Hi, I’m a senior in the midst of completing my college apps. I’m applying to some other “safety schools” (U of H, Rutgers, Rowan, Portland State) and I just wanted to know which of my reach schools are worth applying to.
UT Austin is my dream school and I think academically I hold up, but I go to a really competitive high school and so I’m not in the top 8%.
Anyways, here are my stats:
Demographics:
Race: White
Gender: Female
School type: Large competitive public school
State: TX
Income: Idk the exact number, but $200k+ (probably disqualifies me from getting any financial aid, but I haven’t applied yet, so who knows?)
Numbers:
GPA: 4.0 W, 3.68 UW
Rank: 162/745 (hovering around 22%)
SAT: 1845 (retaking in October)
ACT: 31 (retaking next week)
AP Scores: 5 on AP Lang/Comp, 4 on AP Psych, APUSH, and WHAP
Courseload:
Freshman: Pre-AP English 1, Pre-AP World Geo, Bio, Algebra 1, Japanese 1, Principles of Business/Marketing, PE
Sophomore: WHAP, Japanese 2, English 2 (dropped out of pre-AP because I didn’t like the teacher, which I regret), Chem, Geometry, Art 1, Accounting 1
Junior: AP Lang/Comp, APUSH, AP Psych, Pre-AP Japanese 3, Physics, Algebra 2, Drawing 1, Sociology
Senior: AP Lit, AP Gov, AP Eco, AP Japanese 4, Painting 1, Pre-Calc, Forensic Science, Health, Speech
I’m not that great at math or science so I usually get mid to low B’s in those, but in everything else (including my AP classes) I make A’s.
ECs:
Future Business Leaders of America: Prepares students for careers in business, holds many leadership and community service/volunteer events. Member since sophomore year, but not very active (I usually just attend meetings and socials and do a bit of volunteer work when it comes up)
Japanese NHS: Foreign language honor society for students serious about learning the Japanese language; promotes Japanese culture, participates in Japan-related competitions and events, and tutors students. Active since junior year, president since this year.
English NHS: Honor society for students who are passionate about English; tutors students, holds book drives, etc. Member since induction last year.
NHS: We all know what NHS does lol. Member since induction last year (I was invited to join in my sophomore year but I declined because I was a dumbass)
Community service:
- Service through FBLA (mainly elderly care; me and a group of around 10 other members go to a local Alzheimer’s home and visit with the residents)
- Volunteering in the textbook room
- Tutoring (both for English and Japanese)
- Planning to volunteer at Japan Fest this year
I’ll definitely be adding more community service hours this year through NHS.
Awards/achievements:
- AP Scholar with Honor
- Certificate from the American Association of Teachers of Japanese for “Outstanding Achievement in Japanese Language Studies” (not sure how legit this is, but it doesn’t hurt to put)
- Had artwork from my sophomore year art class featured in a local art show (I can’t remember if it won anything or not, but again, it doesn’t hurt to put)
- Planning to enter Rodeo (Texas art competition that all art students are required to enter) and Japan Fest (art/calligraphy competition)
Intended Major: Psychology/English/Undeclared. I’m still deciding, but I’m leaning towards Psychology.
As for my essays, I haven’t sent them yet, but I’m planning to write about my experience moving three times in four years (New Jersey to Michigan to Illinois to Texas) and how it’s affected me. The reason I had no ECs freshman year was because I was still shaken up by the move, feeling anxious and bitter about starting a new school, and I basically went in with the mindset of not giving a shit about getting involved. Despite being diagnosed with an anxiety disorder recently, I’ve made an effort to get more involved junior year and try to have a more positive outlook on being in high school.
Thanks for reading through all of this! I’ve been kind of a nervous wreck about applying to colleges, especially UT Austin, so hopefully y’all can give me some peace of mind. 