<p>New to the site and looking for a bit of information on my chances of getting into certain colleges.</p>
<p>I realize it may be quite early to be thinking about this considering I just now got back my PSAT scores as a sophomore.
Just looking for a bit of guidance and a few suggestions.</p>
<p>My PSAT results were as follows:
Critical Reading - 56
Mathematics - 76
Writing Skills - 59
I personally believe that I could do much better on my next test. I took several tests prior to this PSAT with the same format and scored 65 on Critical Reading, 80 on Math, and a 67 on Writing. </p>
<p>My current GPA is a 4.0 (straight A+'s) and I'm tied for first in my class. I'm involved in several academic teams and took our Math team to state and placed as a freshman. I was also captain of the team as a freshman. I play varsity tennis and had the number 3 spot as a freshman. (of course playing tennis won't get me any where but I thought I would add that anyway)
As a middle school student I was advanced into high school math classes (the first person in my school to do so) and am on track to be taking at least 4 math classes in the next 2 years.<br>
Now onto my questions:</p>
<ol>
<li>How beneficial would it be for me to go to a state academy that only accepts 150 people a year. (keep in mind this is a very prestigious academy)</li>
<li>How high will my SAT/PSAT scores need to be to get into schools such as MIT, CalTech, Stanford, Berkeley, and the Univ. of Chicago. How can I go about raising these scores.</li>
<li>What sort of things could I do to stand out in the vast ocean of applications that come to these schools? I am currently learning how to program in java and for app development. Will that be able to get me somewhere?</li>
<li>Would my tennis playing have any effect on the school? What If I got in contact with the head coach?</li>
<li>Finally, say I did get my scores up to a 2250 on the SAT and graduated from this academy, what would my chances be of getting into ANY of the colleges listed in number 2.</li>
</ol>
<ol>
<li>The results show. Look at previous years’ acceptances from your school and you should see a lot of depth with the number of students who get accepted to ivies/other top institutions. But yeah, it helps a fair amount if it’s a known school. </li>
<li>For the tougher schools on your list, you’ll want at least a 2200 for an ok consideration from an academic standpoint, probably looking at 2300+ if you want good consideration from an academic standpoint. </li>
<li>Something like computer programming is certainly something to pursue. You can go far with this, create apps for a device like android or iphone. Maybe even start a company if you’re good enough. This is the kind of direction you can go if you become proficient and that will be noticed.</li>
<li>If you’re a really good player, as in ranked near the top at the regional/state level maybe you’ll get consideration. But you’ll have to be really good for your top choices.</li>
<li>Obviously you’ll have a shot at all of the schools on your list but you have a lot of time (including the all-important junior year) to go before apps. As long as you keep up your grades, gain leadership and achievements in your school activities, and so on, you should be in line for good colleges.
All the best.</li>
</ol>
<p>Thank you very much for the in depth reply.</p>
<p>This may seem like an idiotic question, but what makes the junior year so important?
Also I checked the statistics for acceptance rates and I got back something like 25% of the graduates of this academy went to either a Ivy League school or one of the ones I have listed. Almost all of the rest attended state universities. Looks promising. Guess I just have to make the decision to go there now. Going to miss a lot, but it’ll be worth it, eh?
Suggestions on classes to take? planning on Calculus AP, Statistics AP, Multivariable Calc., and Differential Equations as math classes (which for me would be the most important). Possibly some other classes from the local college. </p>
<p>Probably the most important aspect is that the grades from that year are the most important. But it’s also the time to take on leadership roles in clubs if possible and basically do anything you can that year because colleges look at that year the most. In terms of classes, take as many APs as you can possibly to show course rigor. </p>
<p>In terms of going to the state academy, I didn’t realize that you’re deciding whether or not to go. If it’s very prestigious, that, in all likelihood, means that it’s also very competitive. So while you may be the top of your class in your current school, you may be not even in the top 10% at the academy just so you keep that in mind. But judging from the depth of ivy acceptances, it seems like you can’t go too wrong given you can afford it (does it cost money?) If money is a factor, as long as your current school has a good history of college acceptances and offers the courses and resources to succeed, you should not feel so pressured to go to a new school.</p>
<p>I understand it is very competitive, but in all honesty, I’m not one to settle for anything less than excellent. (Sounds awful but that’s just who I am) I strive to do the best I possibly can. The academy is almost completely free. Just pay for room and board pretty much. Which isn’t a big deal either.<br>
The school I am at now is very… lackluster. There isn’t a single person from this school who has made it into an Ivy League school that I know of. The closest anyone has ever gotten was my sister. She got wait listed to Harvard and ended up going to a still very prominent liberal arts school. She of course had 2200+ on the SAT and was salutatorian of her class.<br>
This is the reason I believe I have to go to the Academy. Without the academy, my application will be stuck with a little nobody school and most likely looked over and thrown out early. I think that a higher education would be best in this instance. Yes?</p>
<p>^ I doubt that’s the case. I go to a school where the atmosphere is ridiculously competitive. I mean…check the time and we already have over 15 Ivy-league students. What this means is much much more competition. In other words, you’re now competing against your classmates. I get the feeling that although schools might not have quotas, they won’t pick 50 kids from the same school. Competition is not necessarily good.</p>
<p>Right now, you shine where you are. If you like it…stay there. Don’t change to affect college choices. If you like the academics better there, then go ahead. But once again, college should not influence that decision. I’m under the impression that entering an ultra-competitive atmosphere is a double-edged sword</p>
<p>Although it may seem like it’s an advantage to go to an uncompetitive school so you can stand out, this is not exactly the case. If one comes from a well-known school, the adcoms can trust the accomplishments and the curriculum of the student coming from that school rather than a guy who does well, but comes from a no-name school. Even though class rank may be lower, it does not work as a disadvantage given that you’re academic preformance is constant. That’s why, if money is not a factor, the academy is probably the better option.</p>
<p>Also I would just like to add that I believe the Academy does not have class rank…
My school is definitely a no-name school.
Thanks for all the great info.
Will definitely be looking into the Academy now.</p>