<p>Ok I'm a junior and I go to a prestigious private liberal arts high school. It's about 1200 students and it usually sends about 5-10 kids to Ivies each year. There are not that many AP's offered, and you have to test into them to take the class. The curriculum is VERY rigorous and the standards set for students are incredibly high.
...Stats: (including what I'll do for senior year)
11 Honors-All A's& B's except for math...definitely not my forte
4 AP's...European History, Statistics, Government, and Economics (Micro and Macro)
1840 SAT--not too great but I don't think I'm going to send it anywhere
30 ACT-35 English, 26 Math (again, not my forte), 32 Reading, 26 Science, 9 Essay
3.8 weighted GPA...my school doesn't do rank
I'm taking SAT II's in Latin and English lit in the fall.
...EC's
4 years of swimming-3 on varsity-coaches award soph year
3 years of lacrosse-soph captain, Coaches award Junior year
Student council Rep. Soph/Jr year, Vice pres senior year
Newspaper, Sports/Front Page editor & contributing writer
NHS
Magna Cum Laude award-National Latin Exam
Youth Summit Leader
...Hooks
NONE. It really makes me nervous. I have no legacy at any schools I am interested in, but I can get REALLY good recs from my teachers, coaches, and counselor. I would be interested in playing lacrosse in college. I am a goalie and apparently those are really good for scouting but we'll see. </p>
<p>What I'm Interested In...be honest when you chance me!!</p>
<p>Brown
Carleton
William and Mary
Cornell
Denison
St. Olaf
UMichigan
UMinnesota
UVA
Madison
Vanderbilt
Villanova
Wake Forest</p>
<p>Any suggestions would be great! Thanks for all the help!!!</p>
<p>I forgot--I'm working at a law firm this summer which I heard will give me an advantage since it will "prepare me for the real world." Thoughts?</p>
<p>Are you male or female? Do you need financial aid/scholarships?</p>
<p>First of all, I want to address the perception you have of your high school. Your description does not fit the definition of a "prestigious" or "rigorous" high school. The independent schools that fit that definition tend to get a lot more kids into ivies than that, and kids tend to take AP level courses whether they are so designated or not, and do well on the AP tests. </p>
<p>Most good private schools keep careful records on who gets in where with what profile. Your GC would be able to tell you where kids with your app tend to go, and the luck they have with a number of those schools, such as UW Madison, Mich, Minnesota., and such. I would recommend doing those rolling schools as early as possible for the best chance of entry, and as a litmus test as to where you stand. Also I would look for a good safety school for your self, in case those early looks do not pan out. </p>
<p>Have you checked if 2 SAT2s are enough for all of the schools on your list? Right now, to be honest with you, your list tends to be on the reach side. You should be looking at a few more safeties that you can consider. Not necessarily have to apply to , but that you have investigated and like.</p>
<p>5-10 into Ivies seems a little low for a prestigious private. However, if you're omitting Ivy-equivalents OR students just don't apply to Ivies, then no problem.</p>
<p>Presuming your school IS prestigious, though:</p>
<p>Brown – Reach
Carleton - High fit
William and Mary - </p>
<p>If you want to send your SAT IIs, you're not going to be able to hide your SAT I score. They're all on the same report.</p>
<p>See if you can study the math and science sections of the ACT this summer and retake it in the fall. Get the Real ACT book, take some practice tests, and take the time to read the solutions to problems you get wrong. If you can up your score by 7 points between them (for instance, 29 math and 30 science) and keep your other sections constant, you'll be looking at a 32 composite.</p>
<p>NewEngSocSciMan, when you say fit, high fit, low fit, what do you mean?</p>
<p>cptofthehouse--I'm female, and I guess I'm not in dire need of financial aid, but scholarships would be greatly appreciated! Also, to clear up the descriptionof my school--it's pretty small (about 1100 students) and for the area that I live in, 5-10 ivies a year is unheard of. But on a larger scale, I can understand how I described it incorrectly</p>
<p>bump...............</p>
<p>bump again...i know youre looking please help!!!!!</p>
<p>Talk to the coaches. If you're good enough to be recruited at some of these schools, you're in. :) Start talking to them now. A good friend who's doing D1 sports in college talked to the coaches so late that she had limited time to talk to all the coaches interested in her. Start doing it over the summer!</p>
<p>Brown- Very high reach
Carleton- fit
William and Mary- reach
Cornell- High reach
Denison- fit
St. Olaf- fit
UMichigan- fit
UMinnesota- safety
UVA- very high reach
Madison- safety
Vanderbilt- low reach
Villanova- fit
Wake Forest- fit</p>
<p>which one should i concentrate on more: william and mary or cornell?</p>
<p>help me!! i want to start apps ASAP!</p>
<p>Thanks for chancing me. While I think you have great ec's, you should really either improve your SAT or your ACTs to make you a more viable candidate. Cornell and Brown are reaches, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't apply.</p>
<p>Don't worry about not having a "hook." Most people don't have some extreme talent or ability in one area. Just show yourself as you are, emphasize your strengths and your passions. </p>
<p>W&M and UVA might be harder for you because you are OOS.</p>
<p>UMich is a low reach. Your unweighted gpa will probably not be high enough to admit you from OOS.</p>