Academic Goal For The Upcoming Year by Emily

Academic Goal For The Upcoming Year by Emily - August 2022 Scholarship Essay

My academic goal for this year has not just been a goal for this year but has been a goal for almost seven years. For me, it marks the beginning of a career, as well as the beginning of a journey for thousands of others. In the near future, I am looking forward to becoming a part of a good college that will set me up for success, help me make connections, and start my life with a rich and fulfilling educational experience. I am hoping to make friends along the way, and what will hopefully be the best part of my life.
The colleges that I would like to get into to achieve my academic goal would be NYU, Fordham, or Syracuse. Those are my primary schools. NYU is my primary reach, and Syracuse and Fordham are target schools. Since my unweighted GPA is 4.3, I'm considering going test-optional since it might increase my chances of getting in. According to niche.com’s College Admissions Calculator, I rank 37% higher than Syracuse's accepted students, which isn't the best but just reinforces my decision to not submit my testing scores. I would also rank 11% higher than NYU’s accepted students. And finally, I rank 19% higher than Fordham accepted students.
It's also important to have a backup when it comes to colleges. These colleges are also called safety colleges. My safe colleges are Rutgers, the University of Rochester, TCNJ, and Baruch. A lot of my safety schools are also a lot cheaper. I am very aware of the prices of the other colleges but am hoping that the education they would give me would be worth the price tag. But if I can't get in or afford it, Rutgers is a college I would most likely get into as I would be a legacy.
Overall, the success of all of this happening is pretty moderate. My GPA would make up for my lack of test scores along with extracurriculars. To make sure that I can ensure this academic success I must make sure I apply to my Reach, Target, and Safety schools and complete extra activities to buff up my college application. Finally, college success is my next biggest academic goal because of the future it will bring me.