<p>@theanaconda Thanks for your suggestions! As far as EC’s are concerned, I’ve noticed that not a lot of people have mentioned the governor appointment . I’m the youngest member in history to be appointed to this council which deals with criminal justice for Massachusetts youth, and it is decided by the governor’s office. I’d go into more detail, but I’d rather not reveal my identity :). Does that at all change your thoughts?</p>
<p>OP, just because I don’t agree with you or the other posters doesn’t warrant yout o tell me don’t be on your thread. I have a valid POV. In want to address one thing you said …sorry ther are no post numbers, but you said that you thout that “a match school, at least in my perspective, is a school that you are completely qualified to apply to.”</p>
<p>You said that, so by your own statement, you are a match at EVERY school</p>
<p>correct, so you have no reaches. Your stats are completley qualified for all the schools on your list…so I guess you are a match for them, but your soft factors will have to get you in. good luck in your app process…just make sure you add some safety schools.</p>
<p>Sorry for all the typos, can’t edit.</p>
<p>@GA2012MOM I have no problem with you telling me that these are reaches, or even if you had thought I wasn’t qualified. And yes, I think @fallenchemist gave a great explanation of these schools as accredited reaches: schools that have very low acceptance rates where I have less than a 50% shot of getting in, but where I fit in with their student profile. What bothered me was this particular comment:</p>
<p>Ego stroking is unbecoming and a bit neurotic.</p>
<p>I just wanted other people’s feedback, that’s all. I wasn’t looking to stroke my ego.</p>
<p>Thanks for the chance.
You have quite a few replies so I don’t have much to say.
I would say your classwork and test scores surpass what your choice schools require.
Awards and ECs seem good, great even.
I want to say it all comes down to the essay. My good friend told me that college admissions are really random these days. Stellar essay and you’re set for those schools in your list. I had a classmate get into Amherst - ranked three of her class with an ACT of maybe 32/33. She didn’t participate in many ECs so I guess her essays were extremely good. </p>
<p>Have you done any service clubs at your school?
I see you founded a tutoring program, but your only real club at school is probably debate team?
That’s all you’re lacking on your resume and always, correct me if I’m wrong. I might be misreading. </p>
<p>Good luck man.
Your stellar test scores, GPA, ECs, and awards? I see a bright future for college admissions. </p>
<p>Tufts is likely a match for you… I don’t know where anyone has found data that states Harvard and MIT admit a lot of MA students. I have a colleague with PHD from MIT (masters and Phd), he said quite the opposite. </p>
<p>I think one of the things people don’t take into account when they talk about more students being accepted from MA to Harvard/MIT is that they receive many more applications from that area than they do other places. For example, I live in Oklahoma, and I only know of one person who applied to MIT this past year and one person who applied to Harvard. MIT applicant got waitlisted and Harvard applicant got accepted. On top of that, most of the kids I know who got accepted to Harvard from Oklahoma (two of the three) didn’t attend because they got full rides from OU, and couldn’t afford $60,000. I don’t think just looking at the class profile gives you an accurate picture. You need to look at the acceptance rate for specific regions, rather than the matriculation rate, which I don’t think is data you can find.</p>
<p>Also, I know plenty of people who got accepted to an Ivy League (UPenn, Harvard, Yale, and Columbia, namely) who turned down their acceptance because they wanted to stay closer to home for a number of reasons. Admits from MA won’t have that same problem, so I’m sure that admits from the Northeast and the states in which the colleges are located have a higher yield rate than those from states further away. Again, looking at the class profile doesn’t give you the whole picture to accurately make an assertions about geographical location as part of the decisions process.</p>
<p>@theivyleague Personally I’m undecided, so I’m going to go under an undecided major. That being said, probably biology or something similar. </p>
<p>spectacular stats, I’m pretty jealous mate.</p>
<p>Harvard - low reach (for the book award thing, and you’re in state)
Yale - reach
Princeton - reach
MIT - reach
Brown - high match
Columbia - reach
Dartmouth - low reach
Tufts - match
Duke - high match
Amherst - match</p>
<p>^ Duke and Brown are more selective than Dartmouth. </p>
<p>Haha we have nearly same stats, yay! Your ECs IMO are good but you should maybe try a sport to boast your well-rounded ness. Like you said to me, essays are key determinants to your acceptance. I’m sure you’ll get accepted to at least one of the Ivys. 
tell me how it goes!
Good luck!!! </p>
<p>First of all, congrats on your academic record and your extracurriculars! They look and sound phenomenal! If I were you, I WOULD submit the SAT scores because they are well within the range of the colleges u are looking for…And if you converted you ACT score to the SAT, they are all equivalent except for the fact that ur ACT score is skewed by ur strength on the Science section which isn’t included on the SAT. Think of it like this:
Math: 800 on SAT; 36 on ACT
Reading: 700 on SAT; 32 on ACT
English: 790 on SAT; 35 on ACT
They all match up, so it just reinforces your application and shows that ur stats are not a fluke. College’s don’t give a rats ass about the composite score, so just because u got a 35 on ur ACT composite doesnt many that its any more impressive than ur 2290 on the SAT.
You Subject SATs look great.
Extracurriculars show passion and commitment. Obviously you don’t have a sport but that will not determine whether or not u get into a college due to ur commitment to ur extracurricular.–They show that ur passionate about Government, Leadership, PoliSci, and similar topics.
Now, you academic record and ur extracurriculars keep u in the competition for getting into the elite schools so DO NOT SCREW UP UR ESSAY! Don’t you dare become complacent and give a half-hearted effort on the rest of ur application because remember that ur essay and letter of recs are 1/3 of ur application. Make sure ur essay highlights ur extracurriculars importance because usually there isnt much space to write about ur ECs. Also, get good letter of recs. If u can get one from the Governor who appointed you, that would stand out and really seperate you from similar candidates!</p>
<p>Harvard- 35%
Yale- 35%
Princeton- 35%
MIT- 15% (Do you really wanna go to MIT? I don’t think its a good fit for you…just my opinion)
Brown- 50%
Columbia-35%
Dartmouth- 50%
Tufts- 70%
Duke- 50%
Amherst- 60%</p>
<p>consider applying to one absolute safety college cuz there is a sliver of a chance that u don’t get into any of these, though its unlikely, but better safe than sorry.
BEST OF LUCK!–Wherever you go, you WILL succeed! I cannot see a guy like you being unsuccessful…</p>
<p>keep your confidence high
you have good chances at all schools listed
since youre in state it may make things easier</p>
<p>I think you have a great background and excellent chance at all of these schools. Would you mind sharing your ethnic background? </p>
<p>You’re well qualified, but it’s always a shot in the dark with Ivies. Good luck! :)</p>
<p>You’re well qualified, but it’s always a shot in the dark with Ivies. Good luck! :)</p>
<p>You have a good chance. However, the biggest weakness I see in your application is the lack of a specific major and passion for that major. That is important to colleges today. You can be accepted as undecided, but it is more difficult, and will make your essays more challenging. </p>
<p>@sgopal2 I’m Caucasian and Jewish. @Much2learn I hadn’t heard that, but I’m not sure. I know for some schools, like Columbia, I would need to apply in either liberal arts or engineering, but from there I could choose. </p>