What Are My Chances Of Getting Into A Top Ivy League?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

I was wondering what my chances are of getting into a top Ivy League, or any other universities for that matter?

All my information is below:

9th Grade: Homeschooled

10th Grade - Present (Currently in 11th Grade)
School: Laurel Springs School
GPA: 4.0, 4.40 wtd.
AP Courses: AP English Language & Composition
Honors Courses: Geometry, World Literature, Algebra II, World History

Volunteer Experience: I currently have 3 volunteer positions at different parishes.

Writing Experience: I publish articles that features in the weekly newspaper, website, and on social media.
Publications: I currently have 8 publications. One of which is a mini-saga that has been published in a book, as part of Young Writer’s USA contest.

Extracurricular Activities: National Honor Society (June 2017 - Present); Student Government - Representative (10th Grade), Member (11th Grade); Yearbook - Section Editor (10th Grade); Youth Group - Secretary (9th, 10th, 11th), Advisor (10th, 11th)

Awards: I have 5 awards, 1 certification, and I have won second place in a contest.

Trainings/Workshops: I have attended 2 workshops that was a part of a training program for my volunteer position at a parish.

I have not taken the SATs yet, and I know that is a huge part of a college application; however, I am in desperate need of advice. I will be taking the SATs this August or September. I expect to score 1400+. What else do I need to do to add to my application? Also, please recommend some colleges that would be a good suit for me.

Thank you for your time. I appreciate all the help that I can get. Please be as harsh and critical as you can with your response.

2

You need a standardized test score.

3
  1. The idea of a “top” Ivy League school is laughable. They are all great schools with hyper-competitive admissions.
  2. Admissions to these schools is generally under 10% and many extremely well qualified candidates are turned down. There is simply not enough room to admit all qualified applicants.
  3. Before you can seriously consider any top tier school you need standardized test scores.
  4. I suggest you start the search process by talking to your guidance counselor. Also get your hands on some good college guide books (ex. Fiske, Princeton Review) at your guidance office or library and read up on schools.
4

Did you take PSAT?
You are very behind if Aug or Sept would be your first SAT. Don’t even think about any Ivy, top or bottom :), before you have a test score.

5

Not even a “regular” Ivy… but a “Top Ivy”???

Sorry, but only on CC…

6

@bjkmom if only… the obsession with this distinction is incredibly common coastal elite prep and boarding school students, many of whom frequent CC. Many top students in such hypercompetitive schools have a have a HYPSM or bust mentality in their freshman/sophomore/beginning of junior year, which is usually shattered later on. A HYPSM acceptance is not treated the same as a “regular” Ivy or ivy-equivalent acceptance, neither by the students nor the parents and teachers. I have witnessed it first-hand since I attended one of these high schools not too long ago. Its a hilariously elitist microcosm that gets amplified on CC due to the self-selection of the posters.

7

Update: I apologize for using the word “Top” Ivy. I know that all the Ive League schools are top ranked, and that acceptance into any of those school is an accomplishment of its own. I did not mean it in that sense. What I really meant was what are my chances are of getting into any Ive League? Also, I know that I need a SAT score before I can really proceed with anything else, and I am working on that. I would just like to know if there is anything else that I can do to add to what I have done above. Thank you all for taking the time to comment and give your suggestions. I truly do appreciate it.

8

@helpneededplease it is pointless to say without an standardized score. everything else looks good.

9

As a point of reference, the 25th percentile (i.e. there are only 25% of admitted students who scored less) for most Ivies is around a 32 ACT score or somewhere between a 1450-1480 on the new SAT. You need to google “common data set [school]” to get an idea of the profile for admitted students for that school. For your reference, I am linking Harvard, Yale and Dartmouth CDS data. https://oir.harvard.edu/files/huoir/files/harvard_cds_2016-17.pdf, https://oir.yale.edu/sites/default/files/cds2016-2017.pdf, http://www.dartmouth.edu/~oir/pdfs/cds_2017-2018.pdf. Btw, adding the components for the SAT will not give you an accurate range for the 25th and 75th percentiles on a composite basis because it is likely that accepted students will have a range between their math and ERW scores making the composite range tighter.