A well-balanced list?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>I'm a rising senior, and have it pretty well-planned out which schools I'll be applying to this fall, but I'd like some advice on whether or not my list is well-balanced, given my stats.</p>

<p>Numbers:</p>

<p>SAT - 2270, 750CR, 760M, 760W</p>

<p>SATIIs - 780 World History, 800 Math 2, ??? Literature (taking this October)</p>

<p>GPA - 3.87 UW, 4.57 W (attend Wootton High School in Rockville, MD, #17 on the Newsweek list this year)</p>

<p>Taking pretty much the hardest courseload possible, will have nine APs by graduation (US History, US Government, World History, European History, Environmental Science, English Language, English Literature, Calculus AB, Music Theory), and have gotten four 5's and two 4's on the six I've taken so far. Also taking a few college courses for credit next year. (Our school has a program in which professors from the nearest community college come to the school and teach classes for college credit, which I'll be participating in.)</p>

<p>Extracurriculars/Awards/Whatever:</p>

<p>Nothing all that special.</p>

<p>Play the euphonium (/baritone BC), nine years experience. (Private lessons for six of those.)
Junior All-County Honors Band, 9th grade
Senior All-County Honors Band, 10th-12th (expected)
Member, NHS, 11th-12th (Senior Executive Board member 12th)
Member, Tri-M Music Honors Society (Secretary 12th)
Participant in Potomac Valley Youth Orchestra (a local private group of musical groups), 10th-12th
Participant, pit orchestra of school musical, 11th
Cast, school's spring musical, 12th (expected, and practically assured by my possession of a y-chromosome)
Nominee, NCTE Achievement Award in Writing (should find out about whether or not I got it by application deadlines, but one of four nominees from the school)
Work as a tutor and babysitter for local families, mostly siblings' friends (is that not even worth mentioning?)</p>

<p>Volunteering: Worked on local congressman's re-election campaign the summer before sophomore and junior years, have done summer tutoring/teaching with a county-run summer school program for low-income elementary school students the past two years, and will be working for the county recycling program with education efforts (staffing the booth at the county fair, etc.). Will have about 250+ hours of service by next year.</p>

<p>The teachers whom I've asked to write recommendations like me, especially my English teacher, so those should be fairly strong. My essays... I'm not going to predict how strong they'll be, but they shouldn't be too shabby, as writing is one of my strengths.</p>

<p>Basically, I know, I'm much more solid on numbers than on ECs, which are not all that impressive.</p>

<p>My list:</p>

<p>Brown
Columbia
Amherst
Georgetown</p>

<p>Wesleyan
Tufts
William and Mary
NYU</p>

<p>University of Maryland: College Park
University of Pittsburgh
Tulane</p>

<p>That's roughly how I'd group them, although I don't seem to have any matches, really, as the middle group is more made up of lesser reaches. But I wouldn't be too crushed if I ended up at one of my safeties (especially if I get a bunch of merit aid out of them), so I'm not too too worried about that.</p>

<p>Basically, I'm looking for suburban or urban schools, with fairly wide strengths because I'm not too sure what I'd like to do with my life, although I'm definitely more of a writing/politics/history guy than math/science. I definitely like Brown's and Amherst's open curriculums, because of the ease of double-majoring, but that's not really a deciding factor. </p>

<p>Any comments or criticism of my list, based on how I stack up? I'd appreciate any advice that could be given, including any schools you think might suit me, especially in the match/safety area.</p>

<p>Thanks a lot!</p>

2

<p>Heh, I KNEW I should have thought up a catchy title to get responses!</p>

3

<p>Georgetown college would be a match, not a reach...are you applying SFS?</p>

<p>I was looking at all of those schools; you've gotta good chance at all of them.</p>

<p>You'll like Columbia's core since its humanities based, but you might like Brown's open curriculum which is totally non-prescriptive. I preferred an in between. You have stats to apply to more reaches. Why not Williams? Its like Amherst, and has a great humanities/social sciences program.</p>

4

<p>Thanks for the confidence, the thoughtprocess. I would definitely be planning on applying to the SFS, as I don't think I've heard a single downside to it, even if it is a bit more selective, or so I've heard. One of the things I really loved about Brown was the open curriculum, and I definitely like the idea of a humanities-based core. </p>

