Is my list realistic??

College Search & Selection
1

I’ve posted this already in the college search forum but I need advice from anywhere I can get it!

Hi, I’m a high school junior and naturally I’ve been thinking about where I want to go after high school, but I am unsure of where I should be applying to anymore. There are just so many factors, I will include a high school “resume” and my list of of colleges that I am not so sure about anymore. Any help would be appreciated, thanks!

Current GPA: 95.7 (my school doesn’t use a 4.0 scale)
Rank: Top 15%
School: I go a public high school that is in the top 1% nationwide and top ten in Massachusetts
Under represented minority (Mexican)
APs: By the end of senior year I will have taken 5: AP U.S. History, AP Spanish, AP Chem, AP Lang, and AP Bio
SATs: Haven’t taken them yet but I am projected to get anywhere between 2000-2150
Extra Curriculars: Competitive (All Star) Cheerleading, President of Biology Club. Vice President and co-founder of Badminton Club, Women’s History Month Committee (will be an officer senior year), Chemistry Club, Student Activites Council (should I include if I only participated one year?), I play the keyboard, and Prom Committee
Extras/Awards: School Leadership Award, National Champion for a solo cheerleading routine, delegate for MassStar Leadership Conference
Volunteer work: Soup kitchen first tuesday of every month, volunteer to teach elementary school kids Spanish

My college list: Harvard, MIT, Stanford, Duke (my #1), Columbia, NYU, Northeastern, UCLA, University of Washington, and University of Arizona

I am worried because I got two b’s freshman year and I am most likely going to get a B in Pre Calc and Calculus, which would amount to 4 b’s total. 3 out of 4 b’s would be from math classes (1 honors, 3 normal) but the math department at my school is ridiculously hard and I worry that colleges won’t know that. Also I plan to get a tutor in math now to bring my grade to an A or as close as I can get. Do I have any business applying to the colleges I am thinking about or do I need to lower my standards? Suggestions for colleges in any category (reach, target, safety) would be so helpful, thanks!!

2

You have no test scores. It’s impossible to say. Also, can you afford UCLA, Washington, or Arizona OOS?

3

Notwithstanding whether it would be realistic or not (impossible to say without scores) why do you feel MIT would be a good fit for you? It seems like an outlier from the rest of your list.

4

Agree with navaltradition. Your math grades will eliminate MIT. Seems stuck in there.

5

I agree with @navaltradition about MIT. If you are currently struggling in math, then I don’t think MIT is the right fit for you. Remember, it’s not all about the reputation. If you are shooting for top tier schools like these, try to get a 2250+ on the SAT. You have a shot at these schools, but they are reaches for everybody. Good luck!

6

@NavalTradition @google12345 My parents are both engineers and wanted me to at least try for MIT. I don’t have any real connection to the school, which is probably good, considering my math grades. Thank you for your input!

7

@CaliCash For the test scores, I am going off of what I got on practice tests from test prep classes, I won’t be taking the actual SAT until Spring. As for tuition, it is not a big factor in my college search, but thank you for making me consider such things as OOS tuition!

8

Impossible to say without an SAT score, but even with your projection of 2150, Harvard, MIT, Stanford, Duke, Columbia will be reaches. If you are at a top ranked high school, colleges will know about the rigor of your classes. You get a little leeway with gpa from a top high school, because colleges know there is no grade inflation.

9

I believe that being an URM with your numbers will give you a leg up with the Ivy schools (especially if someone is a first generation in the family to go to college), even with your projected SATs (which are, incidentally, on the low side for those institutions), but it’s still not a lock for admission. Not sure how much to depend on URM status to help you with Duke, NYU, Northeastern or UCLA. Their admissions algorithms may be quite different. MIT? Hmm. What is your prospective major? Science and tech-bound majors would have a harder time of it than those aiming for their history or poly-sci departments. What you have shown so far doesn’t distinguish you that much for a sci-tech major at MIT.

I would think you’d have no trouble getting into University of Arizona (77% acceptance rate, average SAT 1641). University of Washington used to be easier to get into but is no longer a sure thing for anyone even with good stats and ECs, however it’s not out of range for someone like you (55% acceptance rate, average SAT 1850).

