Hello, I’m currently a junior at a very small high school in IL.
I Have a 34 on the act (34E36M31R34S) and I have a perfect unweighted gpa of 4.
I have a much more detailed array of information in my chances? post.
I am someone who really enjoys math, especially number theory, proofs, and calculus. I am currently on the search for target schools ( but would also appreciate all school suggestions as my list is very unrefined) and safety schools.
I’ll post my current beta list and ask you for any and all suggestions and thoughts. Also, general school search advice.
Reach: MIT, Princeton, UChicago, Harvard, (princeton SCEA)
Mid reach: Berkeley, USC,
Target: (gray areas here) UMich, Case, (are these safeties?)
Safety: UIllinois possibly?
First, have you talked to your parents about what they will contribute, and have you run net price calculators on each school’s web site?
What math courses will you have completed (perhaps at nearby colleges) by the time you graduate from high school?
Michigan is more of a low reach because you’re OOS.
Caltech, Harvey Mudd, Pomona College, Stanford
UIUC is not safety unless it’s affordable. Even then maybe not a safety with a 22% admission rate.
UIUC’s math major may be slightly more competitive than the school overall. http://www.las.illinois.edu/students/programs/declaring/ indicates that getting into the math major after enrolling requires a 2.50 college GPA (an unrestricted major would require no more than a 2.00 college GPA and/or C grades).
At UIUC, CS or any major that is partially CS has a much higher threshold and/or competitive admission to the major.
I don’t think you can count any of that as safeties given recent admission trends.
I’d add NYU–it may not be common knowledge, but NYU’s math department is awesome.
Others: Williams, Mudd
@ucbalumnus the schools at the top will provide enough aid to be affordable. As for the others, my parents are fully aware of the potential costs(I have run price calcs yes.)
I have taken Ap calc AB ( along with all the other defaults like algebra geo alg 2) However, as far as my senior year in math goes, I was going to take a calc 3 class at my local 4 year, but their schedules aren’t aligning with mine ( and also they are charging quite a lot) It looks like I’ll be taking AP calc BC online (I took AB online as well because the highest level math course offered at my school is a regular calc)
@intparent So what would classify as a safety for me? 40% rates? I am aware of the trends. Startling, wish I was around when Harvard accepted 13 percent of people.
I’d check out Swarthmore’s math program. One of my good friends is majoring in math there and she loves it. She’s always talking about how supportive the department is and she loves all the classes she’s taken so far.
@marvin100 Yes, I have received a few letter from them, haven’t gotten around to checking out their programs departments etc. Will take a look.
Swat is another reach, though. Yes, 40% rates. But be sure you show interest if they care about it.
An absolutely sure thing safety would have automatic admission criteria that you meet, and be comfortably affordable at list price or with a scholarship that you meet the automatic awarding criteria for.
However, many schools do not have such automatic admission (and/or scholarship) criteria. You can probably make a best guess at low-match / almost-safety schools where:
(a) your stats are above the 75th percentiles for the school’s admit class,
(b) the school’s 25th-75th percentiles are not pressed up against the top of the range,
© the school’s admission rate is not super-low,
(d) your major is not significantly more competitive for admission than the school overall,
(e) the school does not heavily weight subjectively graded admissions criteria, particularly “level of applicant’s interest”, and
(f) the school is comfortably affordable based on net price calculator results, and your family does not have unusual finances that can make net price calculators less accurate (divorced parents, small businesses, self-employment, real estate, etc.).
As we have debated many times, you CAN actually show interest. Visit, sign up for emails, write a specific and detailed “Why College X” essay, sign in at their table at college fairs, go to an admissions event if one is in your area, and check your portal regularly after applying. Any student who does these things will not be dinged for “lack of interest”.
@intparent Do colleges usually indicate if they put significant weight in interest; do all colleges by default consider interest? Is it more relevant in reaches, matches? Is it generally school specific?
@ManaManaWegi - it’s school specific. I believe the Common Data Set might have some info.
@ManaManaWegi , many of the highly selective schools very much care about a candidate’s genuine demonstration of interest. It can be a deciding (or rather exclusionary) factor.
Google “Common Data Set” and the college name. Most colleges have them. There is a section that gives info on how important colleges consider different factors.
Thanks everyone for the comments. Of course I always appreciate more information if you are willing to spend the time to give it.