Is my college list realistic (balanced safeties, matches and reaches)?

College Search & Selection
1

My college list is with the assumption that I’ll get a 30 on the ACT next week. Of course, I’ll make changes based on how I actually do.

General Stats:
State of Residence: NC
GPA (UW/W): 4.0/4.79
Class Rank: 2 of ~350
ACT: 26 (very optimistic in getting a 30 next week… but nothing is set in stone!)

AP Course Load:
AP Physics I
AP Chemistry
AP Biology
AP Environmental Science
AP English Language and Composition
AP Literature and Composition
AP Psychology

ECs are decent:
-church thrift store volunteer (4 years)
-robotics (3 years)
-ymca tutor (2 years)
-guitar player at a local music academy (2 years)
-environmental research at NC State (just landed this the other day!)

Based on those stats, and the advice I got here on CC, is my college list realistic in terms of balanced safeties, matches, and reaches?
ECU (safety)
Drexel (safety)
UNC-CH (match)
NC State (match)
Rhodes College (match)
Tulane (high match)
University of Rochester (high match)
Emory (high match)
Vanderbilt (high reach)
Tufts (high reach) -just applying for the sake of applying as some have noted that I have virtually no chance

2

Your 26 ACT score does not match your GPA. Why so low? Is there one area that was problematic? I’d also sign up for the Oct ACT for a final try, Vanderbilt in particular loves high ACT scores.

What do you plan to study?

3

The school signed up the whole junior class for the ACT back in March and I didn’t know about it until about a week or so before the test day. I didn’t even know what was getting tested on it since I was oblivious of this SAT/ACT stuff until I started looking into colleges over the summer.

4

Consider some test-optional schools if your score doesn’t come up as much as you are hoping. Wake Forest is test optional, though I’ve heard the interview can be pretty serious, and it would be another reach.

How about Centre College, in KY?

5

re-post after you get your actual ACT.

6

Are you a junior or senior?

7

I’m a senior. Yes, I suppose it’s better to post after I get my actual score. Thanks!

8

Have you taken any AP tests yet, and if so, what were the scores?

Your ACT and GPA seem inconsistent, high AP test scores would suggest you just had a bad day or something …

9

With a 26 Rochester and Tulane are reaches and Tufts is out of reach.

10

You should try the SAT.

11

@TomSrOfBoston Rochester has a test-flexible policy. OP can send AP scores in lieu of ACT/SAT.

12

@anxiousteen I’m also a senior and I took the ACT and hated it, then took the SAT and felt much better. Try taking the SAT and see if it works better for you. I’ve also done the interview at Wake Forest and I couldn’t have had a more comfortable and laid-back experience, so if you want to check that out as a test-optional school, I’d say it’s worth it. Vanderbilt is getting really difficult to get in to (probably harder than Tufts at this point). I have a friend who got accepted into Harvard, Duke, and Notre Dame but got rejected from Vanderbilt. They’re so popular right now that they can pretty much do what they want.