I know it is early, but seeing a lot of the stellar students get rejected from their dream schools during the past few weeks has started to make me worry a little bit more than usual about my prospects as a future college student. Furthermore, with the AP tests this week (my school does a horrible time stressing these; I am the only one taking the majority of these exams, and with very little prep, because most students just purchase credits through concurrent enrollment with nearby schools), this worry has been dwelling in my head… So I just wanted to see if I am setting myself up for decent chances or if there are some things I should work on. Thanks guys
-Valedictorian with a 4.00 GPA (4.18 weighted)
-SATs: 1520, 770 English and 750 Math (but I didn’t study this first time through, I am confident I can significantly bump up the math up 20 or 30 points)
-Soccer team (was JV captain and will be varsity starter this year)
-Involved in theater club, was supporting character with more major roles in the musical these past 2 years
-FRC Robotics team mechanical captain
-I play piano, and have performed for school banquets, baccalaureate, graduation, as well as for our school’s band and orchestra (I dont take those classes but I still am volunteered/asked because they don’t have a piano player and I am probably the most accomplished at our school right now)
-I also play guitar and perform at similar events
-I participate in my school’s chapter of Technology Student Association. I have been a state qualifier for 3 years (nationals once) for programming, composing music, and creating the art for different video games with a group of friends
-Speech and Debate League: just started my involvement this year but I just qualified for nationals and will be competing with a first place regionally for my persuasive speech.
So far for AP courses I have taken AP English Language, Chemistry, Physics, Spanish, US History, and Calculus AB. Next year I will take AP Bio, English Literature, Computer Programming, European History, and Calculus BC.
-I am on my school’s NAQT (quiz bowl) team, and we have qualified and competed at nationals these past 2 years
-I help as an assistant coach for our county’s special needs soccer team, which competes at the Special Olympics. I went to the special Olympics with the team this past year
-For my senior project I am working on obtaining grants and constructing a sustainable greenhouse that would function year-round, providing room for the hydroponics class to put their materials and producing food for the foods class
Less important but…
-I am in NHS (not very exclusive at our school at all)
-I produced a documentary for NHD (National History Day) and won regional first place 2 years ago
I still need to take SAT Subject Tests and try my luck at the ACTs, which I will be preparing for this summer. I also just started involvement in a community organization dedicated to revitalizing our town (it has become economically depressed over the last few years)
Forgot to mention but I am a Student Officer on our Student Council. I help plan fundraisers for things for post-prom as well as for different charities (four-diamonds)
How are you Valedictorian if you’re not graduating till next year?
Here’s how I see it: Yes, you are “Ivy Material.” The problem is that the number of kids who are also “Ivy Material” is something like 25 times the actual number of Ivy seats.
Agree, your academics make you a viable candidate for the top tier colleges. However, with acceptance rates typically under 10% (some under 5%) these schools must be considered to be reaches for any unhooked applicant. There simply are not enough spots for all of the well qualified applicants.
It is great to put in some reach applications, but it is at least as important (if not more important) to find match and safety schools that appear affordable (you will have to run a net price calculator for each school you consider) and that you would be excited to attend. There are many wonderful schools out there where you can have a great 4 year experience and get where you want to go in life.
In these threads, it makes a real difference on exactly which Ivy league school you want to go to, the chances are much less at Harvard/Princeton then Cornell/Dartmouth, as well as the differences in the universities themselves. Best to think about what you want to study before arriving at Yale and realizing that the college doesn’t have the particular area you want to study.
Actually you are a strong candidate but you do not have depth in your activities. Also your scores are not strong for an Ivy. I would suggest focusing on the activities you enjoy most. You might have a better or worse time with acceptances based on your geography and high school’s standing. Some schools send many students to Irvine’s and others rarely if at all. Focus on finding the right program rather than the name brand school. If you have external factors like working to support your family I think you might have a chance otherwise I would say apply but be realistic.
Most candidates will have similar lists and many will have some incredible accomplishments and still not get in.
Yeah absolutely, I agree. I am definitely stronger in the sciences and although my course load hasn’t been heavy on life science I have always enjoyed reading and learning about biology most. I have started to take the idea of a career in medicine very seriously
If you’re good enough to be good in Calc BC, you should definitely go for an 800 for the Math portion of your SAT. Getting an 800 in Math is much less daunting than getting an 800 in EBRW, so if you can maintain the 770 there, you would be in decent shape to be competitive for the Ivy’s. That would be the one big thing you can do to improve your stock.
The problem with getting into a very selective schools such as the Ivys is there is no sure thing. There is just too many qualified applicants fighting for very few spots. Your stats all sound very impressive, but so will the few thousand other students applying to the same schools. Unless you have a hook, the only thing anyone can tell you is that you have a chance, but the odds are against you, especially with the acceptance rate being in the single digits. The most significant hook would be a recruited athlete. With your academic stats, if you were recruited by an Ivy coach it would be almost a certainty you’ll get in. Any chance your soccer is at a Div level?
You are a competitive applicant. Your stats and ECs are good. What’s the point of taking the ACT? You already have a good SAT score, if you can bump that up to a 1550 that’s great. Unless, of course, you can get a 35 or 36 on the ACT. You want to get two 700s+ on SAT subject tests. Write amazing essays and you could get accepted to any of these schools
Your EC’s are strong, but not distinctive because the vast majority of them are established programs which you joined. The greenhouse might show your initiative. Many successful applicants to Ivy League schools will demonstrate significant initiative founding movements, changing local legislation, starting corporations, inventing products.
And yeah, I definitely have come to appreciate the presence of a hook… I hadn’t really bothered to think ahead about all of that until this year, and with stories of kids fluent in 8 languages or with organizations that have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars the prospects of a truly impressive hook seem impossible at this point
Do not become discouraged! Your academic and EC stats are very impressive. As long as you write a great personal essay and receive raving teacher’s recommendations, you will get into an awesome school. Although you may not have an obvious hook, you are a contender for the tippy top schools. Good luck.