Help with college list please?

Applying to College
1

<p>Hi, I'm a senior with a huge list of reach schools I want to apply to, but only a few matches and maybe not even one on my list that could be considered a safety. If anyone could provide me with recommendations on where to apply and info on what chances I'll have at various colleges/universities, I would be very grateful!</p>

<p>So here's some info about me:</p>

<p>GPA UW: 4.0 (out of 4.0)
GPA W: 4.6 (out of 5.0)
SAT Reasoning: 2310 (760 CR, 790 M, 760 W)
SAT II's: Chem 800, Math II 800, U.S. History 790, Physics 730 :(</p>

<p>EC's: I don't have a laundry list by any means. I've been in the Robotics Club at my high school since the beginning of last year; I've been playing guitar since the seventh grade and this is by far what I'm most passionate about (I've been in a blues / psychedelic rock band for the past three years and we're currently working on writing songs for an album which we hope to record soon); I've also been playing drums for about a year, but I really am in love with the guitar and focus on that; I also am working on co-founding a Science Club at my school since there is nothing of that sort (I know, it's pretty sad for my high school. this is partly why I'm not really involved in any science-related EC's - I haven't gotten much exposure to such opportunities - although I did apply to an internship and got rejected last year); and I am also working on starting a club for musicians at my school since there isn't really anything like that either (I can only blame myself for not starting it earlier, should've had more initiative earlier on) but anyway, I think it's a good idea because there's a school band, but nothing organized at my high school which is really devoted to playing blues, rock, or folk music. I also am in JSA but don't hold any positions - it's really just something to add since my activities are pretty sparse. I don't volunteer because I honestly don't enjoy it, and I believe that doing something which isn't a reward in itself just so you can be rewarded with recognition is really not a good idea - it's best left to those who actually enjoy it and think of volunteering as its own reward - but that's just not me. :/</p>

<p>What I'm looking for is a college that offers solid opportunities for undergraduate research, esp. in the physical sciences. I plan on majoring in either chemistry or physics and minoring or just taking other classes in music and philosophy.</p>

<p>Additional info: I'm white (but I'm one-quarter Spanish, so I checked "Yes" for Hispanic but also checked "White" on the Common App), male, live in California, and go to a school that doesn't rank its students.</p>

<p>Here's a list of colleges I'm really interested in but would like to trim down (because sadly, it would just be a waste of time and money to apply to all of these, since I believe I'll most likely be rejected from all of them):
Harvard
Princeton
Yale
Columbia
MIT
Caltech
UChicago
Cornell</p>

<p>And here are the schools I'm interested in where I think I have a reasonable chance:
UC Berkeley
UCLA
UCSD
Harvey Mudd</p>

<p>Based on all the info I've given, can anyone help me shorten that first list and lengthen the second one?</p>

2

<p>For physical sciences, all of the reach schools you’ve listed are very good. But MIT and Caltech definitely stand out as the best ones. If there’s any I would remove, they are Cornell and Columbia.</p>

3

<p>In state is a good place to start looking for safeties. So UC’s, Just as one more lower if you need safeties. UCD or UCSB should be pretty safe.</p>

<p>Some options I like as match/safe…
Johns Hopkins, U of Michigan, Georgia Tech, RPI, U of Washington, Wisconsin, UIUC.
They all have pretty strong physics/chemisty programs. Most of them are very scholarly (having visited). And you blow thier scores out of the water.</p>

4

<p>Pal, your credentials are rockin’, Kudos. I think you have an excellent chance at the Ivies. As far as safeties… NYU is a great research University, and as Suburiboy mentioned: U Mich, U of Washington, and Johns Hopkins are all fabulous and prestigious schools specializing in your field. Good luck! I hope our applications are never compared… haha</p>

5

<p>Dude, you’re so in at the UCs and Harvey Mudd. The Ivies are a reach for everyone. Your SATs and GPA are great. The UCs and Harvey SHOULD be your safeties.</p>

6

<p>Your academic credentials are so spectacular that I’d say you have a shot at every school on your list, even if you aren’t likely to get accepted into every one of them. Are finances a concern? If so, you might want to add a few more universities that have strong honors colleges; they often provide great merit scholarships and specialized classes (with access to graduate programs, prestigious professors, or smaller seminars), in order to compete with the most prestigious Ivy League colleges. Have you considered McGill, in Montreal? I’d say the UC system provides a very strong “safety net” for you, though, and so you should go ahead and apply to as many “reach” schools as you are comfortable doing, with possible additions like Rice or Vanderbilt. Why not focus on urban schools, or universities in dynamic communities, where you might have access to an exciting music scene?</p>

7

<p>Thanks for the recommendations, everyone. All your responses are very reassuring and informative! I’ll definitely take a closer look at Johns Hopkins and NYU. I’m just hoping I’ll have the time to fill out all the supplements for the private schools! But if it turns out to be too much for me to do in just a few months, I can always just stick to the reach schools that I really fell in love with after visiting the campuses (and those would be MIT, Caltech, Yale, and Columbia, in that order). MIT and Caltech are definitely my top choices: If I am accepted into either of those, I will not even consider another school! If I am lucky enough to be accepted into both and have to choose between them, I am thinking at this point that I would choose MIT, for various reasons, but mainly because it has a more active environment - everyone looked very busy, while Caltech seemed more on the peaceful side (or at least that was my impression after visiting both).</p>