<p>Stats-
GPA- 4.0 unweighted, around 4.6 weighted
Rank- top 5%
SAT- 2320; CR 760; M 800; W 760
PSAT- 232 (NMSF)
APs- 2010- Calc BC (5, subscore 5); World Hist (5)
2011- USH (5); Lang (5); Physics C: Mech (4)
AP scholar w/distinction
Senior Schedule inc. 3 APs, all other honors courses, and a math course at local college
ECs- a lot of involvement and some leadership in choir and music (choir pres); 10 yrs piano; model UN Vice pres.; NHS; academic team; some volunteering, some work experience</p>
<p>List-
Princeton
Georgetown EA
UChicago EA
Swarthmore
Kenyon
William and Mary
St. Olaf
UMD-CP</p>
<p>I know it's a little reach heavy; I cut out a lot of schools I didn't absolutely love so I could focus on these. Should I switch out a couple reach schools for schools I can more likely get into?</p>
<p>If you have a safety (or more than one) that is:</p>
<ol>
<li> Certain to admit you (admissions safety).</li>
<li> Certain to be affordable (cost safety).</li>
<li> A school you would be happy to attend.</li>
</ol>
<p>Then the rest of your application list can be any set of schools you want.</p>
<p>Of course, it is not worth the effort to apply to schools you like less than your safety, or schools which are out of reach financially (see what putting “cost of attendance” and “financial aid estimator” in their search boxes comes up with).</p>
<p>What major(s) are you considering? If you want to major in math, and you are two years ahead of schedule in math courses (as indicated by taking post-calculus-BC math at a college), you may want to emphasize schools with graduate programs in math, since you will likely reach the point of wanting to take graduate level math courses as an undergraduate. At an undergraduate-only school, you are likely to exhaust the math course offerings.</p>
<p>Your stats probably will make you pretty competitive for CP’s half and full ride scholars program (are you in state?), in which case it will likely be extremely safe for both admissions and finances. So, if you can actually see yourself happily attending, then you probably don’t need a ton more safeties. If you don’t actually want to go to Maryland though, I’d add a couple more match/safety type schools you’d be more happy attending.</p>
<p>If you get in early action to either place, you could drop William and Mary, Kenyon and St. Olaf and actually add another big reach. Columbia maybe or Cornell? Maybe one more top 10 LAC----Haverford, for example.</p>