I might recommend adding a couple more safety and match schools (e.g. in-state flagship and second tiers) to protect yourself and that you also take the ACT (knowledge-based rather than “aptitude”) to supplement the SAT and send both sets of results to your target schools. Often a person does better on one than the other and unless it’s a school that considers only SAT scores, they’ll use the better of the two scores in evaluating your application. Also, make sure your application essays are as excellent as you can make them. They can push an admissions committee over the edge towards “accept”. Can you come up with a compelling story or incident in your life?

I am always of the opinion that even if something seems like a long shot it still doesn’t hurt to apply anyway so long as you accept the odds. All they can say is “no”. But they can also say “yes” for reasons that aren’t always fathomable.

10

@wisteria100 I appreciate your honesty, thank you for your input!

11

@Vot123 I want to study Biology. I always get questioned about MIT, but the reality is that both of my parents are engineers so they really want me to try for MIT. I will make sure to take the ACT now, I wasn’t planning on it before.I do have topics in my mind that should help me. But do you recommend I write about a compelling story that focuses on my minority status in my essay or should I try to stay away from overselling that? Thank you so much, your advice was extremely helpful!

12

They’ll already know you’re a URM so there’s no need as such to sell that in the essay. You should write about whatever will be most compelling to read. If that happens to be related to your minority status then go for it.

13

@kraftmacncheese Indeed you still can apply to MIT if it will make your parents happy for the cost of an application fee, but you should have backup plans nonetheless. If you are going to try for UCLA why not also try for UC San Diego? They are very highly rated for biology and have a 37% acceptance rate vs. 22% for UCLA (both average SATs around 1950).

As for the essay, try to avoid common themes like grandparents who have passed on, how I aided my fellow man through community service, or repeating your worthiness for a school by regurgitating a list of accomplishments that can be found elsewhere on the application. You want to market yourself with be a (true) story that you yourself would be interested to read and get sucked into but which also tells the reader something about yourself, some worthy quality that sets you apart from the rest of the pack. When the time comes to apply next year and you decide on an essay prompt (the CommonApp will have several to choose from) let a trusted English or writing teacher review your draft to see how it reads and make suggestions. Good luck!

14

You have a bigger problem.

Your parents’ income is very high…over $200k per year, but they will only pay for room and board.

Most, if not all, of your schools are unaffordable.


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As for tuition, it is not a big factor in my college search

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That’s because you think you can borrow what you need.

You can only borrow $5500 for frosh year. for you to borrow more, your parents would have to (naively) cosign the rest. If they want to pay the rest, then fine. However, if they were to co-sign 120k+ for you to go where you want, then they might as well shoot you in the foot as well.

Why do your parents want you to try for MIT if they won’t pay for it.

Your Hispanic URM status may help a bit, but since you’re high income, with two well-educated parents, it won’t be much of a nudge. Your “URM story” isn’t going to elicit much/any sympathy because you’ve lived a high-income life and were able to attend one of the best high schools in the country.

15

@Vot123 thank you so much! I had never considered UC San Diego before but I will definitely look into that!

16

@mom2collegekids My parents do plan to cosign, but ultimately I will be in charge of the loan if that makes any sense. As for my upbringing I was not always so privileged, only once my mom married my step dad and we moved here to MA did I begin living a high-income life. Thank you for your input, it was very helpful and might make me reconsider some schools with a very high price tag!

17

^ That is foolish. http://gawker.com/5696300/what-200000-in-student-debt-looks-like

18

It is a horrible idea to borrow that much for undergrad, particularly since you’ve indicated that you want to go to med school.

19

@“Erin’s Dad” I wish you hadn’t used such harsh wording, I am only 17 years old after all and I’ve never done this before but I appreciate the eye opener. Maybe if I show my parents this they will change their minds and contribute more. Ultimately, I am just trying to find solutions to get into a realistic but competitive college, that will in turn help me to get into med school, so if you have any suggestions for a different financial aid path or different schools that I should be looking at, I would be grateful!

20

@mom2collegekids I understand, I just don’t see any way around a huge amount of debt if I want to go to a great school for my undergrad. Because if I go somewhere less expensive, there is a good chance the quality of my education won’t be the same and won’t I have even less of a chance to get into med school if I don’t go to a top school ?