<p>I'm a junior, starting to look through colleges, and I'm not quite sure where I fit into everything. I'm looking at some Princeton, Brown, Pomona, Haverford, Amherst, Tufts, WUSTL, Wesleyan, and URochester. Here are my stats:</p>
<p>Academics:
GPA: 3.9 UW (~96%), 4.15W
Rank: 1/208, pretty competitive public
SAT: 790M, 740CR, 740W 9 Essay
SAT 2: Still have to take</p>
<p>Awards:
Top Math & Science Student (grades 9 &10)
Top English Student (10)
A bunch of science fair awards</p>
<p>ECs:
Tennis Team (9-11)
Bunch of random clubs
NHS, NAHS
Chess Club President (10-11)</p>
<p>Volunteering:
~70 hours at nursing home
~20 hours tutoring</p>
<p>Hook (?): I really like art, was in a few exhibitions, and I'm going to MICA's precollege in Tuscany this summer, not sure if this really counts as a hook though</p>
<p>Trying to publish a novel, but I doubt it will get anywhere</p>
<p>Thanks ahead of time for all your input, I really appreciate it.</p>
<p>Brown is a going to be a big reach along with Amherst. The others you have a decent chance at though. URochester is probably your best bet. Try to get more ECs, especially in art if your passionate about it. Does your school have an art club? You could always start one. Oh, and do well on the SAT IIs.</p>
<p>I think you’re a solid candidate at most schools. Princeton and Brown will obviously be the toughest, followed by Amherst and Pomona. </p>
<p>Things that should be on your checklist:</p>
<p>SATII’s (and APs?)
Recs
Essays
Getting more involved (interships, jobs, programs, anything to show passion)
Compile a portfolio of your art
publish that novel (or at least find a way to integrate it into your applications)!</p>
<p>Thanks for the feedback, I just took my SAT II Lit, and I’m taking the Math 2 and Spanish in June. My school really doesn’t offer many AP’s, because most teachers like to chose their own curriculum. I should be able to get some really great recommendations, because most of my teachers love me, and essays will hopefully go well. Is there another art club I could start if we already have a National Art Honor Society? And does anyone have suggestions on how to get a novel published? I sent it to an agent, but they said it will probably be a few months until they can get back to me. Also, any good ideas on volunteer jobs that would be easy to get and would look really good on a resume?</p>
<p>Haha, I volunteered at a retirement home for ~100 hours of the summer. It was actually a lot of fun; I got to organize bingo Maybe you could try volunteering at a retirement home? Helping old people is always a plus. Hospital volunteering is also pretty easy to obtain, and of course looks great
What did you get on your SAT II? 700+ will make you competitive, but you already knew that
Getting a novel published would be mighty impressive, but maybe a little too improbable…Maybe enter a regional/local writing contest to pickup some honors, or try to get a short story published in a magazine (I am told it is much easier…) Definitely mention that you’ve finished a novel though; that takes serious dedication</p>
<p>So, here’s my two cents:
Princeton - Reach, it is for everyone, better odds than most
Brown - Reach, a really good shot
Pomona - Slight Reach / High Match
Haverford - Slight Reach / High Match
Amherst - Reach
Tufts - Slight Reach / High Match (Senior at my school got in with 1380/2120 so you have a good shot) Being non-New England will really help here
WUSTL - High Match, most likely in
Wesleyan - Slight Reach / High Match (Although I would say “in”)
URochester - Match
Good luck for the future! You have great stats…I’m jealous!</p>
<p>AceClark, thanks for the post. I only got a 630 on my SAT II Lit :(, but I’m re-taking in June and hoping for around a 730 – on my practice tests, I alternated between getting a 610 and 730 depending on whether I ran out of time. I’m visiting most of the schools on my list, and unfortunately I fell in love with Yale, where I really don’t think I have much of a shot. Would applying SCEA give me any advantage? Also, with publishing the novel, has anyone had any experience with agents? I really have no idea how to go about it, but I’ve researched it a bit and think that self-publishing while trying to get agents to look may be the best way to go. Lastly, my 10th grade science fair project was an earthquake-resistant house foundation. I won a few awards for it, but I was wondering if it would be possible to get a patent (without spending hundreds or thousands of dollars) or to enter it into some science competition that cares more about the idea than the complexity of the science. Thanks for all the feedback!</p>
Maybe you could try volunteering at a retirement home? Helping old people is always a plus. Hospital volunteering is also pretty easy to obtain, and of course looks great