Congratulations on all of your accomplishments in high school so far. You have a strong profile and will be competitive for nearly any college in the country.
Below are my guesses as to your chances might be at the schools you’ve mentioned:
Extremely Likely (80-99+%)
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College of Charleston (SC)
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U. of Pittsburgh (PA ): Apply early (like August) for a quick response
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U. of South Carolina
Likely (60-79%)
Toss-Up (40-59%)
Lower Probability (20-39%)
Low Probability (less than 20%)
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Brown
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Harvard
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Yale
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Dartmouth
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Brown
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Duke
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Johns Hopkins
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Williams
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Amherst
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UVA
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UMich
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Other top schools
By my count you have 11 schools in the low probability bucket plus “other top schools” which I’m guessing all have admit rates below 20%. The schools in this bucket tend to have many additional supplements that they will expect to be completed at a very high level, some of which don’t become evident until after you’ve submitted what you thought was everything and then you see another essay prompt in your application checklist in the school’s portal.
Right now, let’s say that these schools have an average of about 5 extra writing prompts beyond the Common App essay (and I think at least one of them has 7). That means you’re looking at around 55+ extra writing assignments for the low probability schools. Do you think you’ll be able to do that many individualized writing assignments to a high degree of quality, at the same time as you’re engaging in all of your extracurriculars and taking your planned courseload senior year? If not, I would strongly recommend considering which schools are your favorites and then culling the list to a number that you think you can complete well.
In looking at your list of schools, I think I see a pattern (like urban schools) and then I see Dartmouth and Williams. Or I see a lot of schools with athletic enthusiasm and then I see College of Charleston. What is it that you want out of your college experience?
Some questions you may want to think about:
- What size classes do you prefer?
- What size school do you prefer?
- How do you feel about urban/suburban/small town/rural schools?
- How do you feel about big enthusiasm for intercollegiate sports?
- How do you feel about Greek life?
- Are there particular places where you would like to be (or like to avoid)?
- Are there any climate issues (like the amount of daylight) that are important in your decision-making?
- Are there any particular interests you want to pursue beyond the academic majors you’ve mentioned?
- Are there any other factors that will be affecting your decision?
Lastly, if your only choices were those in your extremely likely bucket, would you be happy to put your enrollment deposit down and look forward to spending 4 years at those schools? Or do you think you would be trying to figure out other last-minute options that are available, or start thinking about transferring, or how quickly you can rush through college and move on to the next phase of your life? If you would not be happy and looking forward to attending a college for four years, then it shouldn’t be on your list.