chances at usc, tufts, rice, gtown, northwestern?

<p>Hey guys! I'm a rising junior right now (graduating from high school in 2013). </p>

<p>I go to a prestigious private school in Connecticut that frequently sends kids to ivies and top 20 schools. I'm a Caucasian male.</p>

<p>GPA: 3.5-ish (I don't have an exact calculation, but my GPA right now is an 89.75%). I'm aware it's my weakness... freshman year, i had a hard time transferring from another school, and found a lot of challenges... but I improved over the course of sophomore year (frosh: 87, soph: 93). I got accepted into the high honors society at my school both semesters sophomore year and second semester freshman year; i was also included in the head of school list (contribute most to classroom in terms of participation and diligence) both semesters sophomore year.</p>

<p>Rank: Top 10-15 out of class of 75, being pessimistic... hopefully/probably top 10. (My school does not rank).</p>

<p>Scores: I haven't taken the SAT I or II's yet, but I'm hoping for around a 720/720/720 on the SAT I.</p>

<p>APs: Junior year, I am taking AP Environmental Science and AP US History, but nothing in previous year. I was only offered 1 AP course (Modern European), which I may or may not take senior year instead.</p>

<p>Intended Major: Business. (or Pre-Law or Economics, but my top choice is Business right now).</p>

<p>ECs:
- Volunteer camp counseling over the summer between froshman-sophomore year (worked extensively w/ an autistic boy for six weeks)
- 2011 Scholastic Arts & Writing Awards- I received five Gold Keys for Poetry
- Runner-up for 2011 Elizabeth Bishop Prize in Verse sponsored by The Blue Pencil Online- attended their inaugural ceremony to read work; they published my poem
- Editor of high school literary magazine next year (earliest you can do it is junior year)
- Founded and am currently running a literary magazine on my own for charity (helps charity that alleviates child labor in third world countries)- The Adroit Journal
- Bass/Baritone and Arranger in award-winning all-male high school a cappella group
- Model UN- travelled to Georgetown University's NAIMUN Conference in sophomore year
- Peform songs and whatnot at large variety of school events and school productions (very involved with school's music program)
- Two improv groups (one a selection of the best from the other)
- Photography in Dickinson College's Foreign Language magazine
- Writing/Photography in over 100 independently-owned writing publications (online and in print)- some are very selective
- Stanford EPGY this summer (Creative Writing), Summer@Brown next summer (Business/Economics/Law??)
- Attended Middlebury's 2011 New England Young Writer's Conference as a sophomore (meant for juniors)
- Starting a club next year designed to help Free the Children (basically supplying alternative, sustainable incomes to women in third world countries so that they do not have to take their kids out of school)</p>

<ul>
<li>Participating in my school's unique Global Thesis Program in Senior Year- analyze in depth an international problem and present a solution (full year course)</li>
</ul>

<p>My essays and recs (from teachers) will be very, very good... and I interview well-- I don't know if that will really help me though. Also, I do not need financial aid.</p>

<p>Does it help to initiate/maintain contact with a faculty member or someone otherwise involved with the school? I am willing to make the effort to do this if it would help me... I've already got connections with a Tufts professor (creative writing professor who submitted to my charitable journal), and someone on the board of Northwestern (did church community service individually with him-- only the two of us). Also, my mom went to Georgetown, so I have legacy there! :) </p>

<p>Thanks guys, and sorry about the mountain of text!</p>

<p>Any way I could add Washington University @ St. Louis to the list of schools in the topic? Thanks again guys!</p>

<p>i will reply to this thread because i see no one else has. but to be honest- none of us can properly guide you because you haven’t told us your courses taken, and you haven’t taken sat 1 or 2! im not saying you should have by now, but we cannot guide you based on predictions like “oh my sat will be 2160” or “my teachers will write me good recs”</p>

<p>yeah, i guess you’re right. :frowning: haha thanks. i can’t deal with waiting to know where i fall in terms of being competitive for these schools, so i thought i’d make a thread. :'(</p>

<p>oh and i’ve basically taken only reg/honors classes thus far, but those classes are the equivalent of honors/ap classes in other schools… or at least that’s what i hear from the college guidance counselor at my school… who might be biased. (?)</p>

<p>bahhhhh.</p>

<p>It will be somewhat difficult to place you without SAT scores (I and IIs), but your interest in the arts is definitely a hook, even if your GPA is somewhat lacking (not to be overly critical). As long as you raise your GPA, you have a great chance of being accepted to the colleges on your list, particularly at Georgetown.</p>