How can I improve my college application

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): 1540 (800 Math, 740 English)
SAT II (subject, score): 800 Math II, 750 Physics
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.98/4.0
Weighted GPA: 4.24 (not many APs at my school)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 2/160
AP (place score in parentheses):

5 - AP Calculus BC (self-studied)
5 - AP US History
5 - AP Statistics (self-studied)
5 - AP Physics C (self-studied)
4 - AP Psychology

Senior Year Course Load: 2 APs, 3 college classes

Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.):

-Participant in MIT PRIMES USA
-I won one of the Crowdmath competitions
-Probable award for group project Intel ISEF
-Essay published in Huffington Post

Common Awards (AP Scholar, honor roll, NM things, etc.):

-3 local gold medals Scholastic Art and Writing Awards
-NLE Gold Medalist
-Have published fiction and poetry in 8-10 journals/magazines

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (name, grade levels, leadership, description):

-Editor for literary journal
-Founded my own semi-successful literary journal for high school students
-Staff writer at SB Nation (paid position)
-Leader of school jazz band
-Orchestra, band, marching, etc.
-Teen court
-Staff writer for teen academic journal
-Data Internship at Football Outsiders (and publication)
-6 Varsity letters (all in XC or Track)
-Published a philosophy paper in a college publication

Job/Work Experience:

-Paid movie reviewer
-Worked as a paid writer (11 and 12)
-Worked at a seed store (9,10,11)
-45 volunteer hours

U.S. State/Territory or Country: Michigan
School Type: Mid sized private
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket Range: 150,000 - 200,000
Hooks (URM, first generation, recruited athelete, development): MIT Primes, published a lot of writing

Where I am applying by where I want to go most:

  1. Yale
  2. Harvard
  3. Princeton
  4. Stanford
  5. MIT
  6. U Penn
  7. University of Chicagi
  8. Brown
  9. UCLA
  10. University of Michigan

Just to be clear am I a Junior and this is my best estimate of how my application will look if nothing changes in the next nine months and I keep working relatively hard.

How would you rate my chances at these universities? I am especially shooting for HYP and will probably apply ED to Yale. Are there any obvious areas where I could improve?

Thanks for any analysis!

2

Every school on your list is a high reach for everyone, unless you are instate for UCLA and Michigan. If you are instate for one of those two, then you have a decent chance. Your odds of not getting into any of them, if you are out of state for all, are in the 90th percentile.

Wondering what Brown has in common with Michigan, or what U Chicago has in common with most of the other schools on your list. Your chances of acceptance to any college will be improved by applying to some match and safety schools. I don’t see anything else that needs improving.

3

You are obviously a very successful student and a very hard worker, but I can’t really tell what your passion is from your ECs. You have a bunch of writing and philosophy ECs, but then you also do engineering stuff too? Your chances for your schools are gonna be very dependent on the major you select and the quality of your essays.

4

what’s University of Chicagi

5

You know what they mean.

You are very qualified, but also have all high reaches on your list. Even in-state at Michigan, I’d add a true safety you’d be willing to attend. And be prepared that you could get shut out except for Michigan.

6

Okay, thanks for the advice. I’ve been thinking about adding more safeties.

What would be a good safety for me?

I was thinking Boston University and NYU to go along with Michigan.