college suggestions for 3.3 GPA

[Anonymous]

It looks like rising high school junior DD will have a 3.3 - 3.4 GPA.
Not sure where she'll focus major wise - maybe something math related as she likes statistics and data.
Knows she doesn't want a BIG school (25,000+) but hasn't narrowed down anything else.
Suggest some colleges to help us get started....

[Anonymous]

SAT or ACT scores will matter.

If you're in VA, your kid will have much better out of state options versus in state options. I'd check out USN&WR ranked universities from about #65. From this years experience, I'd say you kid would not get into Va colleges better ranked than GMU or VCU and not Penn State, Pitt, Clemson, Georgia, UDel. So I'd look just beyond those schools in the rankings or apply to some of these as reachy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:SAT or ACT scores will matter.

If you're in VA, your kid will have much better out of state options versus in state options. I'd check out USN&WR ranked universities from about #65. From this years experience, I'd say you kid would not get into Va colleges better ranked than GMU or VCU and not Penn State, Pitt, Clemson, Georgia, UDel. So I'd look just beyond those schools in the rankings or apply to some of these as reachy.

Agreed. Plus # of AP courses, type of school etc. Getting an unweighted 3.4 with a lot of APs from a tough private with a 2250 SAT is very different than getting a 3.4 with few APs from a middling public school with 1650 on the SATs.

[Anonymous]

Read the book "Colleges that Change Lives." There are lots of great colleges out there for a B student.

Also, these threads at College Confidential hold a wealth of information about colleges for B students:

http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/class-20xx-community/1469626-parents-of-the-hs-class-of-2014-3-0-to-3-3-gpa.html

http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/869995-the-3-3-to-3-6-gpa-parents-thread.html

[Anonymous]

A girl whose into math will do better in the process (as long as that strength is consistent and she has taken the most challenging courses) than her overall GPA would indicate since so many of the STEM-focused schools are heavily male. She should look at some of those schools, the ones that focus on STEM colleges and skew male.

[Anonymous]

Op here - I will add that she is at a top 20 USNWR public school which she got into via lottery rather than test scores. She is not "gifted" although most of her classmates came from the GT program. All of her classes have been AP or Honors.

We moved out of the DC area a few years ago but would love to move back especially if DD chooses a school in the mid Atlantic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op here - I will add that she is at a top 20 USNWR public school which she got into via lottery rather than test scores. She is not "gifted" although most of her classmates came from the GT program. All of her classes have been AP or Honors.

We moved out of the DC area a few years ago but would love to move back especially if DD chooses a school in the mid Atlantic.

Well that's a different kind of 3.3, don't you think? Have her ask her guidance counselor for college recs. Check out her school's Naviance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op here - I will add that she is at a top 20 USNWR public school which she got into via lottery rather than test scores. She is not "gifted" although most of her classmates came from the GT program. All of her classes have been AP or Honors.

We moved out of the DC area a few years ago but would love to move back especially if DD chooses a school in the mid Atlantic.

Well that's a different kind of 3.3, don't you think? Have her ask her guidance counselor for college recs. Check out her school's Naviance.

Do college's look at USNWR ratings closely? DDs school is far away from the DC area and few kids venture east of the Mississippi River so I am doubting the school's name would be recognized as academically rigorous thus the lower GPA. In looking at their list of the last 5 years of colleges, none have gone to schools such as Bowdoin, UVA, Duke, Swarthmore etc... so there's no history.

I've never heard of Naviance although after checking out the website it seems like a good resource for the guidance office to use. I'll send the info along once school's back in session. Thanks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:SAT or ACT scores will matter.

If you're in VA, your kid will have much better out of state options versus in state options. I'd check out USN&WR ranked universities from about #65. From this years experience, I'd say you kid would not get into Va colleges better ranked than GMU or VCU and not Penn State, Pitt, Clemson, Georgia, UDel. So I'd look just beyond those schools in the rankings or apply to some of these as reachy.

Agreed. Plus # of AP courses, type of school etc. Getting an unweighted 3.4 with a lot of APs from a tough private with a 2250 SAT is very different than getting a 3.4 with few APs from a middling public school with 1650 on the SATs.

GMU minimum out of Langley was a 3.56 a few years back.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op here - I will add that she is at a top 20 USNWR public school which she got into via lottery rather than test scores. She is not "gifted" although most of her classmates came from the GT program. All of her classes have been AP or Honors.

We moved out of the DC area a few years ago but would love to move back especially if DD chooses a school in the mid Atlantic.

Well that's a different kind of 3.3, don't you think? Have her ask her guidance counselor for college recs. Check out her school's Naviance.

Do college's look at USNWR ratings closely? DDs school is far away from the DC area and few kids venture east of the Mississippi River so I am doubting the school's name would be recognized as academically rigorous thus the lower GPA. In looking at their list of the last 5 years of colleges, none have gone to schools such as Bowdoin, UVA, Duke, Swarthmore etc... so there's no history.

I've never heard of Naviance although after checking out the website it seems like a good resource for the guidance office to use. I'll send the info along once school's back in session. Thanks.

College admissions officers will be aware of a top 20 USNWR high school. The high school will be sending a school profile along with each application so that the admissions staff will have a good idea of the type of high school. You should find out if the guidance counselor is willing to check off that your daughter has taken the most rigorous schedule available to her. That makes a difference in how admissions will "read" a GPA.
Has she taken the SAT/ACT yet? How about the PSAT back in the fall? If you have some standardized test scores available, that could help people come up with some useful suggestions for you.

[Anonymous]

The larger colleges have regional admissions officers who are familiar with the schools in their regions, especially the top schools. Plus, as PP said, your school will send a summary sheet about itself.

[Anonymous]

I cant remember the breakdown exactly but score was in the low 1800.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:SAT or ACT scores will matter.

If you're in VA, your kid will have much better out of state options versus in state options. I'd check out USN&WR ranked universities from about #65. From this year's experience, I'd say your kid would likely be rejected from Penn State, Pitt, Clemson, Georgia, Maryland, UDel. So I'd look beyond those schools in the rankings or apply to some of these as reachy.

With scores below 1800, I agree this is a list of likely rejects.
Maybe University of South Carolina.

[Anonymous]

What is your budget for college? Can you afford full pay at a private? Will you qualify for substantial financial aid?

Are you and she open to any school anywhere, or are you interested only in certain regions of the country?

What state are you in?

Need this info to make reasonable suggestions.

[Anonymous]

Guess I'm cheap; I'd go junior college as a transition to state school.