Targets/Safeties for Shotgunning Junior?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

Kind of realizing my Ivy and T20 chances are unlikely. Which schools should I apply to as targets and safties?

Gender: Female

State: Competitive Midwestern

Major: Economics (Mathematical economics at schools that have it)

School Type: Large, competitive public

Race/ethnicity: White

Income bracket: ~250k, applying for FA

SAT I (breakdown): 1530 (m: 800 r+w:730)

SAT II: biology e: 770 math II: 760 (I knowww)

Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0

Weighted GPA: 4.72 now, will be 4.84 by midyear reports

Rank: Top 5%

AP (place score in parenthesis):

5s: APUSH, English Language, Macroeconomics, Microeconomics, Calc BC,

4: French

Also taking at local university: Intermediate finance, intro to geopolitics, advanced calculus

Senior Year Course Load: AP Comp Sci, AP Lit, AP Euro, AP Bio, AP Gov, Modern Middle Eastern History A, History of Film

Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Nothing major

Minor Awards:

-Rensselaer Medal: Prestigious STEM award

-Some local and national essay contests, literary journal publication, won $$

-School awards in math and English

-Cum Laude Society

-12 Science Olympiad medals, a couple of of Math Team awards

-Probably national merit (PSAT: 1490)

Extracurriculars:

-Member of math team (9-12)

-Officer in science olympiad (9-12)

-Co-president of political discourse club (11-12)

-State director of student-run nonprofit which exposes underprivileged kids to STEM concepts (12)

-Officer of academic team (11-12)

-Lots of writing for yearbook, local newspaper, essay contests (10-12)

-Helped found community initiative to prevent isolation in senior citizens in the bi-state area with 100+ participants (11-12)

-Top student organizer for presidential campaign in my region (11-12)

-Founded chapter of presidential campaign (11-12)

-Internship with presidential campaign (11-12)

-Member of selective-admissions student economics club (11-12)

-Currently applying for writer and editor positions at youth magazines (12 hopefully?)

Summer Activities:

-Camp counselor at residential summer camp (11)

-Selective 6-week literature summer program, online this summer (11) :frowning:

-Outward Boundish program (9,10)

-Language study program in France (10)

2

Given that, you may want to check the economics course listings in the catalogs of colleges under consideration. Economics major programs typically have an upper level core set of courses in intermediate microeconomics, intermediate macroeconomics, and econometrics. The math prerequisites of intermediate microeconomics and econometrics will suggest how much math emphasis the department has (some will offer more than one sequence with different levels of math prerequisites). The typical levels you may find:

No calculus (least desirable for you)
Single variable calculus
Multivariable calculus and/or linear algebra (most desirable for you)

In addition, you can check the upper level economics courses for mathematical economics courses.

If you plan to go on to PhD study in economics, upper level math and statistics courses like real analysis, upper level linear algebra, and probability theory are typically suggested.

Run the net price calculator on each college’s web site, but be prepared to be disappointed if you need substantial financial aid.

3

Your request is too broad.

What factors in a college (beyond major) are important to you…size, geography, setting, level of school spirit, etc.

Are you interested in women only schools?

What can/will your parents pay for college? Get a budget from your parents, running the net price calculators is a good idea.

4

@Mwfan1921 I’m especially interested in schools which offer merit scholarships. East coast and West coast are preferred. Smaller schools are preferred, but not strongly. I’d rather go to more academic schools, with less frat and sports culture. I’m considering both women’s and co-ed schools.

5

Which is it?
“School Type: Large, competitive public”
or
“Smaller schools are preferred”

BTW, “Large competitive public” and “less sports culture” are kinda polar opposites. Maybe look at BU or Richmond.

6

OP currently attends a large competitive HS.

7

Here are some ideas to get you started:

Targets:

Occidental
Santa Clara
Richmond
Bucknell
Villanova
Trinity College
Wake Forest
Holy Cross
Bryn Mawr
Smith
Lafayette

Safeties:

Whitman
Willamette
Connecticut College
Elon

What Ivy/T20s are you considering?

8

@Mwfan1921 Thanks so much! I’d thought about Smith and Occidental before, but I’ll look into the others. Right now, my reaches are UChicago, Harvard, Stanford, Rice, Vanderbilt, USC, Columbia (possibly Barnard too), Princeton, Yale, Duke, and Claremont McKenna.