<p>@wannabefeynman, people may acheive 100% in 1 class, but not in all, it is absurd to even get a 93% avg.</p>
<p>@manas1997
Now you are just making excuses… You may find it difficult, but you should not generalize it by saying absurd things like Canadian education is significantly more difficult. I know numerous people (including me) who have an average of 96-97%+ in Canada. </p>
<p>@manas1997 my D had 34act/3.875gpa/w4.67/ IB /top 1%out of 443 students and only wait listed to MIT note also graduated with 45 semester credits toward college. SO Again if that doesn’t bring you back to reality, keep on believing in your misconceptions.</p>
<p>@Mark2m wat ECs? its not jus grades and all, almost evryone applying has a great score, its the leadership qualities that make or break you, not only fo aadmissions, but life as well</p>
<p>@ OP , I think your first priority is to get your ACT up to a 32-33. Have you purchased the Red Book? With these standardized tests, at least for me, it was all about practice. The more the merrier, unfortunately.</p>
<p>Your ECs are probably average (perhaps even a bit lower for an Ivy applicant). That is not to say your ECs aren’t good, but everyone else’s is too. I would advise you to not bet on getting into one of these schools - most kids with very high standardized test scores don’t either. </p>
<p>That said, there are plenty of great colleges out there. Make sure you look at schools other than those in the top 20 on US News. If you have a liking for colleges on the coasts, Boston University, UCLA, UC Berkeley, etc come into mind. Also, compile a list of safeties; you want to make sure you have somewhere to go if the <em>unimaginable</em> happens.</p>
<p>You look good at CMU and maybe Cornell too. The rest are reaches by default. </p>
<p>@bradybest
I disagree. I think CMU and Cornell are reaches as well, due to his common extracurricular activities. </p>
<p>A 29 ACT won’t get you into CMU, I think. </p>
<p>According to their recent Common Data Set, the average ACT for those admitted is 34. </p>
<p>It is not impossible to get in with lower range scores, however, your EC’s have to be amazing (you seem to be the equivalent of a Junior) and you are running on the shorter side of time to do bigger things; Your EC’s are below average at these institutions, unfortunately. Your essays have to be phenomenal. Study your butt off for standardized tests. As far as your grades go, it may seem absurd to gain high percentages, but keep in mind that the kids getting into these schools are impressive individuals on the academic front and are getting those high percentages. I recommend you look long and hard at match schools for your test range and GPA if you’re going to take shots at these top tier universities. You are fighting against the odds at these high reaches and you need safeties. Ask yourself, can you be the 1 in 10 that stands out to admissions officers?</p>
<p>@TheEconEngineer starting an organization that teaches kids math is avg???</p>
<p>@manas1997
TheEconEngineer was talking about your extracurricular activities as a whole. Can you define “starting an organization?” Is it just you and two friends tutoring or an actual business? </p>
<p>not a business, its non profit, there was a couple (adults) that was running a reading circles, they have an amazing impact on our community, i went up them sayin i wnted to do the same exct thing but for math, they loved the idea and helped me throughout the process, all the kids in my program are in her reading circles. i made a proposal and everything. in the few months since, we have a great system, 20 something kids and nearly 20 volunteers that help me.i led this process with the help of the couple. we got to meet a professor from a nearby university. now i know that 20kids is not a lot, we wil be in local newspapers, and on TV, to get more kids, the program ends in june, and restarts in september, however we will be introducing summercamps and all. All in all, i started the math program, with help of the couple, and i got my friends to help. now to digress, i would also like to talk about the retirement home. its actually a nursing home, i serve drinks and chips during their happy hour, and i also porter the residents. one man i met was a particularly angry guy, but i found him funny, long story, so essentially, every 10mins or so, i wud go talk to him, after several weeks he became happier, the last time i saw him was the week before my ACTs, i was able to take him out to the happy hour event, he was smiling and was very happy, he even ate a full bowl of chips, which was a miracle. unfortunaetly he died about 2 weeks later in the howpital. My essay topic is going to be about this experience and what i learned from it. so to conclude, i dnt think my ECs are avg, they have a story behind them, its not simply something i did for the sake of getting into college .</p>
<p>@wannabefeynman was that wat u were looking for?</p>
<p>manas1997 Look Manas your are beating a dead horse here. Enough, everyone has told you its a long shot with your grades and test scores. We understand your EC’s, your Canadian Education, and your 85% GPA which makes you even more extra special. We have heard the Kumbaya moment, now face the fact every kid hopefully going to IViES or Tier 1 school has EC’s, and better grades, don’t believe us, go after your dream, but why waste everyone’s time, questioning the validity of the comments, you got your few minutes of recognition. </p>
<p>@manas1997
I agree with @Mark2m. Some people here have given you decent advise, which you became defensive against and ignored it. If you already have a pre-determined mindset, then there is no point in asking here. If you would be more open-minded and pay heed to the posts above, you would become much more realistic about your chances. </p>
<p>The “organization” you have for tutoring students in mathematics is good, but it is more or less average. Numerous people, including me, tutor multiple students - often for free. The only thing about that which is uncommon is that your “organization” is actually an organized group of people doing it and that it got mentioned in the newspaper, on the television etc. The same applies to you volunteering at the retirement house. Many people do that. Now, if you mention it in your essay and discuss what you learned from it, that is different. All I am saying is that it is a good, but not uncommon extracurricular activity. I do advise that you mention your experience in your essay though. Good luck!</p>
<p>@manas1997 Relative to the schools you’re aiming for, yes. In your community, probably not. Remember, we’re judging your app in relation to the schools you mentioned, not you in relation to life. </p>
<p>All of these are mid-high reaches. If you were a U.S citizen cornell would be high match/low reach and Carnegie Mellon would depend on your school there (computer science would be impossible). I suggest you look into other schools.</p>
<p>@mana1997 Your EC are commendable, and you should be proud of them. However, they are rather stereotypical and it seems that you are aiming for college rather than doing what you truly enjoy. Also, improving test scores is always a challenge, but with hard work, you can make significant leaps and bounds (I improved 2010 -> 2240).</p>
<p>@manas1997 Your grades are low. The Canadian system is actually very easy, and I’m taking the hardest courses my school offers, AP. I am Canadian, go to a Canadian high school, and have a 98% average overall. Moreover, I know of quite a few people within the 90-95% range at my school and at other schools too. </p>