What are my chances of getting into UMICH, which is where I live, Northwestern, and other top colleges? I am a chess player with a rating of 1706 USCF, an avid classical guitar player, and a photographer. I have been doing all of these for quite a while. I will be taking 2-3 AP classes in my Junior year and possibly 4 more my senior year, and by the end of my Sophomore year, I got a 35 on my ACT, with an 11 on the essay. Moreover, I have a 4.0 GPA thus far and speak English, Spanish, and am somewhat fluent in Romanian. I also participate in several clubs and play on 3 separate soccer teams (recreational, so it doesn’t really count). Still, I don’t play sports for my school like everybody else, and I also haven’t started studying for the SAT, as I will report my ACT score instead. What should I do? Do I need to play sports? Should I really worry about the SAT? And what are my chances for getting into UMICH (in-state and also have legacy), Northwestern, and other top colleges, like Yale, Stanford, and Johns Hopkins? Can someone please help me out? What else do you guys think I should do?
My D was in the same situation (from the same school with same score and GPA) and she got accepted by UMich and Northwestern a couple years ago. In general, if you don’t have sport or music (band/orchestra), you need something else in your EC to show your passion and how to use your time.