<p>GPA: 4.0 (unweighted) 4.33 (weighted)
Class rank: about 5/500, top 1%
SAT I (only 1 go): 2190 Math- 740 Reading- 740 Writing- 710 (going to retake SAT in January, hoping to get around 2300)
SAT II: M. Bio- 780 Math II- 790 Chem- 770
ACT: 33 (35 Superscore) Math- 32 Reading- 35 Science- 36 Writing- 10 English- 35
AP: (self-study) Chem-4
IB: Chem-6
This year IB's: HL Bio, HL English, HL History, SL Spanish, SL Math (Full diploma program)
EC:
- Cross country and track and field- 2 years
- Marathon training- 2010
- Piano lessons and performance- 11 years
- NHS (2 years) , Mu Alpha Theta (2 years) , MUN (2 years- this year officer), attended IB student world conference
- founder and leader of school green club
Awards:
- Questbridge college prep scholarship
- national merit commended
- Questbridge finalist
Community Service:
- sunday school teacher ( 2.5 years)
- camp counselor
- volunteer research assistant at research university
- relay for life team captain (3 years)
- elementary school tutor
- spanish tutor
- helped build green roof at my school
- missions trip to Beijing
Work Experience
-lifeguard/swim instructor
-office work at cardiology clinic
-this year will get stipend for research internship
Extras:
- legacy @ Stanford
- alumni connections @ Williams (the lab supervisor at my internship, got a rec)
- additional rec from my research mentor
- recs and essays are great, applying through questbridge</p>
<p>Already applied to: Princeton, Yale, Dartmouth, MIT, U Penn, Columbia, Stanford, Caltech, Middlebury, Washington and Lee (Johnson Scholarship), Williams, Brown, Wellesley, Swarthmore</p>
<p>Should I add any more? Do I need any more safeties? It would be great if they had an amazing financial aid program. Thanks:)</p>
<p>what, no love for Harvard, Amherst or Cornell?</p>
<p>You know, it might seem trivial now, but you appear to only have one safety (Wash & Lee), and it’s not really a safety. I would only advise to add one school not in the USNWR top 20 for a second safety.</p>
<p>Does Questbridge mean you are African American or Hispanic? If so, never mind. You’ll get into at least half the schools in your list if you are AA and at least a third if you are Hispanic. If not, then my original comment about a 2nd safety applies.</p>
<p>I think you’d get into Oberlin but I don’t know if I would label it as a safety. Maybe a strong match. Maybe consider Denison or Grinnell for safeties. On a side note, interesting to see mission trip to Beijing on a Questbridge application.</p>
<p>What do you want to study? What do you want in a school - size, location, etc. If you list what you’d really like in a college, I’m sure people will come up with suggestions of places that you might like that have good reputations for merit or need based aid.</p>
<p>Schools that meet need can’t often be considered as financial safety schools because they usually have lower acceptance rates.</p>
<p>You also have to realize that when looking for true safeties (affordable), you’re not also going to get “super academics”…otherwise those schools will be elites. When you apply to true safeties, you can get good academics (and maybe some honors programs), but you have to realize that these schools are not elites.</p>
<p>Does anyone know if Trinity in Texas meets need?</p>
<p>What state are you in?</p>
<p>I wonder if anyone can suggest a school where this student would get assured huge merit?</p>
<p>Do you know what your EFC will be?</p>
<p>What is your major?</p>
<p>On a side note, interesting to see mission trip to Beijing on a Questbridge application.</p>
<p>I thought so, too…and 11 years of piano performance.</p>
<p>One thing I do NOT like about the QB program is that the kids who don’t make it to finalist or the finalists that don’t get matched, have had their hopes set on such elite schools that it’s hard for them to envision themselves at good, but more “regular” schools that will be affordable and will accept them.</p>
<p>I’ve been helping another QB student who didn’t get matched and he and his family are so focused on elite schools because of the QB experience (his stats are not as good as the OPs) that it’s become almost impossible to get the student (and father) to realize that he’s not likely going to be admitted to an elite and that he needs affordable safeties. The mom seems to now understand that his chances are iffy, but the rest are so focused on elites it’s likely going to be a very disappointing spring. The student’s stats are either in the lower quartile or near it for nearly every elite. This student is not a URM either. I can’t help but feel that the QB experience misled them into thinking that this kid’s stats would have a good chance at elites. It got hopes up to the point that the student (and his dad) can’t imagine him anywhere else.</p>
<p>Don’t get me wrong, I think QB is a good thing for those who get into great schools, but for those who don’t make it, I think there’s fallout that can affect the student’s morale at wherever he ends up going …kind of feeling like he got the booby prize.</p>
<p>mom22collegekids, you are absolutely correct. I got a scholarship to go to the Questbridge conference, and they highly encouraged everyone to apply to all of the elite schools, even through regular decision. It wasn’t until I started reading the cc forums last week that I realized how competative it really is. Now I’ve already applied to all of these crazy competative schools and need a few backups. </p>
<ul>
<li>i’ve calculated my EFC and it is about 0 to 500 ish, depending on the calculator.</li>
<li>major in biochem</li>
<li>i live in oregon </li>
<li>i prefer east or west coast, not midwest</li>
<li>i’m actually pretty open to a range of schools, smaller and larger</li>
</ul>
<p>*i’ve calculated my EFC and it is about 0 to 500 ish, depending on the calculator.
major in biochem
i live in oregon
i prefer east or west coast, not midwest
i’m actually pretty open to a range of schools, smaller and larger *</p>
<p>Do you have a non-custodial parent’s income that will get considered at some schools?</p>
<p>Look at Santa Clara…USD…Chapman U …Gonzaga…USeattle…Grinnell…Tulane</p>
<p>Is it too late to apply to USC? </p>
<p>Another thing I don’t like, is that with the QB distraction, many of these students missed the deadlines for big scholarships at schools that had Dec 1st deadlines for big scholarships.</p>
<p>You have to be careful with schools like Oberlin. They are well know for rejecting those clearly using them as safeties. You must visit and show demonstrated interest.</p>
<p>I would add schools like Bates, Colby, Trinity CT, Vassar.</p>
<p>Holy Cross(don’t have to be religious) is need blind for admissions and has strong science majors. HC has an amazing alumni network and nice campus 1 hour from Boston.</p>
<p>Ok… I think I will apply to USC and Mount Holyoke. Do you think this will round out my list? Can I be certain that I will get into at least 1 of my schools?</p>
Does anybody have any specific safety schools with great financial aid and academics?</p>