<p>I am a senior in high school right now and have completed all my college apps. I have a near perfect GPA of 4.24
out of 4.33. Taking AP English, AP Computer Science, Advanced Spanish, AP Calculus, AP Physics 2, and Ethics. I am a three sport athlete: captain of varsity soccer, member of varsity golf, and captain/number one spot on varsity golf. I founded an entrepreneur club at my school attracting 30 students. I run a school wide basketball pep rally. I work at a local country club. I am also very involved in my Lithuanian community. My ACT is a 32 and 2000 SAT. Lithuanian Boy Scout and Lithuanian Religious youth group member. Volunteer through boy scouts and at my local hospital. My school does not rank and has the reputation of a rigorous academic school. My hobbies are surfing, wall street trading, and restoring a 1969 Ford Bronco.
I applied to almost all of the top colleges in the United States with an interest in studying computer science and business.
So far I have been denied by Notre Dame, Northwestern, Claremont McKenna, and Stanford (Dream School since 8th grade).
Wait-listed by University of Chicago
Accepted to University of Michigan, Case Western Reserve, Indiana University, Marquette, and Loyola.
Still waiting to hear back from Vanderbilt, Princeton, Yale, Harvard, Columbia, and California Berkeley.</p>
<p>I don’t know what I could have possibly done more in high school to look more appealing to the top colleges. I am very thankful for making it into Michigan and right now am wavering between Case Western and there. I hope I get more luck in the future and if anyone is in the same boat as me I hope you find some luck as well. It is unbelievable how competitive college admissions has become and I am shocked at the rejections I have received so far. Still very hopeful of course! </p>
<p>Just pull out the reading and math on SAT. Average SAT last year at Notre Dame was 1420 (they just look at critical reading and math). Maybe that will give you some insight. You have a great resume, but there are no absolutes in regard to college admissions. Good luck!!</p>
<p>You have some good choices – it only takes one acceptance at a college you are willing to attend and can afford, and the rest don’t matter. Rejection letters burn really well (assuming you got any via snail mail instead of online – maybe we need an online app that can “burn” a rejection letter, that could be really satisfying!). You might still get into Vanderbilt, and possibly Berkeley. The others are high reaches, especially given your SAT scores. Your ECs are solid, but so are those of thousands of other applicants. Lightening does occasionally strike in the admissions process, though. But for truly top schools, good in-school ECs and standard things like boy scouts are often not enough – there are thousands of val & sal students with captaincies, etc. in their resumes. </p>
<p>Michigan and Case Western are both good schools; if you don’t have freshman admission to Ross School of Business at Michigan, you need to think hard about whether you still want to go there if you are not able to gain that admission at the end of freshman year. Even if you only minor in business, you still need to go through an application process, and you may not be accepted. You need to rock your grades your first year at Michigan, including in Econ and Calculus if you want that acceptance. Consider what your plan would be if you don’t get into Ross (CS and Econ, maybe?), and be sure you can live with that if it works out that way. Michigan is a great school (I went there, can vouch for it). CW has terrific CS, so also might be a good choice – and I assume might be cheaper for you? You didn’t mention merit aid, but CW does give out a fair amount. </p>
<p>I know it stings now that you didn’t get into everyplace, but by a year from now you will be immersed in some other campus and enjoying college. Go to accepted student visits at your top 3 choices where you are admitted, and then make up your mind.</p>
<p>Really, you’re surprised that it’s difficult to get into the most competitive colleges in the country? C’mon, you’re smart enough to know it wouldn’t be easy.</p>
<p>Focus on the Ford Bronco . . . treat it right, and it’ll show you more love than those college admissions officers ever will! </p>
<p>Sounds like you’re on the right track . . . best of luck to you!!! </p>
<p>I appreciate the support dodgersmom, intparent, and cistercian2014! I know I will do well no matter the college I attend. I have an extremely hard working attitude and will succeed. Thank you for the responses.</p>
<p>Your SAT/ACT are a bit low for those very top schools. Still you have done extremely well and have some great choices. If you do well at a schools like UMichigan or Case Western you will be in great shape. Congratulations.</p>
<p>Michigan is a fantastic school, so you already have that one good admit, and Case is no slouch either. The Ivies on your list are very, very unlikely, though, with those SAT and ACT numbers.</p>
<p>If you were a URM, you probably would’ve had a much better chance with your stats and ECs at those schools. However, to my understanding (correct me if I’m wrong!), you are an international student which makes it much harder to get into the school of your choice. Those schools receive close to two thousand international applicants every year whom are extremely well qualified. They’ll typically have 2200+ SATs, succeed in the IB program or take all A levels, stunning EC lists, and great essays.
It’s similar to getting into Oxford or Cambridge if you’re from the United States. Those schools receive about 250 applications from the US but only accept about 20 of them.</p>
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