Chances (as much as you can) for Yale SCEA, Vassar, UMich, USC, Northwestern, BU + suggest schools

Hey, so I’m just about done with junior year and just about ready to start baseline work on college applications. Yale is my absolute dream school (I know, I know) and I’m planning on doing SCEA. My intended majors are English (on a creative writing track) / Theatre (Musical Theatre if school offers it, which ik Yale doesn’t but I like the theatre studies program). I know my ECs seem a bit lame in comparison to some of you all, but I think they definitely show my passions and commitment to them.

My shortlist of schools (help me exapand upon them if you can lol this is pretty lacking)

  • Yale
  • Vassar
  • UMich
  • USC
  • Northwestern
  • BU (safety/match)
  • DePaul ( MAJOR safety)

My stats (as of end of junior year)
(school does academic vs all subject rather than simple UW/W so my elective classes don’t factor into my weighted GPA. honors/aps weighted at five points)

All Subject GPA: 4.0 cumaltive
Academic GPA: 5.0 cumulative

ACT: 36
SAT: 1595 (800 on W/R, 795 M, 12 on Essay)

SAT Subject Tests:
Literature - 800
Math 1 - 800
Physics - 800
Math 2 - 790
World History - 790
US History - 790
Spanish with Listening - 790

AP: World (5), Music Theory (5)
Took AP Calc BC, AP Lang, and APUSH this year. Will be taking AP Literature, AP Spanish, AP Euro, AP Physics C, and AP Stat next year.

Courseload: most rigorous offered to the majority of students (only about five other kids in our 500 person class have a higher courseload)
9: Alg 2, Physics, English, World Civ, and Spanish 2 Honors. Elective was choir.
10: Pre Calc, Chem, English, and Spanish 3 honors. AP World. Electives were choir + newspaper staff.
11: AP Calc BC, AP Lang, APUSH. Bio and Spanish 4 honors. Electives were same as previous year.
12 (proposed and p much finalized): AP Stat, AP Lit, AP Physics C, AP Euro, AP Spanish. Electives were the same + added peer group.

All my grades were from a 93-99 range in my classes.

In School ECs:

  • Theatre: I’ve been in every school production possible since freshman year, always gotten lead/major supporting roles, and I’m in theatre board next year.
  • Choir: In the choir elective for all years, part of the two possible advanced choir EC groups since soph year. I’m president of both of those groups next year.
  • Speech/Forensics: Been a part of the team since freshman year. I’m chairing poetry reading this year and next year and have a number of state/reigional awards. I placed well at nationals the past two years and hope to do so again this year.
  • Newspaper: On it since soph year. Opinions editor this year and managing editor next year.
  • Interact Club: Since freshman year, president next year.
  • Tri-M: Since soph year, I’m an officer next year
  • Jazz Ensemble: Since soph year, I play piano there
  • NHS: Inducted this year and am one of three officers of my school’s chapters

Out of School ECs:

  • Theatre: I act professionally over the summer in a local theatre since 8th grade, I was the lead in the all state musical one year. I’ve gone to summer programs and am going to do Northwestern’s Cherubs program this summer
  • Choir/Voice: I’ve been in voice lessons since I was six years old and in professional and/or selective youth choirs since I was 11. I’ve been selected for the all state choir two years in a row.
  • Writing: (I think I stand out the most here) I’ve won nationals/state awards in creative writing + screenwriting and had my works published by a series of literary magazines/journals (some well known and some not). I’m not naming for safety reasons and all that jazz but some of these magazines are VERY well known. I also write shows for a local youth (school age) theatre (as a job) over the summer.
  • Piano: I’ve been playing classical since I was 6 and jazz since I was 11. I’ve gotten some local/state reconigtion but nothing national.
  • Temple Volunteering: I have volunteered at my local synagogue since 7th grade when I can (usually over summers), about a total of 200 hours over the past four/five years.

Work/volunteering

  • Volunteering hours amount to 400 over a few years with my temple + Interact
  • Only job experience is writing / acting over the summer (not over how I got paid for that lol)

Summers:

  • Northwestern Cherubs this summer + work and voluteering + I usually go to some theatre program for two weeks each year

Awards:

  • Likely a NMSF based on my state cutoffs, might even make NMF
  • Writing awards + Speech awards at local and national level
  • Piano awards at local and national level
  • All state choir two years in a row
  • State theatre reconginiton + Thespian

Essays: since writing is one of my strongest areas, I think essays will be the strongest part of my application but I mean who can really say

Teacher Recs: I already have them in mind and they should be FANTASTIC. I’m getting one from my speech coach who I’ve been super close with since freshman year (i have lunch or dinner with her sometimes and I talk to her everyday), the head of the drama department who I have a similar relationship with, my choir teacher/the EC choir sponsor who I’ve known since soph year and am close with, as well as the adviser for the school newspaper, who I’ve known since sophomore year and likes me a lot. My counselor rec should be awesome as well, as I actually am decently close with her.

Demographics/Hooks: I am literally as unhooked as posible. No sports, not a URM, not out there curing cancer. I’m a white (Jewish, but still very white) male in a very rich area with an income bracket of 130-140k and two working parents. I’m gay, but that doesn’t really even things out here. I go to a public high school with about a 500 student class (only about a 1/6 of the class is super competitive but we had about 50 kids go to top 30 schools this year).

I’ll chance back as best as possible!

Hi!

I’d say you have as good a chance as anyone who is unhooked. Your stats are absolutely great and your ECs show your passions. You don’t need to win international awards. You just need to show you’re interested in a few things and you definitely show that. Write some creative essays and I would not be surprised if you get accepted in December!

@denj445 Actually sexuality can certainly be a hook if you show your involvement in LGBT causes and community. You are as close to the perfect applicant as their can be honestly, although it could help if you retake the SAT (sarcasm). Your essays will get you into Yale, it will help to show your personality and focused interest. I think you list is all over the place, like USC an Vassar on the same list. You should decide what type of campus culture you are looking for and go for that. Also apply to more of the big guys, HYPSC,You have a great shot at all of them.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/college-magazine/top-20-colleges-for-aspiring-writers_b_5649281.html

How did you get a 1595 on the SAT? Scores are always divisible by 10…

^ And 795 in Math. 12 in essay is pretty bad in the new scale too. LOL.