<p>Objective:
SAT I: 1570/2370: 800 CR, 770 M, 800 W
SAT IIs: 800 Literature, 780 Math II, 700 Physics
GPA: 97/105 W - this is like a 3.6 UW?
Rank: I'm ~85-90th percentile of class of 665
(very competitive public school on Long Island, sends like 20+ kids to Ivies)</p>
<p>APs: Stats - 4, World History - 5, AB Calc (subscore) - 5, Language & Comp. - 5, USH - 5, Physics B - 4, BC Calc - 4</p>
<p>Senior Year:
Multivariable Calc & Linear Algebra
AP Chemistry
AP Latin
AP Gov & Politics
AP Literature
Wind Ensemble</p>
<p>ECs:
- 100 community service hours from local hospital
- 25 from various opportunities @ service camp
- auditioned for + accepted to Wind Ensemble (clarinet for 9 years)
- vocal music for 11 years, a few awards
- editor in chief of school newspaper 9th grade
- section editor 11th + 12th (wrote about newspaper for my EC writing thingy on the common app)
- varsity track though high school
- national honors society
- national merit semi-finalist
- regional awards for science olympiad</p>
<p>Other:
I think my essay is quite good. I've gotten some really positive feedback on it and have been told that it's competitive for any school. My recs should be very good as well because the teachers I asked are really reliable and i'm good friends with them. </p>
<p>I'm a senior and I'm currently applying to colleges. My list doesn't have many reaches so I thought I'd go for a few LACs. I plan to study Economics.</p>
<p>I dunno if this helps, but not many kids apply to top LACs from my high school.</p>
<p>Chance me for:
Vassar
Haverford
Swarthmore (...a girl can dream :D)</p>
<p>& do you have any other LAC recommendations??</p>
<p>Great chance for any of those schools. What exactly do you like about each of them? I can see the similarities between Swat and Haverford, but Vassar? All top LACs, but with very different personalities.</p>
<p>really? I know my test scores are above the averages but my GPA is kind of awful with respect to my peers.</p>
<p>I’d say I was ranked like…80/665?</p>
<p>the disparity is mostly cus my dad’s the one pushing me to apply to Vassar since it’s in-state and within drivable distance. but to be honest, i haven’t looked into them properly yet. my guidance counselor is a fan of Haverford and i have a good friend that attends Swarthmore and assured me that i’d love it.</p>
<p>i definitely plan on doing more research before i apply but i wanted to check first to see if it was a lost cause, i guess.</p>
<p>Vassar: High match
Swarthmore: Reach
Haverford: High match
CMU: Match
NYU Stern: Match
NWU: Reach
Wash U: High match
Cornell: High match
UMI: Safety
JHU: Reach</p>
<p>My D is applying to Swat with very similar profile to yours. She also knows it is very much a reach… I pretty much agree with Cartia’s take on how each school matches your stats.</p>
<p>If you haven’t visited, I consider Haverford and Swat to be very different. Yes, both are LACs in close proximity to each other. I think of Haverford as more communal, less intense than Swat. But EVERYPLACE is less intense than Swat; that is really Swat’s overriding feature. Both do have very pretty campuses. Haverford in more of an almost Amish sort of style, while Swat is almost like an arboretum.</p>
<p>ooh those campuses sound lovely! thank you for the info, it’s much appreciated. i’ve been looking into LACs more and the schools don’t really seem like a good fit for me. i’m still going to try for Swat because i’ve heard so many good things about it, but if by some chance i somehow manage to get in, i’ll definitely have to visit and check out the feel of campus for myself before deciding if i want to go.</p>
<p>I will be honest about my impression of Swat. The campus is lovely… but I think Swatties are so engrossed (and deeply stressed) by their studies that they do not have a lot of time or energy to enjoy it. I have a couple of relatives who went there, and they definitely fit that profile. It is a place with a deep seriousness of purpose about it. Now, my D is one of those types of people… and that is what draws her to Swat. It is all about the academic intensity for her. There is no setting that is “too high” for her on that scale (that she has found yet, but Swat would test her). But unless that is truly your deepest desire in a college, you may want to keep looking. Just because a friend is happy at a college is not a good reason to apply there.</p>
<p>Why do you think the other LACs you have looked at are not a good fit? If you can articulate that more, there is a lot of accumulated knowledge and experience out here that could help you identify schools that might be a good fit.</p>
<p>i’m looking into schools with larger undergraduate populations, for starters. i dunno if small schools are my thing. there are more students in my high school in grades 10-12 than there are attending Swat. </p>
<p>i’m definitely looking for academically rigorous schools, though. CMU Tepper is my top choice, and CMU’s known for having a really studious + quirky student body, haha.</p>
<p>the “deep seriousness and purpose” bit is definitely a turn off for me, though. i’m definitely serious about my studies, but i’m not really an overall serious person. i’m (a bit too) carefree when it comes to most things, and really into the social aspects of college life, too. and even though pretty campuses are generally a plus, i prefer urban environments.</p>
<p>so at the moment i’m not 100% sure about applying to Swat. i just feel like it’s an option i should leave open because i haven’t considered schools of its type previously, so that if i do manage to get accepted, i’ll at least have an opportunity to check out the school and see if it actually is my type.</p>
<p>and again, thanks for all the info! this is super helpful to know :D</p>