State Schools Get Selective
Dear Mr. Bradshaw I’m a junior at Carmel (Ind.) High School. We are a large school, with more than 4,500 students. Everyone seems to be involved in some kind of sport or extracurricular activity. I’m a top student, but not involved in any activities because I have to work after school and on weekends.
I’m not planning to apply to an Ivy League school; I’d be happy to go to Indiana University. Ball State is my second choice, with Butler a long shot, as my family would have a hard time paying private tuition.
My question is, do I need to get involved in extracurriculars in order to have a chance at IU?
My SAT scores are only average. Several teachers and my guidance counselor say it’s getting harder to get into IU because of the increasing number of out-of-state applicants. Is this true? — Concerned Junior
Junior — I agree it is getting harder to get admitted to Indiana University in Bloomington.
The number of out-of-state students applying to IU is up again this year. On top of that, IU is experiencing an increase in the number of students transferring from expensive private colleges.
If you add to the mix the increase in international students on campus, there are, indeed, fewer seats for Indiana residents. This is a growing trend at many state universities. Flagship universities like IU, the University of Wisconsin and University of Michigan are under pressure to admit more state residents. But budget pressures continue to build. Full-tuition-paying, nonresident students are becoming the largest sources of income for many state universities.
In addition, with colleges like Harvard and Stanford offering generous financial-aid packages, it often is less expensive to attend a premier private college than a top state school. That trend often siphons off top state students who normally would help state colleges keep their U.S. News & World Report rankings — and these rankings often play a decisive role on where the best students apply.
So it is a vicious cycle to attract top scholars while bringing in full-tuition-paying students.
To counter the brain drain, IU has upped the ante by offering the Wells Scholarship to our best state scholars. But that is not enough to balance the deficit.
In previous years, 30-35 percent of IU students were nonresidents paying full out-of-state tuition.
If it seems IU is working against you, I can understand. It sends contradictory messages when it recruits out-of-state as vigorously as it does.
It is widely known that officials from IU and other flagship state universities make annual visits to New York high schools, searching for top candidates. The net result is about 37 percent of this year’s undergraduates at IU are not Indiana residents.
Working in your favor is that most state schools follow the “whole applicant” rule when making admissions choices. In that sense, they are becoming more like private colleges. They focus on admitting a more diverse student body.
That means if you have to work after school and can’t participate in extracurricular activities, be sure to tell them about it in the application. A job can be as important to the admissions committee as a solid letter of reference or playing a sport.
But the pressure is on. That should be a warning not to let up with your studies, even if you must carry an outside job.
On the other hand, if you add together a strong academic record and work, they might be the right formula to get you in.
If I get a scholarship, can it go towards an international school?
I’m in high school and have been recently starting to apply for scholarships. I’m highly interested in the University of Kent in Canterbury, UK. If I get a scholarship, can that money go towards an international school such as Kent? Or is it only for US schools?
About Author
Gerald Bradshaw spent nearly 15 years interviewing students for Harvard College before he started Bradshaw College Consulting. As an alumni interviewer he gained tremendous insights into the admissions process–and not just at Harvard—but also across the board at all selective colleges and universities. Bradshaw College Consulting focuses on working with students and their families with the college admissions process. Gerald M. Bradshaw of Crown Point consults with students on how to gain admission to selective colleges, universities and law schools. Contact him at www.bradshawcollegeconsulting.com or by calling 866-687-8129.
