Weighted GPA: 4.7
Unweighted: 4.0
Ethnicity: Latino
No AP courses (school doesn’t offer them)
1 semester of a college class
EC: President of a leadership organization 10th grade, Student Council president 11 - 12 and moved to sit on state council, school representative (chosen by faculty), officer in a couple volunteer clubs, major officer position in the STEM club. Significant work done in youth engagement and leadership overall.
Over 600 community service hours
HOBY & NSLC Alum (summer programs)
NOTE: I only have 2 years of foreign language because my school doesn’t offer more.
BTW - applying as poli sci major
Test scores?
Honors courses?
Max honors courses offered by school
ACT: 31
SAT: 2050
Sorry, but no. 2050 would be a standard deviation or two below Yale’s average. Both Yale and UPenn are out of reach, IMO. However much colleges may want to give students whose schools don’t offer many courses a break, having no APs whatsoever will be a problem. Most top schools also want students who’ve taken 3-4 years of a foreign language.
Pomona looks like a reach as well, as your SAT score is about 150 points below their mean score. The same is true of Claremont McKenna. If by “Cal,” you mean Cal Tech, don’t bet on it.
Look, you’re not a bad student. You just don’t have the test scores for any of the above schools, and in the absence of AP or IB courses test scores matter a lot more. A 4.0 coupled with an SAT score below 2100 suggests grade inflation at your school. Your school doesn’t offer AP courses or foreign languages, and that’s hardly your fault, but it’s an issue. Your SAT score makes it very difficult for people at Yale or CMC to choose you over a student who took 5+ AP courses, graduated with a 3.9, scored a 2150+ on the SAT (or the ACT equivalent), and has a decent range of extracurriculars. And make no mistake, that sort of student is a typical or below-average applicant at all the schools you listed.
If there’s anything you can do, it’s retaking the SAT. Colleges may see a kid with a high SAT score and few or no AP classes as someone who could handle a challenge. If you’re applying to Yale or UPenn, you’ll also need SAT II scores. There are three test dates (I think) before RD applications, and you don’t want to apply EA-your profile can only improve between the EA and RD deadlines.
I hate to be the bad cop, but I don’t like your chances at any of the above colleges. If you applied to all 5, I’d put the odds of your getting in at any one of them at 10-15%. Find some schools that are more realistic choices, and make sure you have a list of 3-4 match schools and a pair of safeties. There’s no harm in applying to Yale (or any of the schools you’re thinking about)-a 0.000000000000000000000001% chance would still be better than 0%, which is the number for anyone who doesn’t apply at all. But don’t set yourself up for disappointment in the spring with unrealistic expectations now.
Apply to some good schools that are within your test score range