What are the HIGHEST schools I could be looking at?

Applying to College
1

<p>What are the highest schools I could be looking at? No Ivies probably. But like is Vanderbilt a viable option? (Top 20) Or lower like Lehigh (Top 50)? Or even lower like Boston University or Syracuse (Top 100).<br>
HELP! I really can't judge myself. </p>

<p>Rising senior, by the way. </p>

<p>Female, Age 16, Buffalo, NY, White
Estimated Class Rank: 10-20/275ish
GPA: 4.0 unweighted, 96/100
SAT: M: 640 V: 730 W: 730 (1370/2100)
Total APs by graduation: 6
So far, AP scores: AP European (4)</p>

<p>Classes:
Freshman year:
Biology Honors, 90. Regents Exam, 93
Design Drawing for Production, 100. Exam, 93
Global History I, 94. Exam, 96
English, 95. Exam, 98
Latin, 99. Exam, 99
Math, 90. Exam, 89
Advanced Spanish, 93. Exam, 96</p>

<p>Summer school to get ahead: Global II, 97. Regents Exam, 97</p>

<p>Sophomore year:
English, 100. Exam, 99
Math, 97. Exam, 88 Math A exam: 95
Advanced Spanish, 98. Exam, 99
AP European, 97 Exam, 98, AP: (4)
Advanced Latin, 99. Exam, 95
Earth Science Honors, 93. Exam, 94
Business and Personal Law, 99. Exam, 100</p>

<p>Junior year so far:
AP American, 99
English, 100
AP Government, 97
Advanced Spanish, 96
Advanced Latin, 99
Chemistry Honors, 94
Math, 97</p>

<p>Pretty steady incline in grades...</p>

<p>ECs:</p>

<p>Freshman year:
~ Class President
~ Principal's Advisory Council
~ Pep Club, Ambassadors' Circle, a couple others...can't remember...
~ JV Cheerleading (Most Improved award, lol)
~ Community service program (25ish hours over summer)
~ Latin award: Summa cumma laude - National Latin Exam</p>

<p>Sophomore year:
~ Student Congress representative
~ Principal's Advisory Council
~ Student Recognition Council (secretary)
~ Environmental Club (secretary)
~ SADD (Officer of Publicity)
~ Best Buddies (Officer of Publicity)
~ JV Cheerleading (MVP award)
~ Town of **** Supervisor's Youth Council
~ Community service program (50-ish hours)
~ Youth Consortium (promoting leadership and wise choices in younger teens)
~ Awards:
~ NY State winner of Essay Contest
~ Published in Parade Magazine: fresh voices
~ Featured: "Someone You Should Know": town newspaper
~ National Latin Exam: Silver Medal
~ Kodak Young Leaders Award
~ HOBY Youth Conference (summer)
~ National Young Leaders Conference (summer) (Assistant Majority Leader of Model Congress)</p>

<p>Junior year:
~ Co-President of Environmental Club
~ Vice-President of SADD Club
~ Student Congress Executive Board
~ Principal's Advisory Council
~ Student Recognition Council
~ Youth voting member of Town Board
~ Youth Consortium
~ Community service program: from summer 2004-present: 100+ hours
~ National Honor Society (maybe President -- running next week)
~ Varsity Cheerleading
~ Keynote Speaker: Junior National Young Leaders Conference
~ Girls State Nominee
~ 2006 NY State winner Lewis and Clark essay contest</p>

<p>~ WORK: Busser at restaraunt (May 2005-present, 12 hours a week)
Only member of family employed at moment due to father's cancer
Hostess at another restaraunt (Jan. 2006-present, 7-8 hours a week)</p>

2

<p>look at whatever the hell you want. no one here can tell you the highest ranking school you will be able to get into. </p>

<p>the important thing is to have more matches than reaches. you don't want to be screwed april 1st.</p>

<p>oh, and i say that with a higher math score, you should be able to get into a handful of top 25 schools (ie: uchi, nu, emory, etc.)</p>

3

<p>I would say the highest you should be looking at would be Rice and Northwestern (both high reaches). Emory and Vanderbilt seem like good options.
Do a good bit of studying and try to raise the 640 in math to a 700. That, along with strong essays, should make the necessary difference.</p>

4

<p>just do some searching, and look at sat scores at various colleges, and you can compare yourself to see if you would be a reasonable applicant</p>

5

<p>If you and your parents think you might need merit scholarship money that may impact your list -- instead of applying to the HIGHEST ranked schools you might get into, you will want to take it down a notch. It all depends on your financial situation. If your parents can pay the full $45K+/year or if you will qualify for lots of financial aid (and don't mind loans...) then applying to lots of reaches is fine.</p>

6

<p>Merit aid is huge for me. I think Tulane would be a good match for me because it gives great merit aid and it's a good school. What others are like Tulane?</p>

