<p>Alright...I posted my stats on another post...you can check them out</p>
<p>I'm looking for </p>
<p>-business, government, economics, political science
-relatively safe campus</p>
<p>Here is my list so far...help!
Amherst
Bowdoin
Brandeis
Bucknell
Carnegie Mellon
Colby
Dartmouth
Harvard
Harvey Mudd
Haverford
MIT
Swarthmore
UPenn
Williams
Yale</p>
<p>i'm far too lazy to check that link. sorry :o</p>
<p>lol...ok</p>
<p>here it is then:</p>
<p>Me:
GPA 4.141 (Ranked 1 out of 46 in a private school)
Cum Laude(only junior selected last year), National Merit semifinalist.
SAT 790 C.R. 740Math 710Writing (Retaking them!)
5s on APs (AB Calc, US History, Environmental Science)
State rankings in math and french competitions.
head editor of newspaper and yearbook.
4-h treasurer.
3-year letterwinner in two sports.
pres. of community service club.
a little tutoring, a bit of minor fast-food work experience.</p>
<p>Do you prefer a small, close-knit liberal arts college, or a larger university like UPENN? If you dont want a small LAC, i suggest Williams, Amherst, and Swarthmore are way too isolated, small, and really not worth an Ivy priced education when you can get a really good one at Yale, UPENN, or MIT. I have friends at Williams, and they hate it. Its in the middle of nowhere.</p>
<p>Oh, and i think UPENN and Yale are really good reaches for you. Those 2. Especially UPENN. There are many things you must consider when choosing schools. What do you like about the schools themselves. You cant just pick schools about by names. You have to do research. See what schools you would fit in with. Your list is filled with reaches, except Bucknell and Brandeis. You need to take off some of those reaches and place possibles in there, and a safety. Just one safety is fine. </p>
<p>Also, if you want to go into business/polysci, what have you done in terms of extracurriculars or outside work that show that interest. How can you prove to the adcoms that this is what you truly want and you have proof that you are passionate in this field?</p>
<p>Take off MIT. it seems really random in your list.</p>
<p>I agree, MIT is really random...CMU is also very science-oriented, while the others are more liberal artsy. Harvey Mudd is on the other side of the country- are you only putting it there because of the high rankings/prestige? Colby is also in a completely other area geographically- doesn't seem to fit your trend. Penn, Harvard, Dartmouth (not as much), and Yale are reaches..So for matches I'd say...</p>
<p>Amherst
Bowdoin
Brandeis
Bucknell
Haverford
Swarthmore
Williams</p>
<p>All small, LACs. Prestigious, selective, etc.</p>
<p>Amherst
Bowdoin
Dartmouth
Harvard
Haverford
Swarthmore
UPenn
Williams
Yale</p>
<p>What is your UW GPA?</p>
<p>Which schools do you really want to go to, and which one's are you just applying to because they have high prestige?</p>
<p>I know the schools like MIT, CMU, and Harvey Mudd seem really weird, but I come from a math family, and I always thought that I would go into actuarial science (until my SAT scores came back!!) </p>
<p>I really like the Colby, Amherst, Bowdoin thing b/c I go to a small school (46 kids per grade) where I know all the teachers...Also, I live in a tiny town and the idea of a big city makes me nervous!</p>
<p>I would say that Harvard, UPenn, and Yale are on my list only b/c of prestige...</p>
<p>i'm not entirely sure what my unweighted gpa is...but I've only gotten 1 A- ever (the rest are As) stupid honors biology!!</p>
<p>Don't let your SAT scores determine what you go into. I also got a lower math SAT than verbal, 'bought the same scores too, actually, and I'm a chemistry major. If you want to go into actuarial science, go for it! </p>
<p>On the flip side, I also agree that you should do more research on the schools you apply to. I did heavy, heavy research before applying and was left with only great choices despite only applying to six schools. My friend, who did little research, applied to 12 and felt like she had far fewer because she decided later that she disliked a good number of the schools she applied to.</p>
<p>Lose Bucknell...all your other schools are pretty liberal.</p>
<p>bizsearch - your unweighted academic GPA is a 3.98, VERY STRONG. Should help you greatly in admissions.</p>
<p>As for your schools, don't apply to Harvard, Yale, or UPenn, because you aren't doing it for the right reasons. It's not because you like the school at all, but just because they have a good name.</p>
<p>It sounds like you want the northeast, small college type. Here's a good list for you.</p>
<p>Amherst
Bowdoin
Haverford
Swarthmore
Williams</p>
<p>All good matches for you, it's just such a crapshoot with admissions at these caliber universities.</p>
<p>If you like Music I'd say add Oberlin. Definetly no UPenn or Harvard (eww..) or Yale. I personally would never go to a math school like MIT. It's for nerds. And if you've GOTTA have an ivy, keep either Williams or Dartmouth.</p>
<p>Dartmouth- Reach
Oberlin- Reach
Amherst- Match
Bowdoin- Match
Haverford- Match/Safety
Swarthmore- Match
Williams-Match</p>
<p>thanks everybody for all of your help...everything you guys are saying makes a lot of sense!</p>
<p>oh, also...is it true that dartmouth is big on the huge parties every night? Are the other ivies (Harvard, Yale) more low key?</p>
<p>get some safteies, cut some reaches</p>