These are my higher target/lower reach schools.
Credentials below~
Academics:
4.7 Weighted, 3.9 Unweighted GPA
1590 SAT – 790 Reading/Writing, 800 Math (took in June 2018)
No SAT Subject Tests
6 AP tests – three 4’s, three 5’s; going to take four senior year
Rank: top 5-10%
Junior course load: AP World, AP Calc AB, AP English 11, AP Psych, AP Comparative Gov&Pol, AP Physics 1, French IV Honors
Senior course load: AP Euro, AP French V, AP Macro/Micro Econ, AP English 12, AP Stats, AP Calc BC, Intern Mentor G/T
Honors/Awards:
Principals/Gold Honor Roll
AP Scholar with Distinction
National Honor Society
Social Studies Honor Society
French Honor Society
FBLA 1st place for event (2017 State Conference)
FBLA 3rd place for event (2018 State Conference)
Extracurriculars:
Peabody Preparatory Piano Academy
Mock Trial, President
FBLA, Treasurer
Cancer Awareness Club, Vice President
County Board of Education Internship (2018-2019)
Voice of America Internship (Summer 2018)
Johns Hopkins Center for Imaging Science Internship (Summer 2017)
Volunteer:
Sunrise Senior Living
Dance Teacher’s Assistant for elementary school students
Went to China to teach English to underprivileged students (Summer 2016)
Nonprofit tutoring
Other:
Ethnicity – Asian
Sex – F
Intended major – Business/Economics
School – Competitive Public School
State – Maryland
I am distracted by the quartet of schools you have selected. Swarthmore and UMi?
You know you have top stats, so on that front you are ‘qualified’ for any university. From here, I just can’t figure out what you want from your college experience, or how you see yourself fitting into these particular colleges.
I’m thinking of applying to 2 or 3 liberal arts colleges (Amherst, Swarthmore) as a means of transferring to my top reach schools say I don’t get in. Additionally, I’m not opposed to small campuses and I like the “well rounded” education a liberal arts college provides.
I’m applying to UMichigan and UMD because of their higher ranking business schools (UMD moreso as an in-state safety). I also don’t mind the larger size of the universities, although not 100% ideal.
So, does that mean that you have a 1st choice list, and are now working on your plan B choice list? And, if I’m reading that right, it seems that the criteria are that either:
the school is a ‘good enough’ name that it wouldn’t be totally embarrassing to end up there; good enough that the 1st choice school(s) that you apply to transfer to see that you are coming from a decent school; and that you feel you have a reasonably good shot at
OR
they have a ‘good enough’ name and they are a big state u with a good business program.
If so, Swarthmore has an 11% admission rate (pretty much the same as UPenn), which in my world makes it a reach for everyone, esp given how small the intake is. Given your interest in business, why wouldn’t you just apply to UPenn?
Also, Swat is a great school, but it is also a very particular, very intensely intellectual place. To use my current favorite analogy, it is a strong flavor, that people love or hate. Not much middle ground. Be sure that you love it, even if you only plan to be there a year. And I still don’t see a SWAT kid at UMi or vv
All of the schools I’m applying to do not require or recommend SAT Subject Tests (they’re at most “optional”) – my scores in that regard are very weak and I have too much on my plate to be prepping for the October SAT II; it’s just not worth the stress at this point. Thus, no UPenn for me
I have a “1st choice” reach schools list that consists of Yale, UChicago, Columbia, Hopkins (Legacy), and Northwestern. These schools, though, I do not anticipate getting into – but I still want to try. The “Plan B” list, in my opinion, is a bit more in my realm?
Side note, I’d say that applying to liberal arts colleges is more of my parents idea than my own…
Yeah, I have a pretty ambitious college list but I have a lot to live up to (parental/community expectations).
So no Subject test is a filter as well- that’s a curve ball.
Are your subject tests objectively weak, or weak compared to your SAT / your expectations? It’s unusual to see high APs, high SATs and genuinely weak subject tests. For most schools you can pick & choose which you submit.
Which of the places on your A/B/C lists are ones that are closest to what you would actually like for you?
Don’t apply to schools you intend to transfer from. Just don’t. And especially not those which have 11-12% acceptance rates. But really, why set yourself up to have to go through this again, start over with friends and classes and…? Horrible idea.
My subject test scores are objectively weak - 60/70 percentile; definitely not worth sending to any school.
After further research and consideration, I’ve decided to not apply to any liberal arts schools – narrowing my list down to 9 schools (all of which I am very interested in).
I’ll think again about SAT Subject tests, then. Perhaps I’ll take them again in November or December for my RD.
About your last comment: does this mean that my list is appropriate for my stats? Or should I lower my expectations and choose less competitive schools to get into?
Additionally, iyo, are UMichigan, Vanderbilt, and Tufts targets or reaches? I had a conversation with my counselor and she said my expectations were too high…
Many - even most - colleges that want the SAT Subjects waive that requirement if you submit the ACT (w/Writing) instead. You’d have to see if yours do and consider that.
Your GC knows how students from your school have fared at these places- and something about how the objective parts of your app stack up with your peers, so sh/e has more info than any of us do.
If you would for-real be happy with UMd C-P then your list is just fine: you have a genuinely good safety.
Have you done all of your ‘why us’ essays? I wonder if, as you dig into the schools and figure out ‘why’ (the real why…) you may still refine that list a little more. For example, is the Core element of Columbia & UChic something you are really excited about? If so, are there other schools with that old-school style intellectualism that would appeal to you- and if not, does that change your views of actually going there? If your only 2 reach or target choices were Vandy and JHU, would it be easy for you (not your parents) to choose between spending 4 years in Nashville at an academically strong but culturally comparatively easy-going college or 4 years in Baltimore at an academically and culturally intense college? and so on.
