UW GPA: 3.8
ACT: 35 composite
SAT: 1570
National Merit semifinalist
No class rank
AP tests: Lit(4), Computer science(5), Human Geography(5), Psychology(5), US History(5), Statistics(5), Calculus AB(4), Biology(4), Macro(5), Micro(5)
My school only offers a handful of AP classes, so most of those tests are self-studied.
ECs are nothing too special, but I come from a very rural community so the options are somewhat limited.
4 years varsity soccer
Mock Trial
Debate
Computer programming in my free time
Piano
I’ve done well at some local math contests
Recommendations should be very strong
Essays are pretty average
Is my success on AP exams enough to carry me through my un-exceptional ECs?
What are my chances for:
UChicago
Northwestern
Harvard
Columbia
SAT is outstanding if it is on 1600 scale which I assume it is.
ECs seem solid for the opportunities given.
GPA is about average for the schools listed
I’d say you have a good chance for NW (Had a friend who got in with a 3.6)
As for Harvard and Chicago it is 50/50 as I’ve seen it go both ways
Don’t know much about Columbia but I’ve heard it’s less selective compared to the previous 2 so you have a better chance than Harvard and UChi
Awesome, thanks. That’s kind of what I was hoping would be the case. I know that no matter how good your stats are, Harvard and UChicago are somewhat of a crapshoot.
How likely is it that I’ll get accepted into at least one of these schools?
You are a competitive applicant but the Ivies and Chicago are reaches for basically everyone. Northwestern is a high match or a low reach
Does anyone know how much colleges value self-studied AP classes?
Colleges put very little stock into self-studied APs; you would have been (and would still be) much better advised to invest your energies elsewhere (e.g., writing superb essays – it’s obviously too late to ramp up your ECs, so the only thing left under your control are the essays; pretty average is not going to cut it for the ivies or UChicago).