If you would be so kind, help out a kid looking at schools in Virginia.

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>I'm a Senior from the great state of Illinois, and I'd really love to go to school in Virginia.</p>

<p>White Male</p>

<p>3.952 on a 4.0, our school’s grading scale is incredibly complicated.
I'm 2nd in my class of 50-55, top 5ish%
30 on the ACT, 640, 640, 690 on the SAT</p>

<p>Took the most difficult course load our school allows
As a school of about 250, there are no APs, but I have an A in an online AP class from last year. Due to a miscommunication, I was unable to take the test, but it doesn't bother me, it just means I will have to take an extra government class in college that I will probably thoroughly enjoy.</p>

<p>Currently I am an in an internship program (Illinois Governmental Internship Program) through which I am working 9-5 four days a week in a congressional office all while working towards the credits I will need to graduate.</p>

<p>Varsity letters in Baseball (4, captain 3 years), Football (2), and Scholastic Bowl (3, captain 3 years).</p>

<p>Member of a Key Club that isn’t very active, volunteered my time free of charge to coach a grade school baseball team for 3 weeks last summer before leaving for the internship.
Junior class president</p>

<p>National Honor Society, National Merit Scholarship Corporation Commended Student</p>

<p>Here’s my situation:</p>

<p>I want to go to school in Virginia, as I mentioned, and I’m going to apply to Washington & Lee and William & Mary, they are my dream schools. I am also considering applying to UVA, but just looking at their website I don’t feel very good about it.</p>

<p>I have prepaid tuition to the University of Illinois, however, and I’ve been told I stand a very good chance of getting accepted there. I want to stay out of the DC area, I would not enjoy living there, but I also understand that it would be irresponsible to go to a Virginia school that wasn’t very reputable, simply to be in Virginia, and spend thousands of dollars on a degree that would not be as reputable as a U of I one.</p>

<p>So if you don’t mind, what are my chances at W&L, W&M, and UVA, and are there any other VA schools outside the DC area that would be worth attending, and possibly going into debt for, over U of I. I’m not quite sure what I want to do, but I can definitely say I will be majoring in either History, Education, or Political Science. Possibly a combination.
I would be very grateful if you would offer your opinion.</p>

2

<p>Most people love UVA...you might want to apply there. I think you're good for Lee, but UVA and W&M I'm not too sure about...</p>

3

<p>They are all great schools, I next to UIUC and my dad teaches there, and it is also a great university, which you could relatively easily get into.</p>

4

<p>Thanks for the advice.</p>

<p>Now I've always heard internships are big, so I've decided to write my essay on the internship as it relates to my personal development. Does that seem like a worthy essay topic (applying common app to W&M and W&L, by the way)?</p>

<p>That just seemed like the only place that I could really let them know what was going on with this internship.</p>