Am I on the right track to stand a chance at Princeton, Yale, Columbia, Stanford, or UPenn?

Pre-College Issues Home Schooling and College
1

I know it is to early to predict whether or not I will be admitted or have a chance of getting into a particular college but I figured it doesn’t hurt to ask. Can anyone give me some insist on what I could improve or add in order to prove my chances, SAT Scores aside (I have been prepping almost every day for the past year and plan to until the test date.

SAT I: (Have-not taken yet) (1400+ on practice test hoping for at least 1550, really 1600 after the next two years.)
SAT II:(Have not taken and plan to take: Math 1, World History, Math 2, Literature, U.S. History, and maybe Biology-E)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0 (given)
AP:
10th: Macroeconomics, Human Geography, and U.S. Government

11th: IDK I am thinking Comparative Government, Psychology, Microeconomics, English Language, Environmental Science.

12th: IDK I am thinking English Literature, Statistics, French Language, Calculus BC, Physics 1, Computer Science, U.S. History

Course Load:
9th: Bible, Algebra 1, World History, Computer Technology, Aviation, College Ready(required), Grammar, Creative Writing, Physical Science, Music, and French Beginner.

10th: Bible, Algebra 2/Geometry, AP Human Geography, AP Macroeconomics, AP U.S. Government, Honors American Literature, Honors Chemistry, French Intermediate, and Health.

11th: Probably: Bible, Honors Pre-Calculus, DE Fundamental of Accounting, DE Statistics, DE Composition, DE Principles of Biology E, DE Comp 1: Expository Writing, DE Environmental Biology, DE General Psychology, DE Introductory Comparative Government. AP Microeconomics, and French Advanced.

12th: Probably: Bible, AP Calculus BC, DE Comp 2: Literary writing, DE U.S. History, DE Introductory Information Technology, DE Principles of Accounting 1, DE British Literature, DE Introductory Physics 1, DE Principles of DE Microeconomics, DE Principles of Accounting 2, AP French Language, Anatomy and Physiology.

Major Awards: CANT FIND ANY

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): International Relations Association (Founder/President), FBLA (Chapter founder/President), Foundation (Founder/President), Aviation (Pilot in training/Vice President), Golf Individually all 4 and Varsity Junior and Senior), Model UN (Junior and Senior), Soon driving my sister and her friend to activities, Boy scouts, Cellist, Academic Decathlon, and volunteering at a nursing home 11th and 12th grade.

Job/Work Experience: None
Volunteer/Community service: I can find any during the year beside (They all are full, I’m to young, or look like a child) some now and then on the weekends, and with boy scouts.

Summer Activities:
9th: Volunteering and Golf.

10th: Golf, Volunteer I might go to Goldman or a Law firm and beg them to let me make coffee for a recommendation or just work at a saving bank part time, and Take 2-3 DE classes.

11th: Golf, I don’t know what else, but something .

Am I on a track for Yale, Princeton, Columbia, UPenn, Stanford, Georgetown, Hopkins, MIT, Caltech, or Brown? I know its to early but I have never met anyone who has even visited or been accepted to and elite college or even school of that caliber, I am just looking for any insight possible since my guidance counselor is always on spiritual retreats for 75% of the year.

2

No one can answer your question. Your course load looks solid. Your test scores on your practice tests are good.

Fwiw, I would try to look less like a ps student and more like a student who has used homeschooling to their advantage and accomplished something they couldn’t if they had attended their local ps. What are you passionate about? Can you create some interesting independent studies around those interests?

For example, my ds was interested in physics. He designed a couple of astronomy courses and a dark matter/black hole study that he completed in addition to his traditional physics courses. My dd designed a linguistics course. She has studied 3 foreign languages.

The GReat Courses/Teaching Company has a lot of great lectures. (Some libraries carry them. Audible often has them cheap. I downloaded a linguistics course last yr for $5.) MIT opencourseware, Coursera, etc are great recourses for self-studying subjects of interest.

Have you searched for competitions? My kids have competed in regional, national, and international competitions. Here is a place to start: http://www.artofproblemsolving.com/wiki/index.php?title=Academic_competitions

Why are you interested in attending those schools?

3

@Mom2aphysicsgeek Thanks for the advice. My interest are in Economics/Finance and Government/Law, I want to take some course in that are next year at a local Community College. A problem I often run into when choosing classes is that we are apart of a co-op ( which is basically a private school that says they are homeschooled) and credit is granted through that co-op and the county, and they require I have a curriculum for accreditation. Although, I taught my self Swedish last summer enough that I could hold basic conversation and survive there. I also am learning Italian now and want to learn another during eleventh grade. So I should know 4 languages other than english by senior year, which I want to learn hindi then. I also might teach a course at that school next year if I can learn how to drive better. A problem I have With extra curriculars is that there are not really any besides ones at community college and a the one I create and force people to join. I try to get an internship except most are only open to college student so I problem will have to do some begging to work for free.

I am interesting in attending those school for different reasons, but here are a few.

Yale: I really like the city and how they allow you to craft your own education will being educated by amazing professors. I really like how it is not from from New York or Boston. I also really, really like there golf course and team and how it is like a museum and a school at the same time. There is also just something about this school that make me want to go there. Finally It also has the exact major I would like to purse.

Princeton: Because I’ve desired to attend there since I was in middle school. I also like there golf course/team and there educational program and how it is in a suburban area.