<p>I actually have visited Williams (my family vacations in upstate New York, maybe an hour away by car, every year), and I just couldn't handle the size and location. We had a somewhat funny incident at the info session, as they asked everyone what one thing we couldn't live without as an icebreaker of sorts. I was a little freaked out by the fact that at least half the room said something along the lines of "my running shoes, because I run all the time as captain of my varsity cross country team" or "a notepad, because I'm the editor-in-chief of my school's newspaper and love writing everything down," so I decided to say something I actually meant and piped up with "french fries." I was hoping they'd segue into talking about the cafeteria system, but it completely threw them for a loop, and all they could do was stammer about how there was a Wendy's, I think, about 45 minutes away, but... yeah... It just gave a slightly bleak sense of the complete isolation of the place, and while I can deal with that to a certain extent, it just didn't really make me feel it was worth applying, since I couldn't really see myself there. I thought Amherst would be similar, but for some reason the more spread-out campus, proximity to other colleges, and whole feel didn't ever give the impression of isolation.</p>

<p>And... that was more than you needed to know, but again, thanks for the input.</p>

5

<p>Congrats on finding good academic/financial safeties you like and would be happy to attend. Bravo.</p>

<p>I think your stats are very competitive for all the schools on your list. BTW I went to Brown, and loved it; I am a big fan of the open curriculum.</p>

<p>Another school that is similar to Brown in "feel" yet is slightly easier to get in would be Vassar. Especially with the Y chromosome ;) </p>

<p>Bard, too, though Bard is more remote. Bard offers EA and would probably be a safety for you (check out EA/IA program there.) Also, look at Trinity for an urban location at a safe match level. Skidmore is another safety idea.</p>

<p>FYI Columbia is the polar opposite of Brown/Amherst/Wesleyan curriculum-wise; much closer to U Chicago. </p>

<p>Pay close attention to the process at the schools where you do apply. Make sure you visit, do interviews, show interest-- especially at the safeties. The selectivity at the reaches and even the matches is so high that you just want to be very careful not to treat anything as a given, and it can be the kiss of death to appear to be disinterested in a safety.</p>

6

<p>Thank you very much for the detailed advice, SBmom. I had actually thought about Vassar a while ago, but for some reason it never stuck in my mind. But thinking about it now, it definitely appears to have the type of atmosphere I'd like to be in. I think I'm going to have to look at that seriously, as in my opinion, I could use some more schools where I'd have better chances of admission.</p>

7

<p>Heed SBMom's advice "show interest" -especially at the safeties. I think you definitely have a very decent shot at each one of your schools. Statistically- you should get into some of them and with luck, you'll get into a good #. But one more absolute safety please--Towson or UMBC as you are from Maryland (or an early rolling admission U of Mich??). Once you have a safety or two under your belt, you really can relax and not get too stressed out over the college admission process. PS I think you selected some great schools- and your list does seem quite balanced. Good luck.</p>

8

<p>Tulane will give you fat financial aid. Apply for the deans honor scholarship.</p>

9

<p>I also think Vassar is a must add to the list.</p>

10

<p>don't apply to UM college park. Just a low life azn school. Went there for 2 weeks this summer.</p>

11

<p>Vassar: agreed</p>

12

<p>sammgc:</p>

<p>Hey!!! You attend Wooton in MD!!! (or as some ppl call it wonton because there r so many asians there).</p>

<p>No, I don't go to Montgomery County Schools, I go to the less competitive Frederick County Public Schools right up on your north doorstep. GTJHS rocks!!!</p>

<p>I'm also applying to William and Mary and UMCP, don't steal my spot at WM =)</p>

13

<p>It would seem that I'll have to visit Vassar, because I'm going to passing through that general area on the way to a family vacation. But from what you've said and other things that have been said, I think I'll probably end up applying there even just knowing what I do now.</p>

<p>As for UMCP being an azn school, that's not a real big concern for me, because as C<em>H</em>I_C said, my current school, Wootton, has a huge number of Asian-American students, proportionately student. So, with our prominent theatre department, it's one of those rare schools where it's more common to be called a "fob" then a "fag" as an insult. And really, UMCP is sort of the school that my parents are making me aply to just because, not somewhere I really want to go. I mean, I won't be heartbroken if that's where I end up, but I better get a fat scholarship and be in the Honors program to sweeten the deal.</p>

<p>ClaySoul, yeah, the dean's honor scholarship is the main reason I even considered Tulane in the first place. I'm a little unclear, though, about exactly what it covers. Can you or anyone else tell me a little about that?</p>

<p>Again, thanks to all of you for your valuable help.</p>