HELP! Rising Junior chances for my top schools

<p>I'm an African-American rising junior (current sophomore) at my school and wanted to know my chances for the following schools:
-University of Maryland, College Park
-University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
-Northwestern University
-Vanderbilt University
-Syracuse University
-New York University</p>

<p>*Also, based on my stats, what other schools would I have a good chance at getting into (ivy league, relatively selective admission, top 100 ranked, etc.)</p>

<p>Sophomore Year Classes:
Honors Sophomore Religion
Honors Pre-AP/IB American Literature
Honors Pre-AP/IB Spanish II
Honors Pre-AP/IB Geometry (couldn't advance in math classes in middle school)
Honors Pre-AP/IB Chemistry
AP US History (only AP available for sophomores)
Computer Concepts & Applications (Mandatory Technology Credit)
Study Hall (Semester 1)/Team Sports (Semester 2)</p>

<p>PSAT Sophomore Year- 193 Total Score (63 CR, 56 M, 74 W)
GPA- 4.35 Weighted, 3.8 Un-weighted (School Doesn't Rank)</p>

<p>Junior Year Classes: IB Diploma Program
IB International Religions I
AP World Language & Composition
IB Spanish III
Honors Pre-AP/IB Algebra II
AP Biology
AP European History
AP Comparative Government & Politics
Theory of Knowledge (for IB)</p>

<h2>Projected GPA- 4.75 to 4.9 Weighted</h2>

<p>Extracurriculars:
-Cross Country- Freshman to Senior Year (commitment in both summer & fall because of summer runs)
-Indoor Track- Freshman to Senior Year
-Outdoor Track- Freshman to Senior Year
-Karate- From Elementary School to Middle School (Achieved Black Belt)</p>

<p>Clubs:
-Fellowship of Christian Athletes- Sophomore to Senior Year
-Peer Counselor- Junior to Senior Year
-Speech & Debate- Junior to Senior Year</p>

<p>Leadership Positions/Other:
-Campus Ministry Student Leader (Selected by school faculty, 10 rising juniors)- Junior to Senior Year
-Student Ambassador- Sophomore to Senior Year
-Honor Council- Junior to Senior Year (Only 3 students per grade)
-National Honor Society- Junior to Senior Year
-Sophomore Retreat Leader (and probably junior retreat leader in 2015-2016)- Junior Year</p>

<hr>

<p>Volunteer Work:
-10 Hours Freshman Year & 20.5 Hours Sophomore Year (school requirement of 10, 20, 30, 40 hours over each year)
-Planning to be a Camp Counselor at my school's 6 week camp for poor/underprivileged children Junior and Senior Year (125+ hours each year)</p>

<hr>

<p>Selected to participate in "Envision: National Youth Leadership Forum in Digital Media, Broadcast, & Journalism"
Selected to participate in "National Youth Leadership Conference"
(I know that both programs are not very exclusive, but still)</p>

<p>***If my chances are not good, what can I do over Junior & Senior Year to improve them (PSAT score, especially math, will rise because I barely knew anything about Geometry in October)</p>

<p>AP World Language & Composition
What?</p>

<p>sorry I meant English Language & Comp.</p>

<p>Bump ???</p>

<p>Also, I’ll chance back if anyone wants</p>

<p>Vanderbilt - match
NYU - match
You are doing great, especially for only being a sophomore! It’s great that you’re thinking about all of this in advance - I wish I did! </p>

<p>Vanderbilt is not a match for anyone, @Emma6261‌ , unless that individual has truly stellar EC’s, scores, AND GPA.
3.8 is fine, but my no means warrants a “match”.</p>

<p>Thanks @Emma6261 and also for your “more-realistic” view @noel597. </p>

<p>Chances look great at all these colleges, although for Vandy I can’t give a very accurate estimate since it’s basically a guessing game when it comes to schools of that caliber. Good luck! </p>

<p>Thanks @mouseinablender3‌ !!!</p>

<p>Bump !?!?</p>

<p>Your chances look great at all of the schools (Vandy-reach; NYU-low reach/high match; UNC- low reach). Just some things to remember is that your GPA actually matters very little because schools calculate it differently, have different weightings, have a different scale, etc; all that really is matters is that you are taking hard classes (you are) and are getting A/A-s. It’s a little hard to gauge what your true chances are though because you’ve only taken the PSAT. If you were to get the same SAT score as what you got on them, then your chances are going to be less … you really need to be getting above a 2100 if you want to go to an ivy/top 50 school. Hope this helps!</p>

<p>Thanks @maymay5678 for commenting !!!</p>

<p>NYU has pretty poor financial aid. One thing you need to do is run net price calculators at the schools you are interested in to make sure you can afford them. Available on the website of each college on their financial aid page.</p>

<p>Thanks @intparent‌ !!!</p>

<p>As mentioned, look into how much school will cost and how much you can afford, that should always be a factor. You’re doing great, the IB Programme is a huge plus. Your chances look good so far for these schools, but make sure you study hard for SAT/ACT. Vanderbilt is a wild card for anyone, even “Mr. 2400”. You’re doing great though,keep it up throughout junior year!</p>

<p>Just wondering… what school is more competitive: Vanderbilt or Northwestern (my top choice right now), or are they basically the same. And thanks @andizam for your response !!!</p>

<p>Your stats look very impressive… GPA is fine but make sure you do well on the SAT or ACT. IB Diploma is obviously a big plus and I honestly think all the schools you mentioned are all matches and maybe a few small reach schools. GOOD LUCK!!!</p>

<p>Thank you so much @1234Walter ! </p>

<p>Vanderbilt and Northwestern are about the same in competitiveness. I was waitlisted at Vanderbilt and rejected by Northwestern, however, I am sure there are others who had it the opposite.</p>

<p>As for the PSAT, I got 166 my Sophomore year and got a 33 on my ACT (didn’t use my SAT score). I did that without studying much too. So you should be able to get that score up.</p>

<p>You’re a pretty typical applicant. None of your ECs stand out much. You volunteering is lackluster thus far. URM may help a bit though (but not as much as some people say).</p>

<p>Prediction:
-University of Maryland, College Park - Accept
-University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill - Reject OOS, Accept in state
-Northwestern University- Reject
-Vanderbilt University- Reject
-Syracuse University- Accept
-New York University- Accept</p>

<p>If you are really reaching for Vandy or Northwestern you gotta step it up a bit.</p>