Chances at Elite Schools (Advice Wanted)

[SolidStudent]

Hi everyone. I have been lurking on the site for a while and it is time for my first post! AP scores have come out so I feel like it is a good time to look back on what I have achieved and determine how it stacks up.

Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
State: MD
School Type: Public
Income Bracket: 100k-150k
Intended Major: Economics(Finance),Applied Mathematics

Here are the schools that I’m looking at.
-The Ivies(not including Brown and Dartmouth)
-Duke
-MIT
-Carnegie Mellon
-NYU
-UVA

I know many of these schools are a pure lottery at some point but would I have a chance at getting to that stage with my stats?

Objective:
SAT I: (new version): 1560(composite), 800 (Math), 760(Critical Reading/Writing)
ACT: (1st attempt) 34(composite) 31(Writing),34(Math),35(Critical Reading),36(Science)
(2nd attempt) 36(composite) 35(Writing),36(Math),35(Critical Reading),36(Science)
SAT II: 750(Math II), Waiting on June scores, Math II will probably be higher and I will have a score in Chemistry
Rank: 1/~520
GPA:4.0
AP Classes: Here we go…my school offers every AP under the sun, so I have taken a few
Freshman:
No AP’s freshman year since they aren’t allowed under normal circumstances.
Sophomore:
-US Government and Politics:5
-*BC Calculus(AB sub-score):5(5)
-Statistics:5
*I am missing the AB score because my school offers a dual course where you learn everything AB/BC in one
year and take the BC test.
Junior:
-Chemistry:4
-Physics 1:5
-Physics 2:4 (Another dual course with Physics 1)
-English Language:5
-Macro/Microeconomics:5/5
-World History: 5
Overall, I have taken 10 AP’s with eight 5’s and two 4’s. I did all of the AP math my school had during my sophomore year so I took a college level course in Linear Algebra that my school offered during my junior year.
Senior Year Course Load:
AP English Literature, AP Computer Science, AP European History, AP Biology, AP Human Geography, AP Physics C, AP U.S History, AP Art History.
I can take up to 8 classes and I want them all to be AP’s.However, my schedule is in flux because the school doesn’t schedule classes with someone like me in mind.
Extra-Curricular Academics: I am taking a course in Object Oriented Programming with Java and a course in Multi-Variable Calculus at my local community college during the summer.

Subjective:
Extracurriculars:
National Honor Society Tutoring Coordinator, Math Honor Society Vice President, Science National Honor Society member,
Varsity Football
Volunteer Service:
-Spent time after freshman year volunteering at a day camp for kids and in my local library. These were age limited so I couldn’t come back, therefore I may ignore these.
-Packing donated books for shipment into developing countries.(Two times a month).
Summer Activities:
-Previously mentioned community college courses(Java and Multi Variable Calculus)
-Football
Essays: I have some great ideas for these and I’m excited for the school specific releases.
Recommendations: English and Physics teachers. I loved both classes and I know it showed.
Counselor Rec: Great, since he knows me and recommended me for a county wide achievement award.

Now that I have gotten that out of the way, I could use some advice.

-My essay scores on my major tests(ACT/SAT) are mediocre. I got a 21 on the ACT essay first time around and a 28 the second time. On the new SAT, there are 3 domains that are graded out of 8 and I got a 6,5,5. These essay scores are not bad but they don’t jump off the page. I intend to send only my ACT’s when I have the option to choose. Should I do something else?
-My SAT II scores are a mixed bag too. I got a 750 on the heavily curved Math II my first try, so I took it again in June. This time I felt really good about it. However, I took the Chemistry test and got torched. I am going to take two more in October(Biology M or E and US History) in hopes of getting a good score to pair with Math II. Which biology would I have the best shot at getting a great score on?
-My extracurriculars are absolutely pedestrian. I participate heavily in football and that takes up a large amount of time and energy. My team is one of the top public teams in my state and I plan on starting my senior year. It is a passion for me and I will try my best to show that in my application but can it stack up to other exotic extracurriculars?

Thank you for your help advice in advance.

[CiteYourSources]

Don’t take the main SAT/ACT again. You have an astounding new SAT score, you have pretty much aced all your AP exams and quite frankly, the essay score is not even really considered. The essay supplements is what is important. Academically speaking, by the numbers only, you are very qualified and don’t have to worry about that part your app. However, to elite schools, the soft factors (essays,ECs, etc.) carry so much weight because they have differentiate between kids who have the same numbers you do. With that in mind, I don’t see a passion for your field specifically. You have to examine why you truly want to major in finance/economics. I see a very smart and studious, middle class guy who wants to go to a prestigious college just because it’ll give him a one-way ticket to the wealth of Wall St. That’s fine, it’s just EVERYONE wants to do that, so your competition is FIERCE .Your ECs just seem a little generic in my opinion…Plus, your list is very top heavy, please add some matches/safeties. (NYU looks like a match, but Stern is crazy competitive so I would not bank on it.) I’d hate to see anyone to just apply to super selective schools and hope for the best, just to be shut out. With all this being said, you have just as a good of a shot as anyone else. What image will you create to make yourself stand out?

[RoundGenius]

Brown has a much better Applied Mathematics program than the other Ivies and Dartmouth is THE Ivy to go to if you want a job on Wall Street. Don’t discount them cause idiotic high schoolers on CC try to rank the Ivies. For what you want to go into, they’re your best bet. Do some more research and refine your list. And @CiteYourSources is right: it is a bit top heavy.

[dkcub17]

I agree with @roundgenius. Definitely carefully consider which Ivy Leagues are the best for you. If you’re applying to 6 out of 8 of them, that’s a lot: Do you really find something special about the school that attracts you outside of the name? (For example, if you’re interested in Cornell, what also makes you interested in Columbia; one’s a more in-the-city landscape and one’s further away from the urban area. Columbia has a common core while Cornell is separated more by schools.) Also look into matches and safeties: Always compare the quality of the education, as opposed to the brand of the school. (e.g. UC Berkeley is definitely a top school in some fields, ranking higher than Ivies in some categories)

Academics;
You’re definitely acing it here. Awesome AP scores and great SAT/ACT scores.

Extra Curriculars
This is your weak spot. I agree with @CiteYourSources that these are a little generic. So many people who post a “Chance Me” gave NHS or some sort of honor society if not societies as an EC. Volunteer service is always nice, but still on the generic side (But you’re a great individual for doing community service!). Also, playing a sport also adds to the well-roundedness idea, but being well-rounded may or may not work towards your favor. I also see maybe a lack of leadership positions (outside the tutoring coordinator), which may be troublesome.

Advice f

1. A bad essay score isn’t going to throw your Ivy League chances out the window. I wouldn’t stress over the minute details. Send whatever you feel comfortable with. A college isn’t going to reject you because somone else scored a 29 and you scored a 28. At some point, there’s a threshold for being a viable applicant, and with your academics you are definitely within the threshold.

1. 750 also isn't bad. IMO, I think anything 750+ means you're Ivy League-applicant material. Don't stress about retaking these tests. Focus instead on other parts outside of academics.

Definitely work on your essays a lot to help you stand out as an applicant. What makes you unique among a pool of 30,000 to 40,000 kids?