Do I have a reasonable shot at these colleges?

Applying to College
1

<p>Hey everyone. I've been reading the college confidential forum for a while, but this is the first time I've posted. </p>

<p>I've been meeting with my guidance counselor regularly about what colleges I want to go to, but I'm getting the feeling that she's too nice to tell me that I'm not good enough for certain schools, and so I'm looking for an honest answer here. </p>

<p>My biggest dilemma is the discrepancy between my GPA and SAT score, since my GPA is really low because I switched to a really rigorous high school in 10th grade, and had some family issues in 11th. Anyway, here are my stats:</p>

<p>I'm a 15-year old junior (I skipped 8th grade).
My GPA is 3.15.
My SAT combined score is 2130 (750V 750W 630M). I'm considering retaking the SAT's this May.</p>

<p>Extracurriculars: I was a finalist two years in a row at an international music competition. </p>

<p>I've written a book on political liberalism that's being published now. </p>

<p>I've worked on political campaigns in past summers as a volunteer, and I'm working this summer on the Obama 2012 campaign in Iowa as a community organizer (still a volunteer position).</p>

<p>I was on the debate team in my old high school for a year and a half, during which I never lost a debate. </p>

<p>I was co-captain of our high school's robotics team which won a national competition, and I subsequently traveled with 3 other team members to Vienna, Austria, to represent the US in an international robotics competition. </p>

<p>I am an administrator on the English Wikipedia, and have won several badges of recognition for my over 10,000 edits there. </p>

<hr>

<p>Given the above points, what do you think my chances are of realistically getting into the following schools:</p>

<p>Georgetown (this is my absolute dream school)
U Chicago
U Michigan
George Washington
American University
Tufts
NYU
Wheaton
Oberlin
Harvard-(my dad's an alum and an interviewer for them, it's the only reason I'm applying)</p>

<p>Any response is appreciated. :)</p>

2

<p>I am a high school college counselor. I would say that your gpa is definitely going to be an issue and I would advise you to use your essay to discuss the family troubles and specifically state how you overcame these obstacles. Your strong sat score will mediate your low gpa, but that may not be enough if you haven’t displayed your ability to succeed in the classroom. That being said, I would recommend you choose a few schools that are less selective and admit more that 50 percent of applicants. You have strong extra curriculars which will help. Have you taken honors, ap, or IB classes? Feel free to email me if you have additional questions.</p>

3

<p>Does your school rank? What does your courseload looks like? Did you score well enough on the PSAT to qualify for national merit?</p>

<p>It’s hard to say. SAT is decent, should work on that math score. Your ECs are pretty darn nice, but that GPA is just killer…</p>

4

<p>10,000 Wiki edits?</p>

<p>I probably wouldn’t mention that one on the same application that bemoans school over-rigorousness.</p>

5

<p>Whats wrong with 10k wiki edits…</p>

6

<p>^^ Low GPA</p>