<p>Hello, I was wondering what my chances of getting into a top notch school (Harvard, MIT, Cornell) with a resume such as the following:
I am a junior: by the time i reach graduation i will have take about 10-12 AP Courses , my GPA is 3.9-4.0. I am ranked 9 in my class out of 500. I have attended the Telluride Association Summer Seminar (TASS- which is a Cornell sponsered Summer academic program). I am in 4 clubs (including Student Council) and thinking of starting a science club at my school. I will be captain of the Varsity soccer team next year. I haven’t taken the ACT or SAT yet, but assuming around, if not at least, a 90th percentile. What are my chances of getting into an Elite school??</p>
<p>forgot to add: invitation to National Student Leadership Conference and Congressional Student Leadership Conference (but due to a lack of funds, i was unable to participate)</p>
<p>A 90th percentile for the SAT is actually a bad score. I don’t know the direct conversion, but I’m assuming the SAT is roughly (1500,300) which means that a 95th percentile would only be 2100. You should have at least a 2250, especially since you’re lacking on the ECs.</p>
<p>edit: scratch the 95th percentile. it’d be approximately 97.5th percentile using the central limit theorem. this emphasizes my point even more.</p>
<p>need more like a 99th percentile actually</p>
<p>got any suggestions that would increase my chances, aside from tests/academics. Something in the subject of EC?</p>
<p>Are you good enough to be recruited for soccer? Having national tournament exposure on a highly ranked club team could help.</p>
<p>[GPA</a> for Ivy Leagues | SAT scores for Stanford and Harvard](<a href=“http://www.hopelesstoharvard.com/college-admissions-tips/what-every-high-school-student-needs-to-know-about-gpa-and-sat/]GPA”>http://www.hopelesstoharvard.com/college-admissions-tips/what-every-high-school-student-needs-to-know-about-gpa-and-sat/)</p>
<p>2100 is enough apparently.</p>
<p>I am mostly likely not good enough to be recruited for soccer. I have been on varsity for 3 years (next will be my 4th and i will be captain), best our team ever did was 4th in state. (although i am not familiar with the strength of these soccer teams, just assuming that since its div I it has an extremely good team)</p>
<p>Harvard’s average SAT is around 2240, which is in the 99.1 percentile. For non-minorities, it is in the low 2300s.</p>
<p>You’ll need better ECs. Like I said before, they’re lacking a bit. Do you have any work experience? Community service? Leadership positions? Keen interest shown in your ECs? If not, then you should try to fill some of these in. The Varsity sport for 4 years is great, along with the summer program, but you’ll need some more.</p>
<p>I have been to TASS (6 week summer program sponspered directly by Cornell), which was held at U of M. I’ve been invited to 2 National leadership conferences in D.C. (but lack of funds prohibited me from going) I have about 50 hours of community service, but plan on getting much more… and no work experience yet. and im going to start a Science/Technology Club at my school</p>
<p>^TASS is great. NSLC and, I believe, CSLC aren’t honors in particular.</p>
<p>@ mifune
How do you know the average SAT score of Harvard.Do you have some link to prove it. If yes ,please post it.</p>
<p>mifune - where have you pulled those statistics out from? Reference it, otherwise it’s completely unreliable.</p>
<p>its pretty sure everyone gets an “invitation” to NSLC… and you have to have at least a 95 percentile to be “safe”. Dont trust the stats Harvard gives you, having a 2100 is not going to guarentee you admission.</p>
<p>Tres Elefantes, for CLSC not sure if it matters much, but they sent me a certificate congratulating my honors in acceptance, but i didnt get anything for the NSLC.</p>
<p>Dude, seriously. That many APs already? Impressive, especially considering your high GPA. Keep on doing whatever it is that you do.</p>
<p>Do some service and start that science club. Make it unique and make sure you can speak passionately about it. If you’re already assuming you’re going to get 90th Percentile or better on the SAT, still take a Kaplan course with a private tutor. It’s expensive, but totally worth it. My math score (my weakest link) climbed big time after working with her, and even my strengths climbed higher, too. </p>
<p>Did you make any contacts at TASS? If so, keep them up or rekindle them. Especially if they are profs, that will help you, especially for getting an advocate/recommendations.</p>
<p>That NSLC stuff is a scam given to talented kids. Don’t mention it, don’t pay them anything. It means you’re good, but it’s full of bluster. Don’t worry about not being to go, you saved your money wisely. </p>
<p>If you’re not good enough to be recruited, make sure you can still speak about your experience as captain of the team. What has leading taught you? How do you do it? What is your leadership style? Are you a military commander, a low-key guy who leads from behind the scenes, one who leads by example, one who wins people over with your good ideas? Show them why your method is the best.</p>
<p>Have your school show that your APs are taught in an elite classroom setting, not just classes with AP tacked on where you take the test but don’t get a rigorous education in the subject. Let the report show that it is a challenging school with talented teachers. Emphasize specific aspects of the curriculum that make it special. </p>
<p>If you improve on ECs/leadership, keep your curriculum up to the same level as you are now or higher, you’ll be a strong contender. Just make sure to show why it all matters. So what you took these classes, captained that team, and got the A’s you need. Why do you do what you do. If you can answer that and prove that you already ARE a Harvard/MIT/Cornell man, then you could have a fighting chance. Nobody is “likely” to get into any of these places, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. You’ve got the best chances anyone CAN have.</p>
<p>Best of luck, and thank you for chancing me. I hope this helps.</p>
<p>Peace.</p>
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<p>Nobody said this. What was meant is that a 2100 is viewed more or less the same as a 2400 and time spent trying to study that extra 300 points can better be spent on your ECs.</p>
<p>Admission isn’t guaranteed for anybody.</p>
<p>so, in essence, 700+ well suffice?</p>