opinion needed. where should I apply?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>(originally posted in Ivy league section)</p>

<p>I'm really stuck. in your opinion, where do you think I should apply? Where do you think I should apply as alternative? </p>

<p>here's my brief high school activities(I'm a junior, so stuff for senior year is only planned):</p>

<p>Math taken:
Geometry
Algebra 2
Pre-Calculus
AP Calculus AB</p>

<p>(all class passed with A; all honors)</p>

<p>Science:</p>

<p>Physical Science
Chemistry
Biology
Physics
(Anatomy--planned)</p>

<p>(all class passed with A; all honors)</p>

<p>Language:</p>

<p>French
Spanish 1
Spanish 2
Spanish 3</p>

<p>(couple more credits in Japanese from Saturday school)</p>

<p>(all with A except French, spanish 2 and 3 are honors)</p>

<p>English:</p>

<p>Freshman English (Honors) -passed with B
Sophomore English (Honors) -passed with B and A (2nd semester)
Junior English (honors) -passed with A
Senior English (planning of taking honors humanities or writing composition)</p>

<p>Social Studies:</p>

<p>Geography (honors) -B
AP Human Geography - A
AP US History -B
AP or Honors US Government (planning on taking)</p>

<p>Fine Arts/others:</p>

<p>Visual Art (ceramics, watercolor, etc) - B
AP ART history - A
Photography - A
Health - A
physical education - A
Integrated Technology -A
Honors or AP Economics (planned)
AP Computer Programming (planned)</p>

<p>Clubs:</p>

<p>Tutoring (1 year)
Asian/Pacific Islander Society Club
International Club
Environmental Club
Math Club/Team (all 4 years)
HOPE (medical) Club
Badminton Club
NHS</p>

<p>Sports:
Badminton
Nordic Ski
Freshman Volleyball
Tennis (planned)</p>

<p>Community service:</p>

<p>thinking of having over 200 hours by the time I graduate</p>

<p>SAT:</p>

<p>I'm very bad at it....hoping to get it up to at least 2100...</p>

<p>SAT subject tests:</p>

<p>thinking of taking one in Chemistry and Math...should I take a third, too? hope to get in the 700's</p>

<p>AP Tests:</p>

<p>Took the Human geography, got a 3. (very bad)
I might take the AP art history, us history, maybe economics. Definately AP calculus and AP Japanese and culture...</p>

<p>Other things: I have been to three diff High school so far. I'm thinking of doing my major in something to do with science and technology...maybe even medical stuff...right now I'm thinking genetics, etc etc...</p>

<p>My GPA is kind of around 3.8 (which sucks, it used to be 4.0). My ranking should at least be in the top 5%...I haven't checked. I'm not the most talented student in the entire school. But, I am very good at subjects like math, science, and technology stuff (computers) All my classes that I have taken are honors or AP except the onces like PE, health, etc. I take the most challenging one offered by my school. I do pretty crappy in social studies...though I managed to get a A in AP human geography, I am still hanging with a B in US history AP. </p>

<p>so what do you think? what wouls you do, etc etc... </p>

<p>thanks for your advise/opinion.</p>

2

<p>Nobody will answer until you say something about what you want. With the information you've posted here you might as well go to one of the college search web sites and check the boxes for "most selective" and "very selective," and maybe "selective" (since you really don't know what your SAT scores will be). You can narrow by geography, size, urban/rural, and other criteria. That kind of exercise can be helpful for a couple of reasons. 1) Your search can turn up names that you never heard of. 2) If you start manipulating you search so certain schools pop up, that's a clue that you want to check out those schools. (Sort of like you do eenie-meenie and hope it ends up on a certain choice.)</p>

<p>A lot cc'ers post stats and ask the where should I apply question. This strikes me as a little defeatist-- as if the hardest and most important question is where can you get in. And as if everyone has to apply to the hardest schools to get into or they're not trying.</p>

<p>You will be able to easily get into 85% or more (number from air) of the colleges in the college in the United States, and would have a reasonable or good shot at a significant number of the other 15%. You should apply where you want to go. You <em>should</em> want to go where the academics are appropriately challenging, where the college is appropriately supportive, and probably should be a place where the social climate is not uncomfortable. If you have some strongly held values (religion or service for examples), look for a school that promotes those values. And if you want to be nice to your mom, apply to a school within a couple hundred miles of home so you can her regularly. (Based on this last criteria, you may not want to apply to a service academy.)</p>

<p>Good luck.</p>