<p>Im entering my senior year. Chances for the following schools, please:
**Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Cornell, Columbia, Tufts, Stanford, UCLA, Berkeley, USC, UCSD, Amherst, Claremont McKenna<a href="I%20hired%20a%20private%20college%20counselor,%20and%20this%20is%20the%20list%20of%20schools%20she%20advised%20me%20to%20apply%20to">/b</a></p>
<p>STATS:
White Female
Nice Public School in Southern California</p>
<p>SATs: 1st 2060, 2nd 2170 SAT IIs: Spanish 720, Math II 720, Chemistry 730 APs: **Spanish Lang (5), English Lit (5), Modern European History (5), and Ill take four APs senior year
**GPA: 3.95 Unweighted, 4.05 Weighted Rank: Unknown, but probably in top 5%</p>
<p>ECs:
Lacrosse 2 Years Varsity, 2 Years JV, wont play in college
Dance In prestigious school dance troop, have traveled
School Advisor Work with failing students, help represent my school. </p>
<p>AWARDS:
Honor Role All Freshman and Sophomore year
Book Award
National Merit Semi-Finalist</p>
<p>Your GPA is borderline for those schools, and your EC's are not that great. Colleges like to see that you have way more than that (at least 5 clubs). I'd consider some state schools.</p>
<p>Wasting money with that private college counselor.
You're going to end up a packaged good that is going to be rejected at many of the Ivy Leagues.</p>
<p>Harvard: REJECT
Yale: REJECT
Princeton: REJECT
Cornell: Maybe
Columbia: Unlikely
Tufts: Maybe
Stanford: REJECT
UCLA: In
Berkeley: In
USC: In
UCSD: In
Amherst: Maybe
Claremont McKenna: Maybe</p>
<p>3.95 UW is great, but 4.05 W? how many AP/Honors did you take?
It makes me sick that you hired a private counselor. No counselor can work wonders with your application, and it is generally a waste of money. The rich feel they need to spend thousands on counselors and SAT prep; it's ruining the process. Many kids aren't even writing their own essays anymore. I'm guessing you took a class or were tutored considering the 110 point increase.
Your ECs are super weak. I agree with Gaffe as far as acceptances go, and drop the counselor. She can tell you nothing that you can't read in a book.</p>
<p>Gaffe is right on. Colleges see how professional your application looks. Read the 'adult feel' to your essay. 'You' gets drowned in the counselor packing your application.</p>
<p>I disagree with Pwn. that you need to have way more than those ECs. Of course, OP's EC's aren't that hot, but I think that 2 or 3 solid ECs look a lot better than 5 not-so-great clubs.
I agree with Gaffe for most, but UCB and UCLA aren't for certain.</p>
<p>Your ECs are awful. Unless your dance seriously (ie 2-4 hours of class 5/6 days a week) I can't imagine what you do with your time.</p>
<p>Stay in-state. The UCs are great schools and you'll get more bang for your buck there.</p>
<p>Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Cornell, Columbia, Tufts, and Amherst probably aren't happening. Tufts and Amherst are maybes, but the rest are straight up rejections.</p>
<p>Personally, part of the reason that I would feel most of these colleges are a large stretch is that you're not really "packaging" (okay, can't think of a better word here) yourself very well. We may have had a different opinion if you hadn't mentioned that you had a private counselor--especially as you said that she advised those schools for you to apply to...it implies a lack of effort on your part.</p>
<p>Your ECs may be much "stronger" than they appear--where have you travelled as a dancer? Have you performed in productions? What did you specifically do to help the students, and what kind of improvement did you achieve? </p>
<p>The SAT scores are average to begin with for said schools (though please correct me if I'm wrong on this), and the best possible way to boost your case would be to demonstrate commitment--not just in ECs, but in the specific colleges that you're looking for.</p>
<p>First of all, don't waste your time applying to Claremont McKenna. Amazing school, but they look for leadership. I'm not saying you aren't a leader, but the information that you have provided doesn't give me that sense at all. Harvard, Yale and Princeton? First of all, why? You don't stand out at all. I would honestly save your time & money on those applications. You just aren't at the HYP, Columbia, Cornell, Amherst level. I'm sorry if this is the first time you've been told this. There are plenty of great schools out there, but you just have to be openminded and not so focused on HYP. Good Luck!</p>
<p>Apply to: USC, UCLA, UCSD, Berkeley. Think about Occidental?</p>