I’m having a hard time choosing realistic match schools. So far I know I want to apply to a few Ivy’s (Penn, Brown, Harvard, Yale) and some other top 20s (Vandy, Northwestern, Georgetown, WUSTL). If anyone could help me by suggesting some schools I can consider more of a match or match/safety, it would be much appreciated - maybe like Boston College? I want to major in political science or government, and prefer a school near a city. Thank you!
I’m Mexican-American and attend a private school in South FL.
My Stats:
SAT: 2360 - 800 CR, 770 M, 790 W
PSAT: 229 (so expecting NMF/NHRP)
GPA: 4.0 UW, 5.5 W (6.66 scale lol).
Rank top 10% which is the highest bracket my school will report
4 year varsity athlete - HS Team went to State finals and ranked top 20 nationally
Club soccer travel team ranked top 10 nationally, captain
Some national recognition in my sport… Just a step below the national team. However, I will probably NOT be playing soccer in college.
A few clubs with leadership roles, nothing special besides a challenging Pre Law program - I’ve taken 5 law electives and will be doing an internship through the program my senior year.
I like to sail and am US Sailing Certified. Have taught, and raced semi-competitively.
One weakness - my school offers a ton of AP classes, and I could have taken more. I took one freshman year (scored a 5), one sophomore year (scored a 5), three this year, and will be taking five next year - totaling 10.
All suggestions welcome! Thank you
What do you want to study?
You have a great profile.
How about Emory, Tufts, Tulane, Northeastern or some of the state flagships like UMich, UVA, UNC?
Do small LACs appeal to you at all?
–Are you ok with liberal arts colleges? Many are rural or suburban but you might find one or two that you like.
–Any geographical preference?
–Do you require merit aid? Or would merit aid be important to you (e.g. to save money for grad school)?
Don’t worry about the APs. Many students take too many when they could be spending more time on making their ECs more unique.
Sorry just re-read and saw your major.
Check out USC. USC has a good scholarship for NMF.
Thank you everyone who replied.
@doschicos I’ll actually be visiting Tufts this summer and UVA looks good. UNC and Michigan might be too big. My sister actually goes to Middlebury but I don’t think LAC’s are a good fit for me. I may soon be offered by another NESCAC school, but I don’t think I want to play soccer in college.
@Dunboyne As far as geography, I don’t have much preference except getting out of FL. I’m pretty sure I want to go somewhere cooler, and I think my parents would prefer east coast. Also, Aid isn’t really a priority. I won’t qualify for FA and my parents are willing to pay for as much schooling as I need. Thanks for the info on AP’s. Sometimes I get worried cause a lot of kids at my school will have taken 12-14. It’s just hard with soccer.
@txstella a good friend’s brother goes to USC. I’ll look into it, thank you. Are classes really big? NMF money would be nice.
William & Mary, U Rochester, George Washington U.
You can sail till the cows come home. :-?
Claremont McKenna is very focused on political science and it is near LA. It’s a reach school though.
American University would be a safety for you and you would probably get offered a lot of merit aid.
American is big on “level of applicant’s interest”, so show them that they are more than a last choice “safety”.
OP,
With your stats/ GPA/ you HAVE to apply to USC by Dec 1, in order to be considered for one of their 140 Trustee FULL TUITION scholarships. I think you have a very good chance of being strongly considered for one of them. If you dont apply early, but are accepted, you most likely would recieve a 1/2 Tuition scholarship if accepted. But having a chance to win a Full tuition scholarship is worth the extra effort, dont ya think?
. If you are chosen for Trustee consideration, you would need to come to USC to interview.
The Honors classes at USC offer small class sizes.
Applying early to USC will not prevent you from applying early [ SCEA, EA ,ED, ] to other colleges if you choose to do so. So put it on your calender.
@menloparkmom thanks for the great info! That’s something I will seriously look into. Do you apply specifically to the honors college or are you just selected for it?
As an in-state student, you would almost certainly qualify for an excellent aid package at New College of Florida. They have a sailing program (their only varsity team sport), with a great waterfront facility on Sarasota Bay. Otherwise, UF should be a safety for you unless you want to go anywhere else in the world other than your own state flagship. I re-read a later post, and see that you want to get out of FL. My son wanted to go somewhere warm from the Northeast. University of Pittsburgh, Temple, American, et al, are good safeties for top-notch students like yourself, but I suggest applying to colleges like Fordham and/or BC who have non-binding Early Action options. You will hear from them by Thanksgiving, usually with a Merit Aid offer, and so you won’t have to worry about super-safeties. Most Ivy League colleges have sailing teams, although I doubt that Dartmouth and Cornell have very strong ones. My cousin’s son sailed for Harvard recently. My niece sailed for Georgetown. My nephew sailed for Columbia, but their sailing program at the time was tiny - more of a club. Northwestern might have decent sailing on Lake Michigan, but the weather will be a rude awakening for you (as it will be in New England).
You are selected for after receiving your acceptance
I want to make sure the OP knows I am talking about U of Southern Calif, NOT U of South Carolina!
U of Richmond is worth exploring as a match/safety.
Davidson College sounds like a good fit, and I believe they have sailing on a nearby lake. I think the school is a reach for most, but you a great profile, IMO. Good luck.
Also, Washington and Lee in VA has strong ties to Wash, DC for internships and jobs.