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What University can I expect to get in?

TSE

TSE

macrumors 601
Original poster
Jun 25, 2007
4,079
3,730
St. Paul, Minnesota
ACT Score: 27
Average GPA of high school: 3.1
Extraciriculars: Varsity Baseball for 2 years, Varsity Basketball for 2 years, Democracts club for 2 years, I created and led Cinema Club for 2 years, I created and led Politics club for 1 year, Member of Germanic-American Institute and learned German there, Baseball team every year of High School that wasn't related to school baseball at all.
Classes:
Math: Algebra 2, Geometry, Pre-Calc, AP Calculus
English: General Literature, American Literature, World Literature, British Literature
Science: Biology, Chemistry, Physics (Done through PSEO)
History: General History, World History, American History, Political Science
Phy-Ed: All my Phy-Ed credits are done but I doubt colleges care about that
Language: Spanish class for 3 high school years
Art: Art credits done, doubt colleges care
Other stuff: My school is a blue ribbon school and is constantly ranked as one of the best schools in the state of Minnesota for it's courses that are harder than average.

I really want to go to University of Chicago or Northwestern University, maybe Grinnell College? Any advice? I haven't taken the SAT and am going to be a Senior this year.
 
Take the SAT.

Also, just apply. It is hard to judge whether a college is going to accept you. Some schools do not "like" the ACT as much as the SAT. But to be honest, those two tests are just a formality.
 
The best way to find out is to sign up, because you may on a whim strike a chord with whoever reads your application. :)
 
GPA is going to matter TSE, and that ACT score is not high enough. I would take it again, as well as the SAT. You definitely will want above a 30 on your ACT. I got a 32, and that still would not have been good enough.

Do all that and come to Chicago! You'll love it here.
 
Oops. I also took Poly Sci in PSEO.

Another thing I should probably add.

On my ACT, they offer an optional essay portion to it, and I got an 11/12, which is better than 99% of United States. Should I include that with my resume even if they don't ask for it?
 
TSE said:
Oops. I also took Poly Sci in PSEO.

Another thing I should probably add.

On my ACT, they offer an optional essay portion to it, and I got an 11/12, which is better than 99% of United States. Should I include that with my resume even if they don't ask for it?
Click to expand...

Again I ask why do you want to go to an out of state school. The cost for it will be a lot higher for very little if any gain in the end. Unless you can get a pretty nice scholarship from the school I would say it no chance of going there.
 
Because none of the universities and colleges in Minnesota interest me nor have a reputation where people will be impressed with it. Saying I went to the University of Chicago or Northwestern University is a lot different than saying University of Minnesota. My Uncle who went to Northwestern University can attest to that.

And quite frankly I want a new experience, I've been in Minnesota for 17 years and never go out of state for anything.
 
TSE said:
Because none of the universities and colleges in Minnesota interest me nor have a reputation where people will be impressed with it. Saying I went to the University of Chicago or Northwestern University is a lot different than saying University of Minnesota. My Uncle who went to Northwestern University can attest to that.

And quite frankly I want a new experience, I've been in Minnesota for 17 years and never go out of state for anything.
Click to expand...

TSE- my suggestion to you is to retake the ACT and work on getting your GPA up a little more. As I pointed out, those schools pay close attention to all of that. TBH, where your GPA and ACT are at the moment are simply not good enough to get you into those schools. If you don't have enough time to correct those, you could do a year at a school in Minnesota, work your butt off and then apply to those schools.
 
TSE said:
Oops. I also took Poly Sci in PSEO.

Another thing I should probably add.

On my ACT, they offer an optional essay portion to it, and I got an 11/12, which is better than 99% of United States. Should I include that with my resume even if they don't ask for it?
Click to expand...

After doing some brief reading on PSEO and its comparability to AP and IB, most colleges view them as equals (correct me if I'm wrong on that.)?

I'd recommend taking as many PSEOs as you can. My last semester in HS four out of my five classes were APs. I believe it is very helpful when sending off final HS transcripts to be able to prove that you are capable of a full semester of college level work.

Also, in all seriousness, it will help if you are a racial or ethnic minority. If you can prove you have Native American heritage or anything similar, do not hesitate to note this on the admissions application.
 
University of Chicago is tough. As Lee said, you are going to need a very high ACT score (34-36) and a near perfect gpa. Honors and AP courses help too. Some schools even give you more GPA points for those types of classes.

As for Northwestern, it may be easier than Chicago, but you still need to raise your ACT score and definitely get that GPA up.
 
renewed said:
Hopefully not the same one abijnk went to... :p:p:D
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:eek: Whoops...

As for the schools with better pedigree thing goes, one of the guys I work with went to MIT, another went to UCLA, yet another to Stanford, and I went to little ol' Southen Illinois University. My point is, I don't buy that better schools = better job. It's about what you learn and how you can apply it.
 
I hate to say it, but if your GPA is 3.1 and you're going to be a senior this year, I think you're probably SOL with either Northwestern or Chicago. I'm not trying to be a wet blanket - by all means apply - but don't get your hopes up.
 
dmr727 said:
I hate to say it, but if your GPA is 3.1 and you're going to be a senior this year, I think you're probably SOL with either Northwestern or Chicago. I'm not trying to be a wet blanket - by all means apply - but don't get your hopes up.
Click to expand...

Grinnell is probably just as hard to get into. It's pretty competitive.

As an MN resident I believe you can go to UW Madison for in state prices. I'd check that out.
 
What classes are you taking this year? Colleges do not like seeing seniors take the easy classes just to have a relaxed fourth year.
 
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