Is my list unrealistic?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>I'm not sure if I have enough safeties and matches on my list. What do you guys think of my list of schools?</p>

<p>Asian female
Public high school, doesn't rank
Class size: roughly 950ish
GPA (UW): 3.7
I'm not sure what my weighted GPA is, probably around 4.1-4.2.</p>

<p>SAT I Scores
Reading - 710
Math - 690 (yuck.)
Writing - 800
Total - 2200</p>

<p>I have yet to take my SAT II's in October. I am taking the Chemistry and Literature ones and they will both probably be in the area of 650-750.</p>

<p>AP Classes, 11th grade
AP English Language (5)
AP Chemistry (4)
AP US History (4)
AP Calc AB (4)</p>

<p>AP Classes, 12th grade
AP English Literature
AP Physics B
AP Contemporary Govt and Politics</p>

<p>Honors classes
English Honors (9, 10)
Geometry Honors (9)
Chemistry Honors (10)
Calculus CD Honors (12)</p>

<p>ECs
High school newspaper - copy editor during 11, staff writer during 12
Hope Can Cure Cancer Club - member during 9, officer during 10, 11, 12
Editor of literary magazine - 12
Spanish Club - member during 11, officer during 12
Internship at local city newspaper - summer before 12
Student Council Orientation Commission - 12
"Volunteens" volunteer organization - 9, 10, 11, 12
Track & Field - 10</p>

<p>Work experience
I grade work/help kids at an afterschool called Kumon, 9 hours a week.</p>

<p>Awards/Recognition
National Honor Roll
National Honor Society - all four years
California Scholarship Federation - all four years
Who's Who Among American High School Students
National Merit Commended Student (not sure if this means anything)</p>

<p>Essays will be good, recs will be decent.</p>

<p>I'm looking for well-rounded schools. I'm going to major in English but complete
pre-med. Based only on stats, how's my list? Should I add more safeties?</p>

<p>Rice
Reed
Wash U in St. Louis
Johns Hopkins
UC Berkeley
UC San Diego
UC Santa Barbara
UC Irvine
maybe another UC.</p>

2

<p>The trick is not really to add more safeties-- it's to make sure you're applying to schools that you want to go to. I think your list looks good... WashU and Hopkins are probably the most competitive, followed by Berkeley, followed by Rice and Reed, followed by the UC's. To be honest, I think you have a more than decent chance at all of them. If you wanted to add a few more ubercompetitive schools, I think you could.</p>

3

<p>Thanks for the feedback! I was actually under the impression that rice, wash u, johns hopkins, and berkeley were all pretty high reaches for me. As for adding more really high reaches, I'm content with the reaches I have right now =)</p>

4

<p>You have strong SAT's, solid work and leadership experience, solid AP's, and what looks like good grades in tough classes. If you were to estimate your own class rank, where would you put yourself? If your school is horribly grade-inflated or tends to dump students into AP classes, that might work against you somewhat.</p>

<p>Does your school offer honors/AP foreign language? I noticed you're in Spanish Club, so I assume you're interested. If you school doesn't offer it, that can't be held against you.</p>

5

<p>Holy Cross-top30 LAC near Boston- has a very good pre-med program and solid English department. HC offers a good combination of academics and social life and has a very strong alumni network.</p>

6

<p>I think you'll be just fine. Who's Who is a scam btw...</p>

7

<p>You have Reed, which is a smaller school, so why not Kenyon, which is probably a match and has an excellent English dept. and I'm sure its science depts are all that and more as well. Or Grinnell? Or even Occidental if you want to stay in CA for the LAC experience. </p>

<p>I think your list is realistic and attainable. The wild card is simply how crazy admissions can be with the bulge still going through the python, so to speak. I hope you are able to visit most of the colleges on your list to have a clear "Why This U?" response to give in app questions or interviews. Sometimes that can make all the difference. For example, at colleges such as WashU and Hopkins, it might be advisable to stress your intention to major in English/humanities bec my impression is that both unis get tsunamis of applications from students interested in pre-med type majors. </p>

<p>Do you have financial considerations that preclude applying ED? Have you made any No. 1, No.2 type decisions?</p>

8

<p>Thanks everyone for the replies. I really have no idea what my class rank is. Yes my school offers AP Spanish, I just don't want to take it because the teacher is terrible. I had him for Spanish 3 and I basically don't remember anything I learned in his class.</p>

<p>Who's Who is a scam? Seriously?</p>

9

<p>Are you in state for UCs or OOS?</p>

10

<p>I think your list looks pretty good :)</p>

11

<p>You should look forward to the university of chicago, I recommend. They have good programs in basically any area. Your stat puts you in a good shape, here is why. Chicago doesn't not emphasize GPAs as much as your other schools especially the UCs where 99% of the accepted people are top 10% in the class. Chicago only has 80% in the top ten. Also, Chicago emphasizes SAT as they have one of the highest average SAT in the nation and your scores do put you in the high middle of their score range. Also, you seem to have done lots of ECs which is another thing Chicago likes. So, if you may, check out Chicago and it might just as well be where you want to go the most and where you end up going!</p>

12

<p>you seem very good at writing. Chicago loves creative writing both in the admissions and in classes. Honestly, I do not think you can make to the UCs especially berkeley because your school don't rank and is UW which means you are most likely not wind up in the top ten percentile once berkeley calculates it. This is all my honest experience since I applied and got in both schools and know the admissions process there. Feel free to message me as I will be glad to help you in the college admissions process.</p>

13

<p>UChicago emphasizes essays heavily.</p>

<p>Have you ever read its application essays? It's kind of weird and unusual (don't hurt me Unalove! :)). </p>

<p>It also has a heavy Core Curriculum which gives you less freedom of classes.</p>

<p>UChicago's acceptance rate is fairly high compared to other top universities because its admissions process is self-selecting; people who write those essays really want to go there for the university's unique atmosphere.</p>

14

<p>I had initially considered applying to UChicago, actually. I just erased it from my list recently because 1) I didn't have a math/science teacher to write my rec and 2) I have enough essays to write as it is (I have looked at their essays though, and I must say they are awesome).</p>

<p>As for UCs, my school sends tons of students to the UC system every year. In fact, most students at my school end up going to a UC in the end. And I am in-state for UCs.</p>

<p>Anyways thanks again for the feedback :)</p>

15

<p>why can't you find anyone for math/science recom letter?</p>

16

<p>I have the same question.</p>

17

<p>I suggest you also look at Pomona, Pitzer and/or Scripps.</p>

18

<p>Reed does not match the rest of your list. It's the only smaller place and LAC. It is also quirkier than the rest of your list. That is OK though. Your list is fine if you have considered finances and are all right with the UCs as safeties. USC and Occidental would be reasonable safeties, and you have a good chance for merit aid.</p>

19

<p>I'd also suggest looking in Claremont (<a href="http://www.claremont.edu%5B/url%5D"&gt;www.claremont.edu&lt;/a> -- suggested by DadOfSam) if you're interested in expanding. As for the poster who said that your lack of ranking and UW GPA will hurt you at Berkeley, I disagree (based on my own experience...Berkeley isn't quite so numbers based as is easy to assume). That's not to say that you will or won't get in, but I don't think you should feel like you're out of the running for reasons beyond your control.</p>

<p>You have great stats and could, if you were interested, receive merit money at safety schools other than the UCs (if the UCs interest you, then hey, they're a great deal, but don't leave yourself no other safe-ish options if you don't really see the appeal...and no, not every UC that you list is a safety for you, I realize). National Merit commended status might get you automatic merit money at some schools, but [probably] not schools as competitive as those you list.</p>

<p>Good luck :-)</p>