Do I still have a chance?

<p>In February I took the ACT and scored a 30 as shown below. I took it again in June and I expected a 31 or 32 but instead got a much lower score. I think I need to refocus about the schools I can realistically get into.... Please give me any HONEST insight about my chances of getting into....</p>

<p>Boston College
New York University
College of William and Mary
UC Berkeley
UCLA
USC </p>

<p>GPA:
Weighted- 4.2
Unweighted- 3.8</p>

<p>Top 10% of class</p>

<p>ACT:
Composite- 30
English- 33
Reading- 31
Math- 27
Science- 27
Essay- 9</p>

<p>Additional Information:
1. I am President of Habitat for Humanity at my school and used to be treasurer (involved for three years)
2. I attended a Habitat global build in Trinidad over the summer
3. I am the Vice President of FBLA at my school (Future Business Leaders of America) and used to be Community Service Chair
4. I am in Spanish Honors Society
5. I am in English Honors Society
6. I have taught Sunday school at my church for four years (Catholic)
7. I play competitive soccer and tennis
8. I had the supporting role in my Freshman Drama Showcase production
9. I have been in yearbook class for four years and am now an editor
10. I am Puerto Rican:)
11. I will have taken eight AP courses by the time I graduate
12. I will have completed five years of spanish (concluding with AP Spanish Language)
13. I will have taken at least ten honors courses by the time I graduate</p>

<p>THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH! I really appreciate your help!</p>

<p>Can you tell us what state you live in, what you hope to study, and whether you will need to receive a significant amount of financial aid? The larger universities on your list vary in selectivity, based on the undergraduate school/department you apply to. I think Berkeley and UCLA are reaches, in any event. You might want to look at other UCs, if you can afford them. Your chances at NYU depend heavily on the school you plan to apply to. I’d say that the College of Arts & Sciences is a high-match/low-reach for you; Stern would definitely be a reach; Tisch is completely unpredictable, because the portfolio or audition counts for 50%. BC is also a high-match, as is USC (again, it depends on what you’re applying for). William & Mary is a low/mid-reach. I’d suggest adding a few more low-match and safe schools to your list: Pitt, Temple, Northeastern, et al. </p>

<p>@woogzmama‌ pretty hit the nail on the head with that one, though I may argue that USC (assuming you are reffering to southern california) might be harder to get into than you might expect. I agree that state of residency is important as UCs and W&M have lower acceptance rates for OOS applicants. Are you planning to do anything with the ACT again? Your UW GPA is fairly strong and it is otherwise a blemish on a great application. Nonetheless, colleges consider many things such as ECs, letters of rec, essays, and whether or not you have taken a rigorous courseload in the context of your school. On the EC and courses part, you seem to have it down.</p>

<p>I would say while many could be perceived as reaches, you are a good candidate other than testing, and that looking for safety and match school are important. BC also requires subject tests, so make sure you do well on those if you haven’t taken them already. Good luck!</p>

<p>@woogzmama Hi! Thanks for the response! I live in Georgia and am considering pursuing some sort of business degree or english degree perhaps. Yes I researched and heard that William & Mary and UC schools tend to prefer instate students…bummer. I don’t NEED to receive large amount of aid because my family is fairly well off but scholarships never hurt:) For the schools I am applying to, I am almost positive that I will always apply to the college of arts and sciences. Hope this helps you and thanks again! @shawnspencer I plan on taking the ACT probably one last time in September. Until then though, I’m just looking to see where my 30 can get me. BC truly is my dream school and I would attend if I was accepted even without a cent of financial aid! I will look more into the subject tests and see what I need to do. Although, for some reason, I could have sworn BC accepts the ACT with writing as an option too… but I’ll double check! Thanks again! </p>

<p>@nnocnat2‌ you’re right, and it seems that bc has dropped their requirement for subject tests altogether. it was a bit different when I started applying. anyways, that is definitely wise of you to see where you can go from here. If looking into some good business programs, Emory happens to have a good one. Tulane is great as well, and offers significant merit scholarships if you are looking to get out of state. Those other schools you listed don’t seem to offer a huge selection of merit aid, so that might be something to consider. Apply to a good range of schools, including safeties and see what happens from there.</p>

<p>@shawnspencer Thanks so much for your advice! You’ve given me hope and some serious things to consider. Thanks again! </p>