Chances at Ivys/Top Liberal Arts

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Hey, I'm a junior in high school looking at either an Ivy or a top Liberal Arts College. If I had a top 5 list for schools right now, it'd be, in no order: Brown, Princeton, Amherst, Williams, and Penn. My Dad went to Haverford College undergrad and Penn Law School, so I'd be a legacy there. Haverford, though a great school I could be happy at, is on 1 lower rung for me than the others. I'm looking for my chances at the top 5 or any suggestions beyond that. </p>

<p>My High School is known for getting kids into good schools with a relatively good track record. It's a private school and a religous institution with a dual curriculum, but is liberal and known for a great education to colleges. Colleges, the school says, also sympathize with the dual curriculum (I take a lot of courses a semester: English, Hist., Science, Math, 2 Languages, Bible, Religion, plus academic electives). This year the valedictorian is going to Princeton and about 10-15/65 kids are going to Ivys or their equivalent. </p>

<p>SAT: 2390, 800 V, 800 W, 790 M (1st try, March)
SAT II: 800 Writing, 790 Literature, 770 US History, 800 Math IIC
GPa: Unweighted about a 3.9, weighted about a 4.1
Ranked in top 10% (no class rank)
White Male (No hook)</p>

<p>Classes:
All AP and Honors, apart from "Accelerated" in 1 of my 2 languages rather than Honors (AP in other), and Accelerated in one Religion Course as opposed to Honors. </p>

<p>I have a bunch of B/B+s on my transcript (ie, maybe 1 per semester in all classes). A few from Spanish (I'm hoping to do well on the AP Exam to prove I know the stuff; the teacher is great but impossible), and a few from random other places. On the whole, however, I have mostly A-s and As. Will this affect anything? I don't think I'm expected to be perfect - I certainly know I'm not, myself. </p>

<p>AP Exams:
I don't want to wildly predict success, but I had great teachers in my 4 APs: US History, English Lit, Calc AB and Spanish. I'll probably get:
Lit - 5 (teacher is incredible)
US History - 5
Calc - 5
Spanish - 3/4</p>

<p>ECs:
I have tons of ECs and I'm committed to all of them (ie, I don't join anything for college, I do something because I like doing it). Therefore these ECs are pretty much carried through all High School, and I'm putting just sort of the highlites here - don't want to bore you. </p>

<p>President of Student Council (High School)
News Editor of Newspaper
Publishing Editor of Literary Magazine
Mock Trial Lawyer
I've written in State Newspapers
Various Political Seminars (1 with certificate from GW University)
Summer Institute for the Gifted Programs
Governor's School in Public Issues this summer (NJ)
Interning for a Neurosurgeon this summer
Varsity Tennis Team Captain
NHS</p>

<p>I have lots of community service, all in things I really love:</p>

<p>I tutor at my local religous school for kids with serious learning disabilities. I guess its a job because I'm compensated, but more because they wanted to rather than I wanted, I'm not payed half the time anyway.
I work at Children's Specialized Hospital of NJ, the largest Hospital of its kind in the US. Its an amazing place.
I work for various organizations, planning charity concerts and events and the like.
I am President of the Senior-Citizen-oriented service club at my school. </p>

<p>I could list "fake" awards like everyone else on this board seems to do, but I don't think its that important.</p>

<p>This is a long post, and I want people to read...so I won't bore you with more. I see people on these boards with novels of their accomplishments, and it just doesn't add anything. Again, this is sort of a bare-bones resume. Any advice from anyone on the boards of what to do to improve it significantly or to have a chance at those top schools (I honestly have no idea where I stand) would be amazing. Thanks for any advice.</p>

2

<p>Just wondering, in your volunteer activities, do you record hours?</p>

3

<p>Wow...GREAT job so far in your H.S.! 2390...the "perfect" score for the SATs...some even consider it better than the 2400...</p>

<p>I would say your an extremely strong applicant...I'd be surprised if you were rejected from Haverford.</p>

<p>College admission these days are SUCH a crapshoot...but good luck!</p>

4

<p>No fake awards? Then you need at least a 2400 to get in</p>

5

<p>If you are not near the top of your class, HYPSM may be a longshot. I think you're in at about just about everywhere else (& HYPSM you never know).</p>

6

<p>I dunno, if you can boost your SAT like 10 points then you have a chance. Sorry, it's just not right for someone with your credentials to be worrying about their chances anywhere. You've done all you could possibly do to have an excellent chance. Just keep it up and try to relax and highly doubt you'll be dissapointed</p>

7

<p>Thanks for the encouragement - like you all said, college is such a crapshoot nowadays, and I see strong aplicants on these boards with novels of accomplishments and don't know what to think. The kid second in our senior class this year got rejected from all the Ivies. The valedictorian going to Princeton got rejected from Cornell, who took other, lower ranked students. Who knows?</p>

<p>And, just out of curiosity, why would 2390 be considered better than 2400, the "perfect score" on the new SATs?</p>

<p>And I'm probably at the top of my HS Class - my school only ranks by decile and I'm definetly in top 10, though I doubt top 5 (there's only 63 kids in my class - top 5 would be 3 kids). Knowing the top 3 girls in my class (I believe the term is Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) leads me to believe I'm probably not beating them in GPA, but they have barely anything outside of that, not to mention no lives.</p>

<p>And I keep track of volunteer hours (or at least the places I volunteer at do) but I've never actually looked to see how much time its been. Religous school has been 3 hours/wk for 4 years already, plus the Hospital 3 weeks in the summer all week and aboue 2 hours every friday...</p>

8

<p>"And, just out of curiosity, why would 2390 be considered better than 2400, the "perfect score" on the new SATs?"</p>

<p>Well...this isn't backed up in ANYWAY, but there's always the belief that colleges will reject perfect 2400 in order to show "you don't need a perfect SAT to get in." It could be a myth, but the 2390 avoids that all together, while still maintaining its very high score profile.</p>

<p>But it could be just a foolish myth, but it also COULD be true. Who knows. Still, congrats on the GREAT score.</p>