<p>I know at least UNC, and I believe W&M, UMich, and UVA all weight ECs fairly significantly when admitting OOS kids.</p>
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<p>No. Do what interests you and will earn you accomplishments. Community service is becoming less valuable in the admissions process as kids everywhere are sent on mission trips, soup kitchens, etc. It does nothing to set you apart from the pack, and done at the last second, it would just look like a last ditch effort to scrap something together. Your ECs are fine.</p>
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<p>The rigorous program was likely a big boost, but OP, take this to heart: You don’t have to cure cancer, just focus.</p>
<p>I recall a thread on the parents forum where parents of Ivy kids were sharing their stories about how their kids who got accepted there were NOT novel published/olympians/intel winners. While super-ECs help, they are clearly not a pre-requisite. Like most things on CC, it’s more hype than actual reality (just like HYPS is not full of only students with 2400 SATs either).</p>
<p>My friend, who has extremely similar stats and NO extracurriculars, got into Cornell E.D. this past fall. She’s the rare exception to the rule, I guess.</p>
<p>Try to gain some leadership positions in the activities you are involved with before you submit your apps. I would suggest applying to a mix of good public and private schools, like the ones other posters have mentioned. Good luck!</p>
<p>This is all absolutely ridiculous.
You people are discussing where this person might get in as though you are experts, but in fact none of you have a clue.</p>
<p>Apply wherever you would like, don’t let these “professionals” dictate where you “might” stand a chance in their professional opinion.</p>
<p>Those ECs seem fine. If you’re a senior, just wait. If you’re a junior, maybe do something over the summer.</p>
<p>Hey OP, your ECs and stats are good enough to get into many prestigious schools. Don’t stress, apply to as many colleges that interests you. My friend had lower SAT scores and a bit less ECs with a 4.0 (UW) and got into Brown. When it’s time for you to apply to colleges, don’t leave out the Ivys.</p>
<p>I’m not so sure about that. I know of several instances where higher-scoring/GPA applicants with dispassionate ECs were rejected from Duke and lower-scoring/GPA kids with impressive ECs got in. But you will find you won’t need to cure cancer at schools below HYP once you’re above a certain score threshold as long as there’s evidence you did something other than study once in a while. Or so my all-knowing anecdotal evidence tells me.</p>
<p>My S’s classmate got into Caltech last year. Extremely bright science/math student but not a NMSF nor did he enter any science competitions, math contests, etc. Our HS is pathetically weak in these areas. He did summer programs through CTY including a NASA program one summer- but basically no other EC’s. Interned his senior year at local observatory. Was on a sports team at school, but often did not show up to events and was not first string. No other school clubs or activities. No leadership positions.
So just focus on your interests and pick one thing to do this summer that reinforces your interests. If not research, how about an internship this summer- say at a local publication for journalism.</p>
<p>I find it hard to believe that 2300+ and 3.9+ GPA wouldn’t give you a substantial chance at all of the Ivies. Read the book “A for Admissions”; students who are academic powerhouses don’t necessarily need to show exceptional social skills or leadership skills.</p>
<p>I cannot remember exactly, but somewhere in the neighborhood of 25% of kids with 2400 SAT scores receive Ivy League rejections. I personally stand by my opinion that grades and scores are used more to filter out students than to filter them in. It just seems practical that a school sets a numerical threshold for each bin of students (hooked, URM, etc) that automatically excludes anybody below say, 1.2x the anticipated admission volume.</p>
<p>Put another way: if a college decides to admit 1000 students and has 10,000 applicants, the SAT scores will be ordered, and only the top 1200 scores will have their apps perused further.</p>
<p>The numbers are completely contrived, I am only somewhat confident about the approach.</p>
<p>75% acceptance rate to the Ivy League is pretty high, though of course the pool of 2400 scorers is far too small to draw any kind of conclusion.</p>
<p>You hardly have no ECs. For someone who lacked them, I’d say an excellent big state school, like U of Michigan or the UCs, or Canadian Universities. </p>
<p>You are probably competitive at a lot of top schools, especially if you do research over the summer (assuming it’s related to your interests). I’ve been on my school’s debate team throughout high school, although I have more dedication than talent in it, in the math club, play with arts and crafts in weird ways, volunteered a bit, and attended a math camp. My mom was rather unimpressed with my ECs. I have very limited and unimpressive math awards, one chem award, and NMSF. So far, I got rejected from MIT, but admitted to Caltech. Find which schools you really like, and try an extracurricular you really love, or get more involved in your current ones. You don’t have that much space for ECs on your app. You already have enough really. You aren’t guaranteed admission, but you certainly stand a chance. For you, a major factor would probably be your essays, as the other aspects would be strong, but not unusually great. There are a lot of factors in the process, and decisions are not that predictable at many places.</p>