<p>I am trying to decide whether I should apply to upenn, yale, or stanford for early decision/action. I am really worried that I will make the wrong decison and that I will not get into an ivy/top ten school. Here are my stats:
Act: 31, but I think I will have a 32 on my next exam
Sat 2's: Physics, 790; Mathematics Level 2, 760; Biology E, 720; U.S. History, 690; Mathematics Level 1, 690
APs: Biology, 5; US History, 5; AP Calc, 5; Physics, 5; Chem, 4; Euro 4; English, 3. I also plan to take 6 more APs as a senior and my AP Latin grade is not yet in (I took it late late late.)
GPA: 3.6-3.7 (I had a few bad grades in the 9th, and I have shown improvment every year)
randking:there are no rankings at my school
Classes: All honors and always hardest courses offered, I also took classes in the Duke tip program and got an A in Biology at Wake Forest (part of an actual college class)
Clubs: President of red cross club (I am a 4 year member, and it is the second largest club at my school) , and officer in a second club (it hasn't been named yet)
Awards: 3rd at ISEF, 2 time best in show winner at county science fair, I have been published twice in world reknowned scintific journals for my projects
Ext: Crew (4 years, and I was on the varisity boat)
Thanks in advance for the help</p>
<p>Simple: you should apply to the one you WANT the most. Remember that you will be forced to attend the one that accepts you ED, so make sure it is your top choice.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, I have to tell you that I think all 3 schools are very high reaches for you. Your GPA and ACT scores just don’t scream Ivy material. Your ECs are good, but not good enough to make up for the GPA/ACT.</p>
<p>Maybe try the SAT, or study A LOT to improve your ACT score.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>I am confused though, don’t my act score lie in the upper portion of the range for upenn and yale?</p>
<p>jenx is right. you should only apply ed if you are for sure with little/no reservations. the only way to get out is if they dont give you enough FA.</p>
<p>I really just want to get into the best school possible, and doing ed increases that chance. again aren’t my acts in the upper range for accepted freshmen for upenn, so why are they not ivy material?</p>
<p>“I am confused though, don’t my act score lie in the upper portion of the range for upenn and yale?”</p>
<p>Yes and no … mostly no. According to XAP, 92% of applicants submit SAT scores to Yale. According to PRINCETONREVIEW, mean SAT scores for accepted students is 1495/2240, which is very near ACT 34. And of course that 1495/2240 includes all the “hooked” students … most of whom tend to have lower stats than unhooked applicants. Add to this the “urban legend” that MOST applicants with PERFECT scores are REJECTED, and it appears that your acceptance prospects for Yale are even poorer than the general acceptance rate of nine percent.</p>
<p>would upenn still be a viable option though for ed?</p>
<p>ED is not for gaming to get into the best school. It is for you to communicate to the school that you will come if accepted. Calibrate yourself, find something with a non-zero chance, say 20-40%, some place you want to go, and perhaps ED that place.</p>
<p>I really think that you should ask yourself not “What is the best school i can get into?” but “Where do I really WANT to go?” If the answer is UPenn, then go for it. Of the 3 listed, I think you have the best shot there. So if you honestly and truly want to go there, then apply ED. It just might give you the edge you need to get you in.</p>
<p>To answer your question about your ACT score being in the upper portion of the range for UPenn and Yale. If you look on CollegeBoard’s site, a 31 or 32 is in the lower part of the middle 50% for both schools. You could probably get more exact numbers if you search the schools’ websites. But it looks to me that your ACT score is below the mean. </p>
<p>You did so well on the SAT Subject tests, that you could probably do better than a 32 if you study. This site has some great advice for studying for the ACT. Because really, you have great EC’s and the upward trend in grades must count for something.</p>
<p>mf - OK, you forced me to re-read your OP and I found something important … if you are published in refereed journals and the work is yours, then your prospects are much improved. (Why is that hidden at the bottom?)</p>
<p>In any case, I agree with 2bizee. First, you should be able to do MUCH better on your SAT/ACT. And second, if getting into an IVY is your goal, then UPenn and Cornell are your most likely prospects (due to the number of slots available). I happen to like UPenn better, but Cornell has some wonderful programs also.</p>
<p>what world renowned journals are these papers in?</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Another urban legend?</p>
<p>Can someone please show me data that supports this claim? Here at CC it seems to be an unassailable absolute truth that “legacies and athletes are ‘dumber’ but still get in”. Yet never once have I seen statistics that show that this group of “hooks” has appreciably different admit stats than the general population. In fact, here is an article about Dartmouth’s 2013 ED class (the place where athletes and legacies typically apply):</p>
