Looking for colleges starting sophomore year

<p>So I know it's early, but I'm really interested on looking for colleges for the future. Based on my stats/extracurriculars, which of the following colleges am I most/least likely to get into?</p>

<p>Stats/Extracurricular:
1720 on the PSAT, but hopefully I'll raise it to at least 1850 on the SAT
4.1 weighted GPA
Taking AP World 1 this year, but next year I'm taking AP chemistry, AP physics, and AP Stat with all other honors except pre-calc. In 12th grade I want to take AP calc, AP bio, AP physics C, and AP economics</p>

<p>By the time I apply to colleges, I'll have been volunteering at a therapeutic riding program for 6 years (now with a paid position as a riding instructor)</p>

<p>These are the colleges I'm looking at:
William and Mary
Virginia Tech
UVA
Mary Washington
UC Berkeley
Worcester Polytechnic Institute<br>
MIT???
Caltech?? </p>

<p>Thanks!!!</p>

<p>It’s hard to tell now. You need to raise scores. Just do your best to get straight A’s with maybe one errant grade. </p>

<p>Assuming you’re in VA, UCBerkeley is out of reach because it’ll cost as much as private universities… without any financial aid. MIT and CalTech would require you to join some science competitions and win, preferably at the national level.
To be in the ballpark for these, 2100+ for SAT and 3.8 unweighted GPA. Ask your math and science teachers in particular.
These universities are all very different - UVA, W&M, and VTech all have very distinct characters. Nothing wrong with applying to all of them, but it’s unlikely “fit” would be good at all of them. Since you don’t live toooo far, go visit them at some point between now and next year (also visit colleges on the way). Register for a tour (that’ll show “interest”, a positive). Sit in the cafeteria, in the student union. Can you imagine yourself there? Can you imagine joining a group? Do the topics of discussion sound interesting to you? </p>

<p>Your stats should be fine for U Mary Washington and WPI.</p>

<p>It’s time for you to get an “Insider’s Guide to the colleges” or Fiske Guide or Princeton Review’s best colleges. Start reading. Place post-its to mark the pages that you found very interesting. Look for colleges that would admit you with your unweighted GPA -.3 and 1750 SAT and find 3-5+ you really like: those will be your matches. Then look for colleges that would admit you with 1650 and GPA -.5 and find 2-3 you really like - those will be your safeties. Go to these colleges’ websites and fill out the “request info” questionnaires to get on their radar. </p>