Chance Me for Poli Sci/Econ T20s! [TX resident, 4.0 GPA, top 4% rank, 1510 SAT]

Chance Me / Match Me
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Hii!! I’m a junior and the closer I get to apps, the more geeked out I’m becoming about my chances. pls lmk if this is a competitive app for the colleges I mention or if I should aim a little lower! tysm in advancee!!! Sorry if some of the sections are vague, I don’t want to get doxxed :((

Demographics:

  • Gender: Female
  • Ethnicity: South Asian
  • State: Texas
  • School Type: Public

Intended Major(s):

  • Political Science, Economics (minor maybe)

Stats:

  • SAT: 1510 (Considering retake)
  • UW/W GPA: 4.0 UW/ 5.22 W
  • Rank: 19/568

Coursework:

  • APs (with scores): Human Geography (5), World History (5), European History (5), Psychology (5), Spanish Language and Culture (4), Seminar (5)
  • APs (no scores yet): Language and Composition, US History, Environmental Studies, 2-D Art, Statistics, Calculus AB, English Literature, Drawing, Biology, Government, Economics, Art History, Research
  • Taken political science pathway classes at my school (Practicum of Government, Political Science, and Mock Trial)

Awards & Honors:

  • AP Scholar with Distinction
  • Relational Organizing Award
  • Distinguished Delegate (Model UN conference in Austin) 2024
  • Best Position Paper (Model UN conference in Austin) 2023
  • Best Delegate (MUN in Austin) 2025
  • Artwork advancing to state level/ highest scoring in my district (3x)
  • C2 Spanish Certification (DELE)
  • B2 German Certification (Goethe)

Extracurriculars

  • Civics Unplugged Fellow – Developing solutions for global issues through civic innovation and policy.
  • County Youth Leadership Council – Working with community leaders on local civic initiatives.
  • Non-legal intern at local DA’s office- Supported office operations through administrative tasks, case organization, and community outreach initiatives.
  • Institute for Youth in Policy Analyst – Conducting research on U.S.-Mexico border policies.
  • TurnUp Activism Intern – 100+ hours of voter registration efforts, helped register 50,000 students with team.
  • Research Assistant (with local professor) – Assisted in data collection for a book on Gen Z, conducted 5 focus groups & did data aggregation for him.
  • Sister Cities Youth Ambassador – U.S. Department of State-recognized cultural exchange program with city in Germany.
  • Dallas Museum of Art Teen Advisory Council – Led accessibility initiatives, including “Art Beyond Sight” for visually impaired patrons.
  • Model UN (Vice President & Founding Member) – Organized fundraisers, won multiple awards at Model UN conference.
  • NSLI-Y: Awarded a competitive scholarship to study Mandarin in Taiwan, fostering cross-cultural understanding and global engagement. Part of a national initiative to enhance language proficiency, international cooperation, and national security.

Schools:

  • No ED
  • EA: Georgetown University; UNC Chapel Hill; University of Michigan; University of Virginia
    • Auto-admit to UT Austin
  • RD: Northwestern, Williams College, Amherst College, Swarthmore College, Barnard College, Boston College, Washington & Lee

pls be brutally honest <33

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So with your kind of profile, I think it is fine to apply anywhere really, as you appear to have the sorts of academic qualifications that make you qualified anywhere.

However, there is also a good chance you will not be admitted to any colleges with a very low acceptance rate, aka Reaches for Everyone. There are just way too many highly qualified students applying to those colleges for all those applicants to get a slot.

Given that, I would suggest a couple things. First, you really don’t need to apply to so many Reaches for Everyone. Currently you have a mix of large publics, midsized privates, and smaller Liberal Arts and Sciences colleges. I would put some serious work in to trying to figure out which of those experiences you really want for four years. I would also spend some time looking into things like setting (city, suburb, college town, rural), you could look at the details of their Poli Sci and Econ programs, you could look into student reviews and possibly visit, and so on. In the end, you really don’t need more than like 3-5 of these, or at most a couple more if you remain undecided between a couple types of college.

OK, then the next question is what should your Likelies and Targets be, because there is a good chance you will end up at one of those. So far you have named one Likely (actually an auto admit), Texas. But is that what you actually want? Like you have listed a lot of LACs, and there are LACs that would be likely to admit you. So why not consider some of those? You could also consider things like Honors programs, auto-merit, competitive merit, and so on.

