can I get an honest opinion? please help me!

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Hey so I am a senior in high school and I need an honest point of view about my chances for some colleges. The thing is that my grades and statistics are not the highlight of my applications. I have relatively low scores compared with who I am, and I really want to go to a top school, but they are holding me back a bit. If you have any other suggestions please let me know, and do not hold back I need to know where I stand before I go through with applying to all these places. Thanks so much for all your help!!</p>

<p>Grades</p>

<p>9th Grade (3/7 honors classes)
Fall: 3.8 weighted/ 3.41 unweighted
Spring: 4.0 weighted/ 3.57 unweighted</p>

<p>10th Grade (4/7 honors classes)
Fall: 4.0 weighted/ 3.42 unweighted
Spring: 3.86 weighted/ 3.28 unweighted</p>

<p>11th Grade (4/7 honors classes)
Fall: 4.43 weighted/ 3.86 unweighted
Spring: 4.14 weighted/ 3.57 unweighted</p>

<p>12th Grade</p>

<p>I am taking AP Stats, AP Lit, Physics Honors, US Gov Honors, Theatre IB, Spanish 4, Religion 4</p>

<p>ACT/SAT
I have not taken them yet, but I am taking the ACT this Saturday. My estimate for the ACT is a 29-31 because of the PLAN test that I took which converted my score. </p>

<p>AP Scores
Biology: 3
Language and Composition: 4
US History: 4</p>

<p>Other than school I have really good extra curriculars and activities. </p>

<ul>
<li>800 volunteer hours at a hospital</li>
<li>President of the High School Auxiliary at the hospital I volunteer at</li>
<li>During junior year I had two jobs amounting to a total of 30 hours a week of commitment</li>
<li>President of the Young Democrats Club</li>
<li>4 year member of MUN</li>
<li>President and Co-founder of the UNICEF Club</li>
<li>I live with a single parent, and have had some personal difficulties as well over the past couple of years</li>
</ul>

<p>SCHOOLS</p>

<ul>
<li>Stanford</li>
<li>Duke</li>
<li>Boston College</li>
<li>Vanderbilt</li>
<li>Texas A&M</li>
<li>USC</li>
<li>Rice University</li>
<li>Tufts University</li>
<li>Notre Dame</li>
<li>Northwestern</li>
<li>Johns Hopkins</li>
<li>Georgetown</li>
<li>Cornell</li>
<li>Columbia</li>
<li>NYU</li>
<li>University of Chicago</li>
<li>UC Berkeley</li>
<li>UCLA</li>
<li>UC Davis</li>
<li>UC Irvine</li>
<li>Brown</li>
</ul>

<p>I know that these are a lot of schools, but I really want to keep my options open until I see what everyone thinks I can get into. If you think of something else please please please let me know so I can consider it. I really want to truth so thank you so much!!!!!!!!!!!!</p>

2

<p>I also have a huge passion for medicine. I did a medical externship this past summer with a surgeon and I without a doubt want to go into medicine. I know that it is right for me and after experiencing it first hand, I really love it. It is so exciting. I want to major in business, international relations, or biology and minor in the two I do not major in. I know they are different for med school, but it really is what interests me. Thanks again!!</p>

3

<p>I also did track for three years on JV.</p>

4

<p>A few of your higher colleges are quite a reach, but the majority seem like a safe bet. You have to understand that higher ranked colleges get students with great ECs all the time, and many of them have great grades on top of that. You have to write your essays in a way that make you seem different despite your slightly subpar (at least for some of your choices) grades.</p>

5

<p>Which schools do you think I would have an ok chance at?
Thanks!!!</p>

6

<p>In the absence of any 5s on your AP Tests getting into the schools on your list will be a challenge. My suggestion is that you immediately take 3 SAT Subject Tests and try to score above 700 on at least a couple. Just a high score on the ACT will probably not help you except at A&M and possibly UC Irivine and UC Davis. The rest are out of reach in my opinion.</p>

7

<p>The schools you listed are mostly reaches, with the exception of perhaps Irvine, Davis, A&M, Boston College and maybe even NYU.</p>

<p>It appears you’ll have around a ~3.5/4.0 and 30 ACT which isn’t bad but certainly makes your shot at Stanford, NW, etc quite far reaches. If your interest is medicine/science, I would recommend you look into more matching schools like Case Western/high-rated public school/etc in addition to a few top places where you should apply anyway, if you really feel your grades/scores don’t reflect your ability and that your recommendations and essays can give a clearer, truer picture.</p>

<p>Wish you the best!</p>

8

<p>Stanford, Duke, Vanderbilt, Notre Dame, Northwestern, Johns Hopkins, Georgetown, Cornell, Columbia, NYU, University of Chicago, Brown and probably at least some of the UCs (I don’t know really know their stats) are all reaches, very high reaches at that. Your GPA is low for all them, it seems that you test scores won’t compensate and your ECs don’t compensate. Realistically you won’t get in, pick one or two if they really stand out and other then that aim for more matches.</p>