@shivaya What do you mean? The schools that I Iisted above are still the colleges that I’m going to apply to, if that’s what your asking.
I think that you stand out and are well-differentiated from the application pool; don’t really worry about your GPA too much, especially with your upward trend. I like that your ECs do reflect well in your interest for business. I would say that WashU is a match for you, not really a reach. Make sure that in your writing, you differentiate (especially from Cali applicants) and showcase yourself clearly. Thanks for visiting my post previously! http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1818875-risky-college-choices-chances.html#latest
@Yaycollegewoo No problem, and thanks!
BUMP~Always looking for more feedback!
Stanford (REA or RD)- reach, as is for anyone
Cornell- reach, as is for most
Dartmouth- reach
Brown- reach
UPenn- reach
NYU Stern- low reach
Wash U in St. Louis- low reach
UVA- match
U of Mich-match/ high match
Northwestern- match
USC- match
Columbia (lol)- low reach
UCB and UCLA (and other mid-tier UC’s)- high match
You definitely have the grades and EC’s that make you a competitive applicant; just make sure your voice really shines through in your essay. You certainly have some unique leadership activities that make you a very compelling applicant- if you carry that through your essay with genuine conviction, that will make you even more competitive!!
UW GPA might be a tad low, but your extracurriculars seem unique and interesting. Stanford’s always going to be a reach/up to chance, but you should be fine with most of the UCs. UCLA and UCSB you definitely have a good chance at. ACT score will make you stand out a lot!
i think u have a good shot at most of the schools om your list, regarding ur stats and ECs which show very clear interests and passions.
stanford and the ivies are reaches for everyone but i think u’d be v competitive for those places as well, tho i cant say for sure
chance me back? http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1817445-chance-me-for-upenn-cornell-berkeley-intl-student.html#latest
Stanford - Would not bother wasting ED. Not going to happen.
Cornell - Low reach
Dartmouth - Reach
Brown - High reach
UPenn - Reach
NYU Stern - Reach
Wash U in St. Louis - Match if ED. Reach otherwise
UVA - Low reach
U of Mich - Low reach
Northwestern - Low reach
USC - Low reach
Columbia - High reach
UCB and UCLA - Reach
Need a lot more matches and safety schools.
I’m not familiar with your CA schools, but for NYU, UMich and WUSL, I would match. I would bet your UMich GPA is higher.
The Ivies, too hard to say. You just have to have “what they want”.
Cornell I think is tough bc their business program is only 7% admit. Perhaps go wit A&S. At Cornell you must pick a major/school upfront. (Boo). I THINK UVa is the same.
NW: maybe if you present right, match, reach, but not out of reach.
I also think you may want to ditch Stanfod ED and go with one you have a realistic shot at with the “bump” ED may give you. Perhaps at Cornell A&S or NW or a CA that is not impossible like Stanford.
The reality is, it does not give you enough of a bump to overcome a red flag, bc you will be competing against the strongest competition in ED/EA at Stanford. So while it is not a waste of time, it may be a waste of ED:)
Good luck.
You need to consider how badly you want to go to Stanford when deciding on REA or RD. I’d say with your stats, apply REA if you really want to go there. I don’t think your stats are “bad enough” that you “need” ED anywhere; that is, I don’t think the ED/EA boost matters other than showing interest, and you only want to do that for your first choice college.
I agree that most of those schools are reach for anyone - the best candidates have a 20% chance at best, but if you apply to ten schools that are that kind of reach for you, you should get into a few.
I like that you have been working, it really supports the ECs.
I didn’t see AP scores, those may matter to some schools, and your GC should indicate whether you are taking the most rigorous program at your HS.
Good luck!
Schools that I’m applying to (Please Chance me!):
Stanford (REA or RD)-crapshoot for anyone–personally wouldnt use an ed on it
Columbia-same as stanford, esp for business
Cornell/dartmouth/brown/NW-mid reaches. Might be high match if ed
UPenn/NYU-high reach just bc its so fckn competitive for Wharton and Stern
Wash U in St. Louis-match if ed: low reach otherwise
UVA/UM/UCB-mix match. rather competitive public schools for business.
