<p>I'm a rising senior who has been looking at terrific schools but I have no idea if I have any shot. I go to a prestigious public magnet school in NYC, top 50 according to USNWR. I'm not really sure what I want to major in but political science and economics are what I'm leaning towards.</p>
<p>-2150 SAT: 770 CR, 690 math, 690 writing and I'll take it again in the fall. SAT II: 780 Physics, 780 US History, 730 Lit
-My GPA has risen significantly. Currently 100+ which puts me in top 10%. However, my cumulative is around 96(I had around a 90 freshman year) which is just above the 50th percentile for my school (this is all weighted and on a 100% scale, I don't know what my unweighted average is). My school does rank but doesn't show the rankings unless the college specifically asks for them. Will most top 50 schools do this? Will it completely kill my chances if they do?
-Good ECs (NHS, JSA,newspaper, football, ect), presumably very good recommendations
-Strength of schedule is my biggest weakness. Due to stupidity on my part, I haven't taken any APs. Also because placement in AP classes depends on cumulative average (which in my case is very mediocre) I'm only taking 2 APs and 1 college level courses next year. How much does this hurt me? Would it be worth it to take a course at a community college (college now) to show that I'm not lazy?</p>
<p>Colleges I'm considering:Cornell, UPenn, UChi, Gtown, GW, BC, Brandeis, Johns Hopkins, NYU, SUNY Binghamton, Berkeley, WUSTL. I want to apply ED to Cornell, is there any point? Do I need to readjust what is realistic for me? What are good safeties for me (I was thinking about Stony Brook, BU and/or American)?</p>
<p>Edit: I'm new to this forum and didn't realize there was a specific "chance me" section. Is there any way to move the thread?</p>
<p>Very similar college hopes to me, I would suggest you also look at University of Rochester. BU would also be a good realistic, and American would probably be a safe match or an upper safety.</p>
<p>budda - I think you should keep some reaches on your list. But I also think you need a plan … and I don’t see one in your OP. Which schools do you expect to be accepted at? Which are low reaches? (I see plenty of high reaches.) Will you be applying early to the rolling admission schools on your list? I can tell you from personal experience that it’s wonderful to be able to say at Thanksgiving “Yeah, I’m in at the SUNYs … now I can focus on my reach schools.” Good luck!</p>
<p>NewHope33, the problem is that I have little idea where I can expect admission, given my stats. My SAT scores and current GPA make me look like a much better applicant than my cumulative GPA and strength of schedule, and I don’t know which colleges will stress what more. I thought that GWU, Brandeis and SUNY Bing where low reaches, given the average SAT scores and the acceptance rates, particularly from my school(Naviance is amazing), but I’m not sure. My plan was to apply to the SUNYs and American ASAP as they have no supplements, then work on the ED to Cornell. After that, I’ll work up my list in order of difficulty getting in(meaning I apply to the colleges I have the least chance at last). What do you think?</p>
<p>if you’re in the top 50th percentile, I would have to say that the Ivies are out of your reach. Same with JHU, Chicago, Berkely, and WUSTL.
however I think you have a shot at BC, NYU, American, etc. and maybe even GWU. If you’re instate, I would look at Bingampton and Geneseo as safeties along with Stoneybrook. Also, you say you have strong ECs but what are they? Pretty much every applicant to these top schools does NHS, newspaper, etc. Do you have leadership positions? Have you won awards? Just things to think about</p>
<p>budda - IMHO, your history is just interesting enough that you MIGHT receive admission from a reach school. That said, DD was wait-listed at WUSTL with much better stats than yours … there are no guarantees. So yeah, get your SUNY apps in ASAP, and start working on that Cornell ED app. I think you’ll have two SUNY acceptances in hand by Thanksgiving, and at that point you can reduce your application list to the handful of reaches you like best. Good luck! Oh, BTW:</p>
<p>SUNY rolling apps is pretty well known, and I’m relieved somebody else thinks I have a safety in Bing. bobdylan4444, do you think that percentile is less important when dealing with much more competitive schools, or is the top 10% stat vital? My ECs are much more depth then breadth, and I aim to talk a lot about JSA, in which I have various leadership positions and honors. Will schools like this? I’ve improved my grades quite a bit, is this something I want to write about, or will it sound like I’m trying to use current performance as an excuse for slacking off freshman year? bobdylan4444, if the best schools on my list are simply out of reach, do you feel william and mary, UCLA, and/or UMich work as mid-reaches?</p>
<p>Oh btw, bobdylan4444 you have an amazing chance at absolutely any school in my opinion, given excellent stats +URM status. On that topic, I think I forgot to mention that I am a white male.</p>