Junior looking for solid matches and reaches

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Greetings. As I've narrowed down my college search, I've developed a clear list of "dream schools," that I plan on applying to. The area I currently lack however, is realistic matches. I'd also love to hear any feedback on what schools you think I should reach for. Thanks! </p>

<p>Intended major: Political Science or International Relations</p>

<p>Ethnicity: Alaskan native and Filipino</p>

<p>SAT I: 2200</p>

<p>SAT II: will take</p>

<p>GPA: 3.971/4.0 (unweighted)
Rank: top 5%</p>

<p>Course load:</p>

<p>Most rigorous in class.</p>

<p>9th
-all honors offered
10th
-all honors offered
-AP Euro (only sophomore AP available)
11th
-All APs available
-AP US
-AP LA
-AP Chem
-Pre-Calc
12th (registered)
-AP Bio
-AP Lit
-AP Calc
-AP Gov
-AP Physics </p>

<p>Extracurriculars:
-U.S. Dream Academy Inc. Mentoring
-Upperclassman mentoring program (10th, 11th, 12th)
-Tri-M Music Honor Society (10th, 11th (treasurer), 12th (President)
-Goodwill Club (10th (secretary), 11th (president)
-Drama (9th,10th,11th,12th, 13-20 hours per week)
-Currently organizing disadvantaged student fundraiser, several thousand dollars
-Vocal Jazz ensemble, Concert choir, Men's Choir, Chamber Choir (10th,11th,12th)
-Summer biotechnology study program at local college, returning this year as a paid intern for the program</p>

<p>For this summer, I'm also applying for . . .
-Summer intensive study at University of Chicago
-American Legion Boys State
-Junior Statesman symposium</p>

<p>Work Experience:
-retail job from summer 08 though (most likely) graduation</p>

<p>Awards:
Top junior in class award</p>

<p>Thanks again guys!</p>

2

<p>try the princeton review best fit college search [Test</a> Prep: GMAT, GRE, LSAT, MCAT, SAT, ACT, and More](<a href=“http://www.princetonreview.com/com.aspx]Test”>http://www.princetonreview.com/com.aspx)</p>

<p>it will give you a good idea… its not 100% accurate, but good</p>

3

<p>Johns Hopkins University
New York University
Some Ivies, harvard, yale, princeton, brown/dartmouth
close non-ivies, duke, stanford, northwestern
some UC’s: berkeley, LA</p>

4

<p>ever, I would say that you would be a person of interest to just about every college and university in America. Of course there are no guarantees, but you should be thinking more about what environment would be the best fit for you than where can you get in. If the colleges on your “dream list” are chosen with an eye toward fit, not just prestige, then you should be able to find matches and safeties in the same general ambience.</p>

<p>I would also like to ask what your expectations are for financial aid. If you need aid and qualify for need-based aid, then your list can be fairly open-ended. If you need aid and are counting on merit aid, then you’ll have a whole different list.</p>

<p>I’d like to put in a plug for some of the academically rigorous small liberal arts colleges. I don’t know if you’ve researched them, but I would think that you would be a good fit with Williams, Amherst, Hamilton, Bowdoin, Grinnell, Carlton, Macalester. There are several others, but that’s a good start. Williams is especially good for theater, music and excellent academics.</p>

5

<p>If you can write a great essay there are no more than about 20 schools in the nation that would be reaches for you. The rest are matches at worst. If you are looking for scholarships, you may not stand out at some of your matches. Keep in mind many top schools don’t offer merit aid but have great need-based aid with little or no loans in their FA packages. In your case, any school with 75th percentile SAT scores less than 2100 would probably be a safety. However, a safety is not a safety unless it’s a financial safety as well.</p>

6

<p>For Poly Sci and IR definitely look at schools in the DC area: Georgetown, American U, George Washington.</p>

7

<p>Let’s be frank: a person who can check the Native American box and has your outstanding stats is going to have a lot of choices. Without the URM hook, you would be a viable candidate everywhere, but so are many other kids. With it, your chances are better than most.</p>

<p>Dartmouth is particularly interested in Native American students, since educating them was its historical mission, and conducts some special fly-in events for them. I’d suggest you check into it.</p>

8

<p>Wow! Thank you to everyone who responded! I really do appreciate the help. </p>

<p>nooob: Several of the schools you listed, namely Johns Hopkins, Dartmouth, and Princeton, are on my “dream list”. I’ve heard great things about the programs at both Dartmouth and Johns, not to mention the potential internship opportunities available through the latter. As for Princeton . . . well, it’s Princeton. I was blown away by the admissions meeting I went to last year. I figure I’ll apply for the fun of it :)</p>

