Emerson College or SCAD (or neither/go for reaches)Answered
I'm currently a high school senior, and I have applied to a total of 8 colleges so far (Boston College, Fairfield University, Savannah College of Art and Design, Wheaton College - Massachusetts, Ithaca College, The New School, Seton Hall University, and Merrimack College.) All of them are early action except for 1 early decision, which was Boston College. Last night, I got rejected from BC, and I do not know where to go from here.
I just took the SAT again on December 3rd for the last time, and I'm awaiting my scores. I'm hoping I'll score better this time so that I can submit the scores to my reach schools. My current super score is a 1270, and if I don't do any better, I will NOT submit my scores to any of my reaches. I've also already gotten accepted to Seton Hall and SCAD.
However, I still have to apply to Emerson College, Boston University, Wesleyan University, Middlebury College, Northeastern University, USC, NYU, Fordham University, and Colgate University.
After getting rejected from BC, I'm starting to question whether or not I should even send in my application to my reach schools (which are of all the schools listed above except for Fordham and Emerson) when there's such a small chance I'll get in. My GPA is around a 3.4, excluding my classes from this year, but I'm doing really well in my classes this year and it's bound to raise my GPA.
In the case that I don't try for any of my reach schools, everyone is telling me I should apply early decision II to Emerson since I love Boston, I love the cold (and snow), they have the programs I want to study, and I have a better chance of getting accepted. However, SCAD also has all the programs I want (+ more) but it is in the south, and I really don't want to be in Georgia. I also think I'll have more job opportunities in the city.
There's also a bit more superficial aspect that's keeping me back from Emerson, and that's how industrialized and bleak it is. I get that it is in the city and I love the city, but SCAD is in a sort-of city too, and it's so artsy, warm, and personal.
Should I...
1) Apply to my reach schools, go with regular decision for Emerson, and risk getting rejected from there?
2) Apply to my reach schools, and do early decision II for Emerson even though it's binding?
3) Don't apply to my reach schools and do regular decision for Emerson?
4) Apply to my reach schools and do early decision II for Emerson?
... sorry this is so random and all over the place. I'm really confused.
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3 answers
I recommend option 1, but with a moderated approach. Since you will probably be applying to undergrad only once, you have nothing to lose by applying to as many reaches as possible. However, there is no pressure to apply to all of the reaches on your list. I recommend ranking them in order of preference, applying to the schools from top to bottom, and focusing on quality while not burning yourself out. There is no harm in not applying a few reach schools if it would create too much stress.
As other users have mentioned, applying ED II for Emerson will not give you any benefit. Applying RD will not only increase your chances, but it will also give you more options to choose from than a school that you are not totally set on. Financial aid is often a wildcard too, so having more options is a plus - the schools that you would least expect might give you the best aid package and vice versa.
Hope this helps!
Hi @mia.soliii!
Doing well in classes this year will demonstrate improvement when you submit your midterm grades, but it won't increase your GPA for applications. I see you're at crossroads between Emerson and SCAD. Based on whatever you've mentioned so far, I don't see any benefit that you'll gain by applying early decision II to Emerson because the early applicant pool is more competitive than in regular-decision. What matters most about a college is how well it suits your personality. If you feel Emerson is bleak whereas SCAD is more personal, you'll be much happier at SCAD. Nevertheless, that's your choice to make.
Unless you're fine with just paying application fees and spending lots of time on applications, it's not worth applying to so many reaches. Narrowing down your list will help you focus more on Emerson. Acceptance to SCAD indicates your extracurriculars are pretty strong, so there are chances you'll get accepted into Emerson.
Hope this helps!
You could try SCAD Atlanta? Since you want to be in a city
also, Atlanta is like a separate world from the stereotypical south. there are a lot of opportunities there as well
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thank you very much! i think im going to apply regular decision to emerson along with my reaches and have SCAD as a backup