<p>Stats:[ul]
[<em>] SAT: 2310, 1530 (old)
[</em>] SAT IIs: 800 bio, 800 lit, 790 Math IIC
[<em>] GPA: 89.5 (One of the top 50 high schools in US; was hospitalized for a month)
[</em>] ECs: Wrote a book (not published), Karate, Art, Activism (commendation from a politician), Computer Team (review in magazine), State Champion in an intellectual sport (not chess; I don’t feel like specifying).
[li] Work Experience: 3 years of same job. Also, gardening, computer work, and other random experience.</p>[/li]
<p>[/ul]Colleges:[ul]
[<em>] McGill
[</em>] Maryland (College Park)
[<em>] UMass Amherst
[</em>] Columbia
[<em>] Brown
[</em>] NYU
[/ul]</p>
<p>Thanks. I’m curious both as to chances, and if there’s any luck of getting a scholarship.</p>
<p>UMDCP- in, good chance of scholarship
Columbia- reach(for everyone), i don’t think they give merit scholarships
Brown- see above
NYU- match, no idea about scholarships</p>
<p>sorry, don’t know anything about McGill or UMass Amherst</p>
<p>89.5 for all of high school, or just one year? I don’t think a month’s hospitalization can excuse four years of slacking off ;)</p>
<p>If the 89.5 is only this term AND it’s unweighted AND you have a (grotesquely) difficult courseload AND you can play the “special circumstances” card, you should have a great shot at all but Brown and Columbia, which are just tough for everyone. Apply to state schools w/ honor programs for merit aid - your SAT will be good for that.</p>
<p>I realize that you want to be secretive, but there’s a difference between state champ in, say, debate (lots of people involved) and sudoku (more “fringe”). The first could be a legitimate hook, while the second is more of a novelty EC - do you know what I mean? (Don’t be offended if it <em>is</em> sudoku - I’m commenting on popularity, not “worthwhile”-ness. :))</p>
<p>Just a note- no Ivy leagues give any sort of merit scholarships, either athletic, musical, or academic, so you won’t get money (aside from financial aid) from Brown or Columbia.</p>
<p>Canadian schools like McGill care much more about grades and much less about ECs (or so my Canadian friends tell me), so that average might hurt you. As post #3 said, one month of hospitalization doesn’t excuse a B+ overall average when you’re looking at top tier schools. Your SAT IIs speak pretty well for you, though. Do you have AP exam scores?</p>
<p>So I think you have a pretty good chance everywhere but Brown and Columbia, which are tough to say for anyone. Make sure you fully explain the circumstances of your hopitalization on your app, and have your guidance counselor write about it in their letter as well.</p>