Grades:
As and A-s
4.3 weighted
3.96 unweighted
Freshman year: All available honors courses except for math was non-honors, straight As
Sophomore year: All available honors except for math is non-honors + APCS (only AP available to sophomores, 4 on AP test); some A-s
Junior year: AP Lang, APUSH, AP Physics 1, non-honors math, non-honors french, 2 honors english, honors economics; some A-s
Senior Year planned schedule: regular calc, regular french, 4 APs (stats, government, bio, lit), advanced creative writing or other art class
Top 25% of class (school does not divide further)
EC:
Key Club president
Field Hockey Team Captain
Chemistry Club Co-President
Animal rights club VP
School Newspaper Editor
School Literary Magazine Senior Editor
Business Club (leadership position senior year)
French Club member
Student Council member
NHS and French NHS member
Club Field Hockey
Planning Board of School Event (hand-selected)
Volunteer on Relay for Life Planning Board (approx. 40 hours)
Volunteer with local Girls Club (approx. 100 hours)
Volunteer with local hospital (approx. 40 hours) for one summer
CIT/camp counselor for one summer
Gardener for one summer
Help put on a play for disabled kids for 1 year through local organization
Regular babysitter
Testing:
1930 on SAT (plan to raise this)
still have to take ACT
still have to take subject tests
Hello: your SATs definitely need to rise. But I assume you will study hard over the summer and increase. You will also need to do well on your SAT subject tests. What is your planned major?
Grades look good. What are your scores on the AP exams?
ECs: pretty plain vanilla. Nothing stands out. Any ECs related to your intended major?
Are you applying EA/ED to any of these schools? If you have no hooks the admissions rates at the schools above range from 10-16%, so it is difficult for almost anyone. Good luck
sgopal2, I’m not exactly sure where I want to major, but I am thinking Business, Economics, Environmental or Public Policy. I am applying ED to Duke. I have only taken the APCS exam so far, and I got a 4.
For Duke, you will need at least a 200 point SAT improvement to be solidly competitive; prepare diligently over the summer break. The other schools you list have slightly less elevated standards.
@onceinagreenmoon: Regarding legacies, it is a common misconception to believe that “all legacies are equal.” While all Duke legacies will receive at least a very slight admissions advantage, only those whose parents (or possibly grandparents) have significantly and continuously provided time, talent, expertise, treasury, and more to advance Duke will potentially attain a greater advantage. To illustrate, the children of a Duke alum who attends a few events annually and possibly donates to the University occasionally (and not in any substantial way) are not categorized identically to those whose alumni parents have served on senior University governance boards and executive committees, or led class reunions and regional alumni groups, or “team taught” and assisted faculty and/or current students (internships and recruiting), or participated in developmental fund raising, or provided charitable gifts requiring real sacrifice. and so forth.
It’s also important to understand that the fundamentals – GPA, standardized test results, curricular rigor, etc. – simply cannot be overcame by any “hooks,” such as legacy.
@TopTier I am currently only in regular math and french classes. How big of a disadvantage is this? I am considering taking AP French and AP Calc over the summer (without credits) so I can learn the material, and then next year (senior year) take these courses fully prepared.
@onceinagreenmoon (re post #9): It’s a significant issue and I like your solution. Duke’s Dean of Undergraduate Admissions has repeatedly indicated that being challenged by the MOST rigorous curriculum offered by your secondary school is an important acceptance criterion.
@onceinagreenmoon: I really cannot definitively comment. Obviously, the opportunity cost of regular math and French – and contrasted to two AP/IB/Honors courses – would not be beneficial; however, how much difference this would make in the overall selection decision, I cannot authoritatively say (although I suspect it would not be too great).
@sgopal2 I am volunteering with a women’s organization this summer and training to be an EMT. Are these also plain vanilla or would they be considered hooks? I may also try some writing competitions.