Judge my finalized college list (entering senior year).

College Search & Selection
1

I suppose it isn’t too late for one to suggest alterations/augmentations of this list. If you think something should be changed, please tell me!

Demographics: white male, upper-middle class, top public school in southern California

GPA: 3.79/4.03

Course Rigor: All honors math except junior year, AP Chemistry (5), APUSH (4)
Taking AP Lit, AP Spanish, and AP Gov this year, w/ Honors Calculus 1

Scores: 1480 SAT (690 E/ 790 M), 4/4/4 essay (retaking in October)

800 Math II, 800 Chemistry

1500 (750/750) PSAT (fairly confident in achieving finalist status)

ECS:

JV tennis 3 years (TC last year), varsity this year
Math Club, Astronomy Club
Jazz Band

Additional programs:

NASS
Stanford Jazz Institute
CSF

Schools:

Safeties: New Mexico Tech (P.E, application already submitted) CSULB (ChemEng), Cal State LA (Industrial Technology)

Match schools:

Tulsa (P.E; will only attend if I get presidential scholarship), Oklahoma (P.E; Will only attend if I am accepted to the Honors College), Colorado Mines (P.E), Cal Poly SLO (Industrial Technology)

Reach Schools:
USNA, UCB (Chemistry B.S), UCLA (Engineering Geology), USC (P.E)*

*My father, and three out of my four grandparents went to USC: My late grandmother on my father’s side worked there for 30+ years

2

I am also applying to Stanford. That is the Hail Mary school.

3

That’s a great list, I like your matches. What do you mean by PE? Petroleum Engineering?

My only comment is your safeties seem maybe too safe and unexciting for a S. Cal boy. Look at your list again and take away all your matches and reaches. Would you be okay only getting accepted to those 3 remaining schools? If not, think hard about what other schools might be “likelies” and would be more exciting for you. I’m not being negative but unhooked California applicants aren’t in short supply… and I know kids with similar stats who only got into their safeties this year. :frowning: So keep your reaches and matches and do some more digging to identify likelies where you’d actually be happy to attend. They are out there!!! If you think you would actually be fine at either CSLA or LB then you’re done.

4

You’re going to have multiple acceptances. Good job.

5

Great list! Good luck!