I am an incoming junior
GPA: 4.97(weighted) 3.7? (unweighted estimate)
Rank: 121/660 (does it matter if my school is really competitive and has a good reputation?)
PSAT: I don’t remember the exact number but it was around 1700-1900
I know I need to improve my SAT scores, but they will definitely be higher for the real test since I am actually studying for it instead of not studying like I did for the PSAT…
AP Scores: 4 on World History (only one taken so far)
AP classes: AP World, APUSH, Ap Calc AB, AP Gov, AP Econ, AP Lit, AP Lang, AP Psychology, and possible AP Euro
I have also taken all honor class for my core subject and will be taking accounting and college transitions which are both honors courses
Extracurricular Activities:
When I graduate I will have done debate for 4 years. 1 year of novice debate and 3 years of Varsity. Next year I will be VP of our team and senior year I will most likely be president. I also coach novice debaters. I have already won a range of awards and qualified for State as a sophomore and will continue to do so in the future. I also participated in the first ever National USA Worlds School Debate Invitational and finished with a winning streak. I am currently applying for the USA Debate team (fingers crossed I will get in).
Currently, I am creating a documentary about the world of high school debate. This film will be shown at multiple festivals around the country and we already have many financial investors interested.
As for volunteer work, I am really involved with my church and probably give at least 100 hours of service through volunteering for them each year. I am also part of NHS.
I lead a bible study at my school and we organize community service projects each semester.
I also started a Girls Learn International chapter at my school. It’s basically a club to promote feminism. We partner up with a school in a developing country and raise money for them so that they can help young girls get an education
I want to go into law or politics.
Please tell me what you think my chances are for UT (Austin), Pepperdine, USC, UCLA, Boston University, Boston College, Vanderbilt, and Belmont. I know UPenn and Stanford are very high reaches for me considering my stats, but I put them down because I have always loved them and they each have great debate programs.
In state colleges may recognize your school and give you some leeway, but out of state it might not be recognized; it depends on which school and how well known it is, though.
but either way try to bring up your rank and/or unweighted GPA. I think some of the schools on your list require / recommend SAT subjects, so I’d recommend thinking about taking those in addition to the regular SAT (and don’t worry, your real SAT score will probably be a lot higher than your PSAT score; a lot of people see improvement). If you’re out of state, UT Austin is a reach and you should send in Letters of Rec, a resume and SAT subject scores; all are optional for UTA but will definitely boost your chances if you send them in. If in state, UTA is a little more likely, but they look heavily at rank, so it’s still a reach.
Pepperdine, Boston College and BU should be high matches/low reaches. I don’t know much about Belmont but it should be a match.
Vanderbilt, U Penn and Stanford are high reaches even for kids who have perfect/near-perfect grades; try to do campus visits/interviews if you can, send in strong recs and essays, and work on test scores to boost your chances.
For the UCs, I don’t think they consider rank at all; I’m not familiar with their admissions processes but I do know that they’re very selective and it’s easier to get in from in state. They’re reaches for most kids, but your specific chances would depend a lot on your UC GPA, residency and future test scores.
well first you should calculate your UC GPA and a calculator for that is available online. (btw your uc gpa is definitely going to be diff from your gpa because they only consider 8 semester of honors/AP classes). Based on your stats, you have an amazing gpa, abundance of AP courses. It would help if you could get your SAT up to around 2100+ or ACT 32+. Amazing ec’s. if you do well junior year and on your standardized tests, you will have a pretty good chance of getting into those schools.
Your extracurriculars are great and your GPA but again try to increase your standardized test scores. Take the SAT II’s and try to score high 700’s on them (try to take at least two). Be sure to get 4’s and 5’s on all your AP exams. Also try to manage a 34+ on the ACT and a 2200+ on the SAT. A high score on either exam is good but try to take both even if you might do a little worse on one (don’t send your scores if you do considerably worse) since colleges would rather see both than only one considering that everyone has AT LEAST ONE. Also as you may have noticed my score range was higher than most of the other people that posted here. I can say for sure that a 2100 will be a risky number to apply to Stanford or UPenn with even with your extracurriculars since those are both extremely rigorous schools (remember that you are going up against the cream of the crop). Additionally, if you can, try to take a dual enrollment course as well. If you succeed at all these things you have a very good chance of acceptance but remember these aren’t requirements. Just try to do your best and have some fun in the process! Spending an extra $70 on an application won’t kill you!
P.S. Early decision to UPenn is your best bet if you choose to apply there. Your chances of acceptance are extremely decreased if you don’t apply early decision there. Also going back to your schools rigor level remember that you are directly compared to your peers. Unless your school is getting at least a few kids into each Ivy League don’t rely on your schools ‘prestige’ for acceptance. There are many high schools that have track records of getting 15+ kids into Ivy’s each year (Stuyversant and Townsend Harris being two of a number I could think of off the top of my head). Best of luck!