Matches/Slight Reaches for me

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Can someone recommend some matches/slight reaches for me? My list has a lot of high reaches, and I'm looking to balance it a little.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.prstats.com/2009/display.php?user=MDawg198%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.prstats.com/2009/display.php?user=MDawg198&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>I'll post it so you don't have to look at the profile.</p>

<p>School Type: Public
Location: PA
Race/Gender: African American/Black
Prospective Major: Political Science and Economics
Weighted GPA: 4.333
Class rank: 11 of 297 </p>

<p>SAT I Scores
SAT I Math: 740
SAT I Verbal: 610 </p>

<p>SAT II Scores
SAT II Writing: Oct
SAT II U.S. History: Oct
SAT II Math IIC: Oct </p>

<p>Extracurricular Info
Sports
-JV Basketball (10th) </p>

<p>Clubs
-Journalism Club (9th)
-Baseball Club (10th)
-Key Club (11th)
-FBLA (9th-12th)
-On advisory board
-Forensics (12th) </p>

<p>Volunteering
-Volunteer at YMCA (9th-12th 500 hours)
-Writer for Student Sun (9th grade 75 hours) </p>

<p>Jobs
-Employed at McDonalds (Summer of 9th grade up to fall of 10th grade) </p>

<p>Other:
Sports Editor for school newspaper (12th) </p>

<p>I tutor math to kids in my grade that did not pass the state standardized tests (12th)
-Twice a week for 30 minutes at a time </p>

<p>Helped organize a school fundraiser for African kids to get vaccines (12th) </p>

<p>Other Info
Notes (in case this might be a bonus on my college app): </p>

<p>Accepted into "Amherst College Diversity Open House" -They're flying me out for a weekend, etc </p>

<p>Applying to Swarthmore Discovery Weekend </p>

<h2>Retaking SAT I in Nov, Taking SAT IIs in Oct </h2>

<p>National: </p>

<p>National Society of High School Scholars </p>

<p>National Honor Roll </p>

<p>Microsoft Certified </p>

<p>Who's Who Among American High School Scholars </p>

<p>State: </p>

<p>"You can't do better than As"-Big 33 </p>

<p>Region: </p>

<p>Regional: 3rd place in Technology Concepts (Qualified for state competition)
4th place in Business Calculations </p>

<p>School: </p>

<p>Distinguished Honor Roll for 6 straight semesters </p>

<p>2nd place in Calculus Math League </p>

<p>Other:
I was selected to the Rotary Student of the Month Program. They take the top 8 males and females, and they send them out of school to lunch to meet and conference with businessmen and businesswomen. It is based on class rank I believe. </p>

<h2>Some other school awards that I will add later if I need to </h2>

<p>APs:
AP Calc AB: 5
AP U.S. History: 3 (horrible I know) </p>

<p>Senior Classes:
1st semester
Spanish 4
AP English 1
AP Bio 1
Honors Chemistry </p>

<p>2nd semester:
AP English 2
Spanish 5
Living with Art (mandatory fine art class)
BFS ('Advanced' Gym Class)</p>

2

<p>Can't make suggestions without more information about what you're looking for: large,small or medium sized school? LAC, comprehensive College or Research U? Potential major? Need financial aid or merit money? Part of the country? Urban, suburban or rural --- or no preference? Liberal, conservative or somewhere in between student body? etc. etc. etc.</p>

3

<p>University of Pennsylvania - Reach
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor - probably a Match
University of Wisconsin - Safety
Williams (on par w/ Swarthmore and Amherst, but I'm pretty sure you knew) - reach
University of Chicago (reach)</p>

<p>Other choices elude me at this point. You need to indicate, as carolyn said, the above information.</p>

4

<p>small to medium
LAC or Research U-doesn't really matter
Potential Major-Political Science and Economics
Will be needing financial aid
Want to stay in the northeastern region
Urban or suburban
Liberal, but I can deal with any.</p>

5

<p>From your info. I assume Amherst and Swarthmore are already on your list. You might also take a look at: Tufts, Cornell, Haverford, Georgetown, Vassar, Wesleyan, NYU, University of Rochester, Middlebury, Williams, possibly Brandeis as matches and/or slight reaches.</p>

6

<p>I have Cornell on my list, but I think I'll take a strong look at Georgetown, Williams, and a few others. Thanks a lot.</p>

7

<p>G-town is pretty conservative. Here's a list, but I am not totally sure what you want. I.e., most of these are VERY different from Swarthmore, which doesnt necessarily place an emphasis on social life. Anyway, I think you should take a serious look at these, I have spent time at all of them and they are great places:</p>

<p>reach
Brown
Penn
Dartmouth</p>

<p>Slightly less reach
Cornell
Northwestern </p>

<p>Match
Vassar
UNC-CH
Michigan</p>

8

<p>Right now my list is Princeton ED, Brown, Dartmouth, Columbia, Cornell, Amherst, Swarthmore, and I was accepted yesterday to University of Pittsburgh. I might take a look at Northwestern.</p>

9

<p>Captain Logic believes MDawg198 should go to Duke University.</p>

10

<p>Congratulations on being accepted to the University of Pittsburgh - very decent safety school. Nice job.</p>

<p>As long as you'd be happy to attend Pitt if nothing else pans out (which I doubt) or you don't get the financial aid you need elsewhere, there's nothing wrong with your current list. But I still think you should check out Tufts.</p>

11

<p>Congrats Mdawg.</p>