<p>I'm a sophomore at a highly competitive school in New Jersey. I took the SAT II Math IC and IIC in middle school, and got a 770 and an 800 on them, respectively. I also took the
SAT I test in the 8th grade an got a 2200. Freshman year, I had one of the heaviest course-loads in my grade, taking Honors Precalculus, Honors Biology, and Honors Chemistry, while taking Honors wherever I could. However, I ended freshman year miserably, with a 3.51 UW/ 4.11 W. Being a glutton for punishment, I skipped AP Calculus BC over the summer, taking Honors Multivariable Calculus sophomore year, as well as AP Biology, Honors Physics, and a bunch of other Honors classes. I am probably going to get a B in AP Biology, and I might also get one in Honors Physics.
I am a tournament-level chess player, with a USCF rating of about 1520. I have been playing chess all my life. I received a gold medal at the NJ Science Olympiad state tournament. I was also part of the team that placed 1st there. I am an avid participant in my science and math clubs, having done well in Mandelbrot, AMC and PUMAC (Princeton University Math Competition). Is there anything at all that can be done? I project my GPA will be at around a 3.7 by the start of junior year. My weighted GPA will be much higher, though not outstanding.</p>
<p>I would like to apply early to some colleges, specifically U Chicago, Caltech, MIT, UNC Chapel Hill, and U Michigan Ann Arbor, all EA. However, I was also contemplating applying to Penn ED. Is that a good idea? Which of the two options is better suited for me? I mean, I would absolutely love to go to Penn, but my chances don't seem very good.</p>
<p>You have one more year to plan. U Chicago, Caltech and MIT are open EAs meaning you can apply to them all without breaking any rules. However, if you dont believe you can’t get into UPenn, these three are not pushovers either.</p>
<p>It is too early for you to worry about it since it would depend on your accoplishments by September of your application year. Start paying more attention to your grades and play the game of doing well in classes you take as opposed to trying to prove yourself by taking classes ahead of sequence. No school cares that you were far ahead of others in your class selection but they care very much that you do well on any class you take at a minimum. So it gives you zero advantage in the application process to say you skipped over Calculus BC and took multivariable calculus if you dont also manage to get an A in it.</p>
<p>The colleges expect you take the hardest curriculum available to you but also DO WELL in those classes. So as long as you make wise choices for your junior year and do well in those classes and ensure your sophomore year grades are good, you may have more options during the application process.</p>
<p>No, I agree with him completely. I think your best shot is to apply Early Decision to somewhere like the University of Alabama, which would still definitely be a high reach. With that many 'B’s already by sophomore year, your chances of even going to a top 100 college are slim to none…</p>
<p>lol Saugus is ■■■■■■■■, I got an in-state scholarship to UA without even applying and they do not have an ED plan.</p>
<p>Surprised that Georgetown is not on your list. Maybe you’re not a politics person and don’t like Georgetown.</p>
<p>Also, University of Chicago used to have really high acceptance rates (hovering above 60% 10-20 years ago) but still produced successful alumni because of self-selectivity. Used to have the “uncommon application” that required extremely thoughtful answers too.</p>