Chances at lots of LAC's...

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Chance Me at lots of liberal arts schools?
Hi there,</p>

<p>I go to an elite public school in NJ. I'm white, Catholic, wholly average in that respect. GPA's not great, around a 3.8 (average is a 3.4, I think) but that'll probably go up to 4, max, by the time I apply. I got a 199 on PSAT's with about an hour of studying, and I'm enrolling in a course for the SAT's to take em in March and June. I'm expecting around a 2100. Got a 710 and a 720 on US and World History SAT2's, respectively. Got a 5 on AP Euro test last year, taking Gov, Econ, and English this year, and if my school's history means anything, I'll probably get fives on all of them. My grades show an upward trend (as in, not great freshman year, good sophomore year, much better junior year)</p>

<p>ECs:</p>

<p>Consistent work with my town's historical society, particularly with one man, so I could get a great rec from him.
Lots of community service.
4 years on debate team, I'll get Vice President next year.
Amnesty International
Academic League
Lots and lots of tutoring hours from one club
Three week internship at a breast cancer lab at Northwestern Hospital.
This summer, doing an internship with the US Attorney's Office</p>

<p>I've got a few teachers with whom I still have a relationship with who would write me killer recs, and I'm an excellent writer, so that </p>

<p>Colleges I'm thinking about:
UChicago
Vassar
Bates
Colby
Hampshire
Clark University
Kenyon College
Grinnell College
Oberlin College
Elon
Skidmore
Connecticut College
Denison
Shimer College</p>

<p>What are my chances? Also, any suggestions as to other schools?</p>

2

<p>If you get a 2100 and your GPA continues the upward trend: Chicago is a reach. Bates, Colby, Grinnell, Kenyon and Oberlin look like matches. Vassar is a match if you are male and a low reach if you are female. The rest are match/safety and matches - assuming you can afford them.</p>

<p>14 schools are already a lot. You might look at cutting a few safeties - you only need one or two that you could be happy with. Add another reach or two. Maybe Rice (which has a LAC feel) or Georgetown or Johns Hopkins.</p>

3

<p>Thanks very much for your advice! I don’t plan on applying to all those schools, I just wanted to get a sense for everything I was even slightly interested in.</p>

4

<p>Also, the 3.8 is weighted.</p>

5

<p>Take a look at the Common Data Set for each school. If the 3.8 is weighted, you may find your matches turning into reaches. It depends on what your unweighted GPA is, your class rank, and how rigorous your transcript is relative to the rest of the school.</p>