Which colleges are really "right" for me?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Hold your breath - this is my warning - it's a long post. (I like to be thorough...)</p>

<p>I've already posted my stats in the Yale forum and in the "chances" forum.</p>

<p>However, I thought it'd be more appropriate to post this here because I'd love to get some feedback over my chances at the prospective schools I am applying to. I certainly wouldn't want to waste time and money over applying to a school I absolutely have no chance at, or would be unhappy at.</p>

<p>I'm really just looking for help with my list. My parents are pushing me towards Ivies / schools they have heard of, while my counselor is pessimistic about my chances... anywhere. </p>

<p>I'm a little apprehensive about this entire process - I really want to just apply to all of my reach schools, however, I know my pragmatic parents will protest against the ridiculous application fees (they really do add up). I'm trying to skim down my list, cut out the fat, and maybe add some necessary, but unexpected, spice into it. Whatever you'd like to offer, I'd just appreciate a response! </p>

<p>I think it'd be important to note that I'm definitely a girl who would flourish in a thriving college scene so most of the colleges I'm applying to are in vibrant college towns! I also want to study humanities during my undergraduate years, and then, hopefully matriculate into a medical school for graduate studies. </p>

<p>*My colleges: *</p>

<p>Fordham (fee waiver!), Northeastern (fee waiver!), Tulane (free app!), Boston College(?), Claremont McKenna, Colby, Vanderbilt, Northwestern (fee waiver!), UCLA, UC Berkeley, UC San Diego, Rice(?), Duke, Brown(?), and Yale.</p>

<p>Yale is my ultimate dream school, however I know the likelihood of getting in is against me. But, nothing is going to deter me from applying there! </p>

<p>I've also already applied to the UC's and I'm pretty much have my mind set on applying to Northwestern, Fordham, Tulane, and Northeastern. Advice about the remaining schools would be helpful! (Do I have too many reaches, too many safeties, not enough matches, etc.?)</p>

<p>So, onto my stats...
**
Objective:**
SAT I (breakdown): 2190 - 740 CR, 670 M, 780 W
ACT: Taking it tomorrow!
SAT Subject Tests: 710 LIT, 660 BIO, 640 MATH 2 (these scores are disastrous, but I'm sending in only my ACT to Yale,)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Weighted GPA: 4.3
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/430
AP (place score in parenthesis): BIO (4), CALC AB (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calculus BC, AP Literature, Physics (R), Journalism (Newspaper), Speech and Debate, AP Government
Took all AP/Honors of academic subjects except for Regular Physics
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): First Alternate for Girls State, Posse Scholarship Semi-finalist, NSLI-Y Semi-finalist (finalist status pending)</p>

<p>Subjective:</p>

<p>Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
Korea Society's Project Bridge Youth Ambassador - 11
Newspaper (Entertainment Editor, Editor in Chief) 10-12
Volleyball (League Champs x2, CIF Quarter Finalists last year, Varsity Scholar Athlete) 10-12
Club Volleyball (Most Improved) 10-11
Interact Service Club (Service Circle Leader, Social Chair) 9-12
Speech and Debate 9-12
Readers Club (Treasurer) 10-12
BP Fashion Board (hahahahahahahahaha, why not) 11-12
FBLA 9-10
Model UN 11-12
ROP Video Art 11
Job/Work Experience:
Youth Counselor to a summer school - summer before 12
Youth Apprentice at MOCA (Museum of Contemporary Art) - 12
Volunteer/Community service:
150+ hours from Interact
Volunteered at Cedars Sinai over the summer in the neurology dept. THEY LOVED ME <3
Summer Activities: Nominated by my school to attend YCS at Pepperdine
Freshi Film Camp (sponsored by my summer school employer)</p>

<p>Other
State (if domestic applicant): CA
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: less than 60k</p>

2

<p>you definitely have a good chance at northeastern univ, boston college, and ucsd. although the uc system is really capricious, you have a good chance at ucla with your solid gpa and ec’s. i think you have too many safeties like fordham and tulane. i guess it wouldnt hurt to apply since the application fee is free.</p>

<p>but good luck with claremont mckenna and the ivies! please chance mine! (:</p>

3

<p>You have a very high GPA, so I think you’d be a strong candidate for the UC’s (Berkeley, UCLA and UCSB.) I’d apply to UCSB if I were you. Many UCSB grads get into really good med schools too, and UCSB is a fantastic place to study in.</p>

4

<p>Okay thanks! Do I have enough matches? And are there too many reaches? I’m trying to skim the fat from my list. But thanks you guys!</p>

5

<p>I think you have a good amount of safeties…Fordham, Tulane and Northeastern are probably a given. You could definitely pull some serious merit money at Tulane and possibly the other two, which doesn’t hurt especially if you plan on med school. </p>

<p>As long as you have those, you can’t really have too many reaches…but if you’re looking to cut back, why not pick your top three or four and just go with those? Personally, this is the point where I would start cutting based on “unimportant” factors like location, how much I like the campus, and whatever else. For me there’s no point in applying to so many reachy-for-all places unless I’m really crazy about them. But then again I only applied to 5 colleges.</p>

6

<p>Ah, thanks irishrabbit! Unfortunately, I decided that I wanted to apply to Tulane on November 28 (or some time late / right before the Merit Scholarship deadline). My college counselor requires 3 weeks to fill out the recommendation and secondary school report… so I’m not sure if I’ll get the merit money I’d like to be getting!</p>

<p>Wow - only five? Everywhere I’m reading says apply to at least 8 colleges! I’m trying to cut down on my reaches, but at the same time, I really want to apply just to see what will happen! Those darn fees. I guess I’m really just trying to apply to schools I have a good chance at (I don’t want to be wasting money!).</p>

