Give me realistic perspective and advice for colleges I'm applying to.... please.

Chance Me / Match Me
1

I’d like to describe myself as above-average, but definitely not a child prodigy. Any college advice is greatly appreciated.

(I also need advice on whether I should or shouldn’t send both my SAT and/or ACT scores)

Colleges I’m applying to
MIT
Caltech
Georgia Tech
Stanford
Carnegie Mellon
Harvard
Princeton
UChicago

SAT
Composite: 1560
Reading/Writing: 770
Math: 800
Essay: 23

ACT
Composite: 35
Math: 36
Reading: 35
Science: 33
English: 35
Writing (Essay): 10

SAT Subject
Math 2: 800 (Expected)
Physics: 800 (Expected)

AP
Biology: 4
Human Geography: 5
Calculus BC: 5
Chemistry: 4
Computer Science A: 5
English Language and Composition: 5
Physics 1: 5
Physics 2: 3 (I self-studied the entire course in about 3 hours, it’s not offered at my HS)
Physics C: Mechanics: 5
Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism: 5
Statistics: 5
United States History: 5
English Literature and Composition: TBD
US Government and Politics: TBD
Comparative Government and Politics: TBD
Macroeconomics: TBD

GPA + Class Rank
GPA: 4.78 Weighted, 3.98 Unweighted
Class Rank: 29/901

Extracurriculars
Speech and Debate: I’m the captain of my 50-man Public Forum Debate team; I’ve won a couple tournaments, and placed at a few more. I was also the runner-up at the first ever Big Questions Debate tournament held in Arizona.
International Public Policy Forum: My team and I qualified last year to the Top 64.
NHS: Everyone has this, but I guess I’m including it.
Honors Student Advancement: A fancy name for a peer tutoring program a few friends and I started that caters towards members of the AVID program that need academic assistance.
Political Activism Club: A few friends and I also established a club for political discourse. I am the Treasurer.
Rubik’s Cube Club: I know I’m a nerd, and I decided to share that with a few kids. We teach how to solve the puzzles, and fast. Some of us also compete in regional competitions. I am the Vice President.

Honors
National AP Scholar
Arizona Association of Teachers of Mathematics State Top 10%

Random Subjectivities
I’m enrolled in two math classes my senior year, both the highest available at my school: Multivariable Calculus / Differential Equations and Linear Algebra. My parents are divorced, and both immigrated from Pakistan. I can speak four languages fluently.

2

Most of these are reach for everyone.

Also, many require both parents’ finances for financial aid.

You need a safety that you like, can afford, and will be admitted to. UA and ASU if you are an Arizona resident?

3

MIT–Reach
Caltech–Reach
Georgia Tech–Match
Stanford–High Reach
Carnegie Mellon–High Match
Harvard–Reach
Princeton–Reach
UChicago–Reach (but scores make you a serious contender. If you kill it on the essays, you have more than a good shot)

I want to second the above response about safeties–although you’re clearly a VERY strong applicant, these schools are just so unpredictable. If you’re not a fan of Arizona state schools, maybe some UCs? LA, Berkeley are outstanding schools with pretty stats-based admission criteria, so you’d be likely to get in. Others would be very safe for you.

You’re absolutely of (and above) the caliber of applicants who get in. But at schools like Princeton and Stanford, there’s never a guarantee.

4

UCs do not offer purely need-based financial aid to non-California residents, and large merit scholarships are rare. Also, their admissions are not purely stats-based (though among the stats, GPA is more heavily weighted than test scores).

5

You could pretty easily end up with no admissions at all with just this list. You need some matches and at least one safety that you would be happy to attend and know you can afford.