What are my chances for UVA oos, Emory, Vanderbilt, Duke, WashLee?? I would be apply to college of Arts and Sciences when required. Thinking neuroscience and French, but you never know what will happen. I’m new to CC but I’ve been avidly reading the forums for years. I go to a private Christian school in AZ and these are my stats: 34ACT (29M, 33S, 36E, 36R) and a less impressive 1400 on Sat. I retook sat but don’t have scores back yet. I was very disappointed in score as I had a 1480 on PSAT (222) and was hoping for improvement. Looking at previous year’s scores, I will qualify as National Merit semifinalist. GPA: 3.99 UW (had a 92 in calc one semester) 4.47ish W. I’m probably ranked between 5-7 in a class of about 120. Majority of classes are honors. My school only offers 2 APs- Physics 1 & 2. I took Physics 1 and wanted to know if you guys think I should take the second year. I didn’t love physics and want to take H. Anatomy and Physiology but didn’t want it to hurt me in admissions. Varsity tennis 9-11, student ambassador 10-11. NHS secretary 11. Discipleship group leader for a group of fresh/sophomores 11. Vball 9-10. On the leadership team for our Mexico orphanage mission trip. 1mission (building homes in Mexico). went to Rwanda on a mission trip. Volunteer at church every Sunday in K-3rd ministry. Not a published author or curer of cancer lol. I don’t have my recommendations yet but I know that 1, if not both, will be solid. Planning to write my personal essay on my trip to Rwanda and how it created an interest in medical mission work and volunteerism. I’ve been stressing myself out about whether or not I actually have a chance at any of these schools so any insight is greatly appreciated. Right now, my gut is telling me UVA, but I would be an OOS acpplicant. Do I have a chance at the Jefferson Scholarship (or the Cornelius Vanderbilt or Johnson Scholarship? ) I have to pay for half of my undergrad, but am from an upper class family so I’m limited to merit-based aid. Thank you for your help! As a new member, it means a lot :)))
Sorry I didn’t space this out very well :(( I forgot to add that I won the Mighty in Spirit award for tennis this spring. It’s not a game changer or anything but shows strength of character in a team setting I guess.
You look like a decent candidate for all the universities you listed. Duke and Vanderbilt are especially selective however, along with UVA out of the ones you mentioned, so I would be remiss if I gave you a wonderful shot at admission. I would strongly argue against writing your essay on an EC you did - it’s a common misconception that many students trick themselves into. Colleges already know about your ECs and what they would do for you as a person - I would write about that in your supplemental questions instead of the personal narrative piece. The essay is a chance for AOs to get to know you as a person, not for you to discuss your accomplishments that you’ve already talked about in supplemental papers and the application. You need a 1550+ SAT, IMHO, to be very competitive at a place like Vandy or UVA, and Duke is really a ED-or-nothing type school for students of your caliber. Assuming you can get atleast to 1500+ based on your PSAT, I would give you a shot at admission, although not a great one. There’s no harm in applying for the scholarships - nothing ventured, nothing gained, as they say. GL with your applications!
@DJCURRYBEATS19 Thank you! I appreciate the advice and honesty! I sent my ACT to Duke, Vandy, and UVA- duke would still see the SAT though because of my essay portion 
if not about a significant life event, what would you advise writing a personal essay about?
IMHO, it is fine to place your essay in the context of an EC/service trip… but if you do that, the important thing is to come up with something fresh and thoughtful to say. Do not write the formulaic, “Going to Rwanda opened my eyes and made me want to work for Doctors Without Borders” essay, even if that is true for you. But suppose you formed a meaningful connection with a particular individual there and could tell a compelling story about that interaction… that could be a good essay, particularly if you could successfully steer clear of (or better yet, subvert) the tropes and cliches around “voluntourism” experiences. If you do work with this topic, above all make sure you emphasize a profoundly respectful view of what people there had to teach you, with not even the faintest whiff of the “me to the rescue” aspect. (Bonus points for historical perspective - i.e. foreign interference as the root source of many problems, not just as a solution to problems that are presumed to be inherent.)
You really don’t need both your ACT and SAT to be equally great. If your SAT retake is better, great, but you’ve already got that 34 in your pocket so it really doesn’t matter that much. You should be NMSF with that PSAT in AZ, right? So look into schools that reward that.
