Hi everyone,
I want to know the likelihood that I will : get into a top LAC (Vassar, Wesleyan, Amherst, etc)
: become a QB finalist
GPA : 3.6 for 9th+10th grade, 3.88 for 11th grade (should’ve done better in 9th and 10th grade )
SAT : 2200
SAT II’s : ~700 for Literature and Math 2… should I take another one?
EC’s :
Church volunteer since 9th grade (once a week)
College Readiness Program since 9th grade (summers and twice during school year) I went on many college tours w/ the program
Varsity soccer since 9th grade (might become co-captain)
Summer Camp since 9th grade (1 week every summer, ~30hrs of volunteer) we do interesting stuff like have discussions with prisoners
Red Cross Club since 10th grade (once a week)
Math Club since 11th grade (once a week)
I can get a good rec from my English
Ethnicity : Asian American male
Hooks : First gen for college
Income : ~25k/yr
I would appreciate feedback on any aspect of my application! TY!
Those are all high reaches for someone from the New York City metropolitan area. Work on attaining a leadership position in one of your ECs. I don’t know enough about how QB works to comment on your chances there.
keep it up! and make sure you hit hard with your essay so you can stand out 
I think your chances as a Questbridge applicant are better than if you were applying via the overall pool of candidates. Looking at your stats, you have a very solid SAT but your subject test scores are not as good. You have a decent number of ECs but have not excelled at regional, state or national level and thus far do not have a leadership role. The rigor of your curriculum and class rank are going to be important factors
Related to your question, this year I volunteered as a Questbridge essay coach. This involved reading about 20 essays and providing structured feedback. I would second almondine15’s recommendation to make sure your essay is strong, it can make a huge difference with QB or with colleges. A very strong essay can make a significant difference. If you are very interested in Wesleyan, there is a book called “The Gatekeepers” which was written by a NY Times author as he shadowed an admissions officer. It will give you insight into the process from the admission officer’s perspective.
Thanks everyone!! And @Wje9164be my school only offers math honors in 10th grade (which I took) and I took calculus 1 in junior year spring semester. I also took honors spanish in 11th grade, though it was offered since 9th grade. Ill also look into that book!
And also, why do you say my chances are better if I apply through questbridge?
Do you think my chances at being a finalist are good? Thanks again
From what I know of the QB program your stats are pretty strong relative to the overall pool of QB applicants. The reason why your chances are better through QB is that these colleges will know that you have not had the benefit of extensive tutoring and hand-holding. The QB admissions process / cycle happens outside of the mainstream crush of 40,000 applications for 1,000 admissions spots.
Alright thanks! And I’ve been thinking that my Ec’s are not as strong as many other applicants. I haven’t shown any leadership nor have I won any awards. Also the quality of my ec’s seem relatively poor from my pov, but Idk if that’s just me being overly critical of myself. What do you think? @Wje9164be thanks
@Wje9164be should I work on my ec’s? Or what’s the main thing to focus on? Thx
There are 2 things to consider. Assuming you are going into senior year there is not too much you can focus on in terms of ECs during the school year. Leadership positions are good so you should make it clear that you are interested in leading either one of your academic clubs or soccer. If you can take some kind of academic enrichment program this summer - college course if there is an appropriate one would be good. Many of the programs on colleges are really just a way for the colleges to make money and keep the dorms full. Definitely spend what might seem like a crazy amount of time on your essays. What strikes me about the background data you’ve provided on yourself is no single thing stands out. Part of being successful in college admissions is, basically just standing out from the hordes of other applicants. All 3 of the top LACs you’ve listed are very, very thoughtful about who they admit. Understand why an LAC appeals to you and as you complete applications do your research on each college and write compelling “why Amherst” essays. If you can build a central “theme” to your application that an admissions officer will remember that is very good
@Wje9164be Yes, I agree my EC’s are very typical 
Do you have some ideas on how to stand out? My EC’s at the moment do not have a theme at all so it’s hard to build a central theme out of nowhere! Would doing an internship over the summer/school year about the same topic that interests me be sufficient for building a convincing theme of EC’s? Thx