Chance me for my reaches and safeties

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

I’m applying to 12 schools. Before you scream at me, keep in mind that most are on the common app and I plan on starting applications early, so it’s really only like 6 apps + supplements. Anyway, here’s some stuff about me:

Academics

GPA: 4.0 UW
Classes: Packed schedules with the highest courses available. Seven APs and 5 dual enrollments in total. Everything else is honors.
SAT: 1500 (790 Verbal/710 Math)
ACT: didn’t take it yet but planning on a 32
Awards/honors: nothing
Intended major: Economics

Extracurriculars

-Spanish Honor Society: joined in 10th, went to a few meetings but never really engaged or participated. Stopped going in junior year and probably will continue not going as a senior. I’m still technically “in” it since I was inducted, but I’m in no way active
-Math Team: we literally only meet for competitions, we don’t practice (or win)
-Science Bowl: I’m going to the competition but the event I’m doing (bio-related) is excruciatingly boring so I don’t expect a win
-Mock Trial: this is actually the one thing I like. We haven’t competed yet but the school we’re up against is pretty sub-par so I’m working on picking up that W
-Environmental Club: this is fairly new and I’m not so sure if I’m gonna continue it (none of my friends are in it or want to join), but it has the potential to look good if we actually do some important stuff

  • No officer positions in any of these (as much as I hate to say it, clubs are extremely cliquey so the outgoing senior officers pick their junior friends to replace them. Unfortunately none of my friends are officers)
    -Summer job as a camp counselor. 2 years volunteer, 2 years paid
    -No sports or music or drama to speak of
    -That’s about it. As you can tell, I kind of took a laundry list approach to this. I haven’t really stuck to any of them and there’s not a terribly great room for advancement or expansion in any of them. I know colleges like seeing that but it’s kind of hard, sports is really the big thing in my school and it’s definitely bolstered at the expense of other academic ECs.

Other

Obviously I don’t have recommendations yet, but I don’t expect them to be very dazzling. None of my teachers know me outside the classroom and inside the classroom I’m just a quiet kid who gets good grades. I’ve spoken with my counselor about three times I think, and it was literally just for small talk/course switching. I’m about 95% sure that the principal doesn’t even know my name. Outside of school, I don’t have any meaningful ECs or internships or stuff like that. I don’t tutor or code in my free time or volunteer, I do normal teenager stuff. Video games, hanging out, etc. Obviously you can tell that academics is the strong point while ECs are pretty standard. My in-states are terrible, I’m from NY and while our university system is pretty solid in terms of academics, in terms of everything else it’s not too hot. I know people who go to the four main universities, and they all say that the atmosphere is a) soul-crushing and depressing b) boring and uninspiring or c) shallow and just like high school. I’m not interested in any of those things, and I’ve had the conversation with my parents about it. They have quite some money saved up for me and they’re okay with me going to a private or out-of-state public despite the high price tags. I’ve organized my schools into reaches and matches/safeties (I can’t really distinguish between the two). So without further ado, here they are:

Reaches:
-MIT
-Stanford
-Harvard
-Chicago
-Berkeley
-UCLA

Matches/Safeties:
-NYU
-Northeastern
-Michigan-Ann Arbor
-Minnesota-Twin Cities
-Texas-Austin
-Washington-Seattle

My main question is, is this list too ambitious? Do I need a safety or two or do you think my chances of getting into at least one of these places is pretty good? I know it’s pretty top-heavy in terms of reaches but I reasoned that my GPA/SAT makes me pretty competitive at my match/safety schools. Is this just wishful thinking or is my plan sound? If I’m being ridiculous with this list, what do you think would be some good safeties? Of course I’d go to one of my state schools before community college, so I’d pick that as a safety, but is there anywhere else? Thanks in advance for the help and sorry for the large amount of questions

2

Since you are OOS for all the publics they are not really safeties. Your reaches are reaches and your matches are matches. Some of the matches may reject you because they will think that you are using them as safeties, which you are.

3

@TomSrOfBoston

I’m not actually considering matches and safeties the same thing, I just lumped them in the same category because I’m not sure which schools are which. But you’re saying that only an in-state can be a safety?

4

Some out-of-states can be safeties. But the top ones (i.e., the ones you’re applying to) are not safeties. UT Austin’s out-of-state acceptance rate is on par with the Ivies. And can you afford UCLA or UC Berkeley out-of-state? They won’t give you aid; you’d pay the full $60,000 a year.

Don’t rag on the SUNYs, either, they’re fine institutions.

Reaches: MIT, Stanford, Harvard, Chicago, UC Berkeley, UCLA, UT Austin, UMich
Matches: NYU, Northeastern, UDub
Safeties: UMinnesota?

You should probably cull your number of reaches, and add a few more matches and safeties.

5

Being within the mid 50 of UMich does not really make it a safety or a match particularly from OOS. It’s admission stat is near UCLA or UCB
.

6

Yeah, Michigan won’t be a safety. It’s tough to predict your ACT score, take it and then you’ll have a more concrete idea of what your chances are. Almost all of the reaches you listed as reaches are reaches for 4.0/1600 people. and some of your matches are, too, some of your safeties are matches.

Remember, exactly fitting the average profile of a college doesn’t make it a safety, it makes it a match. You have a lot of time, study for your tests a lot, starting essays too early won’t be a bad thing, but also make sure you engage more in classes. Regardless of whether or not it’s who you are, colleges don’t want a quiet kid who will get good grades, they want someone really engaged in everything who can contribute to them. Best of luck.

7

Agree with the previous posters. Also, your EC’s show that you just kind of went along for the ride. Nothing stands out.

You’re a kid who studied and got good grades but no one really can show anything else. Your reaches are really reaches. You have no activities in your intended major.

You need some state safeties.
FYI: my California daughter picked SUNY Buffalo and loved it (her other choices were UC’s and Hopkins). She had never really been in snow before and wanted to experience the season changes. She learned how to drive in snow! Don’t be so harsh on your in state! You’ll be lucky to get in!

8

Why are you taking the ACT if you know you’re going to do worse than the Sat you already took? That’s a waste of your time.
Your EC’s aren’t particularly impressive or interesting, but you’re clearly an intelligent kid.

Reaches:
-MIT: Please apply. I think you have a great chance.
-Stanford: Try it, but doesn’t look too good.
-Harvard: Try it, but doesn’t look too good.
-Chicago: Try it, but doesn’t look too good.
-Berkeley: I guarantee you will get in.
-UCLA: I guarantee you will get in.

Matches/Safeties:
-NYU: I guarantee you will get in.
-Northeastern: You will get in.
-Michigan-Ann Arbor: You will get in.
-Minnesota-Twin Cities: You will get in.
-Texas-Austin: Will get in.
-Washington-Seattle: Will get in.

You don’t need this many safeties. I think your list is very sufficient. Good luck!