Chance Me/Match Me SLACs + Top 20s [3.5 UW, and 4.26 W GPA], 1590 SAT]

Chance Me / Match Me
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Demographics: White/Asian female, very competitive region in CA, upper middle class

Academics: 3.98/4.00 UW, 4.7/5.0 W
SAT: 1580 in one sitting (780 english, 800 math)
13 AP Classes, 5s on all so far (Chinese, APUSH, 2D Art, Calc AB, World, Lit, Chem), taking 6 this year (3D Art, Calc BC, Physics C Mech, Bio, Lang, Psych)
Took a couple community college classes in psych

Intended Major: Neuro or Psych

Awards/Honors:
National #30 for three years (highest placement was 24th) in a sport w/ similar competitiveness as field hockey or water polo
Scholastic Art and Writing regional silver key & honorable mentions
Presidents Service Award (Gold) for three years (didnt know this was a thing freshman year)
A separate regional art competition 10-30 chosen/a few thousand submissions
Same sport as earlier, my school won a regional championship (our region is 2nd most competitive in US for my sport)

ECs:
student org turned non-profit w/ 60 members, 400-700 students (depending on the year) and $15,000 funding (don’t want to put too much but it’s bio related) (700 ish service hours)

research internship (one of those summer programs) studied neuro, no paper but i did experiential research and presented findings

mentorship where I made a healthcare related pamphlets/posters and distributed them to hospitals & clinics (sent abt 4,000 & reached 5000+ people)

bio club officer

hospital volunteer (200 ish service hours)

taught after school classes on enviro science & raised $5,000 for them (400 ish service hours)

bred and sold mourning geckos (about 1,000 of them)

lit review on a neuro-related topic that was published in a student journal

TA at my school for ap bio teacher

editor for school’s newspaper

Essays: 7/10? I’ve heard most people overestimate how good they write

LOR: english teacher who loved my writing 8/10
bio teacher who liked me 7/10
art teacher for art supplement 8/10

Other:
Was kicked out for a few months after disclosing sexual orientation to my parents (oops)

Colleges:
Amherst (ED) (Reach)
Carleton (Reach)
All of the UCs (Safeties, Targets, Reaches)
Williams (Reach)
UMass (Safety)
Wellesley (Reach)
Smith (Reach)
Case Western (Target)
Northwestern (Reach)

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As you have noted, Amherst is a reach, but you have competitive things to put on your application…so apply and see.

I would suggest that you submit your other applications at the same time, and especially at places where you might qualify for merit aid (some have early deadlines for this). UMass is one such place. Case Western is another.

You should check the dates for merit aid consideration at your colleges.

Good luck with Amherst. If you get accepted, you can always withdraw those other applications. If not…they will be done!

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Thank you! I actually do plan on applying to Case Western and UMass early, so hopefully I’ll get some acceptance and maybe aid

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You strike me as a realistic applicant for Amherst. Obviously it is a reach but as long as you know you can comfortably afford it and it is your favorite, I see no reason not to give it a shot.

One question I have is why you do not have any Likely or Target LACs, since Amherst is your favorite and you are also looking at Carleton, Williams, Wellesley, and Smith. There are so many interesting, academicky LACs, many of which I suspect might offer you merit, so it seems to me like at least having some of those on your list could be a good idea.

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As you would know from your own research, Amherst established the first undergraduate neuroscience major in the nation. From an academic aspect, then, it would seem to represent an excellent ED choice for you.

If you might be interested in additional ideas, look into Hamilton and Brown, which offer similar curricular flexibility to that of Amherst and Smith. If you would like to expand your Midwestern group, consider Grinnell.

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Thank you! I’m not sure why I didn’t include them in this list, but I am applying to a few other LACs (Mount Holyoke, F& M, Agnes Scott, etc.) that I will hopefully have a more realistic chance of getting into.

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I did have Brown on my list originally, but took it off because I didn’t like some aspects of the school, but I will definitely look more into Hamilton and Grinnell. Thank you for your recommendations!

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You are a competitive applicant for any school in the nation which offers your desired major.

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Great! I think with that information, you have what looks to me like an excellent application plan shaping up. Possibly as you learn more about specific colleges you can make some additions or subtractions, but overall it looks to me like you have been very thoughtful.

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My list is definitely not final as I’m still looking at some targets/safeties, thank you for your suggestions!

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This sport that you are nationally ranked in: Are you not planning to do it in college? That would seem to be the hook that could get you into Amherst.

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Amherst doesn’t have my sport, though I do have offers from some schools (Brown, Pomona, etc.)

