A-Plus Schools for B Students

When Aaron Krilov-Egbert started thinking about college toward the close of his junior year at New York's Brooklyn Tech high school, he felt dejected. Although he'd done well on his SATs, his solid C average wasn't going to impress anyone, he says. "It was definitely worrisome whether I would find a school I could get into that I'd like."

He was still uncertain when his guidance counselor urged him to research the network of campuses that make up the City University of New York—until he clicked on their websites and started visiting the schools themselves. "It was eye-opening," he says. "Getting in definitely seemed possible." This fall, he will enter his junior year at CUNY-Hunter College. He's majoring in English and earning mostly A's. Oh, yes, and he's happy there. "I love this place," he says.

It's an example that all high school students with uneven academic profiles or uncertain visions of their future can take to heart. And it embodies a truth that college applicants all too often forget: Beyond the small roster of nationally renowned schools lie many that aren't household names but have first-rate programs and strong reputations. For the fifth year, U.S. News has screened the schools it ranks to identify institutions where average students have a decent shot at being accepted (schools listed at the end of the article).

Keeping hope afloat may be the hardest hurdle for worried students to overcome, but it shouldn't be. Consider a simple, encouraging statistic: "Our data show that four-year colleges on average accept about 7 out of 10 students who apply," says David Hawkins, director of public policy and research at the National Association of College Admission Counseling. "That means that even if grades don't qualify a student for the most selective colleges, there are a host of places out there."

Missy Sanchez, director of college counseling at Atlanta's Woodward Academy, agrees. "That B average gets you into a lot of good schools, and with a C average you still have a lot to offer colleges," she says. "B students are the backbone of most colleges, and they should not at all feel ashamed of their grades."

Twinkle, twinkle. Stephanie Hart, an independent college consultant in Kansas City, Mo., worked with a bright but academically disengaged student who was "bored and just going through the motions" until she found out about Warren Wilson College in Asheville, N.C., a small liberal arts school that combines academics with work experience and community service. "She had a definite twinkle in her eye when she was accepted," says Hart. One lesson from her experience: More than likely there'll be at least one school that seems like an excellent fit to you. So make no assumptions that the ones your friends liked—or dissed—will strike you the same way. Go online, visit campuses, attend open houses, and talk to admissions officers and guidance counselors about your options.

Like Krilov-Egbert, you may fear that putting off thinking about college until junior year or beyond will spell doom for your college plans. But that's not the case. "Kids who are in their junior year thinking that they haven't done their best may feel doors are closed, and some may be," says Shirley A. Bloomquist, an independent college counselor in Northern Virginia. "But not all doors are closed, and students can begin wherever they are in high school to strengthen their academic record and demonstrate they're engaged in learning."

Beyond the numbers. Grades count, but that's not all that matters, especially once you get past the superselective schools. "We look at the academics, but we also go beyond that," says Tom Delahunt, vice president of admissions and financial aid at Iowa's Drake University. "I've admitted students whose grade-point averages are below the usual for us, and I've rejected students whose averages were above that." (The killer in those cases? Weaknesses in the student's character, portfolio, volunteer work, or other areas.)

Julianna Burt of McLean, Va., for instance, had spent every Sunday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. for a year with a homebound 10-year-old, helping him with his homework, reading Lord of the Rings out loud to him, and keeping him company. Impressed with Julianna's commitment and rapport with her son, the child's mother volunteered to write her a letter of recommendation. The letter showed the small liberal arts college to which she applied that she was more than her 3.4 grade average. She plans to attend Lewis and Clark College in the fall.