19 Comments on “State Schools Get Selective”
Carnegie Mellon
SAT Critical Reading: 620 – 720
SAT Math: 690 – 790
SAT Writing: 620 – 710
ACT Composite: 29 – 33
Rutgers (has 3 campus's this is the hardest one to get into)
SAT Critical Reading: 480 – 570
SAT Math: 500 – 600
SAT Writing: 490 – 580
UCLA
SAT Critical Reading: 570 – 690
SAT Math: 610 – 740
SAT Writing: 580 – 700
ACT Composite: 24 – 31
Boston University
SAT Critical Reading: 580 – 680
SAT Math: 590 – 690
SAT Writing: 590 – 670
Berkley U
SAT Critical Reading: 590 – 710
SAT Math: 630 – 760
SAT Writing: 600 – 720
Stanford
SAT Critical Reading: 660 – 760
SAT Math: 680 – 790
SAT Writing: 660 – 760
Johns Hopkins
SAT Critical Reading: 630 – 730
SAT Math: 660 – 770
SAT Writing: 630 – 730
Iona
SAT Critical Reading: 630 – 740
SAT Math: 650 – 760
Collegeboard.com has all the information you need on every college i just listed a few here that i applied to and the ones that your wanted to know. Collegeboard.com also has a "college matchmaker" where you answer questions to see which colleges suit you best. I just graduated highschool and will be attending college this fall so my advice to you is to look at as many schools as you can, and apply to any and every school you liked or didn't like because you never know where you will end up! I applied and was accepted to all ivy league or school that difficult to get into and i am going to iona college because the school offers the most to me. good luck on your college search.
They are both not incredibly selective, but University of Arizona is more selective than Arizona State University. If you do decently well in school, you should have no problem getting in especially since you're an in-state student which also makes it easier.
YES. as you may know out of 27,000 Harvard pick only 2000. Yale only admits a 11% . you must standout in any possible way. If it is a good recommendation, do it.
You would probably be one of the best educated people but not necessarily the smartest. You have had an advantage being at a private school as generally people are better behaved as they can kick anyone out that they like whereas at state schools they are encouraged not to expel. There will most likely be some very clever people at this new school so dont expect to be head and shoulders above the rest.
Good luck for the school move. Hope you fit in and dont get any trouble for having been to private school. As long as you dont rub it in their faces then it should be fine.
It's a difficult school to get into, even if you are a Florida resident! However, they do like to choose top of the line out of state students too, to improve their statistics and they probably like that you guys pay a significantly higher amount for tuition!
If you've got the scores, and the grades, you should be fine. Extra-curriculars are very important too, so you should be fine. If you still feel okay about this school, go ahead and apply! However. choose some safety schools just in case
Good luck!
These schools may work for you, but you should check each one out and make sure they offer the right type of program for you:
-Wentworth Institute of Technology (Boston)
-New York Institute of Technology
And you can also look at some of the less competitive universities and see if they offer engineering programs. Check, for example:
-UMass Boston
-U Nebraska, Omaha
-U Illinois, Chicago
Labour by a some way. Strangely enough, Scottish Conservative would be my second choice amongst the main parties, just ahead of the LibDems.
Simply looking at the numbers, the SNP are:
Pro skilled immigration
Pro EU
Pro NHS
Pro greater police powers (but not necessarily harsher punishments)
On the Against side, you seem to agree with them on
Immigration
Health care
Islamic extremism (maybe – complex issue!)
However, the deal-breaker is always going to be independence.
Looks like you're voting Labour, although you might also find a home in the Green Party, although they are pro-independence as well.
As a wise man once said "Politics is the art of the possible." Sometimes you have to accept a few policies of a party that you don't personally care for. Voting is a serious responsibility and one you should discharge after some thought. It is heartening to see a first-time voter taking this seriously.
the best Education program believe it or not is at Queens College. <4 year not CC>
I interviewed a lot of teaching candidates between 2004-2006 and I have to say, you can tell which one's came from QC. they were just better prepared to hit the ground running.
QC is a great choice and you'll have a lot of opportunities to student teach through their partnerships with the NYC DOE.
apply soon as there may be a waiting list already for 2008.
