<p>Well right now I'm a sophomore and I realize I really need to improve my SAT scores (my psat was in the low 180's). But let's assume that I can get my SAT score up to 2100 what are my chances at getting into these colleges; University of Chicago, Stanford, Cornell, Reed College, Furman, and UC-Santa B? </p>
<p>I have a lot of interests, but I think I'm going to want to be a physicist and go into academia. So another (perhaps separate) question is do grad physics departments look more at the undergrad school you went to or the grades you earned there? While I agree that learning is much much more important than grades, I still want to have the necessary grades to attend a top grad school.</p>
<p>I'm ranked 2 out of 362
I have all A's
My GPA is 4.85 (weighted)
I've taken honors classes in every subject offered
I've already taken AP U.S history, and plan on taking AP Gov, AP Calculus (AB & BC), AP English, AP Econ, and maybe AP physics.</p>
<p>I play on the basketball team
I'm volunteering at little bit (about 50 hours a year) at Tender Hearts Ministers (a clothing provider)
I'm trying to go to a summer physics program (I'm going to apply to Duke's TIP program)
I'm not too active in other "school" activities right now, but I plan on joining a few more clubs next year like Model UN, the Math honor society, and an community service oriented one.</p>
<p>So what are my chances? And are there any other schools you would reccomend?</p>
<p>Are you sure? A 136 would be around an average of 45 per section. Anyways, I hope I can improve my scores as well. Also is there any partial materials you found especially helpful in your studying? (for the SAT).</p>
<p>well it was rather unfortunate.... i never had dreams and aspirations of NMSF though so no biggy. </p>
<p>i was forced to take the test both times by my school and i pretty much didn't care about it... somehow my 178 was the highest score in my class</p>
<p>I had a 180 my sophomre year, and a 183 my junior year when I took the sat my senior year I had a 2170(750 critical reading, 720 math, 700 writing).....</p>
<p>For Critical Reading, I suggest reading classical books with their summaries next to you, so if you don't understand a part of the text, you can check the summary....helps a lot, if you continously do it....because it prepares you for the type of passages on the sat.)
^^^ Also study some vocab lists....really helps....</p>
<p>For Math, the more practice you do, the more it will help you...</p>
<p>I have no idea, how my writing score went from a 580 to a 700......</p>
<p>Since your class rank is good, you if you can score a 2150+, it puts you in the running for all these schools...</p>
<p>If you do research, it can also help you stand out from the thousands of other applicants....</p>
<p>Was your purpose for reading the "classics" to improve literary analysis ability? Non of my english classes have really foucsed on the "analysis" part, so I probably need to do some self-study for that.</p>
<p>It's really early in the game, so you should focus on getting an SAT score of at least 2150, above a 2200 would definitely put you in the running. Keeping your grades up and your rank at that level and joining clubs while attaining a leadership position should make you a qualified candidate for your choices.</p>
<p>Your weighted GPA is excellent. I'd say you have a good chance at Stanford considering they only accept 10% of applicants. However, like you said, they are highly unpredictable. Sometimes they reject the best of students. But you have a great chance at pretty much any college. Work on that SAT though. =] Good luck!</p>
<p>Okay, I just wanted to make sure I had enough ECs not to hurt me... So basically what you guys are saying is that if I really study for the SAT (and get around a 2100) I will have a great shot at all of "my" schools? Personally, I think I'll be fine if I can get my SATs up. Also I know that most of "my" schools don't require SAT subject tests, but can they help, even if they're not required?</p>
<p>1400, cause 2100 is a 700 average per section, and on a 1600 scale there is two sections while on the 2400 scale you also have the writing section. However, that might not be entirely accurate, because some people have a lot higher math or critical reading. So it's not entirely convertible, but it would probably be around a 1400 :)</p>
<p>You'll need a PhD to do physics in academia; here are 35 schools to consider (schools you mentioned are bold). These 35 colleges and universities produced the highest percentages of future Physics/Astronomy PhDs per graduate over a recent 10 year period. Obviously a lot of tech schools are represented, but there's something for just about everybody (different sizes, different locations, different selectivities). </p>
<p>Google "Common Data Set" section C for each school to see how your numbers compare to those of the most recent matriculating class. Because of how yields work, for most schools you have about a 50% chance of admission where your numbers are in about the 67th percentile.</p>
<p>PhDs and Doctoral Degrees:
ten years (1994 to 2003) from NSF database</p>
<p>Number of Undergraduates:
ten years (1989 to 1998) from IPEDS database</p>
<p>Formula: Total PhDs divided by Total Grads, multiplied by 1000 </p>
<p>Note: Does not include colleges with less than 1000 graduates over the ten year period</p>
<p>1 California Institute of Technology 96
2 Harvey Mudd College 64
3 Massachusetts Institute of Technology 29
4 New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology 20
5 Reed College 13
6 Carleton College 13
7 Princeton University 13
8 University of Chicago 13
9 Rice University 13
10 Case Western Reserve University 9
11 Harvard University 9
12 Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute 9
13 Swarthmore College 9
14 Haverford College 8
15 Stevens Institute of Technology 8
16 Whitman College 8
17 Grinnell College 7
18 Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology 7
19 Colorado School of Mines 7
20 Yale University 6
21 Williams College 6
22 University of Rochester 6
23 Amherst College 6
24 Goshen College 5
25 Cornell University, All Campuses 5
26 University of Dallas 5
27 Wabash College 5
28 Stanford University 5
29 Beloit College 5
30 University of California-Berkeley 5
31 Carnegie Mellon University 5
32 Johns Hopkins University 5
33 Hastings College 5
34 Lawrence University 5
35 Illinois Institute of Technology 5</p>
<p>Yeah, I know I'll have to get a PhD - When considering which undergrad school I'm going to attend, I really want three things:</p>
<p>1) A place where I can expand my knowledge in several subject areas, not just physics</p>
<p>2) Somewhere that will help me get into a top grad school </p>
<p>3) A place where I can learn physics well</p>
<p>I'm wondering if any of you guys know how most grad schools (for physics) rank your GPA, Tests Scores, Recommendations, and the name of the college you attend, when determining who they admit.</p>
<p>On another note do you guys think my ECs are going to hurt me? I'm probably going to Duke's TIP summer program in Astronomy & Physics, in which you get "research experience". </p>
<p>I tutored a kid in math for three months twice a week
I volunteer at Tender Hearts Minister
I did a lot politically (over 400 hours), but that was in 8th grade (will this count for anything?)</p>
<p>I'm going to join model UN, Interact Club, and Math Club.... any other suggestions?</p>
<p>good chances at some of your schools that were suggested. you see, its hard for me to chance based on the fact, you havent chosen toomany specifics and youre a soph. When you are a senior, its becomes easier to judge3 your gpa etc. good luck on your search and pm me if you need anyhting further, THANKS FOR THE CHANCE !</p>