<p>Sorry tk, but wrong again. USC hands out a substantial amount of merit scholarships which is what makes its SAT profile even approach Hopkins for enrollees (which is what US News reports and what you’re referring to above. We are however talking about admits here and not enrollees. This profile is reported above again, and not in US News). The typical Hopkins admit would likely garner a scholarship from USC. The typical SC admit based on the above huge ACT gulf and still large SAT gulf I cited would have difficulty just getting into Hopkins.</p>
<p>^ So let’s concede that Hopkins is more selective than USC.
According to the figures you cite, JHU’s admit rate is all of 3 pts lower.
Now compare Hopkins with the Ivies, with which you say Hopkins is on par or above. How many points separate JHU’s admit rate (or its 75th percentile SATs) from the 4 Ivies on the OP’s Reach list? </p>
<p>[url=<a href=“http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/lowest-acceptance-rate]Top”>http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/lowest-acceptance-rate]Top</a> 100 - Lowest Acceptance Rates | Rankings | US News<a href=“Hopkins%20is%20on%20the%20middle%20of%20page%202,%20just%20below%20Georgetown%20and%20Middlebury%20…%20and%20a%20little%20above%20Berkeley%20and%20USC”>/url</a></p>
<p>[url=<a href=“USA University College Directory - U.S. University Directory - State Universities and College Rankings”>Top 500 Ranked Colleges - Highest SAT 75th Percentile Scores]Highest</a> SAT 75th Percentile Scores - StateUniversity.com<a href=“Hopkins%20is%20on%20page%202,%20grouped%20with%20Cornell,%20Michigan,%20Georgetown%20…%20and%20just%20above%20Berkeley,%20USC%20…%20then%20Middlebury”>/url</a></p>
<p>From the perspective of these 2 lists, it looks like the OP got the groupings just about right (whether you want to consider the ones in the middle matches for the OP, or not).</p>
<p>"^ So let’s concede that Hopkins is more selective than USC.
According to the figures you cite, JHU’s admit rate is all of 3 pts lower.
Now compare Hopkins with the Ivies, with which you say Hopkins is on par or above. How many points separate JHU’s admit rate (or its 75th percentile SATs) from the 4 Ivies on the OP’s Reach list? </p>
<p>Top 100 - Lowest Acceptance Rates | Rankings | US News
(Hopkins is on the middle of page 2, just below Georgetown and Middlebury … and a little above Berkeley and USC)</p>
<p>Highest SAT 75th Percentile Scores - StateUniversity.com
(Hopkins is on page 2, grouped with Cornell, Michigan, Georgetown … and just above Berkeley, USC … then Middlebury)</p>
<p>From the perspective of these 2 lists, it looks like the OP got the groupings just about right (whether you want to consider the ones in the middle matches for the OP, or not)."</p>
<p>According to your second link, “St Tikhon’s Orthodox Theological Seminary” has a 75th percentile SAT of 1500…lol.</p>
<p>Even beyond the not significant acceptance rate differentials, how can USC possibly be close to being as selective as Hopkins when USC gives out half tuition or more scholarships to students that are on the caliber of Hopkins admitted students? Again, the Hopkins admit profile is stronger than USC’s profile, despite Hopkins giving close to 0 merit scholarships a year total.</p>
<p>And again, to further belabor the point since you aren’t getting it, USC and Berkeley also have less selective spring admissions in which all applicants are also considered. On an absolute “admitted” or “rejected” scale, USC and Berkeley are even easier than you imagined (the overall acceptance rate would be more than 3% in this case and the test score discrepancies would be a lot larger). </p>
<p>Compare Hopkins’ test scores (ACT/SAT) with the lower ivies and you’ll see some overlaps. Hopkins does not have uniformly lower scores as compared to SC or Berkeley or Middlebury.</p>
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<p>True. And if you compare the Berkeley/USC/Middlebury test scores with the JHU test scores, you’ll see some overlaps there too. Just look at the ranges you cited above. There’s a 140 pt overlap between the JHU low (2110) and the USC high (2240). The OP’s scores are above that overlap band.</p>
<p>I understand that admit rates and average test scores don’t tell the whole story. Johns Hopkins is a much smaller school than USC. Hopkins does not offer California weather, LA glitz, Trojan football, or boatloads of merit money. It may very well be getting a more self-selecting, consistently high-achieving pool of applicants. Its admitted students may well have more consistently strong stats … but then USC’s merit incentives kick in to drive up the yield on its stronger admits, thereby narrowing the gap with Hopkins in the enrolled students’ stats.</p>
<p>So call Hopkins a reach if you like. Actually, I would have. Any school with an admit rate in the teens is likely to be reach for nearly all applicants. All the more so if your stats aren’t above the median bands.</p>
<p>Correction: There’s a 140 pt overlap between the JHU low (2110) and the USC high (2250) cited above.</p>
<p>Have “the talk” with your parents about what they can afford (or are willing to pay) before you spend much more time on a list. They may be surprised when they find out what their EFC is, and if money is an issue, you want to spend more time finding financial safeties where you would be happy.</p>
<p>Ever considered University of Maryland?</p>
<p>ClassicRockerDad: Good to know! Thanks.
JuniorMint: Thanks so much for all your advice! I’m still not exactly sure which ones I’ll apply to- I haven’t even started college visiting for the most part. You’re probably right about GWU and American, and Reed I was unsure about, but I agree that it’s probably more of a fit. I’ll rethink which ones are fits and reaches- do you have any suggestions for more definite fits? Thanks again!
TerpGuy: I looked into it, but it’s too large for my liking. (I know Berkeley is about the same size, but I liked it more overall.) Thanks for the suggestion, though!</p>
<p>Thank you everyone for all you input!</p>
<p>I would hardly call any of the schools you’ve listed as matches as actual matches. USC and Berkeley would be considered matches…if you’re from California. I’d say move your matches up to your reach and your safeties (GWU, Reed, etc.) up go match. But in any case, you have solid scores and what looks to be some decent ECs. I don’t see a state flagship anywhere in the mix, so I’d throw that in and just start working on essays and what not.</p>