<p>Hey Guys! I'm a high school junior right now and I just got my SATs back. I'm trying to figure out if my school list is reasonable or if there are any places I should add to my list. </p>
<p>ACT - 31
English 33
Math 32
Reading 31
Science 28</p>
<p>Class rank: 1/180
full IB diploma candidate
IB COURSES: Spanish, humanities, world religions, biology, world history, music theory, math SL, math HL</p>
<p>GPA: 3.98 (I got 1 B+ in chemistry as a sophomore)
QPA: 4.825 (not necessarily out of 5 because we have required regulars theology courses- catholic school-)</p>
<p>EC's: (all awards do not include projections for senior year)
Speech and debate (5th in state, 2x qual to nationals)
Model UN(best speaker award and 3x chair)
Math club (3 year VP)
Student council (3 year VP)
International Thespian society (treasurer this year, will be VP next year)
Spanish club
Finance club
Founder and captain of academic sports league at my school
Finance club
Feed the hungry club
Multicultural club
Been in 8 high school musicals and 30+ in my life
I know I'm forgetting some...
Black belt in mixed martial arts
Piano lessons since 6
3 years of violin lessons
Self taught guitarist since 10years old
Nearly fluent in Mandarin Chinese (taught to me by my best friend from china)</p>
<p>Sports:
4 year Basketball
1 season baseball
Summer tennis x3summers</p>
<p>Okay so I want to go into engineering most likely. </p>
<p>Schools: (long list that I'm looking to chop down)
Harvard
Yale
Princeton
Stanford (went to summer camp last year there - maybe hook?)
MIT
CalTech
Columbia
Penn (from PA)
Cornell
Duke
Notre Dame
Virginia
North Carolina
Pitt
Emory
Dartmouth
Johns Hopkins (took online courses there when I was younger)
Michigan
NYU</p>
<p>Which of these are reasonable? Unreasonable? Anything I should add?</p>
<p>All of these are “reaches for everyone”:
Harvard
Yale
Princeton
Stanford
MIT
CalTech
Columbia
Penn (from PA)
Cornell
Duke
Dartmouth
Michigan</p>
<p>although you may have a decent shot at (still as a reach):
Notre Dame
Virginia
Johns Hopkins
Emory</p>
<p>Impossible from OOS:
North Carolina</p>
<p>Safety:
Pitt</p>
<p>Only match, but if you need FA run the net price calculator to see how much it’d cost wrt how much your parents can pay
NYU</p>
<p>Right now, the way your list is devised, odds are very very high you’ll attend Pitt. (No, applying to lots of reaches doesn’t increase your odds of one turning into non-reach and admitting you). Read the results threads and how many students with your stats got into few schools.
Your record is impressive - a ist that has 16 reaches and 1 safety doesn’t reflect your profime (or your intelligence ). Please find better matches and at least one more safety.</p>
<p>Tulane, UF or FSU, UAlabama Honors ONLY if you’re interested in CS (you need 32 ACT for general honors)/
Look into Davidson, perhaps Rollins, URichmond. If you like UNC-CH and want a safety version of it, you have NCSU if into STEM, if not UNC-W or Appalachian State. In Virginia, William&Mary, James Madison, UMW (reach/match/safety). </p>
<p>If you can get CR to 700 you can apply, keeping in mind your odds are about 19 out of 20 you won’t get in (ie., the “regular” odds, explaining why this is a “reach for everyone” school). Overall, don’t focus on dream schools. Focus on safeties you like and can afford + match schools. </p>
<p>Your list is full or schools that are reaches for virtually everyone (Ivys, CalTech, MIT, ND) and schools like UNC, UM, and UVa are also difficult assuming you are OOS… I’d say that UM, JHU and Emory would be high matches probably. Definitely apply to UM early so you can hear back by December. I’d suggest you look at some more match/safety schools possibly URochester, RPI, Lehigh,and, Villanova to name a few.</p>
<p>Thanks a ton guys! Ya I’m out of state for all of those. But have legacy at Notre dame. So that could help? I really like some of those suggestions too. I’ll apply early to as many as possible because if I can get an early acceptance to a school I like (UNC Mich NYU) that’d be awesome. Also I’m a white male with no hooks anywhere. Is there anything I can do for a hook to tough schools? I’m a good writer so I’m interesting in maybe writing a book. But idk if that would help. Thoughts?</p>
<p>You can only apply to one school ED. If you have a clear first choice, apply there. Alongside that ED school, apply to a few rolling admissions schools (some state flagships) and EA schools.
A “hook” is bringing something the school really really wants. Legacy at ND is one. having your book published at 17 would be a hook, except publishing a book often takes a year, and you haven’t even started writing, so I’d forget about it in terms of college admissions and only do it if you really have an idea bursting out from you.</p>
<p>Thanks again. This has been really helpful! My clear first choice is Notre Dame. I’ve really grown up with it. </p>
<p>What do you all think of applying to no early decision schools but instead applying early action to…
MIT (as a stretch)
Chicago (also stretch)
ND (hopefully the legacy thing will make it a match)
Virginia (ik it’s tough OOS but never know)
Michigan (match?)
UNC (again tough OOS)
Pitt (safety)
Villanova (I have the scores but idk) </p>
<p>Then after seeing where I get in I can figure out a regular decision list?</p>
<p>If your clear first choice is ND, then ED to ND.
Don’t bother with UNC OOS.
Check out the EA policies at the other schools. Some schools that have ED don’t have EA.
Are you in-state at Pitt? If so, apply there and Penn State as soon as the app goes live (Sept1 or thereabouts).</p>
). Please find better matches and at least one more safety.</p>