<p>“What red flag?”</p>
<p>Your GPA is out of sync with your test scores. With an almost perfect GPA, colleges expect a student to have an almost perfect test scores. The average student with a rigorous course load who has a 98.5 GPA should have a 2300-2400 SAT score and all 5’s on their AP’s. Because you don’t – and the AP’s are much more worrisome than the SAT scores – that begs several questions: (1) Do you have test anxiety? If so, how will get through mid-terms and finals at college? (2) Did you take all easy courses to get the 98.5? Is that why you have such a high GPA with 4’s on your AP’s and possibly a 3 on one of them. (3) Or, is the rigor of your high school curriculum too easy? After all, students from across the country with your GPA are scoring 5’s on all their AP’s. (4) Is your high school not doing as good a job at preparing their students for college, as other schools in California, or Florida? An Admissions Officer WILL notice that your scores are out of sync and wonder why. They will be looking to your guidance counselor’s SSR or teacher recommendations for a possible explanation.</p>
<p>“Right now, I am looking at Vanderbilt, WashU, UVa, Rice, Tufts, Northeastern, Pitt, Stony Brook, and then HYS.”</p>
<p>Those are good choices, but realize that Tufts is not a school know for it’s generous financial aid.</p>