Having Trouble Sorting Out My Current List

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>I just finished junior year, and so far, I have a list of ten schools which appeal to me the most. I haven't decided on a major yet, but I'm leaning towards either engineering or general chemistry.</p>

<p>-My List
Harvey Mudd
Columbia
Cornell
UChicago
Tufts
Wesleyan
UMich
Reed
Purdue
WPI</p>

<p>-General Info
Gender: M
Residency: NJ
IB Diploma Candidate
Junior Courseload: IB-HL/BC Calculus, IB-SL Chemistry, Honors Physics, IB English III, IB-SL French IV, AP USH II, IB-SL Econ
Senior Courseload: IB-HL Further Math, IB-HL Chem, IB-HL Physics, IB-SL Comp Sci, IB-HL English IV, IB-SL French V, AP Stat, IB-HL European History</p>

<p>-Grades and Scores
GPA (UW): 3.91/4.3
GPA (W): 5.19/6.0 (school doesn't officially rank)
One thing to note:
PSAT: 201 (72 M, 65 CR, 64 W)- I'm usually not a great standardized test taker. Will this score hurt me?
SAT (taken once, will re-take in October): 2200 (770 M, 730 W, 700 CR)
SAT Subjects: 770 Math II, 700 Chem, 690 Bio M
AP BC Calc: 4
AP USH: 5
AP Lang: 4</p>

<p>-EC: Chess Club (captain/part-time instructor)
Robotics Club (captain of my team, programmer in Robot C)
GSA (member, appointed Relay for Life team captain and fundraiser)
Star Trek Club (co-founder/president)
Science Olympiad
Math League
Science League
Fencing (2 years JV and occasional varsity alternate; will be varsity next season)
Peace Project (anti-bullying club)
School Theater Tech Crew (spotlight, sometimes curtains depending on the show)
Volunteer: Working at a school for children with cognitive disabilities (very fulfilling experience, will certainly include it in my essay)
Midnight Run (participant, donator, and partial organizer of my synagogue's Run the last 3 years)
Habitat for Humanity (participated at 3 different locations)</p>

<p>-Other: Competitive Chess (frequent participant in rated events)
Currently conducting extensive research in rocketry for my IB Extended Essay, an extensive research paper which every IB Diploma candidate must write, including experimentation with Aerotech model rockets</p>

2

<p>I would greatly appreciate any feedback, as I’m planning college tours and would like to know which schools are most within reach. Thanks!</p>

3

<p>The only schools out of your reach are Columbia and UChicago.
For engineering/chemistry, the best schools for you would probably be UMich, Cornell, and Purdue. I’d tour those for sure</p>

4

<p>Harvey Mudd - Reach
Columbia - Reach
Cornell - Low reach
UChicago - Reach
Tufts - Match
Wesleyan - Match
UMich - High Match
Reed - Low Match
Purdue - Low Match
WPI - ?? not sure, assume low match</p>

<p>I would not say U of Chicago is out of reach, but I would maybe see if you can increase one of your lower subject test scores (and just send the 2 highest). A slightly higher CR would help as well. However, U of Chicago does not have an engineering major. So might not be the best fit from that perspective. I am pretty sure Reed also does not have engineering.</p>

<p>You haven’t said anything about finances. Have you run the net price calculators with your parents for these schools?</p>

5

<p>Harvey Mudd: Reach
Columbia: Reach
Cornell: Low reach
U Chicago: Reach (pay attention to your essays)
Tufts: Reach
Wesleyan: High match
UMI: Match
Reed: Match
Purdue: Safety
WPI: Safety</p>

<p>I wonder what’s so noxious about Rutgers’ social environment that so many NJ students would be unwilling to consider Rutgers even if it was their absolute safety and their cheapest option…</p>

6

<p>Thank you everyone! I want to clarify a couple of things actually. First, I actually got a B+ average for the year in IB Economics. My teacher spent a good deal of time telling stories, showing useless videos, and going on political tangents (in other words, not teaching). We also got tests and assignments infrequently, so there was at most 200 points or so total every quarter, which caused one bad test to bring down my second quarter grade to a C+ with little chance to bring it up. I tried talking to him twice to no avail. In second semester, I managed an ‘A’ average, but it wasn’t enough. How much will this hurt me, even though it isn’t directly relevant to my intended majors? If I can explain it in my essays or interviews, will that help at all?
Second, for those wondering, I am aware that UChicago, Reed, and Wesleyan all lack an actual engineering major. I still plan to apply to them, however, because they’re liberal schools, giving me more opportunity to explore other possibilities than I would have at an engineering-oriented school. Reed and Wesleyan also have strong 3-2 engineering programs with other universities if I do decide to go that track. Additionally, they’re all very strong in the sciences, so if I decide to major in something like chemistry or physics and can excel, I feel that pursuing engineering in grad school wouldn’t be too much of a stretch, again if I decide to do so. Is this sound reasoning, or should I reconsider? Thanks!</p>

7

<p>If you think you can do chemistry or physics at a school devoid of engineering with the intent of doing engineering in graduate school, definitely do a physics major as an undergrad.</p>

8

<p>Have you considered Chemical Engineering?
For Umich, you eould be match for LSA and high match for CoE.</p>

9

<p>Thank you! And yes, I have considered chemical engineering. I would prefer general engineering to explore different options, but if I had to choose a particular focus, chemical would definitely be a strong possibility.</p>

10

<p>I really can’t figure out why students who want to be engineers wait until grad school to major in it… you can earn a very, very good living with just a bachelor’s in engineering. I do understand the desire to study some other things – but it still seems odd to me.</p>

11

<p>That’s just one option I’m considering. Bear in mind that I also really like UChicago, Reed, and Wesleyan because they all seem to have the type of social environment that suits me, which is the main reason I’m willing to look past their lack of engineering. In other words, an engineering major is not a deal-breaker for me, just something that I would want as a solid option.</p>

12

<p>Bump, bump.</p>