<p>my parents (specifically my mother) are making me apply to one ivy because they think I could get in due to my race. I don't think so. any way I have no idea which one to apply to considering I haven't really considered any and they all seem to be the same lol. anyway I probably want to be a poli sci, american studies major, classics or philosophy so which ever ones have the best humanities dept. Thanks in advance</p>
<p>quick stats
African American female from New Jersey
go to a private all girls school
SATs:720/690/740 (working on it) waiting for SAT IIs
taken all honors and 6 aps by the time i graduate (they limit how many aps you can take)
President of Exec Board of Student Council, Peer Mediator, Captain of Quiz Bowl, French Club and Latin Club member (not allowed to be an officer, they limit leadership positions too), Varsity Basketball for 4 years
100+ hours of community service but not as much as I want because I have two infant and toddler siblings that I have to babysit them after school, on weekends and during the summer (parents work very late)
um...i got a bunch of awards from my school for different subjects mostly languages and history,National Latin Exam summa cum laude, Book Award, National Merit Commended from very competitive state, prob National Achievement semi finalist and that's all I can think of for now</p>
<p>African American female with a 2150 SAT score defnitely has a shot at an Ivy League (or equivallent) university. I would apply to more than just one Ivy League (or equivallent school). What's your GPA like? </p>
<p>Don't focus so much on major, although that's is an important starting point. For now, tell us what kind of setting you want. Do you prefer a large university or a small college? Do you want an urban, suburban or rural locale? Are you liberal or conservative? Do you want a very serious atmosphere or a more laid back atmosphere? Is financial aid an important criterion? </p>
<p>All the Ivies are indeed alike...in that they are excellent universities. But they vary greatly in terms of environment and personality, so the more you tell us, the more we can help.</p>
<p>I noticed your other thread about reaches/matches/safties, so I'm basing this advice off of the schools listed there. My suggestions for Ivies for you (as people above say, you do have a shot at all of them, though obviously some are harder to get into than others). All comparison to other colleges has to do with campus culture, not selectivity or anything: </p>
<p>BROWN: If you really like Wesleyan/Vassar/Haverford, you'll probably like Brown (it was my second choice after Wesleyan, Vassar was also on my list, and I liked Haverford a lot, too, although it was slightly too small for my tastes). Brown attracts a similar type of student body (quirky!) and its open curriculum is really neat. </p>
<p>YALE: You might also want to look at Yale. My impression is that it's closer to the Tufts/Northwestern/Amherst part of your list, though of HPY it's also the one that tends to most appeal to people who also look at Vassar/Wes/Haverford/etc. (I visited it on the way to Wes and liked it a lot more than I expected). </p>
<p>UPENN+COLUMBIA: You list several schools that are in cities — if that's something that appeals to you, you might want to check out UPenn or Columbia. Columbia's atmosphere is probably closer to that of some of the schools on your list, (I believe UPenn is preppier/more pre-professional than most schools you listed*), but keep in mind Columbia's core curriculum: some people love it, but it's not for everyone (as soon as I learned more about it Columbia dropped from my first choice to off the list). </p>
<p>*though my knowledge of UPenn's atmosphere is VERY second (or third) handed—I never visited, and don't even know anyone who goes there, so if anyone with more experience disagrees with this, than they are probably more right than I am! </p>
<p>The other Ivies are all excellent schools, of course, but based on the schools you're already looking at, I'd guess you'd be happiest at the ones listed above—especially Brown or Yale.</p>
<p>Yeah, I've been overnight at Penn, Columbia, Dartmouth, and Brown during Days on Campus. I went out for the night at Penn and Dartmouth (gets rowdy at both places), didn't do much at Columbia (mom had a blast shopping nearby), and did "alternative" stuff at Brown (cool concert and grilled).</p>
<p>well for the most part I want it to be on the smaller side but I will consider larger ones. i'm pretty liberal but i'm also sort of religious but that won't be an issue. i want something that is laid back, not too preppy but I won't mind it if some is there. i don't want to a big city but smaller ones and suburbs are all alright. rural, not so much. diversity is also a big thing for me, but I won't rule out a semi-homogenous school. financial aid is also a big thing for me because I have two younger siblings whose school costs
$10,000+. oh and gpa is um 3.9ish unweighted and 4.3ish weighted. thanks a lot!</p>
<p>thanks so much, you really cleared a few things up for me. I really loved wesleyan the best out of the schools I visited and it's probably going to be my number one choice. schools like vassar, wesleyan and haverford were definately high on my list, so I'll consider brown and yale.</p>
<p>If your intended major is classics or philosophy, you won't really have a good time at MIT. If you're only going to apply to one Ivy, make it Yale. Your SAT score is well above the African American mean of ~1340, and your GPA is great. I'd say you definitely have a good shot.</p>
<p>Weskid's sketch of Penn is spot on. I went there for law school and always felt sorry for the undergraduates, especially the non-business students. Wharton comprises maybe 10% of the student population, but, you'd think it was more than half, from all the real estate it covers. Add the Medical School/teaching hospital, the Dental School, the law school and all of the arts, science and engineering graduate students and it's hard not to feel like a high school student on your own campus.</p>
<p>Oh yay, you like Wes (I think you' have a good shot at it, BTW)! In that case, definitely check out Brown. But keep in mind, even if you do get in…Ivy isn't the be-all, end all of colleges (of course, it seems like you already know that! Hopefully your mom knows it too…). </p>
<p>PS. If you have any questions about Wes (or Wes v. Brown, since Brown was my #1 choice for a while until I decided I liked Wes better), feel free to PM me :)</p>
<p>SgtPepper: In your opening post you said, "My parents are MAKING me apply to one Ivy. Two questions:</p>
<p>(1) Do you have any interest in an Ivy?
(2) Who's controlling your college search....you or your parents?</p>
<p>Remember, it will be YOU who's spending four years at the college you choose, not your parents. Also, be sure it's not for "bragging rights" or because they are trying to live vicariously through you.</p>
<p>Also, you may want to inquire as to WHY they are MAKING you apply to an Ivy. Be sure they are not simply caught up in the myth that Ivies are the only way to go. </p>
<p>I think it's been established that you have a good shot at ivies, but they dont seem to be priority to you right now. If you havent considered them because you dont believe you could get in, you're wrong, but if you simply dont want to go to an ivy and have other schools which appeal to you more, then there's no need to apply to an ivy per se. I would at least apply to some top schools though, the college you go to isn't everything, it's what you do with the experience that matters most. However, a degree from a top school can go a long way in today's society. It's ultimately going to be your choice, good luck with the process.</p>
<p>Johnwesley, Wharton has 2,400 undergrads, which is roughly 25% of Penn's total undergraduate student population. Furthermore, Wharton's graduate student body numbers close to 2,000, which is roughly 20% of its total graduate student population. Althogether, Wharton has over 4,000 students (out of 20,000 Penn students). So Wharton definitely represents more than 10% of Penn's total student population...more like 20%. Still, I agree that Wharton overshadows the rest of Penn...and with good cause.</p>
<p>I'm sure you'll be able to get accepted at your first choice, whichever it may end up, but why not just apply to an Ivy for the heck of it? It's not like it can hurt, and who knows? If you do get in that one Ivy and your other first choice, you'll become one of those people that can say "I turned down HYP for ______"</p>