<p>Hi, I'm a senior at a competitive high school with a 3.7 unweighted gpa. I don't have the most challenging course load, but I do take some AP's and honors classes. I volunteer very little, and I don't have many extracurriculars. However, I am an editor of the school newspaper, an editor of a community teen newspaper, an editor of the school art & literary magazine, and the founder and president of a school club (web design).</p>
<p>Please tell me what my chances are of getting into the Universities of CA and the Ivies. I'm also considering Northwestern, USC, Boston U, NYU, Amherst, and Williams.</p>
<p>I'm sorry:
class rank is just below the top quartile cut-off (126 out of 478);
high school is very competitive in California - it's public;
location is Silicon Valley;
I'm an Asian male;
SAT 1 is 2220 (math 760, critical reading 760, writing 700);
SAT 2's are Chinese (800), US History (700), Literature (730).</p>
<p>I'm also a bit concerned that the 700 in SAT 1 writing will hurt my chances, seeing as my extracurriculars are mainly literary in nature. Is this disparity severe?</p>
<p>Not really. SAT writing is not as important as the math and critical reading. I wouldn't retake it again just to improve the writing score. Send in some of your work if you want to show your strength.</p>
<p>It's a rarity among Asians to be stronger in humanities than in sciences. That will be a positive. However, you are an Asian male in an overrepresented state which is a negative.</p>
<p>Lynbrook High School or Henry M. Gunn High School?</p>
<p>Also, for my career I hope to work in a magazine/newspaper context, possibly designing/doing layouts/writing. I'm interested in art and have taken a couple art courses at a community college (with A's in all 3). I'm also currently taking AP Studio Art.</p>
<p>What are some fitting (and safety) colleges for me? I did a little research but most schools with strong programs in my areas of interest (visual communications, English, journalism, etc.) are way out of my league.</p>
<p>Japanese people are pretty good at humanities but yes that is interesting.</p>
<p>IVY LEAGUE: Very Unlikely or reject
Berkeley is unlikely UCLA is a maybe UCSD Is likely, and you are very likely to get in the rest of that area USE is unlikely Boston U is an in and Amherst and Williams will be a reject; southern and northwestern are very unlikely</p>
<p>HC like Georgetown has no religious requirements and recruits students and faculty of all faiths or no faith. Holy Cross is fairly liberal and school has tremendous alumni network.</p>