identical commute considering they are relatively near in combination.