Have I screwed up my chances.

Applying to College
1

I am wondering what would be a good match for me. I am very light on ECs, but decent elsewhere.

My stats.

2230 SATS, 790 Math, 770 Verbal 670
I am taking Math II, US History, and German SAT IIs this fall.

I have received 5s on Computer Science A and Statistics AP tests, and plan on taking Microeconomics, Macroeconomics, Calc BC, Comp. Gov, US Gov, Physics B/C, and US History.

I am 25th in a class of 670. My GPA is between 3.7 and 3.8. I am not sure if that is weighted.

My extracurriclars are as follows.

National Honor Society
Chess Team(9-12) captain
Quiz Bowl Team(9-12) captain
Boy Scout (9-12) almost done with eagle, but not sure if I will get it in time for deadlines.
Guitar(9-12)
Church Youth Group(9-12)

That’s it.

I also have participated in various Math and Programming competitions, including the AIME. I have won a few local programming competitions, and will most likely win a few next year as well.

So, based on that information, what do you think is a good match school? How far of a reach is getting into Penn/Chicago, being a white middle class male. My parents seem to think I should be able to get in their, but I tell them that it is too far of a reach.
Would I be able to get into Penn State University?

If anyone can help, can you please tell me safety, match, and reach schools would be for me?

2

<p>I think yoour being very critical of yourself. I think you have a shot at any school.</p>

3

<p>Looking around this message board, I would doubt that. I see people who are light years beyond me with ECs and SATs, and they are worried about getting into schools. This place scares me.</p>

4

<p>The people on this site are the best of the best, the high/overachievers, etc. (also, you never know how accurate the stats reported are, although I'm assuming most are real) It's not representative of your average college-bound student. I think with your stats, you have a good shot at a lot of schools. You have a high SAT score, a good GPA, and you have a long-term commitment to your ECs. Relax, you'll do fine.</p>

5

<p>Ok, looking at another post about Economics, which is what I want to study, there was a list of the top LAC Economics programs.</p>

<p>For economics</p>

<ol>
<li>Claremont McKenna</li>
<li>Barnard</li>
<li>Swarthmore</li>
<li>Haverford</li>
<li>Hamilton</li>
<li>Bowdoin</li>
<li>Macalester</li>
<li>Williams</li>
<li>Wellesley</li>
<li>Wesleyan</li>
<li>Pomona</li>
<li>Middlebury</li>
<li>Amherst</li>
<li>Colgate</li>
<li>Denison</li>
</ol>

<p>I know nothing of these programs, so could anyone suggest which of these might be within my reach or possibly even a match?</p>

6

<p>bump.</p>

<p>Can someone please tell me how hard the above colleges are to get in?</p>

7

<p>Most of the LACs you listed are highly selective (Amherst, Swarthmore, Pomona, Williams, etc). I think you have a decent shot, though, so definitely apply to whichever ones you're interested in.</p>

8

<p>How important are ECs really? Different schools seem to weight them differently.</p>

9

<p>Nemesis, it depends on the school. From what I've read on these boards, it seems like the state schools are more numbers-driven (less weight on the ECs). However the more selective private schools put a lot of weight on the ECs because they have so many applicants with high SATs and GPAs that they need the ECs to set them apart.</p>