<p>Instead of slicing hairs, ch, call Cornell a reach and leave it at that. If you have time to do a seventh app and you get in–then hey. What a break for you!</p>
<p>If you run out of time, you can rest easy knowing that your two favorite reaches deserved your best time–and your money+matches also got a decent effort.</p>
<p>Priorities. It’s time to establish realistic priorities. In the world of priorities, you don’t add more reaches. You figure out which are your two favorites and you go with those.</p>
<p>Now, if you want to switch out Dartmouth for Cornell–or (gasp!) Princeton for Cornell–and make Dartmouth or Princeton your seventh app–that’s another idea.</p>
<p>my stats aren’t quite as impressive as yours (on paper at least!) and i got into both UVa and U-Mich Ann Arbor.</p>
<p>if you’re interested in UVa, you sound like an excellent candidate for the jefferson scholarship. you would need to be nominated by your school for it, but it’s definitely worth checking out. i was a national finalist and there are some really spectacular people there. they really take care of you! go to <a href=“http://www.jeffersonscholarsfoundation.org%5B/url%5D”>www.jeffersonscholarsfoundation.org</a> (or something ridiculously similar to that–if it doesn’t work, google it!)</p>
<p>How do I get the nomination (my school is so big). Can I ask my counselor? ABout 15 people apply to UVA each year (about which 2 have an average significantly higher than mines)</p>
<p>I’m not commenting on your chances, just some general advice. If you are left with CUNY or SUNY as your only viable choices, how will you feel? Are those schools you can see yourself happily attending, or will you feel disappointed? I’m sorry if I’m repeating if someone has already asked this, but you’re applying to some very popular schools and there is a possibility of being shut out of your reaches and matches. That’s not a knock on your particular chances, it applies to anyone. You might want to include some private likelies to give you a wider range of choices next spring.</p>
<p>Tufts seems like it’s slightly better acceptance rate but only slightly and again, the break point GPA is 92.5–above yours.</p>
<p>So Tufts is technically another reach. Do you like Tuft’s course offerings better than Dartmouth or Cornell? Would you trade out Princeton for Tufts because it is a better reach shot than Princeton? Those are the tough decisions you have to make.</p>
<p>Get into the nitty gritty research online and pick two reaches–your favorites. Pick the two with the best courses for junior and senior year, the ones with the best research opportunities. You can talk about the results of that research in your apps. </p>
<p>You’ll write: “I want to come to Cornell becuase I want to take such and such a course with such and such professor becuase I am passionate about the such and such that she/he teaches.”</p>
<p>The adcom think to themselves, “Ah, well done. Here’s a great kid who knows what he wants to do when he gets here. CH’ll hit the ground running. He’ll take advantage of the amazing opportunities we offer. Let’s give him a shot.”</p>
<p>Do the same exercise for your three match schools.</p>
<p>Keep a running ‘waitlist’ of additional Reaches if you want–apps you can add–AFTER you’ve absolutely nailed the initial six.</p>
<p>Six? What? We’re supposed to apply to at least 8 schools are according to our guidance counselors?
