are these the school i should be applying to???

<p>ok so i recently re-took the SAT and ACT and i didn't do so hot. i didn't improve from my last ACT score a 27 ugh! and i did worse on my SAT the second time...alot worse. i was wondering if i shouldn't be applying to the schools listed because of my low scores the second time i took the SAT.</p>

<p>1st time SAT-
critical reading: 630
math:670
writing: 590</p>

<p>2nd time SAT after nervous night of no sleep and coffee for the first time in the morning-
critical reading: 570
math:640
writing: 500 (wow..)</p>

<p>and i'm applying to:</p>

<p>Cornell
Colby
Colgate
Bates
Bucknell
Allegany
Franklin & Marshall
Lafayette
Dickenson</p>

<p>Am I shooting to high? i'm 2nd in my class and my grade pt. avg. is 95 or 96. i went to a small public high school. What are my chances? Any other suggested liberal arts schools i could look at? thanks!!! every comment is much appreciated.</p>

<p>oh i forgot to mention
junior year AP's
-AP US History
-AP Eng. Lang.</p>

<p>Senior plan on taking
-AP Gov't
-AP Physics
-AP Calc
-AP Eng. Lit.
-College class---public speaking-then macro economics and intro to communications in spring semester.</p>

<p>also x-tra curriculars
- school soccer(freshman, sophmore, and junior years)
-travel soccer 3 yrs.
-dance company for 7 yrs.
-started and created speech and debate club at school, now president and i run the club
-orchestra
-musicals in pit and onstage
-chamber choir
-key club
-community service and such</p>

<p>thanks!</p>

<p>Im not really an expert on admissions as im a prospective student as well, still in HS, but I would say that your test scores are your worst feature and i would encourage you prepping and retaking. Its clear from your other successes that you can do better on the SAT and with a little work pull the score up to a more qualified number. Also try taking the ACT as colleges view it as an equal replacement to the SAT1 and many students do better on it.</p>

<p>***Also, this thread is more focused on your chances to certain schools than purely the SAT/ACT. I suggest you repost it in the "What are my chances" forum or perhaps the school-specific forum that is your number one choice. I think it is more appropriate there and you may get more/better responses.</p>

<p>The only two I can really comment on are Cornell and Colby. In both cases, I'd call them pretty unlikely - Cornell being an Ivy (the easiest to get into, but still), and Colby's 25th percentile for Critical Reading is ahead of yours and Math is 30 points below you. It's obviously possible to get in considering you're beating a fraction of the student body for SAT scores, but you're going to have to do a lot of convincing.</p>

<p>It looks like you have a mix of reaches and some good target schools - you may need a couple safeties for both admissions and/or financial. Princetonreview.com is a good resource for gauging the competitiveness of your stats. And BTW, you'll need to spell Allegheny and Dickinson Colleges correctly when you write your essays. :)</p>

<p>your extracurriculars look amazing, but you might as well take the SATs again. I took them three times, there's no shame in it!</p>

<p>I think your test scores will drag you down. You should retake. Did you take any SAT Subject Tests?</p>

<p>you definately have a good shot at Lafayette and Dickinson.
I would just improve your scores and maybe consider taking the ACT again.</p>

<p>Here are my purely subjective thoughts on your list:</p>

<p>Cornell Very Great Reach
Colby Great Reach
Colgate Great Reach
Bates Great Reach
Bucknell Great Reach
Allegany Match
Franklin & Marshall Match
Lafayette Reach
Dickenson Match</p>

<p>If you increased your SAT scores by 200 points this whole equation changes. Did you really study hard for your last SATs? If you did, your results are troubling; would you consider taking an SAT prep class?</p>

<p>With your current scores, and even with your impressive class rank, GPA and EC's, you do not have any safeties on this list. Some small LAC's in the mid-Atlantic that you might want to consider as safeties are Ursinus, Muhlenberg, Goucher, Drew or McDaniel. </p>

<p>I am not trying to discourage you from applying to any of the schools on your list. Everyone needs a portfolio of reaches, matches and safeties to play this admission game. You need to shore up the safety side of your portfolio.</p>