Chance a Junior for Ivies and other ultra-selective colleges

I think you’re a really strong candidate, especially since you have great standardized test scores and therefore can move on to other issues. (You probably want one more subject test for Georgetown.) You won’t be one of those applicants who is struggling in the Fall to take the ACT/SAT/subject tests one more time and is running out of testing dates. Keep up the strong GPA and spend the next 7-8 months thinking hard about what is your top choice and think about applying EA or ED if you have a clear 1st choice (you mentioned Wharton) and finances permit. Some of the schools on your list offer a significant advantage if you apply early, others not so much.

My D was just admitted ED1 to Pomona. I would describe her as an unhooked high stats white girl. I think it helped her a lot to have a clear first choice and apply early to a school where her stats were comfortably within their profile. Her fellow honors students at her high school were all applying early to HYPS and most were deferred. In her junior year she was considering Stanford SCEA (she was legacy) but by fall of senior year she knew that Pomona was her #1. I think it helped her a lot to apply ED1 while lots of others with her stats were using their early app for HYPS.

Get out there and visit as much as possible and interview this summer and early fall if possible. When you visit, make sure the Admissions Office knows you were there. Usually you either pre-register and/or you check in when you arrive. Some schools count demonstrated interest more than others. But I don’t consider the Common Data Set to be the final word on this. I think demonstrating interest can only help at any LAC. For example, the Pomona CDS says that demonstrated interest is not considered. But when D filled out the Pomona Member Page on the Common App, there was a spot to list 3 contacts with the school, and D was able to list her junior year visit, senior year interview, and her meeting at her high school with the local rep. She also had kept notes of names, so when she listed her contacts she gave specific names of people she’d met/interviewed with. Again, not every college asks for or lets you list that, but you might not find out until you actually access that college’s member page so be prepared as much as possible.

Anyway, good luck. Enjoy the rest of your high school time. Think about starting on your essays this summer. My D had almost all of her essays (including supplements) done so that if she had not gotten into her ED school, she would have the other apps ready to file. By contrast, I saw others on Dec. 31/Jan. 1 on CC who had been deferred or rejected ED/EA who were rushing to finalize essays for their backup schools. Don’t be that person. Especially since the Common App website seems to crash when everyone is rushing to meet the deadline. Best wishes.