<p>Hey, I just got my ranking for my class (they only do it after junior year) and I am freaking out about my college chances, please let me know what you think.
white, upper-middle class, male
GPA 3.5 uw 4.2 w
rank 86th percentile, meaning top 14% of my class not the bottom 14%
full ib course load
taking 8 classes senior year, most seniors take 4 or 5
president of book club
chapter president of bbyo, a national jewish youth organization
student government historian
hospital volunteer 4 hours a week for about 2 years, shift supervisor
altogether over 800 community service from various activities
work at starbucks about 20 hours a week
won various leadership awards
captain of nationally competitive ice hockey team
elected to steering committee of Unitown, a diversity and leadership camp run through school that i attended, will be a counselor next year
president of literary magazine at school
have had poetry published
attended two college summer school programs
sats = 2100 first try will retake
sat iis = 710 literature, 700 math iic, 660 chem, will retake
expecting decent and recommendations and good essays and great interviews</p>
<p>possible colleges:
brandeis
tufts
cornell
nyu
duke
boston university
boston college
u of michigan
u of virginia</p>
<p>two things:
1) what other east coast colleges do you think could be a good fit?
2) what can i do besides get good grades and retake sats to improve my chances?</p>
<p>thank you so much for taking time to read this</p>
<p>I live in Arizona, i forgot to mention i am a member of the national and spanish honor society as well as a possible national merit semifinalist</p>
<p>You are in pretty good shape for many of the colleges you list, but do not include any safeties. You seem to have settled on medium to large research universities. My 2 cents:</p>
<p>brandeis = match
tufts = match
cornell = reach
nyu = match
duke = reach
boston university = match
boston college = match
u of michigan = reach
u of virginia = reach</p>
<p>Keep in mind that matches do not mean you will be accepted. It just means that you are average for those that do get accepted. The actual odds are probably 40-60%. Are you committed to the east coast or just exploring possiblities out here? I would imagine that Arizona will be a safety for you, is that what you are planning? Other east coast schools to consider: Rutgers = match; Penn State = match; U MD = match; JHU = reach</p>
<p>I would really like to go somewhere on the east coast, I lived in CA until high school so I am looking for something different, but I suppose I am open to other possiblities. I definitely consider any college in Arizona a safety but I desperately do not want to go to an in state college. As far as other safeties, I really have no idea where to begin or where to look, maybe GW or American U?</p>
<p>GW is pretty selective nowadays; I would consider it a match rather than a safety. American U might be a safety. Both are great for government studies if you are headed in that direction. Other east coast safeties: UMass (Amhurst); any of the SUNY schools, Binghamton is generally considered the best; Emerson (are you interested in a creative field? If so, look here); Northeastern (an up and coming Boston school with recent investments in structures and faculty, but still a safety for you. It is well known for its work-study programs - an innovator in the field).</p>
<p>Can anyone else please give me some input???</p>
<p>Please....somebody</p>