<p>I'm a rising junior located in rural North Carolina. I am enrolled in a low-performing public high school, and know very few people who have applied from my school out of state, especially not to extremely selective schools or ivies.
My GPA is around 3.75 to 3.8, with an expectation to rise. My weighted is a 4.3, also with an expectation to rise.
I plan on taking AP English 3 and 4, APUSH, AP Gov, AP Euro History, AP Calc AB and BC, AP Bio, AP Chem,AP Stats and possibly AP Psychology, if it becomes available. I am taking the vast majority of APs offered at my school, and some through my online high school, North Carolina School of Science and Math.
My SAT and ACT scores are not where I'd like them to be (1860 and 28, respectively) but my critical reading scores are very high, and math is my only point of struggle on standardized tests. I plan to improve both scores over the next year and a half before I need to apply to colleges.
I have strived to further my education by taking classes online by a specialized high school, even through my interest lies in the humanities rather than sciences, and by participating in summer programs for gifted youth.
I plan on being involved with my theatre department for all four years of high school, and have already had the leadership positions of stage-manager and lead actress. I will also be involved with an animal rights club, and service organization, and with helping mentally and physically challenged children at my dance studio, where I take three to four classes a week, and will have been involved in all throughout high school.
Will a hook of attending a "bad" high school while still striving for knowledge get me into some top universities? As of now I'm planning on applying to Brown, Yale (dream big!), U of Chicago, Swarthmore, Northwestern, Georgetown, Duke, Amherst, Carleton and Kenyon.
Any advice on how to make myself more attractive to these colleges, or just telling me where I stand as of now would be greatly appreciated.</p>
<p>We have three of the same schools on our lists, so I am interested to see where you get in (though you will be my competition, since we are in the same grade). You need to get your ACT up to a 30 (absolute lowest score probably), get your GPA to a 3.8 (that will help, but if possible get it to a 3.85-3.9). In my opinion no that is not really a hook. Overcoming adversity seems to be a popular topic when applying to college (I personally have a goal of totally ignoring the topic when I apply), also in my opinion striving for knowledge at a bad school is not very unique.</p>
<p>It is unclear if you currently have community service or will not begin until the fall. If you have none that is a problem, if you have at least 100 hours you should be fine. If I where you I would focus on dance/theatre when you apply to colleges. It might not be what you want to pursue, but you have put many hours into it/hold leadership positions, so it would probably be a good idea to focus on at least somewhat.</p>
<p>Last you need more safeties, right now it looks like you have none (in my opinion Kenyon and Carleton are matches since they are becoming increasingly competitive). Hope this helps!</p>
<p>I have safeties, I’m just not worried about getting into them, so I didn’t feel the need to list them. I"m also only applying to selective schools EA, and then if that doesn’t work out, my safeties are still there for RD.
Also, I have not yet started my formal community service, but I will be participating in it next year. So far it’s only been informal church stuff.</p>
<p>That will be by far your biggest issue. You are going to be up against people who have many hours already (personally I have about 150). Get as much community service as possible this year. Out of curiosity what are your safeties (I am wondering if we have any more of the same schools)? Also sort of random, but what do you want in a college (half of your list is big universities and the other half are tiny liberal arts schools).</p>
<p>I’m just kind of in love with Duke (I spent three summers there with a gifted program) and U of Chicago sounds like nerd heaven. I’m looking for a smaller school generally, but I’m intrigued by certain universities and the opportunities they can present. Like Georgetown would be good for my major, as would Yale and Brown, but I think I could be equally as happy at a small liberal arts school, because while some colleges are better at my intended major, you can get it pretty much anywhere.
My safeties are mostly local places for me like UNC Chapel Hill (easy to get into if you’re an in state student) Elon, Meredith College, and Bryn Mawr isn’t really a safety, but its a close match. I need to have a better list of safeties, but I think that will be easier when I know where I’ll end up with my SAT/GPA.
What are your dream colleges and safeties?</p>
<p>Here is my current list (though I plan to remove one school from each of the categories).</p>
<p>Reach
Amherst, Bowdoin, Haverford and Swarthmore (ED)</p>
<p>Matches
Colgate, Gettysburg, Kenyon, Oberlin and Vassar</p>
<p>Safeties
Bryn Mawr, Denison, Dickinson and Lafayette</p>
<p>Also I agree about safeties, though assuming you have had about the same grades for the past two years it is not to hard to predict</p>
<p>At my school we aren’t allowed to take AP classes until junior year, so I’m expecting my GPA to shoot up next year, and I really hope I can at least get to a 2100 in the SAT or in the thirties on the ACT, so that will change my safeties.
