Chances at top tier schools.

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Hello, my name's Phil. I currently attend a nationally accreditted Maryland public magnet school at which I major in engineering. I am currently planning to apply to Princeton, Duke, Cornell, UPenn, Georgetown (EA), and Johns Hopkins. What do you guys think my chances are at each? And would you suggest any other schools?</p>

<p>Academics:
GPA: 4.0
Weighted: 4.9 on five-point scale, although my school uses a six-point scale on which my weighted gpa would be 5.54
SAT: 2200(CR-700, M-770, W-730) most likely will retake
SAT MathII: 800
SAT Subject US History: 780
SAT Subject Physics: 740</p>

<p>AP Exams:
US Government and Politics- 5
World History- 4
Calculus AB - 5
Took US History, Psychology, Calculus BC, Spanish 5, and English Language and Composition this year. Expecting 5s on all but Spanish (4)
Next year will be taking Statistics, Physics B, English Lit, Macro and Micro Economics, Comparative Government, and Environmental Science</p>

<p>Member of the National Honor Society, Spanish National Honor Society, Science National Honor Society, and Mathematics Honor Society
Have been recognized as a National Merit Scholar this year- awaiting results for semi-finalists
Maryland Distinguished Scholar
Advanced Placement Scholar</p>

<p>ECs:
Three year varsity soccer player, co-captain junior year; will be playing again senior year
President of my school's Science NHS chapter
Class representative in Student Government Association
Participated in state-wide Model Congress and Model United Nations
Won both regional and state competitions held by MESA for effective communications
Placed third in regional physics olympics competition
Have worked a part-time job over the past two school years</p>

<p>I have certainly excluded some extracurriculars and such, but any input that anyone may have regarding my chances or how to broaden my resume would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!</p>

2

<p>Lack of distinction to get into Princeton, Penn and Duke, but it doesn’t mean that you don’t have a shot. Everything looks good for Hopkins and Gtown.</p>

3

<p>if you’re applying with a focus in science/engineering, you may want to consider retaking the SAT II Physics, since it will be a little strange to them that someone focused on engineering did so much worse on physics than history. although your math score, obviously, is a huge boost in your favor. try and see if you can do something interesting with your summer, like get an internship or do some kind of project that you’re interested in.</p>

4

<p>I will actually most likely be applying as a potential mathematics major with concentrations in either neuroscience or cognitive science. I happen to take engineering now, but only because I can’t opt out of it.</p>

5

<p>Maybe also NYU, Carnegie Mellon and University of Rochester (good with merit money). Best of luck!</p>

6

<p>I would also recommend Carnegie Mellon, but a solid overall application! Definitely in the mix.</p>

7

<p>Thanks for everyone’s input. Forgot a few things, if they make any difference: currently ranked first in class and am the tutoring coordinator for underclassmen at my school.</p>

8

<p>Major doesn’t matter at most of the top schools. I would definitely retake the SAT or try the ACT, the CR score would make top schools very, very tough for a white/Asian kid from a well represented state.</p>

9

<p>everything is looking very solid! a few more leadership positions would be very helpful though. the critical reading part of the SAT is what is dragging you down so i would suggest a focus on vocab and working on getting better at the passage based questions. but for most of those schools you definitely have a chance!</p>

10

<p>thanks, im definitely hoping to get my CR score up to at least 730 this fall and hopefully improve my other scores as well.</p>

<p>for top-tier schools is their a cutoff where they just stop caring about minor differences on standardized tests?</p>

11

<p>Princeton: high reach (it is for even the most qualified)
Duke: low reach
Cornell: low reach
UPenn: mid reach
Georgetown (EA): match
Johns Hopkins: match</p>

<p>You look like a very solid applicant. I would make sure the your essays and recs make you stand out from the crowd. You have greats ECs but, they are very similar to a lot of other applicants. Use your essays to make your ECs unique! </p>

<p>Best of luck! :)</p>

12

<p>My best suggestion is retaking the SAT or taking a shot at the ACT.</p>

<p>Other than that, you look very fine for the schools you want. As most people said, Princeton will be very tough, but the other ones aren’t too far of a reach. Good luck and keep working hard!</p>

<p>Make sure your recommendation letters and essays are solid!</p>