Current sophomore looking for some feedback on my quest for college. Looking to go to a highly selective school. Undecided major(top choices are econ/business/finance and CS). Large public school in NC.
UWGPA: 4.0
WGPA: 4.75
Class Rank: 1/400+
AP Classes: 2 sophomore year, 5-6 junior year, 3-5 senior year(TBD)
ACT: not taken yet but projected to get around 30(w/out studying). I know you can’t give a proper chance without the score but just omit it.
EC’s(in order of importance)
Club/Varsity Soccer- 9-12
non-profit(coordinator of a program; not going into detail)-9-12
in the process of starting a science club
FBLA- 10-12 high officer position
Beta-10-12
Summer Activities(plan)
Hospital Volunteer
Research in STEM
Schools interested in:
Duke, UNC, Wake, NC State, UVA, Emory UPenn, Columbia, Cornell
Aim a bit higher with that ACT score to make yourself more competitive.
Come back when you take the ACT. And study for it. Please.
@danfer91 @Lagging I plan on taking some practice tests to study for the ACT. Are practice test results accurate for the real ACT?
In general people score higher on practice tests than the real test. At the real test nerves and pressure can kick in. The real test is also full length and under time constraints. To get a closer to accurate practice test score you need to be under conditions similar to the real test (quiet space, no breaks allotted outside of those from the test, someone calling out time, bubbling in answers etc.)
But yes, it’ll be good practice and have similar questions.
Without considering the fact that I haven’t taken the SAT/ACT, can somebody give any feedback on what I have? Looking around on CC made me specifically worried about my EC’s as they are not in the same caliber as other students.
What STEM research are you doing?
You’ll be fine for your state schools. Unless you get a 34+ act you can kiss the others goodbye. Good Luck!
You should be okay for nc state and UNC and maybe wake, but for the others you really need at the minimum I’d say either a 33 or 34 and that’s minimum. Going up by a few points when your score is already projected to be 30 is tougher than you thibk, so I recommend you study hard. Also unless science is something you’re super interested I wouldn’t bother starting a club. A lot of kids think it shows initiative and leadership but colleges have begun looking it as just something kids do so they can add it to their app. ECs currently also don’t really put you in position for top schools, but your STEM research has the potential to bring those up, but otherwise your ECs look like standard run of the mill activitities and that’s not going to cut it for the schools you’re applying to. Your academics in school are flawless congrats! Keep working hard in that and don’t let yourself slip. Study hard for the ACT otherwise most of the schools you want to apply for won’t be options. Best of luck!
@SwiftTech I plan on doing Computer Science research through this program in NC called summer ventures.
With a higher ACT score, I think you are set
UVA’s middle 50 for ACTs is 29-33. While some of the other schools you listed like Duke, Penn, Columbia, and Cornell will be hard to get into without a 33 or 34, you might be able to get into the others if you beef up your ECs
Few observations: in my experience the ECs are not that important. Do something you like and be done with it. My guess is (and in one case I know) that admissions officers find the long list pretentious and disingenuous and all around annoying.
The ACT matters but know that there are a lot of top test optional schools, and the list is growing.
Your best best is to be hooked as a recruited athlete. It’s worked for us: we’re 2 for 2 and close to 3 for 3.
Finally , beware of people who give you advice that is too absolute and definitive. Admissions is a mixed bag of factors and there are always surprises that don’t add up.
My friend’s daughter has a 30 ACT, a 3.6, some AP classes, and some Cs on her transcript. And she got into USC film yesterday. True story. Also got into Northeastern, St. Olaf and some other solid schools.
Good luck.
@greeneggsandsam9 Let’s pretend that somehow I managed to get 33+ on my ACT. How would I need to “beef up” my EC’s? I don’t think my list will change at all by the time for applying.
I was referencing leadership positions and I did not see that you already had some. My apologies. Good luck 
@greeneggsandsam9 Oh. Does this mean my EC’s are good? I’m never sure on CC because everyone always says that nothing stands out.
I mean, on CC nothing ever stands out to anyone. If your non-profit is something you are really into that you spend a lot of time on then yes, I would say your ECs are good. Many colleges like it if you concentrate your time on a few things important to you as opposed to spending little time on a variety of things you don’t care about. At least, that’s what I’ve been told by my guidance counselor and admission advisors at various colleges.
@greeneggsandsam9 Yes, my non-profit is. Thanks for the feedback and I hope what you have been told is true.
Your ACT range will need to be 33-36 for those colleges. I think you can do it, but it kinda depends on what classes you’re in. For a good math score, I recommend you finish Pre-Calc before you take it. And also, for some people, their real score can be higher than their practice tests since most people don’t take practice tests as seriously as they do the real test. Also, I would recommend working on increasing your reading pace for the ACT.
You have good ECs but you need more. The more leadership ECs or UNIQUE ECs you have, the better. Focus on unique ECs. These colleges will sometimes admit even students with low GPAs and low test scores because they have something unique to offer the school.