Have you visited Swarthmore, Kenyon or Bryn Mawr yet?</p>
<p>You do not HAVE to volunteer. Most schools realize many schools require hours. If it is your thing and you love it great. Otherwise do what you love.</p>
<p>“My safeties are mostly local places for me like UNC Chapel Hill (easy to get into if you’re an in state student)”</p>
<p>I looked at UNC Chapel Hill’s website, and 75% of incoming freshman scored higher than a 28 on the ACT. Also, 80% were in the upper 10% of their graduating class.</p>
<p>I’m not sure where you are getting the idea that anyone from in-state gets into school there.</p>
<p>Yes, I went to Philly last month and visited Swarthmore, Haverford, Bryn Mawr and UPenn (was not really interested in the school but figured I would visit since I was there anyway). Fell in love with Swarthmore (they have all the little quirky things I want in a college and the amazing academics) and Haverford was amazing too. I am visiting Kenyon and some other schools on the list either over winter or spring break. Have you visited any schools yet?</p>
<p>I’ve been to Duke, UNC Chapel Hill, NC State, and Davidson, but I’m going to visit Swarthmore, Georgetown, Bryn Mawr, U of Chicago, NW and Kenyon over spring break/ christmas break.
Bill73- I know from experience that no one at my school who got into UNC had higher scores than me. I have extremely similar credentials to someone I know who was admitted, but higher test scores. Chapel Hill’s not the easiest place to get into, but in my region your scores don’t have to be extremely high.
However, it’s extremely hard to get into if you’re located out of state. I have a teacher who chose her out-of-state admittance to UNC over her full-ride to Yale.</p>
<p>oh, and I am in the top 10 percent of my class (7 or 8th currently of of 400- something, again with an expectation to rise).</p>
<p>I’m visiting Georgetown in the fall! I am focussing on tiny liberal art schools, but when my family has pre-shdeuled trips to a city I try and visit the schools there that I might like.</p>
<p>I foundlalaska - You still have to do the work once you get on campus. At UNC, your ACT score puts you in the lower 25th percentile of all admitted students.</p>
<p>I’m not sure when I’m going to Georgetown- we’re doing a trip up the coast from GT to Swarthmore, Bryn Mawr and Carnegie-Mellon. What are you majoring in, or planning on majoring in?
I’m stuck between political science and international relations with a double major or minor in psychology.</p>
<p>I love CMU, but I refuse to go to a school in the city I live in so it is off the list. I am planning to double major in neuroscience (biology if the school I end up at does not have a neuroscience major) and psychology with a possible minor in something visual art related (not sure if I can fit a minor in with two majors). BTW the drive from Philly to Pittsburgh is not too bad.</p>
<p>Bill73- I realize its a very nice college. It’s just not ideal for me, and I’m fairly confident in my ability to get in, based on my friends who were admitted this year, so it’s a safety rather than a priority. I’m not trying to make the school sound easy, but if you’re a pretty good student in my area with good EC’s and a decent SAT, you’ll be fine. It may just be my area, it’s kind of low performing.</p>
<p>ArtsyGirl13- That’s really cool! I’m a total psych nerd- I want a DSM for my birthday and read back issues of Psychology Today for fun XD
Why are you focused on a liberal arts school if you’re looking to be a bio/neuroscience major? Wouldn’t a research college be best for that? (forgive me if I’m completely wrong, one of my best friends is going pre-med and is considering Kenyon)</p>
<p>A few reasons, I plan on going to medical school and the schools on my list are known for producing students who go to the top medical schools. But the main reason is I like the feel of a small liberal art school better. I hate the idea of being in a lecture with 100 people, and not knowing half the people at the school, I also love the more holistic view of the liberal art schools and the sense of community there. It is sort of hard to describe, but I have hated almost every large school I have toured and loved on the little liberal art colleges.</p>
<p>
Not sure I would consider Lafayette a safety. Middle 50% of SAT scores for accepted students for Class of 2015 is 1880 - 2140.
[Entering</a> Class Profile About Lafayette College](<a href=“http://www.lafayette.edu/about/lafayette-at-a-glance/entering-class-profile/]Entering”>http://www.lafayette.edu/about/lafayette-at-a-glance/entering-class-profile/)</p>