<p>I need some honest opinions on my chances at admission to elite schools (Yale, Harvard, Columbia). I am from a rural high school graduating 80 this year; no one has ever even applied to schools of this caliber. So when I attempt to get honest opinions about my chances, no one can give me any sort of real answer. Hopefully I can get some here. Though I understand the importance of essays, my "credentials" are: 3.9 GPA unweighted (B's in gym and Health), 30 on the ACT, 5 on APUSH, strong EC's (every non agriculture student leadership position, very strong community service association). Current schedule: Composition, Macroeconomics, Comparative Government online through a local community college, dual enrollment Physics and Calculus, and AP Bio. I have taken every difficult class my school offers, but due to the small size I am obviously lacking in options, being a member of the school's first ever AP classes (Bio and History). Some input would be nice, I was just curious if it would be worth my $75 to apply. I apologize for the length, and thank anyone who comments in advance!</p>
<p>There isn’t a ton of information to go on here. That said though, I think that those schools are reaches for you. A 30 ACT is pretty low - you should try to take it again for a possibly higher score. </p>
<p>Some important things to note (if you feel like editing) are ethnicity, income, more specifics on your EC activities, etc.
Also, most people prefer to read through these when they are formatted separately, like a section for ECs, test scores, etc.</p>
<p>Thank you for the tips on formatting. I am new here. But I plan on taking it again, but the scores won’t be back before early admission deadlines.</p>
<p>Ethnicity: Pacific Islander
Income: ~70k a year for household of 4
EC: County United Way board member, National Honor Society President, Student Council vice president, Scholastic bowl captain, Sunday School teacher, janitor for a couple years, youth soccer coach, Spanish club, Yearbook staff</p>
<p>Check out to see what the schools’ policies are on standardized testing. I know that Rice (when applying for the Nov. 1st deadline) accepts the Nov. 3rd SAT. I dunno if they do the same for the ACT or how it works, but if you’re not sure it’s definitely worth checking out. You could also just try to take the SAT instead of the ACT.</p>
<p>I will look into it! From what I understand, there isn’t much score differential from switching tests. But I am not very informed on that topic. I appreciate the comment!</p>