This is primarily for my little brother, but also for my own curiousity.
His ACT score is a perfect 36, and will take a total of 10 APs (Let’s assume all As, and all 5s on the AP tests)
However, his extracurriculars are not the very best - with nothing “outstanding” compared to the others applying to top schools. He does, however, have the general stuff that the other guys have, such as joining some clubs, some leadership positions (but nothing more than that). Basically the average stuff.
If he gets pretty good teacher rec letters, and a fairly strong essay, what would his chances be for Ivies and other top 10 schools?
Brown rejected 77% of the applicants they received with a perfect ACT score last year. You have provided no other real information so you can form your own opinion about his chances from here.
Yeah, I agree with the above person. Academics are no longer considered a bonus. It is no longer unique to do that. So yeah, the Brown statistic pretty much would explain it all. I’d say your brother will not stand out that much beyond academics and any of those schools will be high reaches.
We can’t really chance your brother without knowing his GPA and having some specifics on the extracurriculars. As the above posters already stated, an ACT on its own isn’t going to guarantee admission. Especially when coupled with “mediocre” extracurriculars. That puts your brother in the “one-dimensional person who does nothing but study” bucket for a lot of admissions counselors, whether he actually fits the stereotype or not. If he’s asian, the penalty will be worst of all, but it doesn’t help any applicant.