Hi everyone! This is my list of schools and I was wondering if you could help me categorize them into Reach, Match and Safety. Thanks so much!
Notre Dame
UChicago
Northwestern
WashU
Stanford
Duke
Swarthmore
Boston College
Georgetown
Grinnell
Carleton
Kenyon
Creighton
Villanova
Holy Cross
Drake
West Point
About Me:
White
Male
Iowa
Rising senior
Legacy:
Double legacy at Notre Dame
Single legacy at UChicago
Desired major: Political Science
Academics:
GPA: 4.34 weighted (mostly As and A+s)
ACT: 32 composite, 32 superscore
APUSH: 4
AP LANG: 4
Activities/Leadership:
Newspaper - News Editor
Marching Band - Section Leader
Jazz Ensemble 1 - Section Leader
Iowa Youth Congress - Squad Leader
Model United Nations
Spanish Club - CoPresidente
Speech - Improv Captain
Drama (Club)
Concert Band - Section Leader
Pep Band - Section Leader
Show Choir Combo - Combo Captain
Pit Orchestra
Liturgy Ensemble
Cross Country - Junior Varsity Captain
Soccer
Key Club
Ambassadors
Mascoting
National Honor Society
Math Club - Relay Captain
Running Club - Officer
Spanish National Honor Society
XTrAS
Ministers of Hospitality
Senior Service Committee - Education Subcommittee Leader
Senior Mentors
Hugh O’Brien Youth Leadership (HOBY) - Junior Facilitator (JUFA)
Iowa Youth Institute - Borlaug Scholar
Honors/Awards:
World Leadership Conference Delegate Top 10 Finalist (Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership)
Outstanding Delegate (Model United Nations)
Outstanding Position Paper (Model United Nations)
Solo Division 1 Ratings (Concert Band)
Letters/Pins (Band)
Outstanding Soloist (Jazz Band)
Rookie of the Year Award (Show Choir Combo)
Combo Spirit Award (Show Choir Combo)
Most Improved Award (Cross Country)
Band Achievement Award (Band)
What can your family afford and does that jibe with the expected family contribution from each school’s Net Price Calculator? I know that Carleton is need aware in admissions so your ability to pay will make the difference between it being a reach vs a very high reach. Also, does your school use Naviance?
Everything from Swarthmore up is a reach (also Georgetown if SFS; you’ll get into Norte Dame with double legacy), and most other schools are targets/safeties (sorry, I’m not too familiar with the rest of your list). Question… How can you have double legacy at Norte Dame and single legacy at UChicago? The only explanation I have for it is if one of your parents switched schools during their undergraduate years. However, most schools only count legacy at the college from which the parent finished his or her undergraduate studies. So if one of your parents went to ND for the first two years of undergraduate studies and then switched to UChicago for the last two years, you would have legacy at UChicago. Some schools do have their own policies, so check their websites. Also, schools usually don’t count graduate school as legacy status, so if you’re counting that for legacy, make sure the specific school counts it as legacy too.
Money is not a factor and yes, my school does use Naviance.
If you’re full pay then Carleton is a reasonable reach.
I would use Naviance to compare yourself against other students from your high school to see how your chances stack up for Grinnell. The fact that you’re in Iowa makes it more difficult predict your chances just on your stats. Like most colleges of this caliber, Grinnell likes geographic diversity which doesn’t benefit you. On the potential plus side, you might get a boost if your high school has an established track record of getting students admitted.
Thanks for the tip! How does one use Naviance to compare oneself to other students from his high school?