I want to preface all of this by saying I just finished my sophomore year and come from a low-income family (my arent’s combined annual income is about $30K). With that being said, here are my stats and some ECs I have/do participate in:
ACT Composite:30 ACT Subscores: English- 33 Math-28 Reading-32 Science- 27
GPA: UW-3.82 W-4.57
Class Rank: I am switching to a more advanced school (it’s in the top 1% in the nation and has the 3rd best teachers’ in the country as well) that does not do class rank. However, at my previous school I was in the top 20%
Awards/Recognition: I don’t have much but I am working towards the Girl Scout Gold Award (it’s equivalent to the Eagle Scout for Boy Scouts), I’ve previously won my Silver Award and that’s about it. I’m working towards the President’s Award for volunteering and have also participated in the DukeTIP program. Furthermore, I am hoping to win some writing award bling this upcoming year since the school I will be be transferring to makes the students more knowledgeable of many more contests. I have won some in the past during middle and elementary school but have failed to do so in my high school career.
Extracurricular Activities: I volunteer regularly ( I have about 110 total service Hours). I am a member of 3 clubs at my school (Spoken Word Poetry, Drama, and Creative Writing), I take private piano and acting lessons, I am an active member of NHS and have recently been inducted into the National French Honor Society or NFHS, I am a member of an active Girl Scout troop (as referenced above), I will be a member of my new schools newspaper staff, and currently I am trying to start a Non-Profit for veganism (it’s in a rather rudimentary stage atm).
One of the last thing I want to mention of course is my dream schools! They are: Smith College (most liked so far!!), Tulane University, NYU, USC, UC Berkeley, UT Austin, UT Dallas, Syracuse University, UChicago (my reach ik), University of Michigan - Ann Arbor, Berry College, Whitman College, Boston University, Liberty University, Reed College, and Meredith College, and Baylor University. I haven’t visited any of these school so this is soley based on stats and student reviews.
I know this is a long list but I just finished soph year so I’m pretty open minded, With that being said, if you have any helpful suggestions please let me know! It’s hard for my family to get pay for a lot of the EC I want to do so if you have any ideas send the away!!
What characteristics do Smith and Liberty have, that they both appear on your list? That’s an… unusual combination.
NYU is very unlikely to be affordable. If you’re not in-state for UCB and/or the UTs, they will not be affordable.
And Liberty and Reed? That is the oddest combo.
I know a psychologist that went to Liberty that turned out to d, thought Liberty would be a good fit for me. very well for herself and , despite how conservative the school is. Smith has everything that appeals to me in a college though; small size, great city, strong reputation, and, the kicker, is liberal.
You should be a contender for Smith and I believe they meet 100% need. If you are a rising junior you still have time to bring up your test scores. Be sure to also take the SATs and then you can choose which fits you best and test a third time. Also look at Mount Holyoke. You didn’t say what your potential major might be but it looks as though your interested in Humanities-focused ECs. I would also look at Skidmore and Dickinson. Good luck on your GS Gold Award !!
Agree with others. All schools are possibilities, though Chicago is a reach, but you know this. If you are not a TX resident, UT is a tough admit as well. Smith is a very tough admit, too, as are UC Berkeley, UMich, and Reed.
Also agree that Liberty is the oddest school on your list: an evangelical Christian university in the mix with other progressive schools (and some very, very progressive schools like Reed and UC Berkeley). Berry and Baylor are also polar opposites of most schools on your list, both being very conservative schools that largely–though not entirely–attract wealthy, conservative students. I’m progressive but would probably fit in just fine at schools that lean conservative (Washington and Lee, for instance) because I’m not one to rock the boat; I can get along with just about anyone. But I probably would not fit in well at Berry and certainly not at all at Jerry Falwell U, though I’m sure it is fine for a certain type of student.
If you’re not a CA resident do not bother applying to UCB as OOS applicants do not get financial aid.
I too applied to Liberty and Smith… Got into both but will most likely end up somewhere else.
Personally, I LOVED Liberty - the only reason I decided against going there is its location. The school is amazing and so are the people who go there. LU’s campus is absolutely gorgeous! Probably one of the best campuses I’ve ever visited. Liberty also has some very nice merit scholarships available. With your stats, you should be able to get at least $6,000/year merit scholarship. A few of my friends go to Liberty and absolutely love it. It’s a great school, and I’d highly recommend it. In my opinion, it’s quite underrated.
I visited Boston University too but decided against it. BU really doesn’t have a campus, just tall buildings in the middle of the city. To me, that was a major downside. But the school does have a good reputation. If campus does not really matter to you, then it’s a pretty good option.
I don’t know much about the other schools on your list, but I think you have a good chance of getting into these three. Good luck!
“I am switching to a more advanced school”
I have to wonder why you are doing this. My impression (perhaps others will correct me) is that “more advanced” usually means “more academically challenging”. Were you taking mostly APs as a sophomore?
I also think that you should visit some colleges and universities and try to narrow down your list significantly, as well as figure out what criteria are most important for you in selecting a college or university to attend.
The NPC should be one way to reduce your list, although hopefully not the only way.
@DadTwoGirls You’re right in your assumption 
The school I’m transferring to teaches all the courses already at the college level instead of at a college preparatory level. Also, my family and I have been looking into college tour dates to help reduce the list size.