<p>Brown with 1700's huh? I love these stories. How is it that everyone knows someone who got into an ivy with a 1700 yet their median scores are over 2200?</p>
<p>Yes arcade, I think it's great that you have 2 strong semesters. But let's face it, UC Riverside is not a competitive school. So I would have to doubt a 4.0 there in general ed classes would qualify you for a top college with your HS stats and current SAT scores.</p>
<p>I understand your point, but wouldn't they consider that I am taking a fairly difficult batch of intro classes? For example, I'm taking the hardest math I can at this level (Calculus), whereas I could have taken algebra, stats, etc. I'm also taking the harder version of general chemistry.</p>
<p>I realize Brown/Northwestern is a reach, but do you consider University of Washington and University of Michigan to be on the same/similar level?</p>
<p>And to answer your first question, it's because most people have those stats or higher. The fact that there's a few handfuls of people with stats significantly below show that there are exceptions.</p>
<p>Arcadia, what you have to realize is that at top colleges, many kids have taken MV calc and linear algebra in HS. You will not get points for calc at Riverside. My son, a freshmen at Dartmouth, got his butt kicked last term in a math class after having taken math at Columbia summers. And the kids with low stats are called athletes, legacies and the children of the very wealthy.</p>
<p>Michigan and Washington may well accept you, especially if you are full pay.</p>
<p>I hope they do; I would love to go to Michigan or Washington.</p>