<p>tell me if i'm wasting my time? thanks :)</p>
<p>-White, female, attends non-prestigious public high school in NY (though we do have a few people go on to Ivy League schools and the like every year) </p>
<p>-Since i'm only a junior, i haven't taken the SATs or ACTs yet but based on practice tests ill probably get somewhere in the 2100-2300 range for SATs and around a 31 for the ACTs. my practice SAT subject tests are usually in the low 700s. </p>
<p>-here's my biggest problem: i sort of slacked off freshman and sophomore year. i took all honors courses and APs when i could, but i didnt try very hard: my grades were all in the low 90s. i only got a 3 on my AP Euro test, and i barely did any ECs</p>
<p>-so, my unweighted GPA is only a 3.8 (by the end of this year it'll probably be a bit higher, but i probably won't get to a 4.0). because of the rigor of the courses, my weighted GPA will be definately over 4.0, but i don't think that'll make much difference. </p>
<p>-I'm in the IB diploma program, and i'm doing pretty well. i'm sure to get between a 5 and a 7 on all my tests. </p>
<p>-i have a few teachers in mind for recommendations: intelligent, and they like me a lot, so that won't be a problem. i'm also a very good writer, so my essay will definitely be good. </p>
<p>-though we do have a valedictorian and a salutatorian each year (which will not be me), we don't have a class ranking, so i have no idea where i am in terms of that. </p>
<p>ECs:
-model congress: 4 years (possibly a board member next year)
-NHS: junior & senior yr (possibly a board member next year)
-Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, Senior class
-newspaper: junior & senior yrs (it was only started this year, though)
-yearbook: senior year
-tutoring: junior & senior year
-certified & active SCUBA diver: 6 years
-worked at the beach for 3 straight summers
-Lots of different volunteering activities spanning all 4 years(how exactly do you list these on college apps anyway?)</p>
<p>so, what do you think? do i have a shot?</p>
<p>also, i dont think they give merit scholarships, so how's the financial aid? coming from a struggling middle-class family, this is sort of the deciding factor.</p>