Help me out w/ college list -- Wharton to Wisconsin

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Sorry this ended up being kinda like a chances post, but what I was really wondering was:
1) Am i competitive enough to use my early app at Wharton (or could it be better spent somewhere else b/c I will be rejected?)
2) Would any of these schools give substantial merit aid if I were to attend?
3) Of these top private schools (as an economic major), which ones are worth spending 2x the money as UC Berkeley/UCLA (I am instate)</p>

<p>Right of the bat, here's my list:</p>

<p>-Reach: Wharton (apply early), Princeton, Stanford, Duke
-Moderate Reach: Cornell, NYU Stern, Pomona, Northwestern, UChicago
-Match: UC Berkeley, UCLA, Carnegie Mellon, UMichigan, USC
-Safe Match: Wisconsin-Madison, UCSD
-Safety: other UC's (UCI, UCSB, etc)</p>

<p>-Caucasian, California Resident
-Junior
-Interested in Economics Major (Minors in Chinese/Hindi)
-Business Administration grad school eventually (getting in to a top school is important to me)</p>

<p>GPA: 3.8ish UW, 4.25 W (rank: 35 out of 733; top 5% barely) --> also have upward trend of grades, 1 B 1st semester jr, all A's (hopefully) 2nd semester jr
N
ew Sat (guessing):
-Math: 760-790
-Reading: 650-690
-Writing: 730-800
-Composite: 2140-2280; most likely around 2200 (will retake for higher if necessary...assume 2200 but I suppose it could be as high as 2300)</p>

<p>-SAT IIs (guessing): close to 800 math, 700-750 us history</p>

<p>-1 soph AP, 3 jr AP's, 5-6 sr AP's
-5 on Euro already; should score 4-5 on all exams except maybe Calc (3-4)</p>

<p>Major ECs:
-Started a small business at school (profited $200 w/ $350 initial investment)
-Writing a historical fiction/mystery novel (15,000 words so far...still have the summer)
-Worked at McDonald's for almost a yr (will be 1 1/2 yrs when I apply...should be a manager by then); 12-16 hrs/wk during school; 25 hrs/wk summer
-Starting a program w/ family friend to send boxes of clothing, toys, etc to orphanages in China (our family adopted)...I also have taken 4 yrs of Chinese
-Boy Scouts (almost Eagle)
-JV CC (9/10/11); JV Track (9/10)
-Weekly religious school 9/10
-Fantasy Baseball (6 yrs): sounds like a joke but it is heavily statistically based...national competition (won prizes in 3 of last 4 yrs totalling $300)
-Ran statistical projections for Varsity CC (predicted 1/2 of Varsity runners in our league's final times w/in 15 seconds 3 months in advance)
-NHS, Freshman Mentoring Program
-Applied to Leadership in Business World (Wharton)...dont know if I got in yet</p>

<p>Sorry for the amazingly long post. Thanks for reading...you people are awesome!</p>

<p>Once again, the schools are:</p>

<p>-Reach: Wharton (apply early), Princeton, Stanford, Duke
-Moderate Reach: Cornell, NYU Stern, Pomona, Northwestern, UChicago
-Match: UC Berkeley, UCLA, Carnegie Mellon, UMichigan, USC
-Safe Match: Wisconsin-Madison, UCSD
-Safety: other UC's (UCI, UCSB, etc)</p>

<p>TELL ME WHICH ONES TO GET RID OF! =)</p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

2

<p>I think you've done a commendable job of deciding on schools, and only you can narrow down your list. Where will you be comfortable, yet challenged? Time to visit! Work out whatever plans you can with parents and/or friends for traveling ASAP. It's a crucial step and it will give you much of the information you need. It also shows the schools that you are interested, and will helps in answering the inevitable application question, "Why do you want to attend (this college)?"</p>

3

<p>i'm sorry that I'm not going to answer your question, but I have a question about your program for donating things to Chinese orphanages. I am interested in doing something similiar to that as two of my cousins were adopted in China. My mom doesn't want me to do it though because she says it would be too much of a hassle to ship the stuff to China which makes sense I guess. So my question is how do you ship the stuff people donate? Do you get shipping companies to do the shipping for free or what?</p>

<p>Thanks</p>

4

<p>Look at Johns Hopkins. Its like the one of the only elite university missing from your list lol </p>

<p>Dont listen to what people are bound to say that its cutthroat etc or that its science/med only. Many top business/econ faculty and students from JHU have gone on to great things and its an awesome place to study.</p>

<p>I'm definately biased, but nonetheless, youd have a good shot and the opportunities there for someone like you would be amazing. JHU is great for people who are self-motivated and have a real passion. For the people that are go getters and excited to go out and participate in their field, JHU is definately a good place to look, and given your ECs, you seem like just the kind of person who could really make the most of a JH education. Check it out!</p>

<p>GO Blue Jays!</p>

5

<p>To be honest we are just starting the program w/ the orphanages...but</p>

<p>we will be trying to get someone to ship it for free (do not know yet if it is possible)</p>

<p>Shipping is expensive but doable...you'd have to raise money as well ($3/lb I believe). Hope that helps.</p>

6

<p>Until you do your SATs its hard to say. The top schools and ivys almost never give out merit money since they prefer to spend it all on need based aid to improve diversity, etc. Check their web sites or the guides on this. So if merit aid is a consideration you may have to look at excellent schools that aren't necessarily in the so called top 20.</p>

7

<p>dogs, so would any of these schools give me any merit aid?</p>

<p>-Match: UC Berkeley, UCLA, Carnegie Mellon, UMichigan, USC
-Safe Match: Wisconsin-Madison, UCSD
-Safety: other UC's (UCI, UCSB, etc)</p>

8

<p>does anyone have any info that would help answer my 3 questions?</p>

<p>1) Am i competitive enough to use my early app at Wharton (or could it be better spent somewhere else b/c I will be rejected?)
2) Would any of these schools give substantial merit aid if I were to attend?
3) Of these top private schools (as an economic major), which ones are worth spending 2x the money as UC Berkeley/UCLA (I am instate)</p>

<p>-Reach: Wharton (apply early), Princeton, Stanford, Duke
-Moderate Reach: Cornell, NYU Stern, Pomona, Northwestern, UChicago
-Match: UC Berkeley, UCLA, Carnegie Mellon, UMichigan, USC
-Safe Match: Wisconsin-Madison, UCSD
-Safety: other UC's (UCI, UCSB, etc)</p>

9

<p>like the other poster said, without scores its very hard to say. </p>

<p>IMO, if you get into the big private schools, it is worth spending the money if you really like that school. If you like Berkley or Mich for example better than the privates anyway, might as well not spend the money, but schools like Duke, Princeton, Wharton....thats hard to turn down unless the money is a big problem</p>