<p>My SATs should be 97 percentile. Top 3% of HS class. All honors classes. HS is large and pretty average but the honors has good rep. Will take Calc AB senior year. But: no extracurriculars, none at all. Not a joiner.</p>
<p>Will study either business (Wharton would be ideal) or economics if the best school I can get into doesnt have business. Prestige is important. Hopefully headed to Wall Street.</p>
<p>Would I be competitive for the Ivies and peers? If not what other schools should I be looking at?</p>
<p>If there's no ECs, you can't stand out unless you're perfect all around and/or an affirmative action candidate. The fact is, everyone with a good chance of getting in to top schools has strong SATs, SATIIs, GPA and class rank. The way to stand out is either perfection OR strong everything and good personal factors (i.e. essays, ECs, and affirmative action status).</p>
<p>No ECs at all? Okay, so no clubs. Were there any sports you participated in, even if it wasn't a high school team? Did you do any volunteer work anywhere? Or maybe work, or start some sort of business? Did you have to take care of younger siblings while a parent worked? </p>
<p>Your post doesn't mention what year of school you currently in. From what I've read here, you would be up against students with just as good, or better, stats who will have ECs. Your chances would probably be best at a state school where admissions are more stats driven than holistic. You still have time, though, assuming you're not a senior, to get involved with something. Think creatively. For example, in the area in which I live, there are opportunities to do work on hiking trails, or plant trees in fire restoration areas. I don't know where you live or what your interests are. I'm just trying to think of something that would be an unusual EC that might suit someone who doesn't see themselves as a joiner.</p>
<p>Michigan Ross.
Berkeley Haas.
Virginia McIntire.</p>
<p>Or although not public, NYU Stern. All are bigger schools, and have somewhat lower stats. So, due to size have less personal reviews, and due to numbers will want you. And those are many of the best business schools out there, AND have tons of prestige and all that jazz.</p>
<p>^^ simply because the schools are public does not mean that ECs don't matter. Berkeley, for example, considers ECs "important"; the other top publics are probably similar. (Not to mention you wouldn't be admitted to Haas directly...)</p>
<p>What are you going to write about for that 150 word activity essay?</p>
<p>And this isn't based on anything but.. I would imagine that extracurriculars are especially important for a business major candidate. A businessman should be able to demonstrate that he works well with others.</p>
<p>With that being said, you could still be competitive on sheer academic merit for schools like Michigan or those in Canada. (where activities don't count towards admissions)</p>
<p>DSC, you are a little off in some of your assumptions here. </p>
<p>First off, McIntire, Ross, and Haas are at big public schools, but only enroll a couple hundred students for each year. Ross only accepts around 60 out of high school.</p>
<p>While grades and scores can be enough to get you accepted to the liberal arts programs at these universities, that won't work for bschool admissions. You flat out won't be accepted without good EC's, let alone no EC's. Business schools, more than most other programs, are more likely to accept someone who has a 3.0/weakSAT and started their own business than someone with a 4.0/strongSAT and weak EC's. You are going to see VERY few admitted students at the top business schools that got in just because of scores and grades, if any.</p>
<p>I go to one of those schools. I know a lot of people that have been accepted to these schools, and a lot that have been denied. I also have common sense.</p>
<p>Most people who are familiar with bschool admissions know that at schools like Ross/Haas/McIntire, they put a really heavy emphasis on the EC's and essays.</p>
<p>jnpn - What I was suggesting, even if it wasn't clear, was that they could get into the Liberal Arts segment, LSA for Michigan lets say. Then could get into the business school once there. If you get good grades at UM, and you could do EC's there, but even without them, you are likely in at the B-school. From what I have seen/heard - get good grades and you are in at Ross. Pre-admit is hard, but once at UM, not that crazy.</p>
<p>But, as it appears you go there, you should know better than I do.</p>
<p>okay, thanks!
I'm really hoping to go to get into b-school next year, but I was worried that my test scores and GPA were really all that mattered at my top choice.</p>
<p>Oh, I see what you are saying DSC. Yeah, applying to the liberal arts programs for one of these schools, getting some good ECs and grades once there, then applying to the bschools would be a good option for the OP. </p>
<p>That said, if he enrolls in LSA and then applies to Ross it will be much easier, but he is still going to need some EC's as a freshman. My roommate freshman year had a flat 4.0 and got rejected by Ross. The new preferred admit program and surge in apps has made it more difficult than it used to be.</p>
<p>
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And sorry, the EC focus of Berkeley or UM does not measure up to that of HYPSM or anyone near that.
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</p>
<p>I wasn't saying that. I was saying that Berkeley (and probably UM) emphasizes ECs. So not having any ECs will make it very difficult to get into.</p>
<p>(And to be honest, at HYPS, there isn't always as much emphasis on ECs as people on CC would think.)</p>
<p>You won't get into an Ivy on the strength of academics alone. I applied a few years back with near perfect academic stats (3.98 UW from top norcal public HS, 4.3+ W, 1550 SAT, 800, 800, 780 SATII's, 5's on every AP test I took) but weak EC's (still better than no EC's) but was rejected at almost every Ivy I applied to. College admissions is even more competitive today than 4 years ago.</p>
<p>Thanks for the ideas. I'm very interested in NYU. I can't afford state schools other than my own (NY). I'd be better off at expensive private schools that meet financial need. If I'm not on track for any Ivy, what are some other private schools to look at?</p>