Hi!
I’m a junior at a public high school in Maine. I recently got my SAT scores back (it was my first time taking them), and went on many college tours. I’m hoping to study either Pre-Med or Communications with a focus on public relations in the fashion industry. I’m still trying to figure out my major, but I’m looking for any recommendations for schools, reach and safety, and for any ideas on what I can improve on!
SAT (planning to retake): 1960 (Math: 650, Critical Reading: 660, Writing: 650)
GPA: 3.91
APs: Statistics, Language and Composition (3), BC Calculus, Biology, Literature
Extracurriculars:
-AAU Basketball
-Varsity Basketball
-Academic awards for Technology and Careers, American Studies, English, Spanish, 20th Century
-SoberFriends member
-Action Team member
-Interact Team member
-Youth basketball coach (volunteer)
-Hold two summer jobs
-Sophomore Class Treasurer
-Nordstrom BP Fashion Board member
-Maine Youth Leadership Ambassador
-Honor Roll
-Head of Prom Committee
-Junior Class Event Coordinator
-LIM College Summer Fashion Lab student
-Youth soccer tournament volunteer
-Young Women’s Leadership member
-Student Listener
-Writing Center tutor
-World Language Honors Society (Spanish)
-National Honors Society
-Phi Beta Kappa Academic Achievement Award
-Hospital volunteer
Current schools of interest:
Brown, Barnard, NYU, Boston College, Boston University, Providence College, Georgetown, George Washington, Emory, UNC Chapel Hill, USC
Please let me know if you need any more information! Thanks in advanced-
Oops, I failed to mention that my 3.91 GPA is unweighted.
For UNC, Emory, and USC at least you’ll need a higher SAT, especially OOS for UNC. Take the ACT and see if you do better. GPA and ECs are good though. Good luck!
Your EC’s show that you are a joiner, not a leader. Your SAT score is very low for most of these schools.
Brown, Out of reach
Barnard, Out of reach
NYU, Reach
Boston College, Reach
Boston University, Match
Providence College, Low match
Georgetown, Out of reach
George Washington, Match
Emory, Reach
UNC Chapel Hill, Reach if out of state
Like I said, I am planning to retake SATs, and am taking SAT II and ACT in June. I put my heart and soul into all of my EC’s and am leaders in many clubs. I hope to express this in my essay
You listed yourself as “member” in these EC’s, not as a leader.
It’s going to be hard to convince admissions officers that you are as passionate about each of your ECs as the person who may have dedicated 15 hours/day on one of them. How do you plan on expressing how you put your heart and soul into your ECs in your essay? If it’s going to involve basically going through each one and talking about it, please don’t do that; it’s a waste of an essay.
You only have 10 spots on the Common App for ECs anyway. I think you should think about which activities mean the most to you and how you can use them to frame you as a person.
I disagree that your ECs show you’re just a joiner! I think they paint a nice picture of your being very engaged, particularly in things related to event management and mentoring/helping others. You were head of the prom committee and are on student council, which shows leadership. That said, I actually think some of your other activities are more compelling/paint a better picture of you as a person. I love the Leadership committees, coaching & mentoring, plus of course the fashion-specific EC that demonstrates that interest.
I think you’d be a fit for some smaller, less competitive LACs potentially (ie: not the hyper elite LACs, which would require a higher SAT score), and I think BU is totally a match school, as well. Would you be applying as a PR/Ad-Com major? I can see you being a stronger admissions candidate at BU applying to COM than as pre-med in CAS, so my pro-tip would be to apply to COM. For LACs… have you looked at Bates? It would help to edge your SATs up a bit, but apparently they weigh GPA, ECs & essays more heavily than SAT, which might work in your favor. Colby comes to mind too. In terms of Boston and match schools… have you looked at Emerson? They offer a marketing communication major and have a fashion society club 
You definitely have some reaches on your list, and I might pare those down a bit–Brown/Barnard are really different from Georgetown, for example–I’d wager the former two are better personality fits for you, from what I can tell. What about Georgetown appeals to you? I would limit your reaches to just 2-3 (and make sure your reaches are personality fits so you have a better shot at getting in!), find a few more matches, and then find some safeties, as well. If you want to stay in New England, what about UNH as a safety? Are you looking at University of Maine as a safety, as well?
For the Common App, I am planning to focus on the EC’s that mean the most to me. I have focused greatly on mentoring and leadership positions, and should have stellar recommendations. I also forgot to mention that I attended Teen Vogue’s Fashion U conference, so I am also trying to communicate my interest in fashion. While doing this, I am also doing a research project on a man-made marsh in my town. Because I love both fashion and biology, I am really trying to express my interests.
I am looking to get out of Maine, and am even unsure about the idea of Boston. I am really looking to move away from home, but am keeping options open. I have toured both Barnard and Georgetown. I loved both, but for different reasons. I like Barnard due to its location, and close-knit feel, but also loved Georgetown due to its school spirit and traditions. I plan to apply to about 3 or 4 reach schools, 4 match schools, and 3 safety schools… I am planning to up my SAT scores by at least 100-150 points. Just got my scores back on Thursday, and am already studying again!
I would love some more recommendations for schools not in Maine or Boston