<p>Colleges: (this is where I need the most help - do I need more matches/safeties?)
Yale
Princeton
Brown
UPenn
Pomona
Haverford
Penn State honors (IS)
UNC (OOS but legacy, so considered IS)
& still looking (suggestions?)</p>
<p>You probably can't tell from my current schools list, but I'm leaning toward LACs with strong bio programs / research opps.</p>
<p>School: Public, sends some students to top schools GPA: 4.0 UW, about 4.7 W Rank: Top 1-2% (out of 400 or so) SAT: 2340 SAT II: Math II (800), taking Bio soon APs: Calc BC (5) + 9 more by end of HS ECs: (most important ones only)
Varsity tennis
Piano (will send CD)
Research at molecular biology lab
Science olympiad
Math tutoring
Newspaper
Volunteering with refugee family
Gov school</p>
<p>P.S. Kill me, but I've never stuck with an EC I didn't fully enjoy.</p>
<p>Preamble: Terrific stats -- can't do much better than 2340 and 4.0 UW -- and your ECs are diverse and impressive--especially if your postscript claim is true. As the results from this year proved, the admissions at topflight universities is somewhat of a crapshoot--but I'd say you have as good a shot as anyone at your reaches. </p>
<p>Verdict: Write kick-ass essays which can hopefully prove the point that you made in your ps</p>
<p>You're good on safeties, and you've got a high probability of getting into one of your ivys (all of which are reaches, though decent chances at Brown and UPenn). Fantastic stats. If the recs are specific and the essay is interesting, you're likely in at an ivy, if not two. That being said, you could use some more matches just in case. I don't know much about bio schools, but look into Amherst and Williams for sure, also maybe Macalester and Claremont McKenna, just to take a look.</p>
<p>thanks chris, i'll definitely look into those schools. not sure if amherst & williams can be called matches though, low reaches maybe? thanks for the advice :)</p>
<p>hikids: going on 4 yrs varsity, but nah not recruitable. i wish.</p>
<p>randombetch: haha nice username? i started working at the lab this year (as my interest in bio is new following a great lab course i took last summer) - a few hours a week, & will prob get more intensive after APs are over. busy with gov school, etc this summer, but def coming back senior year as well. basically, i've been working with a professor at a local U on a project that is a continuation of one of his previous research undertakings. not sure if i'll have enough to write up by the time i'm applying to college, but we'll see. regardless, shocking e. coli into taking up DNA (among other things) is surprisingly fun!</p>
<p>science olympiad - again, started this year since my interest in bio is recent. i have a couple top medals from regionals (my school finished first :)) & going to states soon.</p>