Critique my college list?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Alright, so just a little background on what I do. I'm a junior at a Catholic school in Charlotte, NC, and I'm working on my college list. Here are the all-important stats (some are blank, taking the SAT in October).</p>

<p>Unweighted GPA: 3.72
Weighted GPA: 3.98
PSAT score: 192 (I did terrible in math, I've since seriously improved)
SAT World History: 770
SAT Literature: 710
Class rank: School 'doesn't rank', but my guidance counselor has told me I'm in the top 15% of a class of 360. Make of that what you will.
APs: 3 this year (English, APUSH, Stats), going to self-study psych and environmental science; senior year planning to take AP Calc AB, AP Micro/Macro, AP French, AP Gov, AP Euro, and an AP science (not sure which yet)</p>

<p>I add the disclaimer that my freshman year was horrific. My GPA improved almost half a point between end of freshman year and end of sophomore year.</p>

<p>I want to major in finance or econ, with a possible minor in compsci. Definitely looking to get into the financial services industry after I graduate. </p>

<p>So, now that you've heard me talk for a good 15 lines, without further ado, here's my list.</p>

<p>Reaches:
Brown
Columbia
Harvard
UPenn
Stanford</p>

<p>High Targets:
UVa
Georgetown
Tufts</p>

<p>Targets:
NYU
Wake Forest
Washington and Lee</p>

<p>Low Target:
UNC-Chapel Hill</p>

<p>Safety:
Clemson</p>

<p>Any suggestions? I know it's pretty top-heavy, but Clemson is a sure thing, barring a major screw-up (nobody from our school that has applied there with higher than a 3.75 in the past 4 years has been rejected). Thanks in advance!</p>

2

<p>The best thing to do is to visit these colleges. You’ve got quite a few Ivy League, and they’re all different in terms of student body, atmosphere, etc. I had fifteen colleges before (I’m a senior), visited as many as possible, and eliminated Brown and Penn among others. I didn’t like the feel of the campuses. You might. Visiting will be the best option, if you can afford it.</p>

3

<p>It is too top heavy, especially for someone without top scores and outside the top 10% of their class. I would eliminate all but a few Ivies that you really like. UVA, tufts, and Georgetown are also reaches, not high target. UNC is very competitive and would be at least a high target for you. If you are happy with Clemson as a safety, that’s fine. What are your criteria for colleges? We can help you find more colleges, or you may have to have a thick skin come decisions.
Good luck! :)</p>

4

<p>Get your SAT scores since you expect significant improvement from your PSAT and then re-post. Right now your list looks very reach heavy. Also you may want to consider if you want to be in an undergraduate business school (for finance) or a liberal arts school (for economics) and adjust your list accordingly.</p>