trying to narrow down college list

College Search & Selection
1

<p>stats , Asian male
GPA: 4.0 UW, 4.67 W
Class rank: 3/61 (small competitive private school)
SAT: 720 CR 780 M 800 W
Most rigorous courseload taken
SAT II: 800 korean 760 USH 760 Math IIC 730 Bio
5s on AP Bio and USH (the only two we're allowed to take junior year)</p>

<p>ECs
AMC 2nd place (in school)
PSAT commended probably (219)
Math League (3 years so far)
Varsity Soccer 3 years so far
2 time school scholarship award recipient for character and academic excellence
AP USH Student of the year
Community Service Club (3 years so far; on the board, organized all of this year's club activities such as habitat for humanity, locks for love, knitting hats for afghani kids etc; also the monthly newsletter editor/publisher) time commitment varies but at least 5-7 hrs/ wk and with big projects, a LOT more time is dedicated
Co-started this year's big service project, raised ~$7000, published in a nationwide christian conference newsletter
Regularly tutor 2 kids in math, chemistry (3 hrs a week maybe?)
Tutored 3 kids sophomore year summer in english/math
Tutoring 2 kids junior year summer in english/math (grammar and alg II)
Student leader in church since freshman year (mentoring kids, tutoring kids)
Church's YG Newspaper founder and editor in chief (monthly production) (3-5 hrs/wk)
Local newspaper internship since beginning of april 07 (5 hrs/ wk during the school year; 24 hrs/ wk during the summer)
Month long theology camp
NHS president next year, with lots of comm service projects coming up
Attendee of a 10,000 member plus christian leadership conference
Band (4 years)
i am also planning on creating an interfaith community service project this coming year</p>

<p>so basically im really into reading philosophy/theology and writing and volunteering.. these three aspects all connect and basically run my life and i absolutely love doing it. my understanding of ethics moves me to volunteer and my love for reading these somewhat dry books lead me to read more and write more!</p>

<p>I will get excellent recommendations from both my teachers and my guidance counselor
I'm a good essay writer so I don't think I'll have problems with my essay</p>

<p>i live in NJ so I don't want to go to school too far from my house..
(Chicago, Michigan, Virginia is probably the limit)
Strong english and philosophy department would be very appealing. </p>

<p>my list so far is this:
* Amherst C
* Boston C EA
* Colby C
* Columbia U
* Cornell U
* Dartmouth C
* Emory U
* Georgetown U EA
* Harvard C
* Middlebury C
* Northwestern U IL
* U Chicago EA
* U Michigan
* U Virginia
* Wheaton C (IL) EA
* Williams C
i've started by only looking at lacs but i realized that i sorta like the big univ feeling too.. so i'm planning on using BC's EA or Wheaton's EA as a safety and then the rest are up for grabs.. i know i am kind of reach-heavy but how does this look? how will i fare? thanks</p>

2

<p>How important is a religious or a conservative student body to you? I can't imagine both Wheaton and Columbia on the same college list unless you're okay with both liberal and conservative and religious and secular.</p>

<p>Though UChicago has many, many churches in the neighborhood and a GREAT religious studies program (plus a graduate divinity school), I would characterize the student body as secular, though you will find students seriously practicing all kinds of faiths.</p>

3

<p>haha i know right? i'm okay with everything .. if i end up at columbia i'd most def need to find a community outside the school to maintain my religious life..
actually i'm trying to stray away from wheaton as much as possible because (no offense to anyone) i'd hate to be stuck in a relatively homogeneous (religiously speaking) student body for four years</p>

4

<p>that's cool, it's just a heads up for you.</p>

5

<p>If you're interested in theology, a strong English department, and volunteering and strong relations to the community, then don't shy away from Wheaton. It is very Chirstian, but diverse denominational speaking, if that helps any. The student body at Wheaton is conservative, but also open-minded. Students arn't hostile to different political beliefs, like some at other top colleges. People won't think you're a tool for believing in a God. I wouldn't go as far to say that Wheaton EA is a safety, but you certianly have the credentials.</p>

<p>Kind of curious -- what draws you to these schools? Specifically, Emory? The colleges you chose seem all over the board, so it makes it hard to tell you which colleges to scratch. Emory is kind of the outlier of the ones you did choose though.</p>

6

<ul>
<li>Columbia U</li>
<li>Cornell U</li>
<li>Dartmouth C</li>
<li>Emory U</li>
<li>Georgetown U EA</li>
<li>Harvard C</li>
<li>Northwestern U IL</li>
<li>U Chicago EA</li>
<li>U Virginia</li>
<li>Wheaton C (IL) EA</li>
</ul>

7

<p>ther are a lot of things i like about the different schools.. you asked about emory. i spent the past 3 weeks in emory and i really like the school's atmosphere (although it was in the summer) and the facilities are superb and i got to talk to some profs and i love the south. </p>

<p>windley--what about those colleges? lol</p>

8

<p>It's a good list, but you can't apply to all sixteen, can you? I would drop Wheaton and Middlebury for sure. U Chicago, Columbia, and Cornell sound like your best choices to me-especially Chicago. I would add Rutgers, since you are instate. Are you sure that you can afford these places? Most of them are over 40K per year and most of them offer no merit aid, only need-based. And it is hard to qualify for need-based.</p>

9

<p>cool man~~
btw
i'm from Asia too</p>