<p>Good luck with your application!</p>

7

<p>Applying to too many schools can reduce the quality of your essays and short answers for unique essays. Having said that, mt son applied to 14 and got into 10. His essays could.have been the reason he didn’t make the cut for four though they were very selective schools. He simply didn’t have time to write stellar essays for all 14. He did work harder on the schools he most wamted to go to and got into those and his safety schools. </p>

<p>So, you might want to pick 3 reaches, 4 likelies, and 3 safeties at the most and focus on your essays and showing the real you versus the person you think they are looking for. Show hoe you lead, make z positive difference, and think outside the box while being sensitive e go the needs and goals of the group.</p>

8

<p>Fordham (fee waiver!), Northeastern (fee waiver!), Tulane (free app!), Boston College(?), Claremont McKenna, Colby, Vanderbilt, Northwestern (fee waiver!), UCLA, UC Berkeley, UC San Diego, Rice(?), Duke, Brown(?), and Yale.</p>

<ul>
<li>BARNARD!</li>
</ul>

<p>(Hahah, I know, that doesn’t help at all.)</p>

<p>Okay, thanks for that advice! It definitely gave me a different perspective.</p>

<p>I guess what I’m having trouble categorizing is which colleges on my list is a reach, match, or safety.</p>

<p>3 Reaches: Yale, Northwestern, and I’m not sure which other one to pick.
4 Likelies: I’m not sure which is a likely for me… :confused: …
Claremont McKenna, Barnard (all girls in NY), …?
3 Safeties: Northeastern, Tulane, and Colby?</p>

9

<p>Neither Claremont McKenna nor Barnard is a match for you. They are both reaches.</p>

10

<p>I think it’s wonderful that you have a variety of options. Frankly, where ever you go, if you work hard enough, you can situate yourself for med school. Harvard Med school for instance is looking for students ALL over the country . . . applicants in the current class hail from 88 institutions, . . . everywhere from university of wyoming to stanford. On the other hand, I don’t get a clear picture of what you WANT in college. Aside from labels and familiarity with names, what specifically are you looking for in . . . school size, diversity, major. Maybe this is a silly question, but why Yale? What impression did you have as a visitor? Have you visited the campus?</p>

11

<p>Mmm, thanks for the blunt truth ghostt. Guess I needed that.</p>

<p>Thank you walk365days! The problem is that I’m not sure if I still want to be a doctor - it’s been my childhood dream, but there are so many different opportunities to pursue that it’s both overwhelming and exciting at the same time! :slight_smile: College will definitely be an eye opening experience for me.</p>

<p>It’s interesting that you cite familiarity with names as one of my incentives to apply to these schools (although, if I hadn’t known any better, I would’ve thought the same!) because I had no clue as to what each of these institutions were before I researched colleges. Except for, of course, Yale, Brown and the UCs. And I vaguely heard of Boston College because a student from my school matriculated there.</p>

<p>I’m really looking for a sense of community (rather than a sense of competition), a supportive environment (which goes hand in hand with the last), small class sizes, a focus on undergraduate learning, a great art program and a great research program.</p>

<p>Hm… I just wrote a very long response to your why Yale question (thank you for asking because I need to write something for the prompt anyway!). And then I erased it because I realized that others might take a line or two from it. Sigh, paranoid or what? Anyways to sum up what I wrote - I connected with the student representative from Yale, I never visited but each time any of my friends did, I loved the image they described, it’s a quirky and intelligent environment. Plus, their art and research programs are great. Their residential college system kicks butt.
And it doesn’t hurt that they meet full financial aid. </p>

<p>:D</p>

12

<p>full financial need*</p>

<p>whoops sorry.</p>

13

<p>If you want a sense of community, supportive environment, focus on undergraduate learning, look at the LACs instead of the Ivies/Universities. I know nothing about art programs (maybe Wesleyan and Oberlin?) but every highly selective LAC my DD and I visited over the past two years had TONS of research opportunities, and ALL of them FOR UNDERGRADS.</p>

14

<p>Consider the LACs in Washington and Oregon?</p>

15

<p>Thanks for that input! Mm I cut a few colleges! :D</p>

<p>Fordham (fee waiver!)</p>

<p>Hmm I kinda want to cut Fordham from the list because from my research it says that there are a lot of smokers there :frowning: And the animosity between Lincoln/Rose Hill doesn’t sound too great. BUT the application fee is free :x</p>

<p>**Northeastern (fee waiver!), Tulane (free app!), **Boston College(?), Claremont McKenna, Colby, Vanderbilt, **Northwestern (fee waiver!), UCLA, UC Berkeley, UC San Diego, Rice, Duke, **Brown(?), and Yale.</p>

<p>Okay, I guess what I’m trying to figure out now is WHICH are matches/reaches for me so that I can cut accordingly from there. I know that Northeastern, Tulane and Fordham should be safeties! :)</p>

16

<p>Might look at Holy Cross-very good school 1 hour from Boston. HC has very good pre-med.</p>

17

<p>Thanks for the suggestion ! I looked into the school and the whopping population of Asians ? 4%. And is it a coincidence that I talked to an alumna today who transferred from an out of state school to in state because she experienced racism? Another factor to weigh I guess !</p>

18

<p>So, are any of the schools I chose “matches” for me?
I know quite a few are reaches or safeties, but after talking to an administrator I realized that none are ACTUALLY matches…</p>

19

<p>Put “net price calculator” into each school’s search box and check whether they are likely to be affordable. Remember that “safety” must be definitely affordable as well as certain admission. A school that is not affordable under any circumstances should be dropped from the list.</p>

<p>Schools which consider “level of interest” (see section C7 of the common data set) probably do not like to be used as safeties.</p>

20

<p>I don’t think Claremont is a “vibrant college town”, although it’s a very nice place.</p>