Prospective Schools: Harvard, Yale, UPenn, Johns Hopkins, UMich, Vanderbilt, Duke
Intended Major: Pre-Med (If offered) or Chemistry
Unweighted GPA: 4.0
Weighted: 5.42
Class Rank: Top 10%
Ethnicity: Hispanic (Cuban) - *First-Gen College Student
ACT: 34 (31M/33W/35S/36R - 30E+W)
SAT: 1890 (640M/630R/620W) - [Got a nosebleed during the test and didn’t know i could cancel]
No SAT II’s
In a full-time dual enrollment program which is geared to get me my AA by the time i graduate high school (Spring 2016)
EC’s (Grade Level):
Youth Group Co-Founder/Leader (11-12)
Church Technician/Audio Manager (9-12)
Key Club Officer (11-12)
Intramural Basketball (10)
Mentor Club (11-12)
Volunteering at Local Hospital (11-12)
Yearbook Committee (12)
Work Experience (11-12)
I’m really hoping to apply to all of the schools i mentioned above and i just want to know if it would be worth a shot at this point, even though i know that my application isn’t one of the strongest. Also, my EC’s were kinda towards the end of my HS run but thats only because i didn’t really have opportunities at my school until i switched over to the dual enrollment program my junior year. Thanks all for reading! Feedback would be awesome
Are you planning to retake the SAT? Do any schools you are planning to apply to require subject tests? I would personally change that list around plus you need some schools where you have a greater chance of getting in. Your state school is your safety correct?
I would remove Yale and Michigan. Add Notre Dame and Boston College, both superb for pre-med and you are catholic. Use that a bit. You are out of state for Michigan and your list is hard enough already to have Yale on there. You seem like you wanna give Harvard a go so keep it.
Schools like University of Rochester and Case Western could give the list more certainty without reducing the quality of choices.
I thought Notre Dame over but i wasn’t sure of it. My state schools are definitely my safeties (FSU & UF) and i may consider FIU if nothing else works seeing as i’ve done two years with them. As for the SAT, I don’t plan on retaking because im only going to send my ACT score (took it just once each), and as of now i don’t think the SAT II is required by any of the universities i plan on applying to.
Some schools may require you send that SAT score since it is on the record. Please check carefully. If that is the case you have to think about how best to handle that.
Notre Dame is very very strong and will give you a college experience to remember. Boston College the same. Your list is super reachy and BC would be a good addition. You may not get in ND but BC looks good.
UMich should be a high match from OOS. Check their NPC as it may be not affordable to you while your score would not get you any significant merit aid.
“While we normally require two SAT Subject Tests, you may apply without them if the cost of the tests represents a financial hardship or if you prefer to have your application considered without them. Standardized testing is only one component of our holistic admissions process and your application will be evaluated on the basis of all submitted information.”
@okthenyeah The key word is “required”. Georgetown said :It is strongly recommended that all candidates, whether they have taken the SAT Reasoning Test or the ACT, submit three SAT Subject Tests scores. The scores from writing portion on the SAT Reasoning Test and the optional writing portion of the ACT will not be used in place of a Subject Test."
For competitive schools, one should consider anything “recommended” as required, but it is still counted as not required.
@billcsho I heard that the requirements were lifted to help out URM’s and First-Gen students (which i fall under both categories), do you think that it would hurt me if i didnt take SAT II’s for say Harvard [SCEA]? Has anyone gotten accepted without submitting them?
@xWadee Harvard requires 2 SAT2 scores disregarding you submit SAT1 or ACT+W scores. URM and first gen help, but you do need to fulfill the requirement first.
Although they’re no longer required, the SAT IIs provide Harvard with additional objective evidence of strong academic achievement (assuming good results). In the Harvard admissions process, the more evidence of academic achievement, the better.
@xWadee It is good to know. The list I got has not been updated since 2013. The wording at Harvard’s website regarding subject test requirement is a kind of funny. It is “normally required” but one may apply without it.
A lack of SAT IIs is still likely to hurt you, because a bare-bones application is typically less competitive, so I’d suggest taking a pair of tests next fall.