Can PG help me?

<p>Last year I applied to Harvard, Yale, and University of Chicago, along with safety schools, with this:</p>

<p>The Good: Test Scores
SAT: 800-800-780
ACT: 36
SAT II: 800 (Wld Hist), 780 (Lit), 760 (Physics)
APs: 5 Eng Comp, 5 US Hist</p>

<p>The Bad: Grades
3.55 UW in rigorous classes, 4.05 weighted</p>

<p>The Ugly: Class Rank
25%, 70-something out of 300-something at a public KS High School (bleeping grade inflation)</p>

<p>ECs are weighted towards academics, including NFL qualification in forensics twice and 1st place in my GPA class for the Academic Decathlon online competition twice, with good community service hours, STUCO and BSA leadership, and involvement in football during sophomore and senior years.</p>

<p>I was not accepted to my three reaches. I tried something weird and did a PG year at a CT to redress age differences and let me focus on classes and ECs without distractions at home, as well as get a few spring achievements from last year on the list. Plus get better counseling: my old counselor sent everything in a month late because she decided to get preggers. </p>

<p>My questions are as follows:</p>

<p>1) Do I have a real shot at these schools this time if I get good grades and involvement here?
2) Do I have real shots at the following: Cornell, Wash. St Louis, Dartmouth, MIT, Stanford
3) Are there other universities you would recommend that I have a good chance of getting admitted to that have strong social and pure science departments?</p>

<p>You’ll get the best ansers to this from your counselor. HYPS are near impossible from anywhere. At the prep school you’ll face a lot of legacies, top URMs and development kids you were not competing against back in KS. </p>

<p>But you have great scores and if you do well this year schools like Cornell and WashU look like a good bet.</p>