GPA (UW) : 4.0
Class rank: top 2% (10/586)
APs: AP phys 1, AP US History, AP world history, AP English language, AP calc bc, all 5s
Current courses: AP Phys C, AP Gov, AP Econ, AP Literature, GA Tech distance calc (does being in the GA Tech distance calc class boost my chances?)
EC: Marching band (section leader) all 4 years, beta, NHS, Tri-M music honor society, interact
SAT (New): 1520 (790M, 730 CR+W) , 7 on essay
Any feedback greatly appreciated, Tech is my dreamschool!
Purely based on numbers (GPA, SAT scores etc), you stand a good chance. But GT has become competitive over the years. Many strong candidates (GPA, SAT etc) were turned down for Fall 2016 round during EA; results were brutal. Just read the EA thread from last year to get an idea. Many strong candidates were deferred from EA to regular. Not sure how many eventually got admitted during the regular round.
GT admission says they are using holistic process which basically means that several other factors goes into the decision, and some of those are beyond applicant’s control. Recently, they posted some information that you should read (if you haven’t already). http://admission.gatech.edu/freshman/competitive-admission http://admission.gatech.edu/freshman/holistic-review. In particular look at section “institutional fit” - http://admission.gatech.edu/freshman/institutional-fit. This basically gives admissions wiggle room to shape the class as they see fit. They say, “We also want a class who studies a variety of disciplines, so the major you put on your application and evidence of your interest in this major is an indicator of how you would fit in the upcoming class. These are examples of institutional priorities, and how factors outside of your GPA and test scores will affect your admission decision.”
In the past, GT has said that major you apply for has no bearing on your admission. I guess they are reversing it given the increased demand. Not sure what your major is, but do some digging on how popular/competitive it is. Currently GT allows freshman to switch major during their first year freely (at least once). Wonder if they will start admitting by majors (to restrict class sizes by major) which most of their peers do. However, I am not suggesting that you put a major with the hope you can transfer once admitted as it will back fire if you cannot show genuine interest for that area in your application. For example, it is hard to convince that you are interested in business if all your ECs, coursework is in Math and Sciences.
Bottom line: keep some alternatives college choices in your back pocket. I am not trying discourage you, you have solid record. At this point, focus on things you can control like essays. It may be in your favor that GT aims to have about 60% of its enrolled freshman class (not admitted rate, which they published as 39% for Fall 2016) from in-state. Good luck.
@GaussPi100@ndslite At a recent info session, they claimed Computer Science and BME as the most competitive majors last year. However, they said to go with your desired major. Good luck!