<p>I mean in addition to the Ivy League. I'm using the college match service on this website and, though my scores match the average scores of those admitted there, I am wondering if many of these schools are so competitive that there is pretty large chance you'll get rejected, even if you're a great applicant.
I'm talking about schools with under and around 15% admissions rates, like Georgetown, Duke, Johns Hopkins etc.</p>
<p>I guess its kind of obligatory here for me to give you some kind of reference of my application first:</p>
<p>Race: Native African</p>
<p>SAT: 2210</p>
<p>SAT II: 800 on Chem, US History and Math II</p>
<p>GPA:3.9</p>
<p>Class Rank: (not sure) top 5 of 220</p>
<p>ECs:
Regionally ranked athlete all-three seasons (captain)
Co-Editor-in-Chief of the School Newspaper
Co-President of Italian Club
A few other clubs and honor societies
~150-200 community service hours.</p>
<p>Essays: I'm usually a strong writer in my English class</p>
<p>I guess, what I'm asking is this: In general, can I trust that my SAT scores and GPA are just above or at the school averages (and that my ECs are good) in order to consider it a match?</p>
<p>GPA and test scores are only 2 metrics used. There are multiple factors for college admission. The whole concept of match, reach, etc on CC is kind of a big joke. How does a HS student know how to assess someone’s chances? Hardly any of us are seasoned ADCOM officers- we don’t know what a particular institution looks for from year to year, and we don’t know anything about the 30000 or so applicants who are applying each year.</p>
<p>I would say that most of the top 20 schools listed in USNWR would be considered reach schools. But you never know- perhaps a particular school has a history of accepting students from your HS, making it less of a reach.</p>
<p>From what I’ve seen (with my son’s applications last year) and read, you should be somewhat realistic about your chances. However, if you feel a school fits what you are looking for (and I’m not talking about prestige) then consider applying.</p>
<p>Agree with psychodad, But the numbers are not 30,000, it is much higher. There are 30,000 + High schols in US. Each year atleast 1.6 million students taka SAT exam. I don’t even know how many take ACT. So, the numbers are huge. Top 20 colleges, propably Top 30 colleges are unpredictable. Here is where CC can help you. You can go into each school’s accepted list and get a fairly decent idea where you stand. Given your Stats you will get into a top 20 school.</p>
<p>^ to clarify, I meant to say 30000 or so applications to each of many competitive schools.</p>
<p>Thank you both for the solid advice. I guess I’ll consider any schools in the top 30 at least a near-reach. </p>
<p>Thanks again!</p>
<p>In that case you are right on the nose for most schools. I just wanted to clarify the numbers, lest somebody misunderstands.</p>