Here's a list showing the top 10 colleges/universities in California based on salary potential:
Stanford University $70,400
California Institute of Technology (CIT) $75,500
Harvey Mudd College $71,800
University of California, Berkeley $59,900
Occidental College $51,900
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo $57,200
University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) $52,600
University of California, San Diego (UCSD) $51,100
Pomona College $48,600
University of Southern California (USC) $54,800
The salaries shown are median starting salaries. To see a complete list of California colleges along with median mid-career salaries, go here: http://www.payscale.com/best-colleges/best-schools-in-california.asp
Hope that helps,
Assistant to Dr. Salary
reputation of school does make a difference (even though some will say it doesn't – usually those from less prestigious schools – never heard anyone from Harvard or Yale say this. Of the schools you mention University of Georgia is probably the best. Now certainly if you have a 4.0 from one and a 3.0 from the other the name won't make a difference. Bu you better believe that if you have a 3.8 from Georgia and someone else has a 3.8 from one of the others…you will be looked at a bit more seriously all other things being equal. DA
Here's how it works.
Colleges and universities are ranked by the strength of their academic programs, and by selectivity in admissions.
Some private colleges and universities (the Ivy League: Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Brown, Columbia, etc.; the "Little Ivies": Amherst, Williams, Wesleyan, Colby, Haverford, etc.; the "Seven Sisters": Vassar, Bryn Mawr, Barnard, Smith, Wellesley, etc.) are extremely selective, and are very prestigious because of this.
Some state universities are also academically rigorous, and very selective in admissions. Examples: University of California at Berkeley, University of Virginia, University of Michigan, University of Vermont. Sometimes these schools are referred to as "Public Ivies."
Other state universities are not so rigorous, and not so selective in terms of admissions. I will not name examples, but usually (but not always) if the university is "ANYSTATE" State University, or "ANYSTATE" A & M, the university is an average state university, and accepts most (but BY NO MEANS ALL) residents of that state. (Please note that there are some exceptions to this general rule. Some ANYSTATE State Universities are more selective than others. But generally, with some exceptions, a University of STATE will be more prestigious than ANYSTATE State University.)
There are also many other private colleges and universities in the US. Some are extremely selective and extremely prestigious, and some are not.
So, basically, a degree from University of Virginia, which is a state university, carries more prestige than a degree from ANYSTATE State University.
I have not mentioned technical colleges and universities (MIT, Cal Tech, etc.). But then again, you didn't ask.
You can always tell how selective (and prestigious) a university is by looking at the average SAT scores of its accepted students. There are websites that have search functions that can produce lists of universities by selectivity. Try the "College Matchmaker" functions at sites like http://www.princetonreview.com
or http://www.collegeboard.com
I really hope this helps!
STATE!
you meet different KINDS of people
in private you meet the kinda same people
It depends what you mean by top schools. Most of the elite schools accept few — if any — transfers. Princeton, for example, doesn't accept transfer students at all. Stanford accepted 20 out of 1300 applicants. Harvard accepted 35 out of about the same number. It is unlikely that many of those students transferred from a community college.
However, there are many public universities that are considered to be in the top tier of schools. They are required to accept a certain number of transfer students.
You can talk to your CC admissions office to find out what schools its its graduates get into. I'm willing to bet that almost all of them go to a state school, and none got into Tufts.
Schools do not have quotas for different races, despite what some may believe. If you are an URM, you'll have an extra boost in the admissions process, but it's not like an URM will take away the chance of another equally or better qualified ORM. A 2400 for an Asian student would be better than any score below it, regardless of whether the Asian student were compared to an URM.
Wid da way u rite, prolly nut!
It does not really matter which school gives you a degree, unless you want to go into the more competitive fields (medicine, law, investments, etc.). If you transfer to an inexpensive school at this point, it will probably be very obvious why you made the decision. As long as your GPA isn't a red flag, the transfer will not need much, if any, explanation.
Paraphrase: Write it in Your Own Words
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_paraphr.html
Practice Exercises in Paraphrasing
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_paraphrEX1.html
A paraphrase is an indirect quotation. It must be documented because it relates in your own words and style the thoughts you have borrowed from another person. Paraphrases are more flexible than quotations. They fit more smoothly into your text, and you can express your own interpretations as you paraphrase.
http://leo.stcloudstate.edu/research/usingpara.html
http://www.utoronto.ca/ucwriting/paraphrase.html
Good luck.
Kevin, Liverpool, England.
All of the schools you are interested in have web sites that list their admission requirements.