<p>I am currently and Junior, but I just want to see if I am progressing down the right track to get into a competitive college. I am thinking about mainly thinking about Johns Hopkins, but the other schools are UC Berkeley, UCLA, UCSD, Pomona, Harvey Mudd, Stanford, NorthWestern, Washington University in St Louis, UPenn. What do I need to work on, and which are reaches, matches, and safeties?</p>
<p>GPA (Do A- = A?):
Freshmen Year:
English I= A- to A
Geometry = A
Physics = A+
Mandarin II = A+
World History = A- to A</p>
<p>Sophomore Year:
English II Honors = A
Algebra II Honors = A
Chemistry = A
Mandarin III = A
AP European History = A
Weighted in UC System in California = 4.182</p>
<p>Junior Year First Quarter:
Honors Pre Calculus = A (one of the two As)
AP Language = A
AP Biology = A
AP US History = A
AP Computer Science = A
Current weighted for the UC System in CAlifornia = 4.833</p>
<p>Standardized test scores:
SAT: 1970-1980, i forget, but im working on bringing this one up
ACT: 31
SAT Chemistry: 750
SAT World History: 690 (is that bad?)
SAT Physics: 660 (is this bad? =[)
AP European History: 5</p>
<p>Extra Curriculars:
President of school robotics club
Senior member of school debate club (Attend JSA Conventions)
Active member of school's Leo's Club (volunteering organization)
Captain of school Science Bowl Team
Spent summer of freshmen year at a science and math camp held by Education Unlimited
Spent summer of sophomore year at COSMOS: a science and math camp held by the UC System
Taught English to students in China.
Class Secretary in Student Body
Piano, going to take level 10 for Certificate of Merit this year
Volunteered at School Summer school in Freshment year summer
Varsity Throwing team member in Freshmen and Sophomore Year, soon to become captain
Cross Country Team Sophomore and Junior year, soon to become captain in senior year
School Drill team (Marching Units, 3 years)
Working on a Science Project this year
Volunteering at Elderly homes and hospital
School Mathletes for 2 years.</p>
<p>If you can up your test scores to the 2100+ ranges, and can focus your ECs, you'll have at least an outside shot at most schools on that list.</p>
<p>Most of your ECs are all over the place (Drill, JSA, math club, science, piano) and none show long commitments or significant leadership across the board. (ASB you do have however.) My suggestion? Go for leadership in ECs and focus them on what you want to do.</p>
<p>Extra Curriculars:
President of school robotics club (Started Freshmen year, the year the club was founded. Was made officer in 10th grade, and after President graduated, I was given her position for this year and the next)
Senior member of school debate club (Attend JSA Conventions) (I love this club and have spent a LONG time working with it. Also began in Freshmen year when it was founded. The only reason I'm not an officer of this is because I'm President of robotics already and the sponsor of the two clubs wont allow me to have two officer positions so other students can have a chance)
Active member of school's Leo's Club (volunteering organization) (Started in Freshmen year and have accumulated over 50 hours)
Captain of school Science Bowl Team (Freshmen year till now also)
Spent summer of freshmen year at a science and math camp held by Education Unlimited
Spent summer of sophomore year at COSMOS: a science and math camp held by the UC System (had a 20% acceptance rate)
Taught English to students in China (For a month, working 5 hours a day, 5 days a week)
Class Secretary in Student Body (10th AND 11th)
Piano, going to take level 10 for Certificate of Merit this year (Ever since Kindergarten)
Volunteered at School Summer school in Freshment year summer (For a month, 8 hours a day, 5 days a week)
Varsity Throwing team member in Freshmen, Sophomore, Junior. Will be captain in Senior year
Cross Country Team Sophomore and Junior year, soon to become captain in senior year
School Drill team (Marching Units, 4 years) High ranking officer
Working on a Science Project this year
Volunteering at Elderly homes and hospital
School Mathletes for 2 years.</p>
<p>UC Berkeley/UCLA--Match
UCSD--Safe Match
Pomona--Match to Slight Reach
Harvey Mudd--Slight Reach
Stanford--Slight Reach
Northwestern--Slight Reach
Washington University in St Louis--Match to Slight Reach
UPenn--Match to Slight Reach </p>
<p>The thing you need to work on is the test scores. Your 31 ACT is the equivalent of a 2040 to 2100 SAT, but that is still low for many of the schools on your list. </p>