It seems as if Wake Forest would fit the profile of schools that you like. It’s a little easier admit than Vandy and Duke, but still top-tier. U of Richmond would be worth a look as a low-match with a similar vibe - good merit potential there. Tulane is a little different vibe but also a great southern school with good merit opportunities. And maybe U of Miami? UGA could be a somewhat UVA-ish flagship where merit opportunities are a lot less rarified. https://www.admissions.uga.edu/scholarships/
There are also great public LAC’s, of which William & Mary is of course the most prominent… but there’s also College of Charleston, UNC Asheville, and St. Mary’s, Maryland’s public Honors College, which was the #1 small-college producer of Peace Corps volunteers last year.
“Colleges That Change Lives” LAC’s where you could expect significant merit would include Agnes Scott (cross-registration w/ Emory), Rhodes, Centre, and more https://ctcl.org/category/college-profiles/ Wheaton (IL) is the top Christian LAC in the nation and has a wealth of internationally-focused programs that might appeal to you.
But the NMF deal at Barrett Honors sets an awfully high bar, since you could graduate debt-free from one of the top Honors Colleges in the nation. So maybe you don’t really need a lot of OOS safeties. There are also all of the WUE reciprocity schools, but I can’t necessarily think of any that would be a clear improvement on your excellent in-state options.
@aquapt thanks for the tips- I never thought about how common volunteerism essays might be. I became interested in neuro when I was chased by pitbulls while walking the dog & was fascinated by the science behind “fight or flight”. That’s very unique to me, but I’m not sure if talking about a prospective major is a good idea. Thoughts?
The ones I listed are more of my “reach” schools. Thanks for your insight, I will check into those schools! I’ve looked at some smaller LACs as well as Wake, both on campus and online. UofA has better sciences than ASU, but Barrett is definitely a good option and if students from my school go to ASU, it’s generally Barrett’s.
Right, UofA is the flagship… it just seems like ASU/Barrett is more on radar out here in CA for some reason. I’m not the best-informed about their relative strengths; I just know they’re both great options.
IMHO, tying in your interest in a prospective major with your life experiences is great, but for the most part it makes a better essay to relate this to your overarching theme without being too heavy-handed about making it The Main Point.
Like, for example… and of course this is based on total speculation that might not represent you or your life at all, but just as proof of concept… I think a person could write a really nice and balanced essay about “things I have realized while walking my dog.” So, the scary fight-or-flight incident (though maybe don’t stigmatize pitbulls in particular - you don’t need to offend an AO who loves pitties) could be one experience mentioned, but it could be counterbalanced by the more contemplative times when you have thought back on your experiences in other parts of the world (see what I did there?) and even thoughts on how this time is part of your spiritual life if you might want to talk about that in a non-polarizing kind of way. The trick is to make the essay multidimensional (vs. a whole essay about How a Pitbull Attack Changed My Life or How Volunteering Overseas Changed My LIfe or etc.), but to do it in a way that feels cohesive rather than scattered… and also make the reader feel like they’ve met you, as a person, by the time they get to the end.
That’s just one idea, and it’s not like I think it’s the most brilliant essay idea I ever had or The Solution To All Your Essay Problems… but the point I’m trying to make is, try to find a theme or story that can tie together several aspects of who you are what what you care about, but in an engaging-narrative kind of way. You don’t want this to be another in the endless series of academic five-paragraph essays that have been demanded of you over the years. “And thus, in conclusion, I want to study neuroscience because…” no, have mercy on the AO’s and don’t do this, lol. This is a snapshot of who you are - the central theme is just a vehicle for bringing the details to life.
Hope that helps to spark ideas
Congrats on all of the great options you have at least a chance for your college. Your hard work will pay off.
You know you are listing some of the most selective schools in the world and hopefully one comes through for you.
I would spread my wings a bit based on my personal experiences.
FYI. I would not count on Jefferson scholarship. They only select 50 for interview and only a few receive it. My direct knowledge of the process had a Wendy’s scholastic and volunteer all American who said no to gtown brown and nd Committed to uva oos and did not get it.
My d’s co valedictorian this year who was a refugee from Afghanistan as his story with perfect scores and 4 uw who said no to Dartmouth and Cornell didn’t get it either.
But I don’t know who did but it would be a longshot imho. But there’s plenty of other fish in the sea and you can earn great merit at many fine schools