<p>I'm a high school sophomore trying to begin to figure out which schools I should seriously look at. I'm not sure if I have a chance at Ivies or if second tier schools would be a reach...please read my stats/ECs and tell me what you think!
GPA: 4.29 out of a possible 4.33
SATs: taken in 8th grade for a 2020--will retake soon.
ACT: projected as a 34 from the PLAN test.
curriculum is all honors/APs</p>
<p>ECs
debate team
speech club
community service club
student council
jv cross country</p>
<p>other:
-wrote an adaption of Sophocles' Antigone that was perfromed by a middle school (I assisted in directing and also did lighting design for the production).
-have been published in the newspaper 5 times
-attended Champlain colleges writing conference for 2 years
-will attend a HOBY conference this year
-have over 200 volunteer hours in miscellaneous events
-will attend a medical conference this summer
-initiated a writing day in my district
-studied Indian classical dance 8 years</p>
<p>also, do you have advice on what I should do to make myself stand out more to colleges?</p>
<p>anyone, please? am I a candidate for tier 1 schools? what can I do to get myself there? any advice is greatly appreciated!</p>
<p>Not sure what you mean by tier 1. Do you only consider the ivies to be tier 1? Not sure where you draw the line.</p>
<p>At any rate, your stats put you in the running for nearly any school, but there are no guarantees. Colleges are looking for kids that fit into the slots they have open at their schools. Your best bet is to figure out who you are and what you are interested in and then describe yourself as vividly as possible to the schools that you think have what you want. You will have the best chance at schools that you research carefully so you understand the school and can describe to the admissions officer what it is that you like about that school and why it fits you like a glove.</p>
<p>You should always find a school that you like where your stats put you above the 75th percentile and that you can afford. That way you will have an option that you can attend if all else fails.</p>
<p>There aren’t any real stats yet with a sophomore and no scores.</p>
<p>You have good grades so far, good projected ACT, and plenty of ECs that are interesting to you. So you don’t need to worry overly much about those things.</p>
<p>However, there is no mention of your family’s financial situation in your post. Sit down with your parents and talk with them about how they expect you to pay for college. They may think it is a bit early to have that conversation, but it isn’t. You need to know what your Expected Family Contribution (EFC) is likely to be (there are good calculators at [FinAid</a>! Financial Aid, College Scholarships and Student Loans](<a href=“http://www.finaid.org%5DFinAid”>http://www.finaid.org) and at [EFC</a> Calculator: How Much Money for College Will You Be Expected to Contribute?](<a href=“http://apps.collegeboard.com/fincalc/efc_status.jsp]EFC”>http://apps.collegeboard.com/fincalc/efc_status.jsp) ) You need to know if your family can pay that, more than that, or less than that. If they can’t pay your EFC, you need to be sure that there are several financial safety schools on your college list.</p>
<p>If your grades and ACT end up in the range that looks possible right now, you could be competitive for a number of merit scholarships. Read through this thread to get an idea about the possibilities: <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/848226-important-links-automatic-guaranteed-merit-scholarships.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/848226-important-links-automatic-guaranteed-merit-scholarships.html</a></p>
<p>You also need to know how your parents feel about you having a job during summer vacations and during the school year while you are in college, and how they feel about student loans. Lots of people get into big trouble by taking on unaffordable levels of student loans. You can find out more about that at <a href=“http://www.projectonstudent.debt%5B/url%5D”>www.projectonstudent.debt</a></p>
<p>Just like with any other kind of expense, as the TV commercial puts it, “An Educated Consumer is a Better Consumer.” Help your parents get the education they need about this subject, and your college search process will be much smoother.</p>
<p>Wishing you all the best!</p>
<p>thanks for all the advice! and ricegal-- tier 1 as in top 25 unis and lacs, not just ivies:)</p>