Can someone please chance me? Thank you so much if you do!

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

Intended Major(s): Math

ACT/SAT/SAT II: SAT - 1540 : SAT Math II - 800 (predicted) : SAT Physics - 790

UW/W GPA and Rank: UW - 3.87/4.0 : W - 5.45/6.0 : Ranked 17th out of maybe 450 kids?

Coursework: AP Exam 5s : Human Geography, Calculus BC, Stats, Physics 1, Physics C (both parts), Comp. Sci, & Chem

AP Exam 4s : World History, US History, Language

AP Exam 3s: Don’t think I will get this on any of the APs that I’m taking this year (APES, Lit, Macro, or Gov)

Have taken multi-variable calculus, linear algebra, differential equations, and am taking intro to abstract math + intro to real analysis this year (all from JHU CTY online courses)

Taking physics at my local uni

Awards: National AP Scholar : National Merit Finalist : got to take the USAJMO & USAMO

Extracurriculars: 2yrs Founder & president of the Math & Physics Olympiad Club at my school (built a website and stuff for it); went to state for Math UIL x2 (hope to go this year as well); went to state for BPA x1 : went to HCSSiM & Ross Math Program

Essays/LORs/Other: Know I have 1 really strong one for sure (Physics teacher, he’s known me for two years through my classes and my olympiad club): other LOR is probably average: I think my essays are solid

Schools: ED either Harvard or Cornell

EA MIT, Georgia Tech, UC Berkeley, Princeton, Yale, CalTech

RD UT Austin, Johns Hopkins, Notre Dame, Boston University, Rice, NorthWestern, Duke

Safety Schools: UT Dallas, Texas Tech, University of North Texas

2

FYI, Yale and Princeton are both single choice EA, so if you apply to either, you can’t apply to any other schools on you list EA.

3

UCs do not have EA-Berkeley is RD.

Since you list Texas schools as safeties/matches, I’m assuming that OP is a Texas resident.

Looks like a laundry list of Top-10 schools: OP should do some research to figure out why those specific schools.

4

This is a lot of schools to apply to. To me this looks like a good list, but it might be a good idea to reduce the number of schools to apply to a bit. If nothing else, this would allow you to spend more time on each application.

I am guessing the same as @Hamurtle, that OP is probably in-state in Texas. If this is the case, I would definitely leave UT Austin on the list, and at least one of the listed in-state safeties (although my wild guess is that UT Austin is pretty safe also).

Harvard, MIT, and Princeton are of course really good for math, and I think that OP is competitive and thus these are reasonable reaches, as long as OP wants to work very hard for four years.

5

The list is OK, but it’s WAY too top heavy. You’ll end up getting into 1 or 2 of the bigger ones on the list, then find out you can’t afford it. California costs more than a private school because of 1) less financial aid for nonresidents, and 2) the cost of living. As a good rule of thumb for private schools, whatever comes back on the Net Price Calculator, add about 20% more in expected payment. Financial aid results ALWAYS come back lower. Unless you have a guaranteed scholarship, I would scratch the private schools off the list. They’re a poor value for a bachelors degree anyway.

This leaves GA Tech(if you can afford out of state), UT-Austin, and your safety schools. These are the schools you’re likely going to end-up going to. It looks like you’re probably interested in STEM or something in engineering. You’re an auto-admit for UT, and you’ve got a very good chance of being selected for the engineering school. Assuming you’re in Texas, I would add Texas A&M to the list also. A&M has the same prestige as UT in engineering and technology.

6

Harvard does not offer ED. Among the Ivies, HYP are the three that offer (non-binding) single choice early action (note that Harvard calls it restrictive early action), while the other five offer binding ED. “Single choice” means that you can apply to ONLY one of the HYP in the early round, AND to no other private institution that offers ED or EA. See also response #1 by vhsdad.