3.8 UW GPA
4.5 W GPA
33 ACT
Rigorous Course schedule
9 AP Classes Scores: 4 5’s and 5 4’s.
EC’s:
NHS (2 years)
Spanish Club (3 years)
Ski and snowboard club (pres)
Student Senate (senator- 1 year pres-1 year)
Model UN (2 years)
Astronomy Club (2 years)
Provided AP Physics tutoring every week (2 years)
Probably something that I’m forgetting, but I know that I have mediocre ECs
150 hours of volunteering at various places in the community
100 hours of volunteering inside school
Letters of recommendation will be great, as well as my app essays.
Potential Colleges:
UofM (Ann Arbor)
Stanford (reach)
MSU
Vanderbilt (reach)
Princeton (2 family members attended here)
Cal
UPenn (reach)
Yes, they will. Test scores and GPA are “in range,” but the ECs seem very banal. Unless your clubs have done a lot, you’re going to need to push big-time this summer. Make sure your essays show how you’re unique or special.
You don’t have to worry about your ACT scores or grades because both are definitely suitable. You have quite a number of volunteer hours which I think will definitely help you, but where did you get these hours? Maybe try to get an internship or job this summer just to boost your EC’s a little. Try to make you essays killer in order to compensate. Good luck!
I think a Student Senate presidency is a fairly strong item on your roster of ECs, but I’m still inclined to think that Stanford and Princeton are probably out of reach unless those “two family members” are your parents and they’ve been generous contributors. I might drop Stanford entirely and hope that the legacy will help you at Princeton. At the risk of sounding heartless, I don’t see the “WOW!” factor that is usually necessary for admission to colleges that are as brutally selective as Princeton and Stanford. Your GPA and ACT are within their range, but so are the majority of the 95% of applicants whom they reject. The Student Senate presidency is an asset, much as being valedictorian is, but - as many people have pointed out - there are tens of thousands of valedictorians and student government leaders graduating every year. Penn, Cal, and Vanderbilt are big enough reaches, in my completely unscientific opinion. Are you a Michigan resident? If so, and you’re happy with MSU as a safety, then the rest of your list is fine. If not, I would recommend adding a few more real matches (e.g. Tulane, Lehigh, et al) and your home-state flagship.
@woogzmama Yes, I am a Michigan resident. And also to clarify, I only put Stanford and Princeton on there because those schools–although I know the chance is slim–would sorely be based upon my essays and letters of recommendation.
I personally find your ECs interesting. You have leadership roles which shows passion and the variety is pretty interesting to me. But I don’t know, maybe I’m just a sucker for astronomy clubs.
Of course I’m not Stanford or Princeton or UPenn, so I don’t know what they would think. But if you’re interested in them, then I see no reason not to apply there. There may not be anything to make you stand out as superhuman, but I think the other posters were being a little too negative here!
I think you could expand upon your list and find some more matches and safeties that you love, because right now it is a little reach-heavy.
@Ranza123 I know this isn’t the “proper” way of determining EC’s, but what would look good–other than the ones I already have obviously–on a College App. Also what are some other nice Colleges that I could add to my list? Anything is a possibility.
If I were you I wouldn’t really add any more – I would say go for quality, not quantity. Try to obtain some leadership positions in the ECs you already have. Devote yourself more to what you’re already passionate about.
As far as other colleges to add to the list, I’d need to know a bit more in order to provide any helpful suggestions. What’s your intended major? Do you prefer big or small colleges? Urban or rural? How much can your parents afford? Let me know and I’ll try to help as best I can.
This is my opinion based off of the information provided:
UofM (Ann Arbor)- yes
Stanford- ACT is in range, but this is a reach for anyone
MSU- yes
Vanderbilt- ACT in range; I think this is possible
Princeton- Reach for you; ACT is in range, but is your GPA out of a 4.0?
Cal- I think you could get in
UPenn-Reach, but ACT is in range
Notes: I think you should provide a break down of each category from your ACT composite for a better evaluation. In my opinion, Stanford and Princeton are your ultimate reaches with UPenn not far behind. Perhaps you should choose one of the two to apply to and then look for other schools within your range. You can apply to 1-2 safety schools and 2 reach schools maybe. However, this depends on the number of schools you’re applying to. I have two family members who applied to UPenn with SAT scores of 2000+ and did not get in. It is important to note that their dad attended UPenn so even as a direct legacy, they did not even get wait listed. Schools within your range would be: UNC, USC, Wake Forrest, NYU, BC, BU, UVA, and etc.
@DP2016 Yes, my UW GPA is based on the 4.0 scale. The way I think of it is, Colleges like Stanford, Princeton, etc. are always going to be a gamble, I figure why not try. A great essay and recommendations could possibly put me through, although the chance of it is relatively small. Furthermore, I qualify for full coverage of my tuition, room and board, etc. at these top Colleges due to their generous financial aid, that being the basis of my thought of even attempting to apply in the first place. Another thing I am worried about is that I haven’t been able to put a pin in what I want to do or study in College, which could make a huge difference in the College I end up going to.
I definitely agree that top colleges are very generous in terms of financial aid. However, there are eighty colleges that I’ve found that pledge to meet 100% of financial need. Even though you may not necessarily know what you want to major in, there are definitely ways to narrow down your schools. Do you want to go to a prestigious school? Do you want to attend a national university or a liberal arts school? Does location matter? Does weather matter? Do you want to attend a small or large school? Which areas do you excel in: humanities/sciences? I think you just need to do more research on potential majors and what best fits you because even though you may like a school, it might not be the right school for you if it doesn’t have programs that you’re interested in.