I would trade out Tufts for Cornell but never Dartmouth or Princeton. I have been thinking about trading out dartmouth for Brown though. Idk if thats a a good idea though.</p>
<p>Eight is a ton of applications when complicated and essential Fin Aid is factored in. You can follow the GCs advice but first, think about focusing on the most critical six–with the additional 2 or 3 added as additional reaches.</p>
<p>Adding in the extras at the end is a ton easier–because you will have so many essays at the ready. it’s not as if you are clsing the door on thsoe additional ones–just prioritizing them to make sure you give enough time and energy to the matches and safety.</p>
<p>Admissions at Tufts and Brown are different than say at MIT.</p>
<p>They’re going to look at the kid as an individual, ECs are more important than numbers after a certain point. Brown wants originality. Tufts wants an international citizen.</p>
<p>I don’t think those are great fits for the OP. And Tufts is a MUCH different place than Cornell. It doesn’t make sense to substitute one for the other.</p>
<p>The schools are different but ch needs to explore the neuroscience programs. it’s a specialized field. Tufts looks like it has a decent neuroscience progqram.</p>
<p>and they don’t seem to offer the same depth of course as Princeton??</p>
<p>Tufts and Cornell and Dartmouth are great schools–but what courses will you take if you get in? Which professors would you like to work with? Meet?</p>
<p>Ideally you want to look at the course list and think there are too many good classes to take in too short a timeframe–too many faculty to learn from.</p>
<p>Those are the schools for you. The ones with boundless opportunities in your field of interest.</p>
<p>Each of your top six choices should get the same close analysis. You should be excited about what you can do when you get there–for each of the six.</p>
<p>Collegehopeful, I have hesitated to jump in here because I do not consider myself an expert on this process. However, my son and his friends just went through the college search/application/choice procedure, and the lessons I gathered from their experiences are at odds with some of the advice you are getting on this thread. </p>
<ol>
<li><p>Eight is not too many applications in today’s competitive environment. However, it is my opinion that you should make your additional two or three to safety/match schools, preferably to those who are LIKELY to give you merit money. (See my next point.) Some of my son’s friends took a top-heavy approach, and despite their really stellar records either did not get into any of their top choices, or were left choosing from among schools that did not offer them good financial aid packages. How they wish they had taken a much closer look at schools “one level down” from their dream schools, schools that would have offered them merit awards.</p></li>
<li><p>Some of the posters are GROSSLY underestimating the records of those students who have landed full merit awards to Vanderbilt Univ and Rice Univ. I personally know students (and I know their records extremely well) who will be attending those schools on full merit awards, and their academic records–grades and course selection–and their extracurriculars surpass yours. By a lot. Your test scores are good–so were theirs–but these schools are not awarding 160K to students on the basis of standardized test scores alone. I encourage you to apply to those schools, especially Vanderbilt, since most of the merit awards do not require any separate application, but do not do so assuming you are a shoo-in for merit money. Of course, if your research pans out in a big way in the next couple of months, your case will be be strengthened, but your grades are a problem. In addition, the students I know with the big merit awards had completed far more math by the time of application. If you are presenting yourself as a potential science major, that may be a weak point.</p></li>
<li><p>I understand if you prefer to stay near home, but I don’t think you should dismiss schools like Vanderbilt on the basis of not fitting in without at least visiting. It is nice to be comfortable, true, but part of college is expanding your universe. Just a thought.</p></li>
<li><p>Neuroscience is a growth field, but I hardly think it is necessary, or even a good idea, to concentrate your search for an undergraduate program on the basis of such a specialized field. You might change your mind about what most interests you. It seems to me that plenty of good schools with established pre-med programs can get you where you need to be to pursue the field as a graduate student or in a PhD/MD program.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>General advice from a well-wisher: Good luck. Do a very thorough job on your applications. Be flexible. Try to be realistic. Do your best during your senior year, but don’t forget to enjoy yourself too.</p>
<p>only marginally. Adcoms know that the majority of applicants are either undecided as to majors or change their minds soon after arriving. S has a friend, a URM on full ride, who seems to change his mind every semester, or even more often. But he is doing well in his courses despite his indecisiveness.</p>
<p>Many applications have an essay titled “Why Cornell?” Doing some of the research ahead of time helps to answer that question with depth–and feeling IMO.</p>
<p>It’s true that many undergrads change their minds about their majors, but if you have a passion for neuroscience it is worth exploring the course offerings and course structure. </p>
<p>“Listing” the courses might not benefit an app essay but writing about an aspect of the program that matches your particular passion would benefit an essay. Says me.</p>
<p>I think the “Why Cornell?” and “Why Dartmouth?” and all the other Why? essays are pretty important, because the top-tier schools are all getting many thousands of applications from students who simply apply to every Ivy, or every top 10 school. Some of these applicants haven’t the remotest idea what makes Princeton different from Brown or Cornell different from UVa.</p>
<p>One of my favorite questions on any college application was a question on the Penn application, which is essentially “Pick a Penn professor and explain why and what you would like to study with him or her.” Penn has a “Why Penn?” question, too, but the professor question actually gets kids to focus specifically on what the school has to offer academically, and to explain in a focused way what the fit is. It also is a great recruiting tool – I suspect many applicants are more enthusiastic about Penn after they do the work for that essay than before. It was definitely true in my house.</p>