Hey guys,
I’m going to be a junior in HS in September and I really want to get into prestigious schools such as Swarthmore, Amherst, etc. ( I have been to both campuses )
For freshman and sophomore year I definitely could have done better…
GPA : 3.6 unweighted or a 91.5%, I hope to raise it to a 3.7 by the end of junior year
SAT : 2100, I think it can go up to a 2150 by the time I take my SAT’s
I’m going to take SAT 2’s for Math level 2 and Literature (expecting around 700 for both, hopefully higher)
Debating whether to take chem SAT 2 or spanish SAT 2,
Extracurriculars :
Varsity soccer since 9th grade (We won our league and got a trophy in 10th grade)
A College Readiness Program in the summers and during the school year since 9th grade
Summer Camp for a week where I do various community service activities (~35 volunteer hours) since 9th grade
Red Cross Club since 10th grade
Going to join 1 more club next year (math team/math club most likely)
Volunteered at YMCA and different places every summer starting from 10th grade
Other than that my EC’s aren’t that interesting - no awards or anything that really stands out 
Maybe I could create a club next year lol
Also, I’m going to be applying for QuestBridge, hopefully I become a finalist!
PS : I’m an Asian American Male in NY, idk if that changes anything
I’m pretty sure I have really low chances of getting into schools like Swarthmore and Amherst, but I wanted to know what you guys thought of my chances, how I can improve, etc. T
THANKS!
One more thing - say I get a 4.0 gpa straight through junior year, how much would that boost my chances? It would raise my overall gpa to a 3.7 (unweighted). Ty 
Your SAT and GPA are very low. Added that you’re an Asian male, I encourage you to look at other colleges instead of just the top LACs.
Would you recommend colleges with an acceptance rate of 20%, 30%, etc? And I do have another 6months or so to study for the SAT which I’ll work very hard on. Do you have any feedback on my EC’s and the subjective aspect of my application? Thanks
Since you are still a junior, you still have time to pursue leadership positions and clubs and win some awards. If you do that a get your SAT score to low to mid 1500s or a 34 on ACT, you can still try for some top LACs. If you are looking for some other colleges, try the supermatch tool.
Thanks and im going to be a junior next year. I also forgot to add that i would be first gen to go to college. if i manage to become a qb finalist as well, do you think I have a decent chance at top LACs?
Maybe Ben and I have a different definition of top LACs, but I don’t think you should totally be ruling out tips LACs the way he seems to be suggesting if you don’t get a 34. WAS will be a big reach, and the Top 25 (or whatever the arbitrary number is that determines if a LAC is elite) will be reaches, but not unreasonable.
What are your academic interests? Would you prefer rural, or near a city?
Being male will be an advantage at some LACs, such as Middlebury, Vassar, or Conn College.
Cool! And as long as it is in the eastern coast it wouldn’t matter to me whether the school is rural or urban,but I do prefer a smaller college environment
What do you think about my chances at becoming a Qb finalist? Is it more or less the same as getting into top LACS? I made another thread if you want more details
To be honest I’m not very familiar with the QB process, someone else can probably be of more help there.
As other responses indicated your stats seem on the low end for Swarthmore and Amherst but being a boy can be a slight advantage at LACs for admission. The other problem is that these two have small entering classes so they are extremely choosy. Look at Wesleyan seriously given that it is the largest LAC in this prestigious group. If your stats don’t improve this junior year look at test-optional schools like Bates and Bowdoin.
@Oregon2016 I thought my GPA was much worse than my SAT … should I work harder on SAT and SAT 2’s?
The main issue I see here is your GPA, which is low for the more prestigious LACs. The 2100 SAT is quite good (what was your M/CR/W breakdown?), certainly within striking range of what you need. It probably roughly corresponds to a 1450 on the new SAT or maybe a 30-31 on the ACT.
Do you know your % rank within your class? Weighted GPA? Are you taking especially challenging courses like AP/IB?
As a first generation, low income candidate, that may give you an admissions boost with respect to diversity. Also, LACs generally are weighted towards female applicants and historically don’t attract a lot of Asians. So being an Asian male is also a plus.
That said, given your GPA, I recommend that you look at the Colleges That Change Lives - ctcl dot org for LACs where you would be in the upper half or quarter of the applicant pool, as opposed to the bottom quarter, where your stats would likely fall for Amherst/Swarthmore/etc. Maybe take a look at Vassar? Also competitive but slightly less so. Look for schools that are known for generous need-based/merit aid.
There’s also Lafayette, Dickinson, Franklin & Marshall, Bucknell, all small liberal arts colleges that are easier to get into than Swarthmore and Amherst and such.
Since OP is low income, need based aid will probably be better than merit.
Here are colleges that on average meet at least 94% of need (as the school calculates it):
http://www.thecollegesolution.com/list-of-colleges-that-meet-100-of-financial-need/
Many there are LACs.
Note URochester does not guarantee need met, and should be bolded. Not sure about other mistakes.
Albright is a less selective LAC (in comparison to the other schools that meet need) which meets need and is missing from the list.
Keep in mind that some schools (eg Occidental) will include loans above the Staffird amounts in financial aid packages, or calculate need in a less-than-generous way (eg USC).
Thanks guys! I’ll definitely use that list in the future ^
And my school does not weigh gpa nor does it rank students. They don’t offer APs or ib’s but I did mathe honors in 10th grade, and I’m going to take Calc a semester early because of that. Hopefully I take honors spanish junior year as well. Besides math and Spanish, no honors classes are offered.
My SAT math is like a 720 and the other section is 700ish
Do you guys think I have a legitimate chance of being a QB finalist? Thanks
@yc073000 you need to read through the Questbridge threads on CC and then post your own QB-specific question to get an idea of your chances through that program. As a non-QB applicant both your GPA and SAT numbers are low for the most competitive LACs.