<p>You honestly have as much of a chance as anyone. My son is a Senior and has similar stats to yours, our school doesn’t use 4.0- so his average was around 96 unweighted, 98 weighted. He hated the SATs and took the ACT, scored a 34, so never took another SAT, except Subject tests, which you should take since many schools absolutely want them. On Sat subjects, he scored 750- 780s on all. Admission is totally hit or miss. His rank is 9/306. One varsity sport, 10 years in Theater, band, jazz band and student gov’t. Student Rep to BoEd. He intern this year for Chem teacher. Public school in northeast. I have come to believe the term “crap shoot” that I have seen used is appropriate. That is why it is so important to have a good mix of schools, from safety to “dream.” and realize that it is not a reflection of you as a person, but may be the college as a business that needs and wants to a have mix that helps them statistically.</p>
<p>He is also an Engineering student. I am not one of those parents who pushed him to get top rankings and go for an Ivy. My other child is an art major, graduating from a small mid-west school in May. She set her goals, he set his. He wants a top-ranked school. So, it has been an interesting journey. Since he is looking at engineer-specific schools, he did attend summer Engineering camps at 2 colleges, RPI in Albany, NY and WPI in Worcester, MA. Both told him, “If you are a male from the Northeast, good luck getting in. Girls, Out west, Alaska? Apply! You’ll get in.” He was accepted to both, and received the largest merit scholarship WPI gives. A girl from his H.S. did not get in RPI, and she was ranked in top 25, and attended a summer camp for girls at RPI. There is no magic “formula” or set “rule.” </p>
<p>One big piece of advice we’ve learned- the essay is important, and so are your references. So choose well. Make sure you have no typos. Ask several people to read them. If the topic is relatable to something specific skill you have, all the better. Since you coach, an idea could be how you changed, or one of the kids changed. Something along those lines, written in an interesting “show, don’t just tell” style may help set you apart as someone they want. If using the Common Core, the “little” essay each school asks for- mostly along the lines of “Why this major, Why this school and What would going here do for you?” Are extremely important- especially for any merit scholarship money. Some are only 150-250 words, so don’t put them off.</p>
<p>My son definitely is a “panic-er” who would not have been able to stand it if he had to wait until March to know if he got in, so he applied to several Early Action schools. No Early Decisions. The only one he would have done that with is MIT and they don’t have ED. Then, he wanted to see what he could do with regular admissions, so he choose several more tough ones to see if he could get in. It is a very, very tough competition. Also- it is sooo important for you to include parents in decision. Especially with $$. My husband is a rags to riches story, and we don’t qualify for any Fin. Aid. So, I told him I would never take away his dream if he got into MIT, but we’d have to seriously talk about some of the others. He wanted to try. </p>
<p>Schools and Decisions:
MIT, EA- deferred, denied
GA Tech, EA- accepted, no merit
CO Mines, EA- accepted, $12,000 OOS merit
Michigan State, EA- accepted, “Equalization” scholarship, approx. $21,000, Honors College & Professor Asst $2,500 per year
WPI, EA- accepted, $25,000 merit
Un of Ill at Urban-Champ, EA- accepted, $12,000 OOS merit, Honors
Purdue, EA- accepted, no merit, Honors
RPI, Regular- accepted, $12,600 merit
Cornell, Regular- waitlisted
Olin, Regular- denied
Rice, Regular- denied
Duke, Regular- denied
U Penn, regular- denied
Princeton, Regular- denied</p>
<p>So, you can see that maybe applying Early Action is beneficial. Research the school’s policies. I know some of his friends did Early Decision, there is a wide-spread belief that if you need Fin. Aid, accepting an ED can be risky. They know you have to go there, and there isn’t much incentive to offer much. This seems to be true for his friends. </p>
<p>He is leaning toward GA Tech or CO Mines, I want him to take the MSU package and opportunity. They are rolling out the red carpet for him, and it was his “safety” school. I know 3 people who hire at Engineering firms. They all say that school ranking has absolutely nothing to do with hiring decision. They glance at school and grades. They ask basic question related to the job. They look at activities while in college- how much outside of class did you get involved with and take advantage of at your school- did you work, do internships, Co-ops, etc.? Then they speak to you. Can you look them in the eye and have a conversation? Ultimately, you need to work with a team. Can you interact with others in a functional manner? They all said their worst hires were brilliant kids with no social skills who could never admit their mistakes and learn from the experiences. Think Sheldon on Big Bang. They do not last in the work force.</p>
<p>I know that was long- but I hope it was helpful. Good luck- and try to let your parents help. It is stressful for all!</p>