Here is some information about me:
Objective:
SAT Subject: Math 2 (720)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.95 unweighted, 4.38 weighted
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 29/450
AP (place score in parenthesis): World History (3), Calc AB (5), Lang (5), Bio (3), APUSH (4)
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Developed a patent pending medical alert bracelet for the elderly, founder and CEO of my own business (I guess this is leadership…), have won local business awards, have been recognized in the local newspaper as well as Buzzfeed and HuffingtonPost, violinist in my local orchestra where I have performed at the National Theatre and the Kennedy Center, created a Youtube channel (founder) where I play Indian music on the violin.
Volunteer/Community service: Manage social media for a local nonprofit (lead manager)
Summer Activities: Starbucks Barista (shift manager), got online degrees in classes from Harvard, ASU, etc.
Other
Intended Major: Business or finance
State (if domestic applicant): VA (NoVA)
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: $150,000+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, legacy etc.): no
Oh, and my SAT is 1530 (790M, 740CR)
I’d say that Duke, Penn, and Harvard are significant reaches. NYU and UVa are probably high matches.
Thank you for your insight. Could you just explain why specifically it’s a reach for the ivys and duke?
Duke and the Ivys are reaches for EVERYONE. The acceptance rates are below 10%
Well, your SAT math score isn’t great. Your overall SAT score is probably fine. Your APs are a little sub-par but your ECs seem pretty solid (I didn’t read through them carefully the first time around). You’re also not from a disadvantaged background (being asian doesn’t help either).
I think your ECs are great (although I suspect that some schools may view them as “rich kid ECs”). Your academic credentials are stellar but not spectacular. I think the Starbucks EC is actually a great addition because it makes you seem less “privileged”.
I see a lot of things to love but it seems like your app is silver not gold. That’s why I think the super elite schools will be reaches (not impossible by any means).
Additional Note: You aren’t in the 99th percentile of your HS class.
If I was in your position, I’d ED to either Penn or Duke.
Thank you, this was very helpful.
a 790 on math on the SAT “isnt great” now?
You are a competitive applicant. Your stats and ECs are good. The above poster probably meant that your SAT Math II score isn’t amazing, since the curve is pretty large. Write great essays and you could get accepted to any of these schools
@Retrotech201 the top 20 percent of sat mathematics 2 test takers get an 800; getting a 790 only puts you at about the top 25th percentile. (which honestly shouldn’t matter all that much if OP goes into business and not a specifically STEM field, but it’s a thing).