<p>Your ECs are very impressive, so you may get in without the test scores, but I can't say for sure.</p>
<p>P.S. Good choice of schools for you to apply to--all either matches or slight reaches, with one safe match/safety</p>
<p>Calcruzer, why do you you give a person such an unrealistically optimistic assesment ?</p>
<p>georgeyang89, unless you dramatically increase your scores:</p>
<p>UC Berkeley/UCLA--Reach
UCSD-- Match
Pomona--Slight Reach
Harvey Mudd--Slight Reach
Stanford--Major Reach
Northwestern--Reach
Washington University in St Louis--Reach
UPenn--Major Reach</p>
<p>datadriven, were you computing his chances using SAT scores? I agree with your chances, roughly, if you were using his SAT score. Using his ACT score, I agree more with CalCruzer, and i would imagine the poster should clearly use his ACT when applying. These odds are if you use your ACT score. If you used your SAT score your odds would drop significantly. </p>
<p>UC Berkeley: Match
UCLA: Match
UCSD: Safe Match-Match
Pomona: Safe Match-Match
Harvey Mudd: Match
Stanford: Slight Reach-Reach
Northwestern: Slight Reach
Washington University in St Louis: Slight Reach
UPenn: Slight Reach</p>
<p>You might wanna throw in some safeties as all of your schools are top schools, and difficult to get into. If you are a CA resident, also apply to some UC's not considered as highly regarded as SD, LA and Berkeley. Possibly consider applying to UCI/UCSB/UCD as safeties.</p>
<p>I'm in datadriven's court for the most part on this one. 31 ACT converts to between a 1360 and 1400 CR+M SAT score. Based on that and the ACT score, for the non-UC schools:</p>
<p>Stanford: Big Reach
Northwestern: High Match/Low Reach
Washington University in St Louis: Reach
UPenn: Big Reach
JHU: Low Reach</p>
<p>All of these schools are very selective to highly selective. They all get tons of applications from kids with higher ACT scores (and, of course, much, much higher SAT scores). The ECs, although impressive, are not going to compensate for test scores, that, for the most part, are below the median score for each of these schools. If the OP wants to be a competitive applicant at these schools, he (she?) must push those test scores up, at least 250 points on the SATS and a point or two on the ACT composite.</p>
<p>Thanks for the input guys. I do have one thing I did want to mention. I'm still currently a junior and I took my SATs in Sophomore year with barely any prep. Over the past 6 months or so I've been preparing for the SATs. The ACT was actually taken with minimal preparation. I'm hoping I'll do better on the SATs this time after I finish prepping.</p>
<p>So what is a good score to reach for for those schools I listed?</p>
<p>And could someone give me input regarding Hopkins?</p>
<p>your scores will make hmc a reach. your SATI is 200pts too low, SATII sciences should be 750+ each (preferably 790, 800ish).</p>
<p>for your senior year (if your school offers them) to be considered you will need AP Calc and and at least another AP science class. most students come into mudd with ap calculus bc, ap physics b (and possibly c), and ap chem completed. you will also need at a minimum of 4's on those ap tests... but really for strong candidacy, you will need 5's.</p>
<p>guys how is datadriven's odds correct when he states that with a 31 act and over 4.2+ UC GPA, the poster could be a reach at ucla/berkeley? the posters gpa is above average for both ucla and uc berkeley and the posters act is above average for both ucla and uc berkeley and he has decent extra cirics. im just not sure how ucla/berkeley would be called reaches. that makes no sense. i wouldnt even call berkeley and ucla a slight reach. it seems to be a match to me. although admissions are random at these two schools, and match does not meen a guarentee, i still feel he has a greater than 50% chance at getting into each school. there is no way berkeley and ucla are reaches, that is unrealistic.</p>
<p>Thanks for the help guys, but I do have one question.</p>
<p>All of you have been telling me to bring up my SAT scores. What is a good score to aim for? Currently on my practices I am hitting 2100+. The 1900+ was from April of Sophomore year guys, without prep. Say I were to bring up my scores to 2100+, then what would my chances be?</p>
<p>Could I also get some input on Hopkins? Thats the main school I want to go to, as I am doing ED.</p>
<p>If I do ED for Hopkins, raise my SAT up to 2100+ or leave my ACT, what would my chances be for Hopkins?</p>