Should I be applying to colleges with a 15-30% acceptance rate?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

Very general question, I know, but I’d like to get an idea
(currently a junior)

SAT : expecting a 1440/1600 superscored by senior year
SAT II’s : 720ish for math 2; 670 Literature
GPA : 3.6 for 9th and 10th grade, but I’m determined to improve it a lot this year, hoping for a 3.8-4.0 this year!
unranked and unweighted, though I don’t think I’d be top 10%
Course Difficulty : No IB’s or AP’s offered ; very little advanced classes offered (small public school)
Started in beginner’s Spanish class and moved up to advanced Spanish
Only spanish and math have advanced classes offered, both of which I have taken

Subjective :
Red Cross 10-12 (secretary, 12)
Varsity Soccer 9-12 (Co captain, 12) We were league champions in 10th grade (Soccer season is only in the spring)
College Preparation Program 9-12 Program that provides workshops and guides people through the college application process and also gives test prep (throughout the 80% of the year)
Church member and volunteer 9-12 (Leader of club in 11th and 12th grade) Club that manages flyers and announcements and handouts
Christian Summer Camp 9-12 1wk camp in the summer; various volunteer activities like helping out in homeless shelters, renovating abandoned homes, etc. for ~30hrs/summer
Work for 1 summer
Volunteer at a physical therapy clinic 11-12 1hr/week
Free creative art workshop associated with HWS College 11-12 in the fall

Income : 30k/yr, low income
Hooks : First gen student, older sister is in college right now, hopefully upward trend lolz
Ethnicity : Asian-American male in Washington

Recommendations : One will be great, other will be pretty good, though nothing special
Essays : I have a lot of people that can look over my essays!

I know this is a long post, and I would really appreciate any sort of feedback regardless of how harsh/blunt you may be. Thanks again!

2

You have a sizable amount of hooks–and good scores. Focus on your GPA, and making good relationships with teachers to get stellar recommendations. Depending on the school, you could be a competitive applicant.

3

@outtahere2017 What do you think of schools such as Haverford, Wesleyan, and Vassar?

4

You should definitely apply to schools with acceptance rates of 15-30%. A 3.6 may hurt a little, but if you do improve your GPA you should be fine.

5

With that being said, it really would depend on the school in particular.

6

Your scores are very good and improving you GPA would be even better. You should definitely apply to competitive schools. you have a good chance!

7

@tiedyedsocks Thanks! And just to clarify - the majority of schools with a 15-30% acceptance rate would be high matches and reaches, correct?

8

@Saltypineapple I’m really kicking myself for not getting better grades, haha. But thanks for your input.
What do you think about Wesleyan, Haverford, and Vassar?

9

Weslyan and Haverford would be reaches, and Vassar would be a high match. Make sure to focus on your essays to distinguish yourself.