Penn: Because it is one of the best business school and it has produced a multitude of Business titans. It also has a good golf team.

Stanford: Because it is in California, Tiger Woods was on there golf team and they have a legendary golf course, and I would enjoy how it is near the beach and city will still being a some what suburban environment.

Georgetown/ Hopkins: I like both of these school because they are located in cities I am mildly familiar with and they have great educational programs.

Columbia: I would love to attend this university because it is in New York, which the internship opportunities would be amazing. My aunt works her and If I am having a hard time I could get to go home with her. Also This basically has the exact major I want and I have been to so many event for the school and although they do this for everyone They sent me alto of mail which only made want to go there more.

MIT/Caltech: I don’t plan to major in science however, I know for that reason there wont be as man applicants in same area. Will both don’t have golf teams they seem to be innovative.

Brown: I like how it is a good school in a good city but I am not all that about this school, but they have a nice gold team and golf course.

Of course with all of these schools there is the prestige and it would make my parent proud of me and their friend jealous, I don’t want to apply solely because of the name. Finally, if i want to purse the career I want, It will be impossible to move up without attending a elite college or remotely of that sort college (Investment Banking). Also, I spend so much time studying for test and doing all these activities I want to have some sort of result.

I know that was long, but I don’t want it to seem that I want to go to school just because of the name, even though that undoubtedly plays a role in it. They also all would prepare me for a good future career.

Also do you know if any other competitions the participation in might be possible or Awards?

4

Your post describes exactly what I personally think you should avoid. Studying a bunch of languages at a low level looks like resume padding. That isn’t passion. That is trying to impress (unsuccessfully, btw, bc low level language is easy to learn. Mastering more advanced topics is where the challenge is.). When I say my dd has been studying 3 languages, I mean in depth for hours every single day for yrs. She visited one college this yr and the Russian professor loved what she has accomplished. Know one of the independent courses she suggested that dd got excited about? Verbs of motion. That is passion for a subject. Knowing that an entire semester dedicated to just verbs of motion will help her accomplish her language goals. What do you really love that you want to immerse yourself in? It doesn’t have to be a class for credit. What do you want to know just to know for your own satisfaction? Bc the question you need to be able to answer is why homeschool? What made it a better choice for you than attending a school? (You don’t need to tell me. I am posing that hypothetically in terms of what you might need to be able to convey to an admissions dept. Some schools want to know. Others don’t care.)

You obviously love golf. I have no idea how a love of golf can influence college admissions. Are you planning on being recruited to play? I am not a sports person, so way out of my league on that one.

Have you run net price calculators? Make sure you can afford the schools on your list bc they don’t offer merit $$.

As far as competitions, Google academic (whatever subject) competitions.

5

Regarding Caltech (which is where I’m attending): Caltech does have an economics major (https://www.hss.caltech.edu/content/economics-0), but I might suggest not applying to Caltech if you know for sure that you would not be interested in a science/engineering/math/etc. degree. I suggest this solely because if you happened not to like the economics major at Caltech, you may not find another “option”/major that you would enjoy there (see list of majors here: https://www.admissions.caltech.edu/content/options-majors).

6

Regardless of whether you are on-track or not, you need a much broader college list. You cannot only apply to “lottery” schools.

I would take your course plans and sort them out on a grid - 9th,10th,11th,12th across the top, then vertically by subject area (math, science, English, social science, foreign language, elective). Ask yourself if the courses make sense for your situation. For example, why are you taking double-credits in science junior and senior, for example, if your interests are in politics? Could that time be better spent on one science class per year and spending more time developing your areas of strength or on ECs?

Don’t over-emphasize testing - take 2 or 3 subject tests (note the ones required or recommended by your colleges) and call that done, especially considering the number of APs you are taking.

Play up your unique EC’s - Aviation sounds interesting - How many applicants are private pilots, for example? How can you take that further? Perhaps working at an FBO? How can you do more with golf than just play? Can you volunteer at a youth golf program? (Do you have thefirsttee.org near you?) Organize or volunteer for a charity golf tournament? Dive deep into your interests in law and business - is making coffee really going to be good material for a college essay? Maybe hitting up corporations and law firms for players for a charity golf tournament might be better?

7

How are you going to afford these schools? That is a critical question and one well worth considering.
The Ivy league schools you mention do not offer “merit aid”. They offer aid if you are needy, but you have to be pretty bad off (like both parents disabled or earning minimum wage) to qualify in most cases. These schools are in the $60,000 a year cost of attendance bracket (or higher). How are you going to afford to pay $240,000 over 4 years? You can only get a small amount out in loans in your own name, where is the rest coming from?

I’d highly suggest moseying over to the “Financial Aid and Scholarships” forum and posting your question there. Will give you an important perspective.

Best of luck!

8

@NJRoadie

LOL. This cracked me up. I am a parent, and my oldest goes to a full demonstrated need school. Same method for calculations. No merit. No you do not need to have parents who are disabled or on minimum wage to qualify. If you come from a high income family, then it might be tough because you are expected to pay your fair share. But if you come from a more modest family, (we have a small business and single income), then the amount is adjusted according to need. It is not all or nothing. My son is at Reed and we ended up being charged exactly what we can afford. It was kind of weird, in fact, how close they got it.

9

Agree with @LKnomad.

10

@LKnomad, thanks for the clarification.