really need some help cutting my long list

College Search & Selection
1

<p>So, I'm really having trouble narrowing my list. I'm looking for an fairly academic school (I'm not too big on the sorority/fraternity bit) and I'm interested in an urban area (but I'd like to have a campus.) I go to a small, fairly competitive public school. I'm looking into Political Science, American Studies or English. </p>

<p>Here are my stats:
SATI -- m: 640 cr:780 wr:730 total: 2150
SATII -- lit:750 ush:740
state: PA
gpa: w:4.0 (not sure what my unweighted is)
rank: probably 13/200
ecs: student council president, lighting director, co-editor-in-chief of the school paper, intern for the Obama campaign in my area (I was also the Youth Coordinator for the primaries, worked all summer registering voters, worked on both Primary and Election Day as a line manager), co-president of a diversity club, plus all those other activities (NHS, NAHS, Spanish Honor Society, Model UN, Habitat for Humanity, Drama Club, worked in a retirement home each week, etc) </p>

<p>I went to the Pennsylvania Governor's School for Creative Writing in Fiction. I've written a few novels and I do a novel writing marathon each year for the past 5 years. (I wrote my common app essay about that). I don't think I want to major in creative writing, but it's something I love.</p>

<p>Okay, so I've applied to UChicago and Georgetown (college) early action. Both of these, I'm aware, are reaches. Georgetown is my dream, but we'll see how that goes.
Other schools I'm considering are:
University of Pittsburgh (I'm in state)
UPenn (I love Philadelphia. It's a big reach)
American University
Boston College
Johns Hopkins (for their Writing Sem program)
Northwestern
CMU (only if I want to major in Creative Writing. I had the chance to do a roundtable discussion/critique with the director. He seemed pretty awesome.)
Cornell
BU
GWU</p>

<p>Do I have a chance at some of these schools? This list is too long and has too many reaches. I need to cut schools, add matches and maybe another safe school. The majority of those schools will reject me. I'm not too hopeful about Georgetown EA, so I'm trying to be more realistic with my list. </p>

<p>Any suggestions of schools to add/cut are appreciated!</p>

2

<p>cut out the University Of Pennsylvania (more towards the professional side than liberal arts), Northwestern University, Carnegie Mellon University, Cornell University</p>

<p>if you don't want to do international relations, then Johns Hopkins and BU can go too!</p>

<p>I got accepted to the University Of Pittsburgh last week with a 3.8 GPA, I loved the school when I visited and you will definitely get in!</p>

3

<p>GPA is weighted for me</p>

4

<p>OP, I don't see the U of C as a big reach for you. they value writing highly, and you seem just like their kind of student to me. I don't really think your list is too long, but I would think about making some changes. It seems as if you've picked a few cities and put all of the universities in and around them on your list. </p>

<p>Do you really want to go to GWU or American? Northwestern? Cornell? You sound more like a Haverford/Wesleyan/Brown kind of kid to me. Have you considered any LACs?</p>

5

<p>I guess I thought GWU and American would be good places to study PoliSci due to location. I had considered Brown, but thought it would just be another reach to my already reach-filled list.
I'll definitely check out more LACs. I was having trouble finding one that met my hopes for an urban location. I was considering Amherst though.
Thanks so much for the input. I think I will cut Northwestern, GWU and Cornell.</p>

6

<p>cut out BU- no campus.</p>

7

<p>GWU doesn't have much of a campus, either. Your preference for it being "urban" would seem to leave Cornell out in the cold. Boston College is a good choice...no frats/sororities, and being interested in writing, English, and poli sci puts you in step with a lot of the student body. You won't get a lot of the "what do you want to major in THAT for? You won't get a job." How about Fordham?</p>