Chance Me

I know it is a bit early to be asking this because I am only a Junior, but I fell in love with Tufts after I toured it in November, and I want to know if I have a chance of getting in.

Stats:

-GPA: 4.75 weighted, 4.0 unweighted
-SAT/ACT: Haven’t taken yet but I just scored a 1500 on the PSAT (max is 1520)
-Extracurriculars: Leader of my Boy Scout Troop, part time job at a gas station, volunteer math tutor after school once a week at the middle school, Key Club, Latin Club, altar server at my church
-Major: possibly Applied Math but not totally sure

I would be applying RD, not ED.
Any insight would be appreciated!

The direct answer is yes, you have a chance at getting in. Your scores are pretty much the best they can be, and your EC’s are good. But answer me this–why should they accept you over another qualified student? There are many people with high standardized test scores and 4.0 GPA’s. The Boy Scout troop, volunteer tutor, and key club start to show a service theme, but is it particularly unique? You’re a junior, so you have time to think about these questions, and how you will present yourself on your application. When I applied to Tufts (RD), I could point to a few things–a few major extracurricular and life experiences–which I knew that few people could lay claim to, especially in conjunction with each other. I then used these experiences to create a coherent picture of myself, where each experience was like a puzzle piece. In other words, colleges like to see how each piece of your life or of your extracurriculars illuminates a central part of who you are, which is why coherency and fluidity are important. It’s one thing just to participate in a bunch of random clubs at your school for leadership purposes, but its another to show the college how each of those clubs fits into a larger picture.

I see that (in your other posts/threads) your college counselor has been giving you advice about where to apply just based on your PSAT score, like others advised me when I achieved high scores on the SAT and ACT. The truth is, these scores only really show two things–you posses certain junior-level academic skills tested in that exam, and you are a good test taker. Phrasing it like this, the SAT doesn’t sound as meaningful as many make it out to be, does it? Really, it says very little about the applicant. And colleges know this, too.