Please chance a stressed junior

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>I am interested in applying to U of Mich, Boston College, U of Wis, Princeton, Marquette, U of Minnesota, Duke, U of Chicago, Georgetown and UNC. These are all just colleges i am interested in and i really do not know too much about them. I am a Roman Catholic, Caucasian male. Boston College, Wisconsin, and Marquette are known for accepting many, many applicants from my school (a Jesuit, all-boys school)</p>

<p>Academics (i am enrolled in one, if not the most, prestigious schools in my state.)</p>

<p>Freshman year- GPA 3.5- unweighted
-This was a tough year because my grade school was really weak and i did not like academics at all. I took no honors classes or AP. (no AP classes offered until sophomore year).</p>

<p>Sophomore year- GPA- 3.75
-I took Honors math. I chose not to go into Honors chem which i now strongly regret.
-I began to enjoy acadmics this year and developed really good study skills which allowed me to prosper.</p>

<p>Junior year-- GPA- 3.81
-I took AP European history which is considered one of the most challenging courses at my school.</p>

<p>Frosh courses: (dont remember my grades and i do not have a record of them)
-Bio
-Span 1
-Eng 1
-Algebra
-Biblical literature
-World History</p>

<p>Soph classes:
-Acc. Alg 2/Geom-- B
-US History-- A+
-American Literature-- A-
-Spanish 2-- A-
-Church History-- A
-Chemistry-- A+</p>

<p>Junior classes: (so far)
-Trigonometry-- A
-Spanish 3-- A-
-Chemistry 2-- A-
-Contemporary Short Fiction- A
-Theology- A
-AP European History-- B+
-Bio 2-- Next semester
-Creative Writing- Next Semester</p>

<p>Athletics:
-Varsity swimmer since Frosh year
-Played football freshman year
-Played lacrosse since freshman year (varsity as of this year)
-Participated in Cross country (unable to finish season due to broken ankle)</p>

<p>Athletics outside of school
-Participated for the all-star lacrosse team for my city for the last two years (we were very successful and made nationals for the first time ever this year)
-Swam for the most prestigious club in my state (I have been a state champion multiple times)</p>

<p>Service
-Done over 100 hours (as of now)
-Mostly at Special Olympics and Soup Kitches
-Will be traveling to Ecuador this summer for three weeks to do service</p>

<p>Other</p>

<p>I work for my dad's office as a paid intern at one of the largest businesses in the country. (question: should i continue working for my dad or should i pursue a different job? which would look better for my applications?)</p>

<p>I am sure i have more extra things but i cannot think of any now...</p>

<p>For U of Mich: I have a extensive family history with this school. Both of my parents, 6 of my aunts and uncles, and 3 of my grandparents all went there. This is one of my favorite schools because of its business program, its athletic history, and its legacy in my family.</p>

<p>Please comment!</p>

<p>Thanks</p>

2

<p>By the way. I have not taken the ACT or SAT yet. I am taking the ACT in December and I am “supposed” to get a 28-32 according to my PSAT score. I also took a ACT class last summer which improved my knowledge of the test. I hope to get a 31 or higher.</p>

3

<p>Princeton, Duke, and UChicago are going to be high reaches given your GPA, course rigor, and projected test scores. Georgetown is somewhat unpredictable but probably a low reach and Boston College is a low reach or possibly a very high match. Michigan is a low reach (if OOS) and match if in-state, match at Wisconsin and safety at Marquette. </p>

<p>It would be helpful to know the following:</p>

<p>Your “real” ACT score (I’m assuming a 31)
State of residence
Weighted GPA
Class rank or decile (top 10%, top 20%, etc.)
Are you applying for financial aid?</p>

<p>Your athletic EC’s are really solid. Your course rigor will be a factor and I think that may be your “Achilles Heel”, as it appears your school offered AP/IB classes/diploma that you did not take. This will not make you as competitive at many of the schools on your list. I would have a financial safety also, because right now I don’t think you have one, unless you happen to be a WI resident, in which case Marquette would be your financial safety school. If you are a MI resident, Michigan would be a financial match and not a safety, imo.</p>

<p>Working for your dad is fine, imo. It shows longevity and commitment in your work history with a “prestigious” and/or nationally recognized company. Good luck!</p>

4

<p>My weighted GPA is currently unknown
My state of residence is WI
I am a little higher than top 10% class rank at my school
I honestly have no idea about financial aid. My parents tend to stray away from discussing financial matters. But i think we are in good enough condition to have no to little need for financial aid</p>

<p>If needed, Marquette and Wisconsin will be my “financial safeties” </p>

<p>And i just remembered this, i am a part of the Jesuit Honor Society, Sheepshead club, and the Adventure Racing club</p>

<p>I have been captain of over 10 intramural sports teams which play during lunch at school. Many of my teams have made the playoffs and have been in the championship. Intramural sports are ultra competitive at my school. We have four sports a year: kickball, dodgeball, basketball, and soccer. The only reason i listed this is because it demonstrates my leadership and athletic ability.</p>

<p>Thanks for your input jshain</p>

5

<p>Forgot a couple of your schools:</p>

<p>UNC- low reach (OOS)
Minnesota- low match (they treat WI residents same as if you were in-state)</p>

6

<p>Just did some research and came up with some more schools i am interested in: Syracuse, Penn St., Carnegie Mellon, and Miami of Ohio. Any feedback is greatly appreciated.</p>

7

<p>princeton, duke, georgetown, and uchicago are going to be reaches given the courses you’ve taken and your gpa. im not sure about the others but michigan and boston college seem like a low reaches and wisconsin and minnesota are probably matches. oh, and carnegie mellon and villanova are prob low reaches.
good luck :)</p>

8

<p>U of Mich-depends on test scores
Boston College-depends on test scores
U of Wis-depends on test scores
Princeton-high reach
Marquette-depends on test scores
U of Minnesota-depends on test scores
Duke-high reach
U of Chicago-high reach
Georgetown-high reach
UNC.-depends on test scores
Once you get your test scores, it will be easier to inform you. Chance back, please?
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1023030-chance-me-everywhere-ill-chance-you-back.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1023030-chance-me-everywhere-ill-chance-you-back.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

9

<p>agree with what was said above, test scores can really make or break any of these. Everything seems good but some of those higher end schools are really hard on the GPA (Duke, Princeton, etc.) so while there are a few reaches, most seem to be a good fit for you.</p>

10

<p>We don’t know what courses were available to the OP.</p>

<p>How many APs are offered at your school? Do you mean that you’re within the top 10%?</p>

11

<p>I believe that there are about 7 APs offered at my school. By graduation I plan to have taken 3. I hope to take AP english and AP economics next (senior) year.</p>

<p>And yes, i am in the top 10% of my class. (About top 8th or 9th percent)</p>

<p>Thanks for all of the input.</p>

12

<p>I just got my PSAT score, I got a 178. Im not really sure if this is an accurate test, but I am slightly worried. Does this test matter at all (aside from national merit scholar)? Do colleges look at it? Please let me know.</p>

13

<p>No, it doesn’t matter, though it is a good early read on what you can expect on the SAT.</p>