7

<p>the highest that you can get into......Ivy Tech Community College. :) jk</p>

8

<p>I'd try something like:</p>

<p>Georgetown (Reach)
Vanderbilt (Reach)
Wake Forest (Slight Reach)
Boston College (Slight Reach)
Lehigh (Match)
U. Miami (Safe Match)
Syracuse (Safe Match)
Boston U. (Safe Match)
U. Delaware (Safety)
SUNYs (Safety)</p>

9

<p>Well, your AI is only around 204.5, which rules out the Ivy league schools. (The problem from the Ivies point of view is you have a 4.0 GPA, but aren't even in the top 5% of your class.) But with your high GPA you should be able to get into most schools in the 25 to 50 range of the USNW ratings. </p>

<p>You need to do two things to get in, though. First of all, you have all these awards for things like essay contests and you've been a member in lots of organizations that get you awards from the local paper and all, but I haven't the slightest idea what you are interested in (except possibly Latin) since you seem to kind of be "all over the map" in terms of your interests. No offense, but it seems like you are geared to being "Miss Popularity" rather than focusing on a particular academic pursuit. So the number one thing I'd do is figure out "what's my passion".</p>

<p>The second thing I'd do if I were you is I'd start limiting some of these ECs to ones that fall into the areas of passion;--the things you are really interested in. For example, the political ones and the environmental ones (if that's your interests)--and point out some accomplishments of these positions. Right now I just see a long list of stuff that's jumbled together to say--"I'm good at everything--and I'll study whatever, and be good at it." Well, maybe--but maybe that works in a small high school, but not so well at a large university.</p>

<p>If you decide you don't want to take my suggestion because you like staying involved in everything--that's okay, too. But in that case, I'd plan on applying to LAC (liberal arts colleges) rather than national universities. The smaller, closer knit schools may then be for you--and that's what a lot of LACs are. In that case, I'd look at schools rated from 8 to 20 then. You're test scores are about in the middle of the range for these colleges. The problem with this is that these schools are not cheap--and, as you said, merit aid is an issue.</p>

<p>Here are some schools that might be good matches both with admissions and with cost because they are either cheap or give good aid packages:</p>

<p>LACs:
Colgate University (NY)
Grinell College (IA)
Colby College (ME) </p>

<p>National Universities:
Univ of Rochester (NY)
Tulane Univ (LA)
Lehigh Univ (PA)
University of Georgia (GA)
Boston College (MA)--though Catholic-run, so religious<br>
Univ of Notre Dame (IN)--though Catholic-run, so religious
Rensselaer Poly (NY)--though going to a math/science school for you is probably not really a match</p>

<p>For a reach school, I'd try Rice University (TX)--which is $20K a year tuition plus $6K housing, but gives packages averaging $18K per year to 1/3rd of their students.</p>

<p>Also, I agree with the previous poster that suggested SUNYs for you as safeties. SUNY-Binghamton is probably the best of the SUNYs, so I'd use that as my safety.</p>

<p>Lastly, I just want to say that I'm sure that your family appreciates you helping out by working right now while your father's going through this medical issue. I hope your father gets well soon, and that this all works out for you and your family.</p>

<p>P.S. I post which schools are religious only as an informational item--not because I either am or am not religious myself. I just want the op to be aware that the schools have religious affiliations.</p>

10

<p>calcruzer you are incredibly helpful!!!! thank you. </p>

<p>yes, i do dabble. id say my focus is "leadership" because i have lots of leadership positions, spoken at conferences about it, and its the thing that makes everything else tick and holding positions has helped to make me who I am today by learning from them, etc. hows that? lol</p>

11

<p>BTW, I am DEFINITELY in the top 10%, but class rank hasn't been calculated yet. I very well could be and probably am in top 5%. I'm probably between 10-15/270. I was just estimating.</p>

12

<p>I would suggest you to apply to Brandeis or Case Western. They give out quite a bit of money (I got a full tuition and 25,600, respectively) from them. My SATs were higher than yours and my rank was 8th but hey anything can happen (SATs 2210)</p>

13

<p>thanks!! anything else?</p>

14

<p>What exactly is the Regents exam and the Design Drawing for Production class? Seems kind of weird for a class.</p>

15

<p>Wow, I always thought a applicant like you was Ivy-league material (that is with a little higher SAT score). Damn I'm not even near your caliber, and I'm hoping for Ivies....hahaha</p>

16

<p>why can't you get into ivy league? You get all As, and the ivy league colleges have admitted people with more than one B before!</p>

17

<p>is there anything you can do to improve SAT? Maybe ACT?</p>

18

<p>Look at SUNY-Buffalo.</p>

19

<p>I would say you have a shot at Cornell. People with similar stats at my school have gotten in. (write good essays :p)</p>

20

<ol>
<li> Regents exam is a NY state exam.</li>
<li> Design Drawing class was for an art credit. Computer designing. Interesting stuff.</li>
<li> Made<em>in</em>china: thanks!! what Ivies are you applying to?</li>
<li> The suny-buffalo comment was very funny. ha...ha.</li>
<li> SAT score...working on it. hopefully will be able to get a 1400. 30 points more on my math score would be nice.</li>
</ol>

<p>i love how i make lists. lol thanks guys for all your comments!</p>