<p>[TheDartmouth.com</a> | 401 members of Class of 2013 admitted early](<a href=“http://thedartmouth.com/2009/01/05/news/ed]TheDartmouth.com”>http://thedartmouth.com/2009/01/05/news/ed)</p>
<p>The gist of the article? </p>
<p>36% of the class comes from ED
87% are in the top 10% (vs 89% overall)
Avg. SAT is 2132, roughly the 50th%-tile of the overall class</p>
<p>Dartmouth is the only school where I have been able to find this level of reporting for the ED class. The results imply that the ED admits are an academically typical distribution of students, i.e. they’re AVERAGE for that school. </p>
<p>It might be comforting to believe that you were denied admission because the “hooks” took up all the “easy” spaces; but the statistics hardly support the image of athletes and legacies as mouth breathing oafs, lurching from one remedial class to another. </p>
<p>I realize that this rant is a bit off topic, my apologies. To the OP, ED is no help in admissions if your stats are far below average for a particular school. By going ED you are trading your freedom of choice (and ability to compare fin aid) for access to the full pool of available spots at a particular school. To take full advantage of that strategy, make sure you truly want to go there (i.e., regardless of the expense), and at least have statistics in the 50th%-tile.</p>
<p>“…includes all the “hooked” students … most of whom tend to have lower stats than unhooked applicants.”</p>
<p>I stand corrected. I should have said “… includes all the “hooked” students … MANY of whom tend to have lower stats than unhooked applicants.”</p>
<p>I’m not going to get into a p***ing contest over this. Regards the OP’s situation I think it fair to suggest that with NO hook it will be even more difficult to achieve acceptance to Yale with below average stats.</p>
<p>I don’t think your ACT is on the higher side of the application pool for the Ivy leagues. Although 32 is a decent grade, I don’t believe that it’s enough for most people to be considered as potential Ivy league students unless you have a superb GPA and EC (Which I believe you do since it is focused on science which I presume is your passion) and essay.
Since you still have the chance, why not take the ACT again?
The higher the better; there is no minimum score for standardized tests for these top tier schools, in other words the minimum is a 36! Haha.
As for which school to apply to, it is really up to you. Which one do you like the best? Which one fits your major? It’s not like people will look more favorably upon a Harvard student as opposed to a Cornell student because each has its own strength and weaknesses.</p>
<p>Alright, honesty time. Here are the ACT score ranges (representing 25%-75%) of the students at Yale, Stanford, and UPenn:</p>
<p>Yale: 30-34
Stanford: 30-34
UPenn: 30-33</p>
<p>As you can see, your score lies right at the bottom of the range. This means your score probably lies somewhere around the 35%-40% range of accepted students. Now, don’t get me wrong, your score is in the range, which is good, but your score is not “good” for Ivy League; it is average, if not a bit below average. When looking at these middle range scores, you have to understand that these ranges include everyone, including recruited atheltes, URMs, and legacies. As people have said, and I echo them, your best chances lie at UPenn, but that is still a reach. </p>
<p>Now on to something else. You are acting like a bit of a prestige hore (add w to the front). You DO NOT choose a school based on whether or not it is “good”. For all you know, you apply ED to UPenn, get in, and then HATE it. I know that right now this seems like an unlikely prospect, but it isn’t. Visit schools, give each a chance, regardless of US News rankings and average SAT scores, and find which suits you. </p>
<p>Finally, the reason I advise this to you, is that even though it is not out of the realm of possibility that you would get into UPenn, Yale, or Stanford, your chances are not amazing (especially for the second and third). Could you get in? Sure! However, you are nowhere near the GPA or ACT level to be considered comfortable, meaning you cannot expect admission. The thing that usually pulls one out of a GPA hole are ECs and SATs/ACTs, and although all of yours are good, they are not “OH EM GEE THIS KID IS RIDIC!” (because you know that’s how adcoms talk 
) </p>
<p>So my advice, again, is just to find a school which suits you, regardless of academic nature. Although, based on what you’ve said and your attitude, it is probable that your ideal school will have a very strong academic environment.</p>
<p>I think you should NOT APPLY ED to any of them. If by now you don’t have one you feel is the “school for you” and your favorite then you may pick one, get in, and not want to go there anymore, but wish you picked a different one! If you have to ask others which school YOU should go to most, ED is not good for you.</p>
<p>Also I agree with all others that these schools are a reach for you. Study hard and try to raise the ACT score to a 33 instead of a 32. Even though you probably have the best chance at getting into UPenn, you shouldn’t pick that school for that reason. Pick the one you love most, and feel is the best college (out of any, not only those three) for you.</p>