AP Scholar (Hopefully get Distinction after this year)
Honor Roll
Varsity Letter
Extracurriculars (Some listed will be the summer between jr and sr year or senior year)
Lacrosse; Varsity; Captain my junior and hoping for senior captain
TASS; Telluride Association Summer Seminar; Really cool 6 week program hosted @ Cornell which is free and I learn about anti oppressive studies
Boy’s State; Cool one week program which we learn all about democracy and government
Volunteer; Food Bank Volunteer
FBLA; Qualified for Nationals under FBLA
DECA; Officer; 4th Place; Did not qual for ICDC
Environmental Club; Officer; Weekly Recyclings, Gardenings, and Composting
Youth Court; We take on cases for youth that would otherwise get sent through juvenile court; It’s is a less harsh punishment
STUCO; Student Gov Class VP
Co-founded economics club; Turned into a club to assist people self study AP Macro/Micro
Essays/LORs/Other
I have believed to always be a good writer or at least a decent one. Can’t comment on specific scores per se but just note that I could write one hell of ‘n essay if I worked hard enough.
Cost Constraints / Budget
I am going to do ROTC so I hope to get a 4 year scholarship with the army. This is what makes my profile unique I think.
Schools
I am hoping to get some suggestions on what schools to apply to. I know I will for sure ED/REA but I really don’t know where. I would like to be in the northeast or east. I like the cold and wouldn’t want to be anywhere burning. I also would like to be somewhere small, maybe not as small as CalTech, but definitely not as big as somewhere like Duke.
If you have no idea at this point what schools you are interested in, you absolutely should not apply ED anywhere. It is a binding commitment so you have to be 100% sure that it is your top choice.
Sorry, I should have explained a little bit better. I was originally going to ED to somewhere like WashU in St. Louis or possibly even Dartmouth. However, someone I had recently spoken to told me to why limit myself? So they suggested I ED to somewhere like HYP (Harvard, Yale, Princeton). I obviously wouldn’t be opposed to the idea of going somewhere like that, but I am also somewhat scared of getting deferred or rejected- something that I hope to not go through if I ED somewhere less competitive.
Well, Harvard, Yale, and Princeton do not offer ED, but they do offer REA. My point is that you need to figure out what schools you like, do research on those schools, take some visits,etc. If you find a school you truly love above all others, then plan to ED/REA, assuming the finances also work out there.
I think what my question is, do I take the higher risk of getting rejected/deferred at HYP when I can lower my chances for deferment/rejection by applying to a lower T20 ED/REA? I really do like all of the listed schools, but does the risk of applying to HYP outweigh the fact that I like those schools maybe 5-10% more? I’m just hoping someone possibly went through something similar or someone has some words of advice for me. I am hoping for a 4-year scholarship through ROTC, I just have to wait until first board opens up in June.
You don’t have a list. You mentioned Harvard, Yale, Princeton, WashU and Dartmouth. Those are reach schools for all applicants that don’t have a major hook. Have you visited any schools? I’m not trying to dissuade you from applying anywhere, but you have to figure out what schools you like and why. Saying a friend told you to apply REA to HYP is not a real reason. What do YOU want?
If you prefer Dartmouth or Wash U over Yale, Princeton and Harvard, then YOU should apply to Dartmouth and Wash U…and NOT Yale, Princeton or Harvard.
Might I suggest you look at Georgetown?
All of the above schools are reach schools for even high stats students. Many top students apply for a limited number of seats at these colleges.
Once more….apply to the schools you actually WANT to attend. Don’t just apply ED or REA because you have a better chance of acceptance. That’s not a good reason.
I agree! What do YOU want in a college? Please answer these questions:
You mention size…what size? Is 10,000 too big? Is 2000 too small?
Urban/suburban/rural?
Will you consider colleges with religious affiliations? I ask because the Jesuit schools might be in your sweet spot for size. And the Jesuits really have higher education well done.
Cost? How much can and will your parents pay annually? I know you want to do ROTC, but I’m not sure that’s guaranteed at all colleges. I’m hoping someone with more experience and knowledge about this will provide specifics.
Here are some suggestions for you. Boston College, Holy Cross, University of Delaware, American University, Fordham, Vassar, some of the SUNY schools. Some public universities in your home state of Utah.
I would strongly suggest you find two sure things for admission that you like…that are affordable. Start there. Once you have found those colleges, then build your list UP from there. You need those sure things first.
I guess something I want in a school is a somewhat smaller student population, anywhere from like 3,000 to like 20,000. But that also could change depending on how large the school is size wise.
I like a little city action, I wouldn’t want to be in the middle of nowhere with nowhere to go on a 3 or 4-day weekend.
I don’t care for religious affiliations.
If I do not receive a scholarship for ROTC, my parents will pay for it. They have a college fund with a hefty amount and any more they say they would be comfortable paying out of pocket.
Thanks for the recommendations as well.
I think one is the environment, not literally speaking, but the culture around students. I need a hard-working student culture. I also need a program which has a respected program for the majors listed. As I would like to become a congressman in the future or a lawyer, a better education is sure to not harm anyone.
Currently my RD colleges are looking like the following:
Harvard
Yale
Princeton
Williams
Dartmouth
Vanderbilt
Brown
Georgetown
UVA
WashU
NYU (I may pursue a career in finance, so I am keeping my options open if you could say that)
Emory
IU
U of U
USU
You all have given me great advice, I think my next best thing to do from here is to research about my list–ROTC, Reputable Programs, city life, etc. I’ll keep in mind the different factors you have mentioned.
Oh dang, in our high school alone only one person had applied for ROTC. I also thought the combination of going into military & humanitarian thinking (TASS) would assist in my application of being unique. Could I call it interesting?
As in West Point? No. But I am thinking about USAFA or USNA. I might apply there, might…
Georgetown is a reach…but so are almost all the colleges on the list you posted.
If you are happy attending the Utah schools, then sure, apply to a bunch of reach schools. See what happens.
I will say…you need to better choose the colleges you are applying to. This just looks like a list of top schools from USNews. Is that where you got your list?
If you are interested in finance, and want to be in NYC, I would suggest you add Fordham.
The Jesuit colleges are very ecumenical and welcoming of all faiths. Yes, there will likely be a religion course requirement, but lots of courses from which to choose. Would that be something you would consider? FYI…Georgetown is a Jesuit college.
Jesuit is fine, as would attending somewhere like Notre Dame/Georgetown. I would be good attending Uni of Utah my state school but it’s always good to not limit yourself I guess. Hence the amount of reach schools. I just hope my application is competitive enough so I can attend one of my dream schools (reaches) rather my state flagship.