USC-should be safety
UCLA/lower tier UCs- low match/safeties
Your GPA is the only thing holding you back. However, with a superb ACT scores and ECs, everything is going to come down to your common app essay and supplements. I know Stanford likes a little creativity in their supplements as evident by their prompts. The essays are your chance to distinguish yourself and I think will ultimately be the deciding factor.
@rhandco Stanford is my number 1/dream school. If I got in, I would literally strip naked in the middle of downtown SF. But the only thing that I’m concerned of is that I might be wasting my EA/ED opportunity by applying REA to Stanford and having a higher chance to apply early to another school, like Upenn (although it’s still really selective, the stats show that you have a greater chance through ED).
Stanford (REA or RD) - automatic reach, may well be a waste of REA but if it’s your dream school go ahead
Cornell , Dartmouth , Brown , UPenn, Northwestern, USC, Columbia- reach for everyone due to selectivity
NYU Stern, Wash U in St. Louis = will like your numbers. ED may be better used there.
UCB and UCLA, UVA, U of Mic - low reach
Midtier UCs - matches
Lower UCs - safeties
Your list is very unbalanced though. 3/4 reaches is too top-heavy. Also, how happy would you realistically be if your only choices where UC Riverside or UCSC?
Add more matches and safeties.
A match would need to have 30+% acceptance rate, a safety would have 40+% acceptance rate, and both should be affordable based on the NPCs.
(If you haven’t done so, run the NPC for each colleges, then bring the results to your parents)
" If I got in, I would literally strip naked in the middle of downtown SF"
Pretty sure that is completely legal in SF, if not outright encouraged…
IMHO, the difference for Penn ED for non-athletes non-legacies is not enough for you to miss out on the opportunity to have even a slight edge at your dream school. I don’t see an issue with you getting in RD for at least several of the schools.
For my son, he had an ED school and two EA schools, then was prepare to apply to up to 8 other colleges. You might want to consider honors colleges at schools that are less prestigious, especially if FA could be an issue. You don’t want to be in a position where you are down on not getting accepted to some of your reaches, and you miss out on applying to some decent programs.
You also should think about what life at each of these schools is like - the list is quite varied in terms of life on campus.
I don’t think 75% reaches is a problem unless the application fees plus the time and attention to each essay and application is too much for you. My son was able to triage his schools; the ones with rolling admissions also would accept late applications, so he had no missed opportunities waiting for responses from colleges.
@rhandco Haha, I was just trying to express the joy that I would receive if I ever got accepted from Stanford. So are you suggesting to apply REA for Stanford?
And how did your son apply ED AND EA? Doesn’t that go against the contract for ED?
For anything Ivy league/ super competitive schools you are applying to I would say you are a reach because they are just so competitive. You would be an average applicant there (this IS A COMPLIMENT 
) and I am sure they will overlook your gpa since you are so well rounded. For any "lower levels’ I am sure you are a shoein
@leadergirl19 Thanks? Could you specify on “lower level” schools?
I don’t participate in “chance me” but can provide my opinion.
Like most high achieving students (who end up at the most competitive schools) there is nothing about your credentials that screams sure bet or sure reject. Are you planning full pay? If so you have a better shot at schools that are not “need blind” since a good chunk of the best students won’t apply to them. Wash U comes to mind. You’d be a shoe in there if you can full pay.
In terms of the most competitive schools, the pattern of your grades could be relevant. What courses did you excel in and which were problematic for you. For business school, math grades will be scrutinized-even with a top ACT score.
ECs. I’d knock off anything that isn’t associated already with an outcome or an achievement. Things you plan to do or hope for are just not relevant and dilute what you have done. The web design is probably the most interesting and valuable for application’s sake. Marketing via websites tie well to business. Sports-I’m assuming you don’t plan to play for a college.
Relevant also is the state you are coming from. Those from states that send few to competitive schools have an edge over NY, California and other similar states.
I would bet that your application will get close to the same reading if you apply ED or not. But it is obviously easier to get the process over with early and with a limited number of applications. Seems like Stanford may be most difficult of all you have listed. Would you be upset to find later that you might have gotten in to Stanford had you applied? If so, it would make no sense to apply to another school ED since that would obviously preclude Stanford.
@lostaccount Thanks. And yeah, it’s just that the chances that I have for REA Stanford is so small. The anxiety is growing on me lol.
Like UCB, UCLA (low-tier in terms of admissions, not quality)