How can I increase my chances at going to *great* colleges?

Applying to College
1

Okay, hear me out dudes:

I’m a rising Junior, and basically, I’m horrified.

I’m by no means a bad student, but as I’ve started to research all this college application stuff and peruse some threads here or there, and after reviewing what I’ve done for the past two years, the application anxiety has started to kick in.

Let me give it to you straight:

UWGPA: ~3.8 (3.7 frosh, ~3.9 soph). I go to a very selective top 2 (AT LEAST) private school in my (very highly populated) city, and we don’t really get rankings. We also don’t have AP for reasons, but trust me it’s AP tier classes and we’re a very well known school. But, we do have a top grade meme award, which I got along with ~10% of the class.

SAT2: Not sure yet. I took Chemistry today, almost certain I got at very least about 760.

PSAT: Got a 1270 on PSAT10 which sorta worries me, but I suspect that’s mostly as a result of not knowing math material. Fingers crossed.

EC (YIKES):
I’m starting for my school’s CyberPatriot team next year (basically hacking competition thingy, it’s pretty big and my school does well).
Computer Club
Band
Semi-serious drumming (I’m still pretty knew to this though, so I don’t really have anything impressive to share)
QuizBowl (I’ve gone to a few tournaments, team did decent but my school sadly doesn’t take it took seriously)
Feminist Club Thingy (all boys HS lol)
30ish hours or required school service

Obviously because I just really finished Soph year, I don’t have everything to put here. But here’s what I want to ask:

Going off of this, what should be my top top top priorities into having a good shot at really good schools?

What schools does my current application suggest? Just ballpark me, I’m still really new to this and I don’t know how to research schools.

In general, my EC’s are super weak. How can I possibly improve them? Where do I start? I see dudes on here that have like started business and wrote books, and I know most ppl do this sort of stuff because of influences for good applications or whatever. Along with that, many people seem super ambitious and already have a very clear idea of what they want to pursue, and right now I have no clue what I want to do. Should I feel pressured to do something like that? Is it necessary? My biggest problem with a lot of this EC stuff is that most of it just seems like boring fluff that people only do for applications.

Whatever. Help me out bros.

2

Honestly, I would not compare yourself and your EC’s to the types of people you see on college confidential. The other students on this website are most definitely not representative of the population of students who will be heading into college your year. I sometimes get down on myself because I constantly compare my achievements with the achievements of the overachievers on this website. I relate to you in that I feel that my EC’s are lacking. However, chances are, compared to a typical high school population, I would have completely fine EC’s, as would you. Of course it does depend on the school you are applying to. But yea so just keep that in mind :smiley:

3

sorry that smile emoji is much creepier than intended lol

4

If you are looking to apply to selective schools, your ECs need to have leadership and demonstrate your talent as well as interests. Being the president of a few good clubs in your high school is great for leadership. Winning awards at a state level for STEM competitions, writing contests, film contests, etc are good. Basically, follow your interests and pursue them so that you have leadership and demonstrated skill

5

Don’t do any ECs just to get into college, don’t add in ECs because you think they will look good. Junior year is a good time to focus on doing what you really enjoy doing and are good at, and try for recognition and contests.

Colleges like to see an upward trend on grades, so make sure you keep that going as a priority. Do your best at your instrument, and learn what you can from the hacking competition.

Your ECs are fine.

6

I agree with @ninakatarina, participate in ECs that you are interested in. Don’t just pick an EC because you think that a university will care.

Also, plan to work very hard your junior year and try to get as high a GPA as you can. Take some sort of preparation classes or tutoring before taking the SAT or ACT.

Otherwise, the number 1 recommendation that I would make is to be open minded with regarding to what you define as a “great” college or university.

Very many students, particularly on CC, seem to want to go to HYPSM – basically the five most famous universities in the US. These are indeed very good universities.

However, there are a very large number of other very good universities and colleges. For some students, a smaller school such as an LAC or foreign equivalent would be a better fit. For some students their in-state flagship is a great fit. I have a daughter who is very happy and doing very well at a very good university outside of the US.

You need to find a school that is a good fit for you, and not a good fit for what some university ranking service or some other parent or student thinks is a good fit for them.

7

Thanks, this advice is really useful. I currently have a sister at Villa Nova, and from what she’s told me she loves it so far. I already understand I have no shot at a top 5 college, but I’m really just trying to increase my chances at getting into as good a school as possible that “fits” me.

But, then again, I don’t really understand what people mean by “fits” me. I feel like I’m getting conflicting information when I hear “don’t pick an EC just because it sounds good” and “find a college that fits you.” Does a school “fitting” me even mean anything? Are you trying to tell me that I should settle for a worse school instead of building up my application? Would it not be best for me to try to achieve as much as possible based on my opportunities?

The point of college is to learn skills and get degrees, how can a college even be defined as “good” outside of its selectivity and rating? Aren’t those the things that add extra worth to your accomplishments in whatever school?

