Finalizing College List

College Search & Selection
1

Hi guys, I just joined. I’m a senior in high school. Over the summer I felt pretty good about my college list, but now I’m having second-thoughts so if y’all could just look over my college list and tell me if it’s all good (the right amount of reaches, targets, etc). I’m not really looking to add more colleges, but if there’s a college that sounds like a fit for me based on my interests and test scores, feel free to share :slight_smile:
So, a little more about me:

Stats:
SAT: 1550
Math II: 780
Physics: 770
US History: 800

GPA: 3.9/4.0
I’m taking all APs/honors courses, already took AP Physics C and BC calculus (got 4s on both Physics C exams, a 5 on BC calc).
Extracurricular:
Cross-country and track (4 years and now captain)
Math team (4 years)
Debate Team (4 years)
Model UN (2 years)
Economics Club (2 years and president)
There’s more (but I don’t want to list them all).

Interests:
Economics – Not a Wall Street Wannabe, so I don’t really care about if a school’s a feeder for finance
Public Policy
Engineering (undecided)
Accounting – I’m considering forensic accounting as a potential future career

Preferences:

  • Ability to explore (makes it easy to take classes across disciplines)
  • Small class sizes and close relations with professors. I do better when I can speak out in class and professor is accessible
  • Not a rural setting. I don’t think I would do well in a “college bubble”
  • Preferably in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, or South, but not that big of a deal
  • Good academic balance with social life (doesn’t have to be frats though lol)
  • I don’t mind being the “big fish in a small pond”
  • I can pay for college without significant financial aid, but I ain’t saying no to a merit scholarship :wink:
  • Preferably has engineering program. idc about business

My List:
Reaches – Duke, Yale, Columbia
Targets – Carnegie Mellon, NYU, Georgetown, Tufts, UT Austin
Safeties – UCONN (instate), Lafayette
I’m fine with having only two safeties. I would still be very happy at UCONN :slight_smile:

Thanks guys for taking the time to read this!

2

I wouldn’t call Lafayette a safety, nor Tufts a target. I don’t know enough about the rest of the schools to offer an opinion. Assuming that 3.9 is unweighted, you probably have a good shot at the honors program at UConn.

3

Yeah, the 3.9 is unweighted. forgot to mention that. Why isn’t lafayette a safety, or tufts a target?

4

Because Lafayette accepts about 30% of applicants and Tufts accepts about 15%. As you have pretty high stats and solid ECs, your odds of acceptance are higher than that. But probably not higher to the point of being 90% at Lafayette or 50% at Tufts. Lots of people with high stats get rejected or waitlisted, particularly if they are not athletes, legacies, in a less common demographic, etc.

Just because of the percentages accepted, I’d think your targets are either low to mid reaches, or high targets. (Your reaches are all high reaches.) So I’d add at least one low reach (which could be most schools that accept more than 35-40% and have what you like) and one safety (accepts more than 50%, at the very least).

5

As you’d know, Georgetown lacks a direct engineering program. You’re OK with that?

6

The quality of U.Conn as an in-state safety makes me feel a lot better about a list which otherwise has a lot of reaches and schools that are likely to be expensive.

Have you thought about U.Mass and/or UVM? They would very likely be more expensive than U.Conn.

7

Agree with @DadTwoGirls - Lots of reaches (for everyone, not just you) but if you’re good with UCONN then I think you’re okay.

Focus on your essays and show demonstrated interest to the colleges that track that and I think you’ll have at least 3 or 4 great options.

Good luck and congrats on all your hard work and success in high school!

8

For your interests you have selected some appropriate schools including Duke, Texas & UConn.