Looking for Reaches

College Search & Selection
1

from Michigan
GPA: 3.5 UW 4.1W ( we don’t have pluses or minuses, which hurts me cause all my B’s are B+'s)
probably gonna get 1 or 2 B’s and 4 or 5 A’s 1st semester
Took a very rigorous course load at a renowned private school

AP’s taken/ taking: AB/Bc Calc, Psych, APUSH, BIO, Chem, Gov
IB’s: Organic Chem, TOK, Physics, Precalc
Total Honors/IB/AP: 16

ACT: 34(34,35,33,33 writing: 8)
Math 2: 770
Bio:660

EC: Volunteering: 350 in total (200 working in a hospital)(100 helping underprivileged children in India)(50 peer tutoring)(50 work in many of my clubs)

3 years JV tennis–> 1yrs JV captain

4 years V Track–> 2yrs Leadership Council

MIT Inspire finalist (top 100 out of 5k)( contest involving subjects in the humanities)- I presented a paper i wrote about Pablo Escobar and Drug Trade

Co-Founder of UNICEF Club–> 2-year member

GYLI Club(Global Youth Leadership Initiative)–> group leader --> 4-year member

Newspaper Club–> 4 year member–> editor for two years(Section then Senior Editorial Board)–> we got top 50 newspaper in the country

Summer Job at Kumon, tutored kids in math and reading

Shadowing a nephrologist

Attended the NYU Lead(SBI) Business summer program (I am creating an app with my cohort, it’s about mental health)

Research Assistant in a University level Lab that worked on diabetes, and schizophrenic people

Project Break The Cycle: I joined a business with my friends, it is a non-profit that sends money to orphanages in Libya. We sell T-shirts and hoodie, and I am a marketing officer.

Male, Indian, Middle Class, top 20% of my class about 30-35 out of 180( we don’t have official rankings), Detroit,Michigan

Rec Letters: above average, One teacher know me really well and will give a great rec the other knows me pretty well as well
Essays: above average

Interested in BME/Business Administration
already applied to:
1.) Indiana University-Kelley(accpeted w/ Dean scholarship)
2.) Arizona State(accepted w/ scholarship)
3.) Butler(accepted w/scholarship)
4.) Michigan-Ross
5.) Georgia Tech
6.)MSU(accepted w/scholarship)

Looking for low reach to super reach schools because I have already been accepted into multiple colleges I would go to(with scholarship)
Preliminary list:
Stanford( Just for kicks), USC, Cornell, Duke, and Vandy

Any suggestions?

2

Stanford and Cornell don’t give scholarships, only need based aid. Make sure that you understand your finances. Nothing worse than getting accepted to a reach and then realize that you can not afford it.

3

My financial status would allow me to go to either school, I was just saying I am content with schools I have gotten into already because and the scholarships were just icing on the cake

4

I think Stanford would be a waste of time honestly while the others you have a shot. Did you like NYU? Potentially a scholarship there but I wouldn’t call it a reach. Notre Dame could be another low reach.

5

I was thinking about NYU, but when I did a business summer camp there a few months ago I really didn’t like the campus because it didn’t feel like college but I may still apply to Stern. I don’t really like Notre Dame because I am a devout Hindu and I don’t feel like its the right place for me. @a20171 thanks for the advice

6

@babzy1, unless a school requires two SAT 2’s, would not submit Bio score.

7

I get you with the Notre Dame thing. I just mentioned it because Duke is also Christian affiliated.

8

Penn, Rice, Wash U, Emory

But I’d go with UMich or a scholarship.

9

Stanford, Cornell, Duke, USC, and Vanderbilt will be tough if your class rank isn’t in the top 10%.
At USC, 88% of recent entering students who submitted class rank had been in the T10%.

Among schools in the Poets & Quants T25 undergraduate business programs, realistic reaches might include:
Notre Dame
Georgetown
Emory
Carnegie Mellon
However, for a business major, IMO none of them clearly are worth a big price premium over Michigan at in-state rates.

If you’re fairly confident of getting into Michigan, then ok, you might want to toss a Hail Mary pass at Stanford or Wharton. If you’re not so confident … yet not completely happy with your other choices … you might want to focus on good business programs where your chances might be a bit better than they are at Michigan. Maybe Wake Forest, Northeastern, or Lehigh. All 3 do offer merit scholarships (without which they might not be worth big price premiums over Indiana/Kelley).

10

@tk21769 My school doesn’t rank but I’m guessing that I am top 10-15% of my class, also I am pretty confident that I will get into Umich but I am not very sure about Ross, so I was looking for other schools just in case. However, I would be content pursuing a business minor a Umich. Also, I feel the only way I would get into Wharton or Stanford is if the love my passion for one of the extracurriculars which I show a lot of passion for. Thanks for the Advice

11

Rice and Wash U.

12

Should I do Stanford or Wharton as my super crazy high reach, because I’m interested in business but I also want explore the humanities and sciences as well?

13

Stanford has a 5% acceptance rate and no business degree. Penn has a 9% acceptance rate and a great business school, so slightly better chance at Penn.

Maybe try Cornell, it has a business school and a 14% acceptance rate.

They all have humanities and science.

14

bump

15

?^ Seriously a bump? What do you think is going to change? Accolades?

You already have great options! Be happy with those. Some students won’t get ANY of those! Pick one and stick to it.

Truth be told for Stanford and other reaches:
Your EC’s are all over the place and self-aggrandizing.
You don’t have the “perfect” GPA nor test scores for Stanford; nor the connections (World class athlete, donor, celebrity status, legacy). Stanford accepts 2K undergrad students a year. That’s it They really are a “small school” and just don’t have the room for all of the hundreds of thousands of applicants world-wide.

You are not a NMF for USC.
Does that help your bump?

16

I wouldn’t be confident of getting into Michigan with your GPA, despite your ACT. Show great interest.

17

If you are fortunate enough to be admitted to Ross, and that is not a given with your GPA (even from Cranbrook, DCD or Greenhills) , your journey is done. You’ll get in-state tuition which makes it a screaming bargain, plus be close enough to go home for the weekend.

18

Narrow down your accepted list to your first choice. So if you get nothing else, you’re very happy to go to X. Then pick a few reaches that would truly benefit you or make a difference in your attending there vs. your current first choice. Is it just about prestige or do other schools represent a better fit / opportunity for you. For example, say michigan is your top choice. Michigan is huge. You may want a smaller, more intimate setting that still has an excellent undergrad business program (BC, Georgetown, Wake Forest, VIllanova, WIlliam & Mary, Lehigh) I would consider most of those reaches for your GPA and perceived class rank. Your ACT is great and should help. I think the top tier HYPS is very unrealistic without a higher GPA . If you choose to apply, write outstanding essays tying your ECs to your purpose and future plans. You’ve done a lot of good work. Package it to the point where they say, “We have to have this kid”.

19

@rickle1 Would say it is worth it to do 4-5 reaches and one hail mary reach, I have already applied to 3 safeties (all had fee waivers) and 3 matches?

20

sorry for the duplicate