<p>Due to randomness (deciding to graduate from high school a year early---except not entirely), I applied to college without having taken the SAT. Since I had been planning on having an extra year, I just hadn't gotten around to it yet. Anyways, I took the Nov SAT and received my score today...and now I'm a bit worried. I expected to do well, but I blew past "well" (in my opinion, at least) entirely.</p>
<p>I've already applied to my 5 schools (UW-Madison (instate), Carleton, Macalester, Reed, and Oberlin), but now my mother is pushing me to apply to more "prestigious" schools because I have the scores to back up my ECs and essay. </p>
<p>On top of that, I'm worried that the schools that I applied to and love (Reed and Macalester) will think I am using them as safeties and reject me---which is entirely untrue.</p>
<p>Tell your mom your SATs show you can decide for yourself where to go to college.
Fit is more important than prestige. Although Reed is not exactly "BasketWeavingU."
Have you visited/interviewed/shown interest other than you application?
Good Luck!</p>
<p>show Reed and MacAaester some love. Apply to a HPYSM if it will make mom happy, but a nice merit scholarship from one of the other schools might make mom more happy.</p>
<p>Madison is a lock if you have a decent gpa.</p>
<p>I've interviewed for Reed, Macalester, and Carleton---on campus for the latter two. I think I've done everything to show interest. I'm probably just paranoid.</p>
<p>Reed doesn't give merit scholarships; the endowment isn't yet big enough to support need-blind admissions, and Reed doesn't subsidize students who can afford to pay. An applicant's level of interest is as important as the interview, so you should try to offset the lack of campus visit (one of the most beautiful, so you won't be disappointed), perhaps by keeping in touch with your adcom rep. Reed is unique and quirky, and places a high value on fit, and wants every applicant to understand as much as possible about the school. Reed is very academic, with 25% of graduates later earning a PhD, a rate surpassed only by CalTech and Harvey Mudd. Reed grads are among those most satisfied with their undergrad experience.</p>
<p>Spark, if you want to apply to a more prestigious school, you might give it a shot, but the higher scores by themselves won't get you into an Ivy League college -- class rank & GPA is very important to the Ivies & near-Ivies (like Stanford) -- and with your graduating early, you probably don't have as many advanced level classes, so you overall academic courseload would be another weak spot for those top schools. </p>
<p>In any case, academically Reed, Carleton & Macalester are top schools where you will find more than enough challenge and plenty of other very high-ability students, so the ONLY reason to apply anywhere else is if there happens to be somewhere else you want to attend. Or to keep your Mom happy by just tossing in one extra app --- no point arguing with her if she's willing to pay the application fee, and if you can choose a common app school so you don't have to do extra work. </p>
<p>Those scores are amazing, by the way, but not enough to make any of the schools you mentioned think you are using them as a safety. All 3 of those schools get apps from many high-end scorers, especially since Carleton & Macalester actively recruit NM finalists, so they aren't going to be nearly as amazed by the numbers as your mom is.</p>
<p>I might as well throw my other numerical stats here, since they don't take too long.</p>
<p>GPA- 4.0 Unweighted (1/263)
APs- US Hist- 5 Euro Hist- 5 Stats- 5 Lang/Comp- 5
(taking Calc AB, Econ, Chem, and Lit/Comp this year)
NMSF
National Qualifier for History Day (twice) and Quiz Bowl
Learned to fly (and solo'ed) on my 16th birthday
random volunteer service and high school theater</p>
<p>Make sure you don't apply to too many schools -- applications take forever...you could always stick with the schools you were originally applying to and disregard whatever your mom's pushing you to do.</p>
<p>Hey, I hope to see you at Reed if you happen to get in and choose to go there, I've kinda fallen in love myself (my scores are very similar - 2310, although mine's an 800 R, 780 M, 730 W), 4.0 GPA, APs and all). I'd recommend giving an Ivy a shot, at the very least it can't hurt and it will help sooth your parents some, or an Ivy analogue (U Chicago's the one I've been leaning towards). Oddly, I have the same problem with Reed as you have, they might think that I'm calling them a safety. I guess the only thing to do is to pour your heart into the why reed essay and interview with them.</p>