<p>Here's my tentative college list. My plan is to narrow it down to either 10 or 11. What do you think of the balance? (disregarding stats and chances. Seriously! MOST DECENT STUDENTS have just as much a chance getting into Harvard as do top students. It's called balance.)
Asterisks=my top choices</p>
<p>Potential college List:</p>
<p>UNC Chapel Hill
Clemson
U Rochester
William & Mary
UVermont
John Hopkins</p>
<p>Bowdoin*
UChicago*
Wash U St. Louis*
Duke
Notre Dame
Williams*</p>
<p>Uh… how would anyone know the balance without knowing the stats? A balanced college list is going to look different for a C student, B student, and A student. And no, most decent students do not have the same chance as top students at Harvard. I don’t know if Harvard posts breakdown of their admitted students, but many universities do, and the percentage of students admitted at lower GPA/SAT scores is significantly less than higher GPA/SAT scores. And look at the average SAT/ACT scores and GPA score of the admitted, which I’m sure Harvard posts. It’s not just “decent”.
If you have stats, then people would know whether or not the schools on your list are matches or safeties. UNC could be a safety for some people, match for some, and reach for others. How can we determine the balance without knowing the possibility of you getting into each school?</p>
<p>I know the majority are top students, but there are many top students rejected and many average students admitted as well. i’m an A student just for the record</p>
<p>However, if the majority are top students, then it shows decent students don’t have the same chance as a top student. They have a chance, but it’s a lower chance. But that’s a moot point.</p>
<p>I would say your list is too reach-heavy. Princeton, Columbia, Harvard, UPenn, Williams, UChicago and Duke are reaches for anyone. Notre Dame, WUSTL, Bowdoin and John Hopkins are at the very least, low reaches for most applicants. I wouldn’t consider any university in the top 20 a match. Without knowing your stats and location, I can’t quite say whether UNC-CH, U Rochester and William & Mary are matches or not. UNC-CH and W&M are public, which means diminished chance for an OOS student. Remember, by law, UNC-CH can only have 18% of their admitted be OOS or international. VA just passed bills this year capping enrollment of OOS students. That leaves Clemson and UVermont, which I assume are your safeties. Two safeties is a good number, but are they also your financial safeties? If not, try to add a financial safety or switch one of them for it.</p>
<p>looks like, out of 10, you have 7 dream schools…
without knowing your stats, people will just say it’s very risky…
unless your stats fall in the top-10-school category, this list looks very irrational…
add more reach and safety schools :)</p>
<p>Aside from simply echoing what everyone else is saying about how your list is very reach-heavy unless you’re a spectacular applicant as opposed to the good, solid ones seen often on CC, I’ll ask this: what do you want to study? Have you really given much thought to what kind of social atmosphere and surroundings you want (there are VERY few people at Duke or Notre Dame who would say that they also loved UChicago, and vice versa)? Have you visited any of them? If so, can you give us feedback as to what you liked and didn’t like?</p>
<p>double major in biochemistry and spanish. spanish is my strongest subject and I’m planning to narrow down to 3 ivies and 1-2 more lower reaches.</p>
<p>I tend to like schools in either small cozy towns or large cities most, so it’s kind of both ends; There’s always exceptions though. I’m planning to visit the ones I haven’t; my guidance counselor said schoolslike UNC Chapel Hill and William and Mary are matches for me; I’m not saying he’s right, but I’m assuming it’s not far off. I’m in the top 10%, but ranks aren’tgiven. I forgot BC, and i’m from MA, but I think I’m gonna knock off UPenn and Duke already, then think about which other ones I’ll do the same. I agree there’s too many reaches, but I’m having a hard time narrowing them down</p>
<p>Though both William and Mary and UNC-Chapel Hill are reaches, or at the very best higher matches, OOS, W&M accepts more OOS students than UNC (the student bodies are 33% OOS compared to I think 18%, respectively).</p>
<p>Bowdoin and Williams strike me as a bit strange simply because they’re the only LACs in an otherwise University dominated list. Why do you have them on there, and why them instead of any other LACs?</p>
<p>Could you elaborate as to why you like your top choices (the ones with asterisks)? Just a couple of sentences each would be helpful.</p>
<p>Are you serious? Unless they are phenomenal at a revenue sport that’s just not true. And even then they’d need to be way above average for your top schools.</p>
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<p>One of the most ridiculous statements on CC ever, and that’s saying a lot.</p>
<p>Frankly, your list doesn’t make much sense to me. If you have a realistic chance at Harvard, you don’t need Clemson or UVM on your list unless they are financially driven.</p>
<p>Clemson OR UVM is necessary… unless you are comfortable paying full-freight, Clemson is a much better choice for merit aid. Rochester could be a high safety, but only if you have SATs and an EC profile to match your As.</p>
<p>Find a copy of A is For Admission, written by Michele Hernandez, a former Dartmouth admissions officer. Carefully read over the ways that adcoms determine a value for applicants and see how YOU, with YOUR stats, would be evaluated. Then you will see that the tip top students ABSOLUTELY DO have a better chance getting admitted than the average, normal applicant. Believe it or not. But refusing to believe something doesn’t make it go away or alter the reality. Confidence alone won’t get you admitted.</p>
<p>Ok…imma defend the OP for a second
I had a friend who got admitted to Harvard
She was NOT a legacy
She was NOT an athlete
She was NOT an URM
She was NOT rich
She WAS average
Her SATs were a 1270/1950 Her SAT IIs were a 700 650 and 680
She graduated 27/189
And she got into Harvard. She had sent the app as a joke. When she asked admissions how she got in, they literally told her “because she had the guts to apply she must be someone special”
She is now a happy junior doing very well. </p>