Gah! Do I have a chance at -any- of these schools?

Applying to College
1

<p>Female. Caucasian/Asian/Hispanic. I'm a junior at a public high school.</p>

<p>I have a cumulative 4.0 (unweighted - our school doesn't have a weighted system). I've taken (and will be taking) as many honor/AP classes as my school offers. AP Lang, AP Lit, AP Euro, and AP Calc - I haven't taken any exams yet.</p>

<p>I'm ranked 1st in my class out of 365. I just took the ACT on April 8th and scored a 31, and I don't plan on taking the SAT.</p>

<p>My biggest downfall is my lack of extracurriculars. I belong to a long-track speedskating club and have raced competively for almost 9 years, including 6 national competitions and 2 international competitions. I've been in Key Club for a year and (hee) Harry Potter Club for 2 years. Other than..recreational soccer, that's about it. </p>

<p>Is there anything I can do between now and application time to be "in the running" for any of these schools?</p>

<p>Johns Hopkins, Harvard, Yale, Vassar, Wellesley.</p>

<p>Thanks. :)</p>

2

<p>Try to get an internship or at least a job during the summer. You are right, your ECs are quite weak. A nice internship or research position during the summer will help a bit, but otherwise, HYPSM are pretty far reaches. Johns Hopkins, Vassar, and Wellesley should be more doable though.</p>

3

<p>Umm, you actually have GREAT extracurriculars! Skating ) in national and international competitions shows your dedication and skill as well as athletic talent. I think that your skating accomplishments would be what put you over the edge.</p>

<p>Have you considered Stanford? They're big on athletes, and California can't be beat.</p>

4

<p>i agree, skating is a great extracurricular, but one EC is not enough unless it could be counted as a hook.</p>

5

<p>Yeah, it's like they say: Quality over quantity. Skating for 9 years and going to international championships sounds pretty impressive to me.</p>

6

<p>I think that, considering how many years she's put into skating, and how well she's done (competing on an international level is really good!), it is definitely a hook. Getting to that level of expertise in something takes a lot of time and effort and it's logical that she wouldn't have many other activities except for skating.</p>

7

<p>GPA and rank are, of course, off the charts. Wouldn't hurt to try and get your ACT at least a 33.</p>

8

<p>The ACT needs to go up for H and Y. The others look like a good shot. Don't forget guys, H turned down an olympic medalist this year.</p>

9

<p>suze: I'm not sure, I think she might be fine as it is. Also remember she's partially URM, if she wants to play the hispanic card on her app that will also boost her chances. </p>

<p>A nationally competitive waterpolo player (white) from my school just got into both Stanford and Yale with a 2000 SAT and a 4.2 GPA. </p>

<p>But, you're right, the admissions game is pretty unpredictable, so who knows.</p>

10

<p>Thanks for the help! I am planning on getting a Nurse Assistant Certificate and working for a home health care company this summer, so that should help a bit.</p>

11

<p>Maybe I should start my own harry potter club....that would be so awesome! 8D</p>

12

<p>chicken flicker,</p>

<p>I think you are pretty much competitive for most of these universities (with the exception of Harvard and Yale..they're reaches for everybody)...I'd say you might have a very good chance at Stanford and JHU...dedication to a few activities is a lot more impressive than many activities which you're not dedicated to. However, just like what an earlier poster said, you should try to have some more activities. Getting a Nurse Assistant Certificate sounds great...try to volunteer some more and use your summer wisely. Good luck! :)</p>

<p>(Remember, apply to a safety school just in case...university admissions can be very random!)</p>

13

<p>yes, I agree. Apply to safety school. I didn't get into any of reach school. :( Too many applicants this year.</p>