What are my chances of getting in at University of Pittsburgh, Penn State, UVA, and UNC?
SATS: 660 math, 700, reading, 720 writing, 2080 total
GPA: 4.0 UW, 4.33 W and rising
Rank: 1/236
OOS for UVA and UNC
AP courses: biology, world history, US history, chemistry, Spanish, government, economics, English, calculus (every AP course my school offers, have taken every honors course possible at my school)
Activities:
-Student Council
-FBLA, state qualifier
-Soccer
-Varsity Tennis
-Science Olympiad, state medalist
-Junior Achievement
-Oboe and Alto Sax in concert band, wind ensemble, and marching band
-National Honors Society
-Prom Committee
-Active in class government
-Mock Trial team, regional semifinalist
Volunteer service
-church volunteer work
-tutoring middle schoolers in math
- teach elementary school kids in my district
-various activities through FBLA and student council
Thank you!
Pitt & Penn State should be safeties with your scores and grades, UVA and UNC are matches
Hi! I got accepted to Pitt, UVA, UNC (didn’t apply to Penn State) so i might have some good insight that could help!
Your rank is awesome and your scores are good. If you have time, I would suggest taking it again to raise your math score. UNC is especially hard for out of state students (12% OOS) so raising your math score would definitely help. Saying that…it seems that you are academically very qualified! So, yay!
You clearly have good EC’s. It shows you’ve worked very hard over the past 4 years with unique activites, but I’m a bit confused on your passion. I don’t mean to sound harsh, but I’m confused of what path you’re planning to lead in the college environment: athletics, (soccer/varsity tennis) government, (mock trial, student council), science (science olympiad) or music (Oboe and Alto Sax in concert band, wind ensemble, and marching band).
If you are truly just a well rounded person, than that’s fine too! UNC, Penn State, UVA, and Pitt definitely take well-rounded students, but it would only benefit you an inch more if you were more clear in your direction. I have good friends who did every different thing and were still accepted to those schools. For me, I was passionate about one thing: tennis. I played tennis in and out of school, provided free tennis lessons, worked at a tennis camp, lead a tennis program for underprivileged kids, everything was tennis! (I wasn’t good enough to be considered an athlete)
My last suggestion: make your essays unique and different! This will be your ticket to UVA and UNC as an OOS student.
Your best bet is with Penn State and Pitt, assuming your in state. I got in with a 2020 and I was OOS, but my essays were my best factor.
Hope I helped! (And i hope i didn’t come off as harsh! good luck!)
Proudmama299, I plan on majoring in biology, as I want to continue to vet school. This summer I’m doing work with a vet and hope to add some more science related things to my application because my school is lacking in that area. Thanks for the advice!
Apply to Pitt and Penn State as soon as the app goes live, and plan to apply to the Honors College at both (Pitt’s Honors admission is test-score-driven, Penn State’s is curriculum&essay-driven.)
UVA and UNC’s admission from OOS is as hard as Ivy admissions if you’re not an athlete or a legacy.
You need to find universities in-between these that would be affordable and that you’d like - neither super reaches nor safeties. What about Tulane, Case Western Reserve, Villanova, American University, Fordham, Macalester, DePaul, Loyola, UMiami, Lewis&Clark, UPortland, USeattle… if you like universities in big cities?
I’m not looking to apply to schools other than those previously mentioned. I’ve weighed my options and Pittsburgh and Penn State are my top choices, although I’d like to keep UVA and UNC as potential options but I’m not riding on admission to either.
If anyone has anymore advice it would be greatly appreciated. I’m really stressing out
There’s no need to stress out. If you apply to Penn State and Pitt on the day the app goes live, you’ll hear back by January 1st, and you’ll be admitted. 
Hopefully you’ll apply to the Honors College at both by November, although this is much much tougher to get into.
Do I have a chance at UVA or UNC?
Yes, but as I said, unless you’re an athlete or legacy, the selection is like for Ivies. So, 1 in 20 shot.
Stressing out about that is like stressing out about the lottery. You apply if you want to, then consider you never did (except that you click on every link of every email they ever sent you). You don’t consider these two universities as “in play”.
Ok that makes sense. Thank you