<p>I’m currently a junior in high school, planning on majoring in Finance or Econ. I’m planning on applying to the following schools. I was wondering if I have any shot at applying to these schools, or if I should just go to UW Madison and not apply at all.
Northwestern
USC
Duke ED</p>
<p>3.7 GPA, 3.85 average gpa for year 10/11
32 ACT
Class rank 22/112
Average classes like precalc and chemistry, taking ap Econ, stats, and lit senior year along with advanced accounting, physics, and Spanish 3
EC’s
High school soccer, varsity 11 12
Club soccer 9 10 11 12
Project unify 10 11 12
450 hour youth apprenticeship program in commercial banking
Class representative 11
Class treasurer 12
DECA 11 12
Around 100 hours of community service with special Olympics.
Wisconsin resident
Hispanic
First gen college student (parents didn’t graduate high school)</p>
<p>The commercial banking and first-gen hooks are interesting, but the GPA and ACT are challenging. So, write compelling/creative essays and give it a shot. If there are some notable results you can point to from the apprenticeship, then definitely play those up</p>
<p>OP, it’s seldom an either-or situation in life. Madison is an excellent school, first of all, AND there are many other opportunities in addition to your top three (at which you have some chance). If Madison is to be your safety, you have to want to go there, to be happy there, if you’re going to do well and get the most out of college. There’s a bit of the adolescent in your post, not surprisingly, but you need to move beyond that mindset in order to make the most of your opportunities. There are hundreds of schools at which you can excel with your aptitude for academics.</p>
<p>Please make your ability to pay for college your first priority in choosing additional schools. Run the net price calculators. Talk to your parents about what they can contribute each year. Don’t have dream schools. Instead, plan the next four years of your life and how you will pay for them.</p>