Trying to be both prospective and realistic

College Search & Selection
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<p>Hello, everybody!</p>

<p>I am pretty clueless in regard to how to use this website, much less post a forum topic. Anyway, I just finished my junior year of high school, and, of course, I am beginning my summer obsessing over different colleges.
I don't really know what's realistic, so I figured I might ask a well-rounded community, considering people on this website always seem to know what they are talking about.</p>

<p>My cumulative unweighted GPA is about 3.81, and weighted it is just over 4.0 (that is with several AP courses in social studies, English, and in chemistry as well.) I've taken the ACT and got a 31, although I am taking it again and hope to raise my score a point or two. In regard to in-school extra curricular, I will be student council president next year, speech captain, band secretary, as well as the flute section leader in our top band. I play in orchestra, band, and will be in the school's top choir, and I am also a member of our National Honor Society and our debate team (my partner and I do steadily very well in debate.) Also, along with the president of our National Honor Society, I am currently working on starting a student-leader coalition within our school to foster a better sense of school community. Outside of school, I have had a summer job at the same place for four years, and have done 6 mission trips (2 of which were to Haiti) and used to serve on my church's youth council for two years. </p>

<p>I hope I don't sound braggy. It's a heavy load but really I'm no different than the next gangly teenager panicking about college applications. My reach schools are Duke and Cornell, but I'm thinking realistically I have a shot at Northwestern. What do you all think? I think I am going to be relying on my common app essay, because it's fundamentally the only part of my application that will reveal any sense of wit, humor, or interesting facets of my character.</p>

<p>Sorry to be another bland teenager fishing for advice, but any input would be appreciated. Thanks much!</p>

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<p>You posted in the right forum, so I think you’ve got a better idea of how to use this site than most people. :D</p>

<p>Each school has its supplementary essays- and fortunately for you, schools of this caliber look <em>a lot</em> at essays. I think Duke’s a low-reach for you if you can get your ACT score to 33+, but you definitely seem to have talent (band, orchestra, and choir? Nice!) and initiative. Just make sure you expand on that (or whatever personal aspects you think stand out) in your essays and interviews. Also, are you competitively ranked in any of those activities? Some schools also accept music/research supplements, and that seems to be a potential strong point for you.</p>

<p>How rigorous is your courseload? How competitive is your school? How are you ranked? I think colleges will try to interpret the 3.81 in those terms. Your leadership positions don’t matter in and of themselves- unless you can explain why they were meaningful, so be careful with your approach. Your involvement in NHS doesn’t boil down to “a member of NHS” but instead becomes a meaningful story that explains who you are and what you think is worth doing. Your essay’s basically a lens through which your story is interpreted.</p>

<p>These are all risky, though, so don’t forget to apply to a safety and lower matches than Northwestern!</p>

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<p>Thank you so much! This helps a lot! </p>

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<p>take a look at </p>

<p><a href=“Before you ask which colleges to apply to, please consider - College Search & Selection - College Confidential Forums”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/1621234-before-you-ask-which-colleges-to-apply-to-please-consider.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>for help on using this forum for getting help.</p>