I am hoping that someone can help me with deciding what schools to apply to. I have about 12 schools that I am considering currently, and I was wondering if me impressions of the admission difficulties are correct. Here is a list of the schools that I am considering:
MIT, Stanford, Harvard, Dartmouth, UCLA, UCB, UCSD, UCD, USC, UCSB, SDSU, and ASU
Here is my current breakdown for what schools fit into which category:
Reach: MIT, Stanford, Harvard, Dartmouth, UCLA, and UCB
Match: UCSD, UCD, USC, and UCSB
Safety: SDSU and ASU
Here is my profile:
Demographic:
-Male
-Rising Senior (Class of 2021)
-White
-Upper Middle Class
-Born in California
Stats:
-GPA: 4.0 UW 4.54 W (Subject to change, possibility to go up depending on “Hold Harmless” results)
-ACT: 36
-APs(9-11): World History, Calculus AB, Calculus BC, Physics 1, US History, English Language, Chemistry, Statistics, Physics 2
-APs(12th projected): English Literature, Government/Economy, Physics C (there is a possibility that not enough students decided to take this class and it doesn’t run), Calculus 3 (this is a college class and not technically counted as an AP course, but I thought it belonged here as it is as rigorous if not more rigorous than an AP course, however, this course might also not run, in which case I will have to take it at a college campus or online), Computer Science
ECs:
-240+ hours of community service
-Intern at SWPPP Program (a storm water management and activism program) where I presented in front of the county, regional, and state officials on the board for storm water management
-2 years of NHS volunteer
-2 years as a Link Crew Leader (a leadership program that helps freshmen with their transition into high school)
-4 years volunteering at Champions League (a program that helps intellectually disabled children and adults enjoy the game of soccer)
-10 years of club soccer
-5 years of private tennis
-3 (predicted 4) years of school soccer
-3 (predicted 4) years of school tennis
-8 years of playing the flute in various ensembles and musical groups
-5 (predicted 7) semesters of participation in the school Wind Ensemble group
Awards:
-(Likely) National Merit Scholarship Semifinalist possibly a Finalist
-Cord for NHS
-Cord for participation in Wind Ensemble
-Cord for SWPPP
[I don’t know if cords have any impact on college acceptance but I felt that it might be relevant so I included it]
Again, I don’t know if my assessment of the schools that I have a chance to get into is accurate, so I am requesting help with sorting my schools into categories, or finding schools that are a better fit for me.
With my current perception of acceptance to colleges and my profile, I would mainly consider t25 schools as reach, t50 schools as match, and anything below as safety schools (obviously there is variance depending on the school, but those numbers give the general idea). Let me know if these are too high expectations, too low exceptions, or just about right, also, let me know if you think a school would be a better fit for me and my profile.
I really appreciate all of you guys’ time in reviewing this and I thank you all in advance!