I don’t know much about UNC Chapel Hill. However, given your stats plus in-state status I think that it has to be an affordable safety. Applying EA has the advantage that you will probably hear back sooner and this might improve your chances of financial aid. Thus applying EA to Chapel Hill makes a lot of sense to me.
I am thinking that Fordham is a second safety. Having a second safety also makes a lot of sense to me.
Given how strong UNC Chapel Hill is and how likely you are to get in, I agree that it doesn’t make any sense to apply anywhere else unless the “anywhere else” is a significant step up from UNC CH. I don’t think that there are very many schools that would count as a “significant step up”. As such I think that having your other applications focussing on very strong schools such as the Ivy’s that you have listed above also makes a lot of sense.
I am not able to guess what your chances are of significant aid from UVA. I would not take on significant debt to go there rather than UNC Chapel Hill. The Ivy’s that you have listed can on the most part afford to give significant aid and as such given your stats are worth an application, even if acceptance and level of aid are hard to predict.
With your income level I think that you are going to want to compare offers from different schools before making a decision. As such I think that avoiding applying anywhere ED is entirely the correct choice.
As such, it looks to me like your list makes a lot of sense, and that you are a very strong student and should do very well. Remember that university will be more demanding than high school, but you are clearly very much ready for it. Good luck and best wishes!
Also, be aware that when a socialist gets elected president (I think that it will happen), your political views might very well change dramatically. This is normal and has happened to other people in countries where socialists have gotten elected.
“Also, be aware that when a socialist gets elected president (I think that it will happen), your political views might very well change dramatically. This is normal and has happened to other people in countries where socialists have gotten elected.”
@Noahfireih@DadTwoGirls lol on the socialism issue. Brown, Columbia and UChicago will feel more like home to you, but I don’t know if that’s a good thing, or not at college.
OK demo, lower middle class, southern white male.
Great grades, great scores, great rigor. Don’t see much about your community service or volunteering, top schools want to see real service - not just hours- , especially from a political applicant. They want to see meaningful action that changes a community, not just putting hours.
I think you will have a slightly difficult application to Princeton / Harvard because you seem passionate about government and politics, yet your scores (AP and SATII) show minor weakness there vs. the STEM side of you. LIkewise, your ECs are muddy (STEM vs. Politics). This makes it hard for the adcoms to understand who you are and therefore what role you have to play in the class they are trying to assemble. So, it will come down to your essay, can you create a unique narrative that is memorable and that differentiates you from the other model UN valedictorians that are applying in the hundreds, if not thousands.
Are my AP scores really that much a potential deal-breaker? I took 6 exams last year and was too busy maintaining my grade to study extensively for all of them–further, all my social sciences courses were first semester, and since I’m on block schedule, I hadn’t been taught the material in 5 months.
I’m really concerned now. Also, I decided not to apply to UVA.
UNC Chapel Hill is a great school. Plenty of students from there do graduate school at pretty much any top US school that you could name. Assuming your applications are in, Relax. You will do well.
You have relatively good chances at these schools. Nothing really wrong in your application. Only thing that other applicants may have on you would be major awards or incredible ECs such as winning ISEF or getting published in the NY Times (there are only a handful of these kind of students). But, the Ivies are still all reaches. Make sure you nail the essays and the interviews.
I think you have a very strong profile. I don’t believe the AP scores matter at all, the Sat 2s are ok. I think the combo of politics and technology could be very interesting. You are not one dimensional. Also, there are plenty of areas of overlap you could think about - e.g… cybersecurity.
I agree with the comment by doorrealthe above - that for the tippy top schools you might be lacking the major awards/incredible ECs. You’ll see how that unfolds.
I would think about removing the Harvard summer programs from your common app for your RD applications. 2 summers there shows such a strong interest in attending Harvard. Some of the other schools might not think you are as serious about them. You have enough other ECs without it.
Good luck.