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I realized I kind of did this in the wrong place so just doing it here for more info. Would definitely like suggestions on where to apply

Demographics:
US citizen
State/Location of residency: CA
Type of high school (or current college for transfers): Private
Other special factors: None

Intended Major(s): Neuro/Psych

GPA, Rank, and Test Scores

Unweighted HS GPA: 3.98
Weighted HS GPA: 4.7 (+1 for APs or honors)
Class Rank: N/A
ACT/SAT Scores: 1580 (780 english, 800 math)

List your HS coursework

(Indicate advanced level, such as AP, IB, AICE, A-level, or college, courses as well as specifics in each subject)

English: honors 9 & 10, AP Lang (5), AP Lit (current)
Math: Alg 2, PreCalc, AP Calc AB (5), AP Calc BC (current)
Science: Bio H, Chem H, AP Chem (5), AP Bio (current) AP Physics C (current)
History and social studies: AP World (5), APUSH (5), AP Psych (current)
Language other than English: AP Chinese (5)
Visual or performing arts: Visual Arts 1 & 2, AP 2D Design (5), AP 3D Design (current)
Other academic courses: 2 DE in psych

Awards:
National #30 for three years (highest placement was 24th) in a sport (team, moderate competitiveness like field hockey, lacrosse, etc)
Scholastic Art and Writing regional silver key & 4 honorable mentions
Presidents Service Award (Gold) for three years (didnt know this was a thing freshman year)
A separate regional art competition 10-30 chosen/a few thousand submissions
Same sport as earlier, my school won a regional championship

Extracurriculars
student org turned non-profit w/ 60 members, 400-700 students (depending on the year) and $15,000 funding (don’t want to put too much but it’s bio related) (2,000 ish service hours)

research internship (one of those summer programs) studied neuro, no paper but i did experiential research and presented findings

mentorship where I made a healthcare related pamphlets/posters and distributed them to hospitals & clinics (sent abt 4,000 & reached 5000+ people)

bio club officer

hospital volunteer (200 ish service hours)

taught after school classes on enviro science & raised $5,000 for them (800 ish service hours)

bred and sold mourning geckos (about 1,000 of them)

lit review on a neuro-related topic that was published in a student journal

TA at my school for ap bio teacher

editor for school’s newspaper

Essays/LORs/Other
AP Lang teacher: 8/10, he liked my writing
AP Chem teacher: 7/10 did well, not spectacular, but was somewhat close to her
AP Art teacher (for art supplements): 8/10
Mentor from that research thing: 9/10 he offered to write one for me

Schools
Likely: UC Merced & Riverside (I’m guaranteed into one)
Target: Agnes Scott, Mount Holyoke, UC Davis
Reach/Target: F&M, Smith, Case Western
Reach: Amherst (ED?), Williams (ED?), Northwestern, Cornell, USC, Carleton, Hamilton, Wellesley Other UCs (All of these are currently tentative)

I would also like to know if anyone knows anything about applying ED to a liberal arts college since I heard it doesn’t help too much because of the large number of athlete applicants.

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Are you premed?

Regardless of the answer, neuroscience and psychology are areas where some form of graduate school is likely. PhD programs are typically funded. Other forms of graduate school, whether MD, master’s degree, or something else, are usually not funded. As such you might want to make sure that you budget for something like 6 or 8 years of university.

Otherwise you are clearly doing very well, and are competitive for any college or university in the US (or elsewhere as long as they teach in English or another language that you speak). I think that you have a good mix of schools on your list ranging from safeties to reasonable reaches.

I would only apply ED if there is one school that is clearly your first choice and that you know you will be able to afford if admitted.

I am a bit curious why you have several very good small colleges in the northeast, and one in the southeast, but I don’t think that I noticed any of the very good small colleges in southern California (such as the Claremont Colleges).

Congratulations on your success and hard work up to this point, and keep up the good work!

And most likely your private high school has good guidance counselors who will be able to gauge your chances.

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I might go premed, although I’m not entirely sure. I’m applying to the UCs for the convenience as an in-state applicant, although I would prefer to go out of state, so no Claremont schools. Agnes Scott is on my list because I like the idea of going to an all-women’s college, and they’re one with a more reasonable acceptance rate.

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You would be a strong candidate at any all-women’s college. Wellesley College, Smith College, and Bryn Mawr are likely to accept you.

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You have a great profile, and you have everything it takes to get into the schools you mention. However, with competitive colleges, it’s always kind of a game of luck.

One big advice I’d give is that, for a lot of SLACs, fit is crucial. Make sure you research the schools and their culture to craft your application.

I know you mentioned no Claremont schools, but as a Claremont Alum… I think it’s really worth considering. It could be a really good fit for you: Scripps, Pitzer, Pomona. I would really advocate for reconsidering these schools!

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I also realized because I copy pasted the formatting I wrote private school, I go to a public school, my bad.

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Thank you! I’m not applying to the Claremont schools because I want to go out of state.

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Corrected GPA to factor in junior year grades, had one D in ap lit