Please review my college list so I can begin my apps!

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>It's time for me to make my final list of schools to apply to, and I could use your help! Read on... First, it's my list, followed by my stats, and finally a couple questions I have. Thanks for your help!</p>

<p>THE LIST:
(Applying to FOR SURE = <em>)
1. Yale</em>
2. Princeton*
3. Columbia
4. Notre Dame*
5. Carleton College*
6. Swarthmore
7. College of St. Benedict (safety)
8. Univ. of St. Thomas (safety)*
9. U. Penn
10. Brown Univ.
11. Boston College
12. Amherst
13. Williams
14. Washington Univ. in St. Louis</p>

<p>MY STATS:
--caucasian female from public school in “no-where” Minnesota
--first generation college student
--G.P.A. = 4.0 UW (4.0 scale)
--Class rank = 1/253
--I’m taking the hardest classes offered at my school:
we only have 4 APs, but I’m doing them all, and 2 of my classes are CIS (college in school)… we don’t really have the option of taking college classes unless you go post-secondary full time, which in my town basically means missing all of junior and/or senior year. I opted to take APs and CIS classes instead of going post-secondary. (at my school it’s about the same level of commitment.)
--SAT I = 640 math, 670 critical reading, 710 writing (it was the first time I took it… I’m making progress toward raising it by at least a couple hundred points)
--SAT IIs = 590 mathIIc, 670 literature, 740 US history (1st time, this fall I will take/retake and expect to get 3 tests up to 700+… hopefully mid-700’s or higher)
--ACT = 32 composite; 34 english, 34 reading, 32 math, 27 science (first try, I may retake it…)
--my intended major would most likely be a liberal arts or humanities discipline</p>

<p>EC’s:
--piano lessons since 3rd grade
--clarinet since 6th grade (auditioned for, and made it into the Wind Ensemble – the top performing group at my school in 10th grade)
--superior rating at MN solo/ensemble contest for clarinet
--Cantabile’ Girls’ Choir (3 years, entrance upon audition)
--National Honor Society (3 year member)
--Project 4 Teens (I was trained to go into 8th grade health classrooms, and teach about abstinence and healthy relationships & help w/transition into High School)
--Teens Against Tobacco Use (trained to go into 4th grade classrooms to teach about negatives of tobacco use)
--swim team (4 years; lettered, received Academic Gold Award)
--nordic ski team (5 years; lettered, received Academic Gold Award))
--cross country team (2 years; lettered, Academic Gold Award, co-Capitan this year)
--2 school musicals (a big deal at my school), once in the Pit Orchestra, once in the Cast
--marching band (2 years)
--school board subcommittee (2 years)
--selected to attend Minnesota Girls’ State
--won a statewide essay contest, which qualified me to attend the Spirit of America Conference in Philadelphia
--received 4 Academic letters
--work part time at Banana Republic (received employee of the month, + many nominations), and will also be working as a Piano teacher beginning this fall</p>

<p>Community Service:
--Sunday School Teacher
--volunteer within my school through prevention programs such as SADD
--train 3-5th graders to be Peer Mediators at a day camp every summer
--various other service activities that add up to a lot of hours all together, but aren’t anything spectacular individually</p>

<p>MY QUESTIONS:
1. Of the schools on my list, which are reaches, matches, and safeties for me? This is really what I would like to know the most...
2. Do I need more safeties?
3. Is 14 schools unreasonable to apply to?
4. Any other advice?
Thanks!</p>

2

<p>Question 1:
Yale - high reach
Princeton - high reach
Columbia - high reach
Note Dame - slight reach
Carleton - reach
Swarthmore - reach
Benedict - safety
St. Thomas - safety
U Penn - reach
Brown - reach
Boston College - slight reach
Amherst - reach
Williams - reach
Wash U - slight reach</p>

<p>The ACT is OK, but what is really stinging is those SAT II's. If you had all 700+ your chances would probably look like...
Yale - high reach
Princeton - high reach
Columbia - reach
Note Dame - match
Carleton - slight reach
Swarthmore - reach
Benedict - safety
St. Thomas - safety
U Penn - reach
Brown - reach
Boston College - match
Amherst - reach
Williams - reach
Wash U - match</p>

<p>I think you need some schools that are better bets. 14 is not too many, although it is a lot. You don't need more safeties, but you need some more solid matches. You should look at Vanderbilit, Emory, Carnegie Mellon, Michigan, Tufts, USC, William & Mary, Wisconsin, NYU, Case Western, Lehigh, & URochester. These range from safe matches to slight reaches. Replace some of your reaches w/ a few of these schools (unless you are totally happy w/ Benedict or St. Thomas...then you might as well shoot for the stars).</p>

<p>Not to burst your bubble...you are a valedictorian w/ killer EC's. But you gotta get those tests up. If you end up w/ a 33 ACT & 700+ SAT II, you will statistically double your chances at all the schools on your list.</p>

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<p>thanks... I realize that my test scores, as of now, don't reflect the stronger parts of my app. which are my H.S. transcript and my EC's. But I have been working to raise them, and I expect my scores to be much higher the next time around. My problem with standardized tests is not that I don't understand the problems... it's usually the time issue. But its helps to know that raising my scores will so greatly improve my chances... it makes all the extra preparing seem worth-it. The SAT and ACT are really not emphasized AT ALL at my school; we do absolutely no practice for either in school... my impression is that some high schools, esp. private schools, concentrate a lot on preparing students for standardized tests, is that true?</p>