I think I’ll probably get into my state schools, one of which is a pretty good match for me, and there is an OOS school with guaranteed admissions based on GPA/ACT that I’m also interested in because my parents went there and grew up in the area. I would be fine going to either of these schools, but I want to know if I should even go through the trouble of applying to reach schools.
What would my chances be for getting into better OOS public schools like UT-Austin, U Minnesota, or UW-Madison, etc.? My GPA is about average for these, and my ACT is better than their medians, but I’m afraid that my abysmal ECs will make it impossible. I don’t want to write extra essays and pay application fees if I have no chance whatsoever, which seems to me to be the case.
ACT- 34 composite (35 English, 36 Reading, 33 Science, 31 Math)
GPA- weighted about 3.8
5 on AP Psych; AP Human Geography and APUSH classes but not the tests.
Senior APs- physics 1 and 2, Spanish language, English literature, US government
Honors/Accelerated/Advanced courses when available
I have no ECs.
I guess I did do debate team freshman year, but I think that would almost reflect worse on me than nothing, because quitting after one year shows a lack of commitment. I’m thinking about joining some clubs/ do some volunteering as a senior, but I know that won’t count for much of anything.
Any replies will be greatly appreciated!