I need some guidance.

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>I talked with my guidance counselor earlier this year, and we went over my test grades, GPA, etc., and she came up with a list of some colleges that may interest me, for I am interested in Biology/Chemistry or Biochemistry. I wanted to know if any of these are really that realistic for me. Here are my general stats:</p>

<p>SAT I: Composite: 1880 (750M/540CR/590W) <em>Must re-take!</em>
SAT II: 760 Chem, 660 Physics, 630 Bio, 630 Math2</p>

<p>GPA: 4.35 of 4.60 weighted
Rank: 22 of 631</p>

<p>EC:
Varsity tennis since freshman year
Treasurer of Student Council and Honor Society (9th grade)
Student Council representative/member throughout high school
Class council active member
Orchestra (9th & 10th grade- unfortunately was not able to take it in 11th grade)
<em>I have other smaller EC's, but none are spectacular</em></p>

<p>I am an Asian-American living in the suburbs of Philadelphia.</p>

<p>Courses:
9th: 5 Honors (English I, Spanish II, Geometry, Biology, World Civ. I), 1 Elective course (Orchestra)
10th: 5 Honors (English II, Spanish III, Algebra II, Chemistry, World Civ. II), 2 Elective courses (Latin I, Orchestra)
11th: 5 Honors (English III, Spanish IV, Pre Calc, Physics, American Studies I), 1 AP (Chemistry)
12th (Will be taking): 6 AP (English, Spanish, Calc BC, Physics, American Studies II, Environmental Science)</p>

<p>I could only take 1 AP class as an 11th grader (not possible to take any in 10th grade), because there are only two that are available, and because of conflicting schedules, it was not possible to take two.</p>

<p>Here are the list of colleges that my counselor has given to me, and I feel that most of them are reaches (super reaches too), but I just need to know which ones I have the best chances of getting into. Thank you and I appreciate the time you've taken to help me with this!</p>

<p>Johns Hopkins
Carnegie Mellon
Emory
Brandeis
Cornell
William & Mary
Lafayette
Rutgers
SUNY- Albany
U. Penn
U. Richmond
U. Rochester
UVA
Worcester Polytechnic Inst.</p>

<p><em>I also just needed some second opinions/suggestions, and I also want to see how realistic some of these are. I understand, I have virtually no chance at many of these (eg. UVA), but it would be awesome if you could try to list them from my best chances to slimest! Thanks!</em></p>

2

<p>Despite your SAT scores (which may improve) and your extracurricular record, which is not extremely impressive except for varsity tennis, you definately have a shot at some of these schools. Colleges should realize that you're a smart kid based on your grades and your curriculum. I am not familiar with the admissions statistics of a lot of the schools you mentioned (most aren't on my list). The few I could point out that you definately have a good chance at are Rochester, Rutgers, Albany, Richmond, and Lafayette. I suppose you have a shot at Brandeis. Cornell, and to a lesser extent JHU are probably a little bit out of your range. If you like JHU it might still be worth applying.</p>

<p>One other thing to consider. Have you tried talking with tennis coaches at any colleges to see if they can endorse your application? I'd imagine that your tennis record is pretty good if you've been on varsity for 4 years.</p>

3

<p>If I speak with tennis coaches, does that necessarily mean that I will have to play for that school? I am afraid that if I play for the school, while studying, I will not have enough time. However, if I speak to these coaches, but I do not play for their team, what good am I to them? Thanks for your reply.</p>

4

<p>Cornell and JHU are comparable in difficulty of admittance, they are both a reach for this individual, but certainly worth the application fee</p>

5

<p>naytin:</p>

<p>I'm sorry but I have not read enough about sports and college, but speaking with a coach to endorse my application, what exactly is happening? Does he write my name down and say that I play tennis? Sorry if this is a stupid question!</p>