<p>I've been working on my college list for quite a while; I thought I had it perfected until I realized that I'm going to have to make my final decision relatively soon and I started panicking that I'm aiming too high.</p>
<p>My list:
Columbia
Brown
Barnard (ED)
UChicago
Tufts
Vassar
Wesleyan
Rochester
Michigan
Wisconsin
Xavier
Pittsburgh</p>
<p>My GPA is 3.8something (UW); I go to the "best" high school in my underrepresented state (lots of kids get into Ivies/top schools every year); I have over 400 hours of community service, I used to be a varsity athlete until injured and no longer able to participate, I'm active in a few (4-5) clubs (and newspaper) and have leadership positions, and I'll have good essays and recommendations. My ACT score was a 32 but I'm retaking it and hopefully I'll get a 33 or a 34. All of my classes have been either AP or honors. The only SAT II I've taken is US History (I got a 720 :/) but I'm taking two more on the next SAT date so hopefully I'll do better on those. I don't know what I want to major in exactly, but I've been thinking about Classics, Anthropology, English, History, IR, political science, etc. I'm planning on going to grad school (maybe law school?) and ideally I'd like to be some kind of writer/magazine editor/etc but I'm not sure how practical that would be.</p>
<p>I'm just really afraid that I'm aiming too high and won't get in anywhere except my safety (Xavier). I wouldn't mind going there, but.. I'd rather have more options, you know? Barnard is my first choice -- money isn't a concern so I'm pretty sure I'm going to apply ED. I want to go to college in (or at least near) an urban area, and while I'd rather go to a school with smaller classes, I could definitely make do in a larger school with huge classes. I don't want to go somewhere with a big Greek scene nor where people don't do anything for fun except get trashed every weekend (I don't want somewhere BYU-esque, but it'd be nice if there were more to do than party all the time). I was also looking into NYU and BU, but I crossed them off my list as I want to go somewhere that actually has a defined campus. I was also thinking about Penn..but I don't need any more reach schools, as my list is dominated by them :p I haven't visited and I don't think I'll get the chance (unless I apply and am accepted), but are there any reaches from my list I should take off in favor of Penn? Are there any other schools I should look into where I'd have a better chance of being accepted? Any schools I should cross off my list?</p>
<p>I don't think you're aiming too high at all. You have excellent stats. </p>
<p>But I'd still recommend editing your list a little. One thing that strikes me as odd is that your only real matches are Michigan and Rochester (the second of which may actually be more of a low match). The rest seem like safeties and reaches. </p>
<p>And as for the schools themselves...some of the schools on your list don't really seem to fit your criteria. UW is a big drinking school - the kids are serious about academics, of course, but like at most midwestern state schools, they're also known for being extremely keg crazy on weekends (my sister went there - I've heard the stories..). UM might be more surburban than you'd like, while Vassar is pretty small-town. </p>
<p>So I would replace a few with better fits. If you like Barnard, Brown, Chicago, etc, try to find schools with a similar feel. I think that you'd particularly love Reed as a match (it's similar to UChicago, but has a slightly more relaxed feel), and perhaps Rice as well (it's been compared to the schools you like, and has an awesome residential system). Others to mention would include Macalester (safety), Clark (safety), Fordham (low match/safety), etc.</p>
<p>^ yeah, I was a bit iffy as to whether or not I should apply to Vassar (and Wesleyan) -- they both seem to offer the type of atmosphere I'm looking for, but I've been wondering whether or not the surrounding area would be smaller than I'd like (I visited Vassar but not Wesleyan) and if everything else the school offers would make up for that. My dad went to Michigan for undergrad and his brother went to Wisconsin for grad school; he's the one pushing me to apply to those two schools (I visited Michigan and rather liked it and I never visited Wisconsin..my dad and uncle are convinced I'd love it but, from some of the stuff I've heard, I don't really think I would).</p>
<p>Would Reed and Macalester not be reaches for me? I've been getting info in the mail from both and liked them (especially Reed); however, I was under the impression that they'd be low reaches for me. I'll look into Clark and Fordham, thanks!</p>
<p>Macalester wouldn't be too hard for you to get into with those stats. I'd say low match at the highest. </p>
<p>With Reed, it's hard to say, as I think their acceptance rate went down quite a bit this year. But your stats are around their average, and your ECs will really make you stand out. So I'd say that you have a pretty good shot.</p>
<p>I think your list is fine, with the editing world changer suggested. You may want to do a couple of RD applications to the likelies on your list for practice before you do your Barnard ED application. That way, if you are deferred, you will also have a couple of applications out of the way. Barnard is a wonderful college and I wish you all the best!</p>