Is this a good set of colleges?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>here are my stats: </p>

<p>HS graduation year: 2011
UW GPA: 3.5
Weighted: 3.8
SAT Composite: 1940
(should i take SAT II subject tests?)
Took 3 AP classes-- AP Biology, AP English, AP Calculus (i'll take these during my senior year, since my school didn't offer any before then) </p>

<p>EC's/awards:
Played JV tennis for 2 years, varsity tennis my senior year
Academic Spell Bowl team -- state finalists all 4 years, regional champions 3 years
Math team
National Finalist for 2 years in a row in a neuroscience competition
National Finalist for 2 years in a row in a public speaking competition
National Finalist for 2 years in a row in a essay writing competition
Marching Band State Runner up -- freshman year
Speech team for 2 years
National Society of High School Scholars
National Honors Society
FIRST Robotics team for 3 years -- won a regional championship in 2009 (had leadership position)
VEX Robotics team for 2 years -- won a regional championship in 2009
Rocket Club
Vice President of Chess Club
Played violin for 6 years, performed at various concerts</p>

<p>Volunteer Activities: (total = slightly over 100 hrs)
Assisted my tennis coach in coaching small children
Assisted my tennis coach in his adult tennis classes
Volunteered at a local hospital
Assisted the Salvation Army </p>

<p>i want to major in neuroscience or major in biology with an emphasis on neuroscience. and take pre-med electives. </p>

<p>Safety colleges: Indiana university, University of Illinois - Urbana Champaign, University of Wisconsin - Madison</p>

<p>Realistic: University of Michigan - Ann Arbor, Boston University, University of Rochester, Brandeis, New York University</p>

<p>Reach: Johns Hopkins, Vanderbilt, Emory, Northwestern, and the major UC's (which i heard is nearly impossible for out of state applicants to get into)</p>

<p>Do these colleges have good programs in the sciences? more importantly, do my stats match up to the safeties and realistic colleges? how good of a chance do i have at the high reaches?
all comments are welcome.</p>

2

<p>OP, what is your home state? Some of your safeties are closer to matches (UWM and UIUC). Some of your “realistic” are actually reaches (UMich). What can your family afford?</p>

3

<p>money isn’t really an issue at all. i live in indiana, so i kept IU as a safety since i’m almost positive i could get in there. everything else is somewhat uncertain.<br>
looks like i need more safeties. would you say that everything else besides umich that i said was realistic is actually a realistic goal?</p>

4

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<p>And will you be * happy * going to IU if you get into some of the schools on your realistic and reach lists, but the FA picture makes them much more expensive?</p>

5

<p>yeah i’m not going there just because it’s easier to get into. it’s got some good reputation in the science fields and economics as well from what i’ve researched.<br>
what do you mean by “FA picture”? sorry i didn’t get the acronym there :P</p>