chance me for UChicago, Rice, other top 20 schools ?

@Zorbinger
Maybe you’re thinking of rice/baylor acceptance rate ? It’s usually around 30% of applicants who get into the school (though not necessarily the program itself)
And yeah, being so close to rice is not helping me haha , but a lot of kids from my school end up going there, so there’s some hope

And do you mean with strong SAT subject scores , or if I re take the SAT reasoning test ?

Do you have any hooks? Are you apply for FA? I mean I really think you’ll get into Rice but these factors are at play. Also, you’re ECs are a tad weak- well they don’t stand out is what I mean

@0br0123
only hook is that i’m a female in engineering, and i might be able to get a professor to write me a letter of rec (or at least vouch for me in some way). not applying for FA.
yeah, ECs aren’t the best but there’s nothing i can do about them now :confused:

After going through the college process myself this year, I’m going to give you a few pieces of advice.

  1. Don’t take the ACT. Your SAT score is already very impressive and considered competitive at top schools (and yes, even at Ivies like Harvard and Yale). At a certain point, whether or not you are accepted really comes down to a matter of fit (if the school sees you as as a good fit for their student body), which they will determine through your Common app essay and supplementals. I wouldn’t worry about doing any more standardized testing, like the ACT. However, DO take the SAT IIs because they are required for admission for many of the schools you listed.

  2. It seems like you are only applying to schools that are very, very, selective and difficult to get into. Yes, you have a 2240 SAT and you have a good GPA, but there are THOUSANDS of other students with the same merits. Make sure you apply to 4 reaches, 4 match schools, and 4 safeties. Focus on the quality of your applications, not quantity.

  3. Have you really researched all those schools that you listed? Make sure you can see yourself flourishing both academically and personally (you don’t want to be miserable for 4 years) at each college you’re applying to, and make sure that it has your intended major (yes, even at your safety school). For instance, Georgetown is mostly known for its prominence in preparing students for business and international relations, but not so much engineering.

  4. Is cost an issue here? If you can afford the college sticker price (around $60,000 a year), you might consider applying to wonderful public institutions like Berkeley, UMich, and Georgia Tech. Carnegie Mellon, RPI/Penn State (if you’re looking for a safety), Cornell, and Virginia Tech, to my knowledge, also have strong engineering programs.

  5. Remember that the program that you graduate from at a college is worth much more than the prestige of the college’s name. For instance, although a college degree from Dartmouth is very prestigious, the school isn’t exactly known for its prowess in engineering----attending a school like Texas A&M, which albeit is associated with “less prestige” as a non-Ivy, would be the better choice because it has a better engineering program, and the professors, classes, and knowledge that you gain from it will be far more valuable for your future engineering endeavors.

Lastly, I disagree with @0br0123. I think your extracurriculars are pretty interesting. Make sure you list your most important extracurriculars, and elaborate on your contributions in your Common Application. SHOW, not TELL, why you do them (esp in your essays).

–As for Rice, don’t fret. You might be one of those 7 who enroll at Rice every year. Just focus on writing great essays, getting good SAT II scores, and wish for the best! Good luck and ask me anything if you have any additional questions :slight_smile:

Ahh two more points to add.

-If you’re into liberal arts colleges, check out Harvey Mudd

-Don’t be disappointed or stress come next Spring if you don’t get into your top choices. I am sure you will be happy wherever you decide to enroll–where you receive your M.D. is more important than where you receive your undergraduate degree. 100%.

@JalapenoGreens the majority of my list of colleges is honestly built around what my parents want for me (they want me to go to either an Ivy or Rice), so I’ll admit that I haven’t researched most of them. Thank you so much for your advice.

@sahar1811 My son will be attending Rice this fall and he plans on majoring in Economics and Policy Studies. He was top 10% (barely) with 3.88 GPA (unweighted) and 34 ACT / 2250 SAT. He had SATII scores of Math II 780 and US History 750. He had good extracurriculars as well. He was wait listed at Chicago and then did not make it. But Rice was his top choice. He got into Carnegie, UT, UCLA, Berkeley, WashU, Vanderbilt and Rice. We are from TX as well (DFW). From your post, I would say 2 things. Improve your class rank (take all AP’s if possible in Senior year and try to get into Top 15% – My son took 7 Ap’s in senior year and scored all A’s and made into Top 10%). Your GPA and SAT look good, Take SAT II and try to score above 750. Apply EA if Rice is your top choice and also do apply to Berkeley (as its a great school and a Top 20). Show lots of interest in Rice and try to schedule an interview on campus. Best of luck to you!

@tintintoo Thank you so much for your advice !

@sahar1811 One more piece of advise. Since your focus is top 20-25 schools, consider applying to these 3 schools:
Berkeley and UCLA – They do not consider your class rank / percentile as they recalculate your GPA. This is because U of C system do not consider grade 9 in calculating your GPA. So in case you did worse in grade 9 and better afterwards, this will improve your GPA and class rank in their view.
Carnegie Mellon – Great Engineering school and you would be a match with Carnegie based on your GPA and SAT scores. The only exception would be Computer Science where you wont be a match but that is not your area of interest. You have a great chance specially if you can get closer to top 15%. I know Carnegie very well because I am an alum and I am on their admissions committee. Therefore I know what stats students Carnegie admits for Engineering and you are very likely based on your stats. Good Luck!

Thank you! Berkeley is now on my application list.

And I just scheduled my Rice on campus interview for next month @tintintoo

@sahar1811 Well Done! Best of Luck!

The top engineering schools, in many cases, are not top 20 schools. Your parents need to understand that you either shoot for one or the other. UIUC for example is a very good engineering school with an overall admit rate that’s fairly high. Is your 3.87 weighted or unweighted?

@wje9164be it’s unweighted; yeah, i think they’re starting to understand that they need to give me some more leeway

@sahar1811 By any chance are you Sahar from HSANA???