Of course you can!
There is a college for everyone! It may be more time consuming then you would like, trying to find the right school where you have a good chance of being accepted but it is well worth the effort.
I do not know what state you are in so my assistance may be limited here but there are many, many colleges for the "Average student." I am wondering though, if your grades have been average because you have not applied yourself or, because the work has been difficult for you. This is an important question because you need to be sure to select colleges that will match your ability offering the help you may need if the work has been difficult. If you have not on the other hand, applied yourself, look for those schools that will not only accept but, challenge you as well.
Using Naviance and Collegedata.com can help you to locate those schools that suit the average student. CollegeBoard.com's Big Future page is another good resource.
We can help you through the entire college application process. Contact us for a free consultation.
Question
3 Answers
Many students believe that if they don’t have a 4.0 or higher GPA and an SAT score that’s 1500 or above, they won’t be able to get into a good college. While it will probably be a considerable reach for most students with a B or B-minus GPA to get accepted to the Ivy League schools, or other top-tier schools, there are many good colleges and universities where students who have a GPA in the 3.0-to-3.9 range can get accepted and receive a good education.
What College Admissions Reps Look At
It’s also important to understand that while colleges place a heavy emphasis on grades and test scores, there are several other factors that admission reps consider including: the difficulty of your course load; teacher recommendations; extracurricular activities; your passion for an area of study; activities you’ve been involved in that have impacted the community; types of awards you have won; and the strength of the story you tell about yourself in your essay, personal statement, or answers to the University of California (UC) Personal Insight Questions.
There are students who do not have a 4.0 or higher GPA, and may have test scores below a school’s average scores, but have created a business, done outstanding research, won numerous awards, or have other aspects of their story that make them stand out from the crowd in such a way that admission reps are eager to admit them.
Researching Colleges
It’s recommended that all students, regardless of their GPA, begin to research colleges in their junior year. And even before that, if there is a college in your vicinity, it can be helpful to attend a sporting event, film, or other cultural event, or just walk around on the campus to get a feel for some aspects of college life. If your family takes a vacation, it can be helpful to drop in on a college campus and spend some time exploring. Waiting until senior year to start researching colleges and creating a list of those to apply to, can make a student feel stressed and hurried. This can result in students not giving enough time to the research process, possibly missing out on some good options, and using valuable time that could be used toward working on applications and essays.
Resources to Create a College List for B Students
When creating your list of colleges to apply to, include safety, target, and reach schools. A college counselor can strategize with you on how to best create your list. If you choose to create your college list on your own, look at the website of each college you are interested in to review the average GPA and SAT or ACT scores of admitted freshmen. This will give you some understanding of how you compare.
There are also college guidebooks that provide this information such as the Fiske Guide to Colleges. Websites such as Cappex provide suggestions for schools based on the student’s profile, and Colleges That Change Lives, which provides an overview of the academic profile of the entering class of its member colleges. These are only a few of the many available resources to begin creating a list of schools to apply to.
More Info for Creating Your College List
For professional college counseling advice, please contact us for a free consultation. Our counselors, located in Arizona, California, Georgia, Massachusetts, Texas, Florida, Washington D.C., and other areas of the U.S. have years of success helping students successfully navigate the college application process.
You may also want to read our answers to the question:
What’s the best approach to picking Reach and Target colleges for my college list?
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