My name is Matt and I am a senior at a high school just outside of Boston. I have just submitted my first few college apps, but I have a unique application and am not completely sure what my chances are. Based off of my application, would I have a chance at the schools I applied to? So far, I have applied to BC, UVA, UFlorida, UMass, Northeastern, UNC, and UMiami. I applied to most as a music/business major in the college of arts and sciences. Am I in the right ballpark?
GPA:
4.35/5 (B+/A- average, more B+’s than A-‘s though, equivalent to about a 3.5/4)
My GPA improved significantly each year (freshman year: 4.1, sophomore: 4.3, junior: 4.6, senior: 4.9)
APs: took 1 my junior year, 4 my senior year)
SAT:
1460 (730, 730)
Extracurriculars:
Class president (graduating class of 400)
Started own piano tutoring business, had more than 10 students for all four years of high school
Varsity soccer
Varsity tennis
Varsity jazz band
President of Music honors society
Tutor in the school’s writing center
(I am also an accomplished pianist/singer, I submitted a music portfolio)
National honors society
National English honors society
Peer mentor leader
Writing:
I expect two phenomenal recs from the teachers I asked, I am very close to them. Also, the people that have read my essays seem to think they are very strong.
Does it look like I have a chance at the school I applied to?
Northeastern is pretty reachy for your stats, and being local makes the odds even steeper - you might also look at Drexel for similar programs (probably stronger in terms of fine arts, actually, and great music business co-op opportunities) and better odds of admission.
U of Miami would be a terrific school for what you want - admission could go either way but hopefully your strong EC’s and test scores, and the improving trend of your GPA, will tip it in the right direction. For a safety with similar strengths, you might want to look at U of Denver - strong in both business and music. With your leadership experience, you might be a candidate for their Pioneer Leadership Program, a competitive honors cohort and living-learning community.
UNC is very competitive (not to mention expensive) for out of state students - so are UF and UVA for that matter. I think they’re reachy for that reason. You should be in good shape for UMass Amherst, though. Have you looked at Ohio State? It has strong music and business programs, and some interesting crossover programs like their Music, Media and Enterprise Minor.
U of Richmond is another school you might want to look at - a little reachy in terms of your raw GPA, but a very reasonable target given the strong holistic picture. They really value strength in the performing arts and have strong music programs, but in a liberal arts context (no conservatory/BFA programs). They also have undergrad business programs as well as an Arts Management concentration that is open to music majors and minors.
In the general sense, an important question is course rigor. Will your counselor recommendation say that you took the most rigorous program available to you? (The only info you’ve given here is that you’ve loaded up on AP’s senior year, but only took one prior to this year; however, this may be the norm for your school - maybe you’ve taken rigorous honors classes - it’s hard to tell from your post.) Whether your counselor checks that “most rigorous” box will affect your chances at the more competitive schools on your list.