<p>So far, my college list is as follows: </p>
<p>Reaches:
Stanford
MIT
Princeton
Penn Vagelos LSM (thinking about ED here, with Wharton as "backup")
Columbia
UChicago
Duke</p>
<p>Matches:
Vanderbilt
UMich
UVA</p>
<p>Safeties (FL resident):
UF
UMiami
UT Austin</p>
<p>I emailed my guidance counselor about this, and he said my list is fine despite being reach-heavy given my academic and extracurricular merits if I'm okay with getting a good amount of rejections. I have 2360 on my SAT and 800, 790, 720 on my subject tests. My GPA is 3.93 UW.
My plan is to major in chemical engineering or chemistry and complete the pre-med tracks. I'd like to ultimately be a doctor, management consultant, or chemical engineer. I'd also consider finance (like investment banking or private equity), but it wouldn't be my first choice given the grueling hours as an entry-level analyst. </p>
<p>Any suggestions for my list? All else equal, I'd like an urban school with a close-knit, collaborative community. Also, if I "played it safe" and wanted to apply to Penn's engineering school, would it be harder than UChicago but easier than Duke in admissions? </p>
<p>your safeties: are you absolutely sure that you would go to one of them if all else fails? sure you can afford them? </p>
<p>Have you run the net price calculators on these schools? Can your family afford each school in your list?</p>
<p>Yeah, my family can afford even the private schools that cost $60k/yr. </p>
<p>I think it’s a good list then. I know there’s a tendency to think that if you apply to seven ivies with your stats, one of them will admit you. Doesn’t work that way necessarily. So be prepared for disappointment in that regard. Having your matches is some kind of compensation should the dreadful happen. Nail down the safeties and learn more about the others so that you can choose the school that is best for you.</p>
<p>For Penn LSM, would it be much harder for me to get accepted if none of my extracurricular activities were necessarily business or med focused? </p>
<p>well, you’re reading the same webpage I am, OP, and it certainly seems so. Penn AOs are proficient at outing the impostors. They are looking for the right fit for the program. Basically, you can’t rig the system.</p>
<p>bump. *I mean M&T instead of LSM for Wharton. Any other suggestions, thoughts? </p>