<p>Schools: Johns Hopkins, UChicago, Northwestern, UCLA, UCSD, UCSB, USC (tons of legacy) Harvey Mudd, Boston U, Naval Academy</p>
<p>I know UChicago and Johns Hopkins will be a reach for me, but I want to know if I have at least a shot.
Male, Part-hispanic (will be checking off hispanic) southern california public high school</p>
<p>SAT (taken once will take again) 1960 (740M,630W,590CR)
SAT II taking math II and Physics next month
ACT (same as above) 32composite (32M,26E,35S,35R)
GPA (10-12) 4.21
Frosh (1st sem./2nd sem) 3.67/3.33
Soph (4.0/4.0)
Jun (4.5/4.5)
Sen (currently 5.0)
5 AP classes taken 4's on APUS, AP Calc AB, AP Language.
3's on AP physics, AP Euro
taking 4 AP's + 2 college classes this year</p>
<p>EC's include MUN, NHS, CSF, Interact Club, and CUban Culture Club, 150+ hours CS
Varsity captain for golf and water polo</p>
<p>Let me know what you think and add other colleges in which I have a chance</p>
<p>Well, Chicago doesn’t require SAT IIs, so don’t send them your SAT scores. Your ACT is much better, after all.</p>
<p>Your academic record is pretty good. Your chances depend on whether you’re planning to apply EA or ED to your top choices, though. I would say that you have very good chances for all except Chicago, JHU, and Northwestern, which are often unpredictable.</p>
<p>Well I’m willing to EA/ED if it will greatly increase my chances of getting or if it ends up being my only chance of getting in. And sorry wcclirl444; I’m just a nervous teenager haha.</p>
<p>Your ACT is good. Your grades show improvement over time – also good. EC’s good too. The issue is where do you want to go and why. What major are you interested in? The schools you mention above could not be more different in focus. The only commonality is that they are all good top tier schools. The Naval Academy is not USC or Harvey Mudd. If you want a military career that is very, very different from other schools. You also have to make a commitment to being an officer in the Navy. Not so with any other school. Harvey Mudd will be a very different culture for you. Few Mudders are jocks. That school is for brilliant geeks who can afford $55K annually. If you want a Claremont school, possibly Claremont McKenna would be a better fit – ROTC program there is formidable. USC is USC and you seem to know the culture of that school already. Do you want to be an engineer? Science and Math major? Business major? Military career? Decide that first, then go for what school fits your goals. My kid knew he wanted to be an engineer. So that is all we focused on – engineering schools.</p>
<p>Well I want to be an orhtopedic surgeon and that is my goals, but I know, or I’ve heard, that most medical schools don’t really consider what school you go to for your bachelor’s rather your MCAT score and GPA so my first option is Medical. Then I guess next would be business as that is what my dad majored in at USC. Other school options are greatly appreciated!</p>
<p>If you want pre-med then the UC’s will be an excellent choice. UCLA in particular has one of the world’s largest and highly regarded teaching hospitals right on campus. Johns Hopkins would also be a very good choice. I am surprised that you did not mention Stanford – stellar for both pre-med and business. USC could be good too, but if GPA for med school is important then please make sure you research how grades are calculated there. My friend’s daughter went to undergrad business school there and he told me that they grade on a curve so that the average grade is a “C”. This has caused his daughter a lot of problems in job interviews and applying for grad schools as her USC GPA, although quite acceptable internally at the school, is perceived as very low on the outside. By the way, this is secondhand information from a frustrated parent who loves the school but not the grading system. Please verify if this is true or not on your own. Also, cost is a factor – one of my clients went to USC for undergrad and dental school. She now has $570K in loans to pay back. She unfortunately managed her school debt extremely poorly. Harvey Mudd is a great school, but it is primarily for engineers, then math and science majors. Pre-med and business may make you the odd man out. Also, your English scores are pretty low for Mudd. They pride themselves as being a liberal arts engineering school and really focus on communication skills and your ACT English score was a 26. You’d most likely need over 30 for Mudd. Again, call the school and ask. </p>
<p>Nothing is worse than being at a school that has a good reputation but is not a fit. “Fit” is the key here – I cannot tell you how important it is. My kid had a lot of great choices including offers from the top UC’s. However, at some point you have to throw away the rankings and choose what feels best for you personally. Go to the schools, tour them, do overnights if they are available. Research the programs thoroughly and then make an informed choice supported by a gut knowing that the school is a fit.</p>
<p>I live about an hour away from the Claremont colleges and about an hour and a half away from USC and UCLA. My father and both grandfathers attended USC so I have a lot of legacy there which they hold in highest esteem. Honestly, I don’t feel that my grades and scores qualify to be considered at Stanford or that would be my number 1 school. I have an interview with Harvey Mudd and Pomona within the next two weeks in which I aim to show my creativity. I am a good writer (perfect score on SAT and ACT essays), but can not for the life of me take a multiple choice english exam.</p>
<p>Yes, Mudd is definitely a reach. But they meet full need - it is NOT only for people “who can afford $55K annually.” At least for us, they met need mostly with grants and then with the standard student loans and work study.</p>