8

I’m only a rising senior myself, but from what I have learned, a college’s “fit” is its academic and social environment. It’s completely OK if you don’t get into HYPSM…there are plenty of other great colleges in America that will look good when applying to jobs. With those stats, I would say that you could definitely get into Top 40 if not a couple Top 20 schools.

Here are some things that you should consider when looking at colleges.

TEST SCORES: You have to be in or above the test score range in order to have a serious shot at a college. If you get a 28 on an ACT, which is by no means a bad score, you still are probably not going to get into Yale.

SIZE: There are certainly benefit and drawbacks to going to a large public university, a LAC, or anywhere in between. You need to know which environment best suits you.

LOCATION: Would you rather stay close to home or do you not mind going to a different region in the country? Would you rather be in/near a big city or in a more isolated college town?

ATMOSPHERE: What are the other students like? Does the school foster a super competitive environment or is it a bit more laid back? Is it progressive like Brown University or conservative like Notre Dame? Is it a big party school or is Greek life not so dominant?

PRICE: You have to make sure whatever college you are interested in is affordable. Some schools give out merit money. In-state public universities are generally pretty cheap too. This is something I suggest you talk about with your parents.

I hope this helps!

9

Here are are a couple of comments…

When people say find and EC that fits – it means find ECs that you care about and that you can delve into with commitment/passion. Don’t do things to try to make your application look a certain way for colleges – for example if you hate sports don’t feel you have to do a HS sport just to impress a college admissions officer. Stay true to your own interests. You will find colleges that are happy to take you for who you are.

When people say find an college that fits, it means finding a college that seems like a good match academically, socially, and (if applicable) financially. Think about what is important to you and what you want in your college experience. When it comes time to make your application list and college decision it should not only be about “which college is ranked highest” but it should be about finding a school that works for you that is in the right range. Develop your own order of preference based on what you care about. For example if you want (or don’t want) big time sports, Greek Life, a small college, a certain major or anything else then that should be part of your decision. The rational is that: 1) people generally do their best in an environment where they are comfortable and happy and 2) nobody in the real world will care (for example) if a college is ranked #22 or #28.

10

I agree with @happy1, but I’d add, the real world won’t grant you the golden ticket just because you went to a highly ranked school. I know quite a few Ivy League grads that did great in school and didn’t land high paying or satisfying jobs. It’s about what you do, not where you go.

Many highly ranked schools can be pedestrian, or even poor college experiences. The Colleges That Change Lives on the other hand tend to be universally loved by those who attend, and most are not highly selective.

You are far better off determining what you want your college experience to be like and finding schools that fit than you are simply looking at what the highest ranked school you could get into might be.

Good luck.

11

I know that many on CC single out the CTCL colleges as being great experiences, but all of the CTCL fit into a pretty specific mold of being small LACs that are strong but are often not the most competitive in terms of admissions. That type of school is not for everyone (in fact I know people who transferred out of CTCL schools because they were not the right fit). Again, I urge the OP to figure out what he/she wants in a college experience and use that as a guide. (And FWIW I had a fantastic experience at an Ivy school and got a great job afterwards-- but that college/program was the right fit for me). In short, I think the College that will change a person’s is one that is the right fit for that individual.

12

There are lots of good schools. LOTS. No one in my family has ever attended a CTCL. I brought them up simply as an alternative to rankings obsession.

13

You should tour some colleges to get a sense of fit. Selectivity and rating does not determine value. Find colleges that you think you will thrive in and will offer you opportunities that you would like.

14

Well, there’s more to college than rankings. Those are entirely subjective and unreliable anyway. Your first consideration above anything else is cost. If you can’t afford it, you’re not going there :slight_smile: Stick with in-state options. Second is interests. Does the school have good majors based on your interests and goals? Remember, it’s YOU choosing the school, not the other way around. Third is atmosphere and you might have to tour to find this out. Would I get bored and lonely in a small college town? Do I like to party? Is it a friendly campus or snooty? Metropolitan schools tend to be “lower” in the rankings, but usually do better in internships and job placement. Most employers recruit locally and regionally because it’s more cost effective that way.

15

These are excellent questions. Here on CC we throw out terms like “fit” and assumes everyone knows what we are talking about. Fit is very personal. It means you would feel comfortable and happy in that atmosphere. It may be something you have no idea about until you start looking at colleges. For example, we toured Lafayette. On paper, it looked perfect, but my daughter felt the social life was too dependant on Greek life and athletics. It didn’t fit. After visiting several schools she has decided she likes small and mid size schools better than very large Universities.

Fit can also be something very objective like available majors. My D1 wanted a very specific major that isn’t offered in many schools. Fit for her meant, “has my major.” Everything else had to take a back seat.

As far as ECs, I think people are basically right with the advice to stick with things you actually enjoy, but i would add that you should consider adding in some kind of community service. Colleges do like to see kids engaged with their community and you may find it very fulfilling. I wouldn’t do it just to check of a box on your application, but if you can find some way to give back and show your involvement, that might be very useful.

16

^
Fit also includes being able to afford it.