<p>momrath: Thank you for the input! While compiling my list, I’ve focused most heavily on academics, simply because that has been the central focus of my life for as long as I can remember. Simply put, I love to learn, as I’m sure most applicants to competitive schools do. I would say that location has been the other major factor I’ve been considering.</p>

<p>And yes, I am applying for financial aid, and I should qualify for need-based aid. Thankfully, most of the schools I’m looking into as first choices offer generous need based. Due to the competitiveness of these schools, however, I also feel like I need an extensive list of safety/match schools that would meet my financial needs. This is where I’m having trouble :/</p>

<p>I have done a bit of research on LACs, and I’ve had my eyes on Williams, Amherst, Wellesley, and Bowdoin for a while now. From what I can tell they are first-class institutions. </p>

<p>Consolation: Will the Native American heritage really give me any advantage? I guess I just assumed that the ORM Asian half of things would counter any potential URM benefit. . .</p>

<p>Again, thank you everyone!</p>

9

<p>Wellesley? Maybe you mean Wesleyan? (You are male, right?)</p>

<p>Your Native American + Filipino heritage will give you a tremendous advantage. I wouldn’t put Filipinos in the same over-represented category as ethnic Chinese and Indians. </p>

<p>This is doubly true at the rural small LACs that have a hard time attracting Asians of any sort. I think you could consider Grinnell, Hamilton, Kenyon safe matches. Carlton, Bowdoin, Middlebury, Wesleyan are more selective. Skidmore, Colby would be safeties. Williams, Swarthmore and Amherst are still reaches just because their acceptance rates are low, but I think your music and drama involvement would be a big plus at Williams as it is the most arts focused of AWS. </p>

<p>Your academics, your heritage, your geography, your extra-curriculars are all positives. There’s nothing to disqualify you from consideration at Princeton, Dartmouth, JHU or any super-selective, except that they get a lot of equally qualified applicants. If you have a balanced list you’ll do fine.</p>

10

<p>Princeton’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public Policy and International Affairs is in a groove lately. Gen. Petraeus finished up his PhD there just as he was moving up. The dean was just made head of policy planning at the state department. My daughter, who was a music major (class of 2007), took a course in Japanese diplomacy from the guy that was the Japanese foreign minister to the USSR - the best class she took at Pton. On the Native American thing; we are Cherokee and Laguna Pueblo. And she had 1480 math and verbal as well as submitting a musical based on John Guare’s one act play, ‘Loveliest Afternoon of the Year’ written for the Musical Theatre writing summer program at NYU. Everyone who gets in is pretty much like that. So, the diversity thing has to be part of why you rock. The financial aid is the best. Not to worry. You should definitely visit. The person who did the admissions talk you referred to will probably be your regional admissions rep. Contact that person. Schedule some visits with faculty. Since Pton did away with Early Decision, expressions of interest are particularly important now. Good Luck.</p>

11

<p>momrath: My mistake, sorry. </p>

<p>cpenoi: I would love to visit Princeton, though it would be easier if I weren’t 2,400 miles away. I’ve been in contact with my regional rep and will continue to do so as my application draws near.</p>

12

<p>The University of Michigan-Ann Arbor is strong in Political Science (top 3 department nationally and #1 in American Politics), so check it out. The University itself is located in an ideal college town and since you are used to Alskan winters, the Michigan winter should be relatively “mild”!</p>

<p>If you decide to apply to the University of Michigan, make sure to have your application and transcripts sent in by mid October. The University employs a rolling admissions system where students who apply in the early stages have better odds of getting in and also are more likely to get any sort of merit scholraships.</p>

13

<p>Thank you! I will definitely look into UM.</p>

14

<p>The newspaper of the University of Pennsylvania just had an article on how much they thirst for more native Americans. The IR program is undergrads-only, quite rigorous, and pulls from Penn’s broad strengths in area studies as well as interdisciplinary options like taking relevant internationally-themed courses in Wharton and Penn Law (yes, you can take Penn Law courses as a Penn undergrad. Oh happy day!)</p>

<p>I got a phenomenal IR education and had a stellar experience at Penn as an IR-East Asian Studies double major. My Penn IR cohorts have gone into government service (for the US and foreign governments), elite businesses (Goldman Sachs, etc), won Rhodes and Fulbrights, been admitted into the top 3 law schools)…</p>

<p>And I’ve wound up working in India for an very sweet international management rotation program that accepts 4% of those who apply.</p>

<p>Feel free to PM me if you have any questions on Penn and the many facets of its awesomeness :)</p>

15

<p>Another thing, Michigan does not require SAT II, so you are ready to go. Just send in your application and transcripts as soon as school is back in session.</p>