Changes in Chancing

Answered

Hello! CollegeVine can be a very helpful tool, however I would not suggest making any life-changing decisions based on their calculator.

Their are several things you can do to see if you are likely to get accepted to a college. You can look at the average SAT score of incoming freshmen. If your SAT score is higher than that, then you could have a decent chance. Of course, admissions decisions are based on much more than SAT scores. If your SAT score is lower than that, but you still really, really want to go there, and your other qualifications are good, consider not submitting your SAT score to that college.

Another thing you can do, is search the college name and "college board" on google. The first result should be a college board web page that lists a whole bunch of details on that college. You will see the minimum course requirements or recommendations. Making sure you meet all these is one of the best ways to be more confident in your chances with that college.

You will also see the acceptance rate. If it is below 30%, then you should be an A-average student with good extracurriculars to have a solid chance of being admitted.

Below 20% and you should have taken lots of APs, high level math, and just be a good applicant in general.

Do not make the same mistake that I did and end up applying to 6 different colleges, but all of them have low acceptance rates. Then you'll have to apply to more very late in the year. Yes, they are really good colleges that you want to go to. That's why their acceptance rates are low.

This does not mean to not apply to those colleges at all, if there is one that really means a lot to you. Just make sure to also apply to some with lower acceptance rates, that you also know you'll be able to pay for (if that is a problem for you).

I hope this helps!