Really long combined question post

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Here are my basic stats (GPAs are UW):</p>

<p>Grade: Rising Junior (have yet to take finals)
School: Competitive Parochial (Jewish-it's really more of a prep school and it's well known)
Location: Long Island
9th grade GPA: 3.9 (secular and judaic)
10th grade GPA (first semester): 3.9 secular; something not-very-good judaic
Projected 10th grade GPA (second semester): 3.8 secular; something even worse judaic
PSAT scores: 69 V 61 M 65 W (highest in my grade)
SAT IIs: I'm taking Math 1C and Chem in Oct/Nov
Extracurriculars:
2 years-Choir (Soprano-soloist)
2 years-Chamber Choir (Soprano-soloist-I was the only freshman accepted in my year)
4 years-Private voice lessons
2 years-Advanced music conservatory (free voice lessons taken in groups at my school)
6 years-Private piano lessons
1 year-Mock Trial (only new sophomore accepted)
1 year-Debate Team (co-chair-I help plan events and I go on basically all of the debates)
2 years-School Newspaper (associate editor)
1 year-Writing Club
1 year-Math Team
1 year-Fresh Ink (an actual newspaper publication; it's a supplement to Jewish Week that I've been published in)
1 year-Anti-Bias League-planning committee (I helped plan the conference that my school ran)
100+ hours community service, including tutoring the same child every week for 2 years and helping to restore a cemetary
In 9th grade (and the summer after), I did A LOT of theater, including 4 full-length productions in which I played a significant role
Summers: Last year, I was a lead in a production that only accepted 25% of people who auditioned. This summer, I have an internship with the Jewish Book Council in which I write, compile the website/journal and basically do stuff like that. I'll also be working on my Intel project this summer (social sciences-it basically concerns the law, but I'm not going to give away the topic here).
Majors I'm looking at: anything concerning government/law, communications, or journalism
Schools I'm looking at:
Emerson
Northwestern
NYU
William and Mary
Hopkins
SUNY Geneseo
University of Michigan
Vanderbilt
Yale
Carngie Mellon
UVA
UNC-Chapel Hill
Washington and Lee
Harvard
Brown
University of Pennsylvania
Fordham
Syracuse
Hobart and William Smith
Clark University
I expect to have amazing recommendation letters (When I applied to Write on for Israel, the person interviewing me said that I had the best recommendation letter they'd seen in years) and strong essays</p>

<p>I have my reasons for wanting to go to each place--if you really want to know, just tell me and I'll tell you. I have a superficial idea, but could someone tell me which schools are safeties, reaches, and matches? Also, this may sound stupid, but where should I go visit this summer? My mom wants me to start visiting now. My sister's going to Maryland in late August, if that helps. Also, if you have anywhere you'd like to suggest, please do so. Thank you!</p>

2

<p>Your list is all over the place. Narrow it.</p>

<p>And unless your scores come up a lot you're not getting into UVA out of state. Harvard/Yale/Brown/UPenn/Northwestern/Hopkins are huge reaches for you, just because ideally you'd be in the 2100s or at least the 2000s to be at all competitive.</p>

<p>Rochester/UMich/Fordham/William & Mary all seem like better choices. They're matches to low reaches. And NYU is probably a good match, ditto with Emerson.</p>

<p>Improving your scores would help, but also just looking at your list and refocusing it. One or two big reaches, a bunch of matches, and a couple of safeties.</p>

<p>When you visit these places next year, you'll have a much better idea.</p>

3

<p>I'm starting to visit this summer. I want to know where to start visiting.</p>

<p>And about the PSATs...that was as a sophomore. I'm probably going to get at least a 220 this year (at least that's what college guidance told me). I'm starting SAT tutoring in September to prepare for the next in January.</p>

4

<p>I forgot an EC....Penn Model Congress freshman year; Yale Model Congress soph year.</p>

5

<p>UMichigan and W&M are as tough if not tougher than UVirginia to get accepted. Wouldnt lump them in with Rochester and Fordham. Add Syracuse in their place.</p>

6

<p>I'm not sure if it matters, but I also organized the first Day of Silence ever in my school. Not an overwhelming response, but hopefully it'll be better next year.</p>