Then same deal with Targets. Usually it makes sense to have at least 3-5 Targets, again maybe a couple more if you are unsure what type of college you want. For you, I would say any college with a 25-50% acceptance rate (for OOS if relevant) would count as a plausible Target (if 50%+, that would be a Likely, and if under 25%, that is a Reach).

Unless I am missing something, right now you have no Targets. Again, you should be very deliberate about your Targets, considering exactly what you want in a college experience.

As a final thought–some people choose a Likely or Target in the end, even if they get into one or more of their Reaches. That may be because of something like Honors or Merit. But they may also just really come to love one of their Likelies or Targets. So I would make sure you remain open to that possibility, and again it all starts with very carefully choosing your Likelies and Targets.

3 Likes
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Because you have UT Austin and you should be able to get your major choice, I think you’re fine.

I suspect you’ll get into more - but of course they are all reaches. So you never know.

Any budget concerns/issues - all those schools are very expensive (unless you qualify for need).

Given the major, there’s really a lot of places you can go.

But given you have the safety - where you apply is ok - and yes you have a chance anywhere.

If you’re not truly happy with UT as an option, then you’d need to expand your list.

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This is super important. You are very qualified, but all of the schools on your list are reaches, even for incredibly accomplished applicants. As others have said, if you stick with this list, there is a reasonable chance that UT will be your only acceptance. If that’s the case, any regrets about not including at least some targets and maybe some additional safeties on this list? In the end, most students feel a lot better about the college application process and results if they end up with some choices.

If you are adding schools, I would recommend, as others have suggested, that you really consider what type of environment you prefer. You can do political science anywhere, but your list is very eclectic, with a mix of large state schools, mid-sized privates, and small LACs. There is also a mix of locations with some in large cities, some in mid-sized college towns, and some (W&L) in smaller, more remote towns. Finally, there is a mix of geography - some midwest, some northeast, some southeast. It’s rare that one student truly has no preference in any of these categories, especially as to the size and type of school environment. Have you visited any of these campuses? With my two kids in college, once we visited several campuses, their preferences became much more clear. One quickly realized they liked small liberal arts with access to outdoor activities, while the other realized they wanted an urban environment with D1 sports and lots of school spirit. I don’t think either would be particularly happy at the others’ school, even though they are both objectively wonderful schools.

Honing in on your own preferences could then help you identify some other fantastic schools that might not be such high reaches. For example, if you’re wanting a large state school in the midwest, maybe add in Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, or Minnesota. If you realize small liberal arts is a better fit, then you could consider Bates, Bowdoin, Colby, Skidmore, Vassar, Macalester, St. Olaf, University of Richmond (and so many more). If a mid-sized private is more your speed, then maybe Wake Forest, George Washington, or American.

None of this takes away from your being a highly competitive applicant - you are. It’s just that all of the schools on your list routinely reject thousands of highly competitive applicants like yourself each year. So if UT would be a disappointing result for you, add in some additional schools that fit your preferences.

Good luck!

1 Like
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I’d also add before you consider “any” schools - you need a budget.

Most of your schools are very expensive - and while they have aid, for most it’s only need aid.

So the question is - assuming you don’t qualify for need aid - are your parents able to spend $90K a year (x4) and maybe more when your stats can get you as low as $20K a year?? That’s nearly a $300K save for four years.

If the answer is yes, they can afford it - then the next question is - do they want to afford it?

If you’re a full pay student but they’re only willing to pay $40K a year, then your entire list would need to be changed. This happens often - I am full pay and limited my daughter (same major) because I didn’t see the value (just a personal opinion) in spending $90K a year.

So it’s always budget first and that starts with your folks.

Not sure if you are full pay or not? Have them fill out a net price calculator. I put Swat’s below.

The good news is - Poli Sci is strong in far more places than you have listed - far more.

Good luck.

Welcome | Net Price Calculator

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Consider EDing to Barnard as ur chances of getting in are higher, you def have a shot.

Coming from a Barnard girl lol

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If you woukd like to combine your academic interests, consider applying to colleges with an available major in public policy, which relies on the fields of political science and economics for its foundation.