Help me define reaches, matches, chances, please!

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>I am looking at several good colleges, and i know some are definitely reaches, but some i may consider matches may indeed be reaches and vice versa. So i was wondering what my chances are at these schools and how to define them. i also need some good safety ideas so my school preferences are here <a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=54667%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=54667&lt;/a>.
Anyway the schools first of all:
looking at Yale, Brown, Tufts, Vasser, Wesleyan, Case Western, University of Rochester, Brandeis, BU, GW</p>

<p>SAT: 2010, 700 V, 680 W, 630 M
SAT II Chem: 690, taking german and literature in June
GPa: UW-3.9, W-4.5?
Ranked 12 out of 290
white female</p>

<p>Classes:
all honors in 9th and 10th except for electives. currently enrolled in all IB classes and i'm hoping to get the diploma. that means this year & next i have 6 IB classes</p>

<p>ECs (I plan to continue most 3 year things next year but i'm just putting these through my junior year):
Marching Band, Concert Band, Honors Band and Orchestra - 3 years & continuing
Music Lessons on flute and piano - continuing, have taken them since 6th grade, played since 3rd grade
Girl Scouts - continuing, have been in since 3rd grade
Volunteered at a kid's camp since 7 grade, continuing
Stage Crew and School Play - one year
Art Activities- 2 years, art apprenticeship - 1 year
STAND club- 1 year, continuing
Chorus - 2 years, continuing
National Honor Society - one year, continuing
Tutor - 1 year</p>

<p>Leadership- school flute section leader, assistant student musical director, hoping next year to be the student music director for our musical, co-editor in chief for school newspaper for 2 years and hopefully continuing</p>

<p>Awards- AMC 10 school winner, German Day 1st place winner, member of National Piano Teachers of America student college (i think this is the official name)- 2 years</p>

<p>Thank you so much for giving me any advice!</p>

2

<p>how can you be school winner for AMC 10? Does that just mean you have highest score in the school? That really doesn't make a difference...if you got to AIME, it'd matter more. </p>

<p>I think your SAT I and II scores are low, esp. for Yale, Brown, etc. Have you won anything for music?</p>

<p>I have no idea about the Unis. I'm not familiar with Tufts, GW, etc...I'd say Case Western is a match though, and that's probably as much as I can do. :)</p>

3

<p>i was just the highest scorer in the school for the AMC.
for music i did get 3rd seat in the highest level band at the wvu band invitational. but it's not really an award.
thanks for the input though</p>

4

<p>reach: community college.</p>

<p>good luck!</p>

5

<p>haha thebluemuffin. my stats aren't perfect but they aren't that bad! jk, i've heard going to community colleges can be good because top colleges look for people to transfer if they are doing well</p>

6

<p>Yale and Brown are truly unrealistic with your SAT scores. Most of the rest of your list are reaches. You really need to research on the college boards what it is taking to get into these schools. Sorry, but someone needs to be honest.</p>

7

<p>GW and BU are pretty much safety/matches, the others though, are matches/reaches</p>

8

<p>Tufts - match<br>
Brown - i'd say you have a 60% chance of getting in...really depends on the applicant pool...bring up the SATs by 100 points and it'll be a match. GW - Match
Yale - ......bring up that SAT score and you'll be competetive</p>

9

<p>thanks for all the responses!</p>

10

<p>Yale: huge reach
Brown: huge reach
Tufts: reach
Vassar: reach
Wesleyan: slight reach
Case Western: match
University of Rochester: match
Brandeis: slight reach
BU: match
GW: safe match</p>

<p>Find some more realistic schools. This a very reach-heavy list.</p>

<p>If you REALLY like Case Western, U of R, BU, & GW, then you're fine. Otherwise take off some of the reaches & find some mort schools you are more likely to be accepted to.</p>

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<p>yeah, i am looking for more matches and safeties. if you know of any schools similar to these that could be a match/safety, please say!</p>

12

<p>any more ideas?</p>

13

<p>You would be a stronger candidate for your mid range schools, Tufts, Brand, Wes, with a higher SAT. I don't think the ivies are realistic reaches.</p>

14

<p>Zagat - thank you for just saying what most people wanted to. It's hard to say that to someone - but you just had to. The IVIES are totally filled with applications for people with higher scores than you and same, if not better EC's.</p>

<p>Mid Range schools would be a great choice - Zagat is right. Bring up the test scores though a little prep and you're good.</p>

<p>"reach: community college."
This is why I love this board.</p>

15

<p>
[quote]
Brown - i'd say you have a 60% chance of getting in...really depends on the applicant pool...bring up the SATs by 100 points and it'll be a match. GW - Match
Yale - ......bring up that SAT score and you'll be competetive

[/quote]
</p>

<p>lol? 60% for Brown? don't tell me you haven't learned a thing on this board after 450+ posts :-P</p>

16

<p>I think when people post here, honest opinions are called for. I'm not sure why so many people hesitate. Whenever you see a post with many people reading but few responses, it is always seems to be someone looking at unrealistic schools. Balance is needed when many posters are equally unrealistic kids who want to believe you can get into schools with below verage stats and no hook.</p>

<p>Many posters could get their answer just by reading the specific school boards and archieves and seeing what it took to get in over the last few years.</p>

17

<p>Remember though - every kid thinks they're special and that they'll (hopefully) get in. It's hard to look yourself in the eye and straight up tell yourself "i can't get in there."</p>

18

<p>Being in the top 5% of a class dooms her to not getting into anywhere? Lets not all jump on the negative bandwagon. SATS are THE EASIEST thing to improve, take 'em one more time and you'll be ok at most of the schools. Eh, ECs are mediocre but if you can prove you care about something you'll be all right. Yale, unfortunately, probably ain't happening. Unless you're lying about the white female part and are in fact an Aleutian Islander from Wyoming, its truly unlikely that you'll have a shot. In truth however, very few people have anything better than a 5% chance of getting in. BU and GW are safe-matches...they're truly overrated and not as hard to get into as people think...5 (5!) girls from my school who are likely not in the top 10 or even 15% of their class got into BU.</p>

<p>I dunno aboot CW, Tufts, et al.</p>

19

<p>thanks for being honest! i appreciate it!</p>