<p>I am a rising junior at an extremely small, but very competitive small school. Only 25 kids per class and only 22 in mine. However, current senior class (26) includes matriculation to Stanford, GTown, Dartmouth, Middlebury, Cornell, USC, NYU, and UCLA with the rest going to less competitive schools.
STATS:
GPA: 4.0 (I am either 1 or 2 depending on the other “top” students 3rd tri grades, however, our school doesn’t officially rank) I have taken every honors available to me which is 3 per tri so far)
SAT: I have not taken an official SAT test but my PSAT last fall indicated M:61 CR:60 W:65 (186)
This summer I took a school SAT course and a practice SAT that was proctored and everything and I got CR: 650 M: 620 W: 680 (1950)</p>
<p>EXTRACURRICULAR:
Head of Mock Trial Team
Co-president of Amnesty International
Member of Community Service Leadership Team
50+ hours of CS during school year
Volunteered in Human Rights Firm in Togo, Africa for 1 month
V Tennis- State q
V XC Running - State q
Nordic Skier</p>
<p>I spent my freshman year in Paris where I went to an IB school.</p>
<p>Live in Idaho.
I am white.</p>
<p>Colleges of interest:
Northwestern, Middlebury, Stanford (#1 CHOICE!!! and legacy), NYU, U of Washington, CU- Boulder, UC Berkeley, Tufts, Colorado College, Whitman, Brown, Columbia
Of these where can I realistically aim at and what could i hope for as a school a little out of reach but possible?</p>
<p>Your SAT score would have to go up a great deal (like 200-300 points). That can easily happen as I improved about 400 points between sophomore and junior year and I didn’t put that much effort into preparing for it. Make sure you know two subjects very well so you can get good subject tests scores.</p>
<p>Obviously continuing to do everything do you doing right now is paramount.</p>
<p>With your current SAT score you would probably be in good shape for all but Stanford, Colombia, and Brown (though Tufts, Middlebury, Cornell, and Berkeley might be difficult as well). Assuming you improve a solid amount on the SAT and keep everything else up you will not be reaching outrageously to get into any of them (though with Stanford and the Ivy League there is always an element of luck).</p>
<p>A little out of reach but possible would be Tufts with existing scores. Being from Idaho will help. Stanford is hard on legacies, I’d estimate a 2200 minimum is what they would want to see. Colorado College should be safe and good chance at Berkeley with a 2100.</p>
<p>I do hope that my SAT’s will dramatically improve. I have recently started with a once a week tutor and as I mentioned I completed a school course in SAT this summer and plan on completing another next summer. I think with this prep and junior year to learn and study I can improve them at least 200 points. </p>
<p>What do you mean Stanford is hard on legacies? Will that disadvantage me or does it just mean I will be treated normally? Stanford is my favorite school but I know not to place to much hope on one school. Should I consider focusing on another school? My next favorite/s are Columbia and Middlebury.</p>
<p>Is there anything else I can do?
I plan on attending Harvard or Stanford SSP next summer.</p>
<p>What it means is that Stanford takes a low percentage of legacies compared to other top colleges and that legacies don’t seem to get much of a break there unless big $$ is involved.</p>
<p>I would suggest something other than a paid for college program next summer. Those don’t help in admissions. Try for one of the free competitive programs, get a job, volunteer-just do something you’re passionate about.</p>
<p>I am passionate about learning and more specifically, economics. Both those summer programs have economics courses available. As well, I think it would benefit my ability to work at a high level and would improve my senior year grades as well as SAT. I spent a month in Africa this summer and it was an AMAZING experience but also tough. If I get a job it is, I kid you not, working on a ranch. I live in Idaho, Haha. I am just not interested in that or retail. What summer programs could I look into? What is a “free competitive” program? Thanks!</p>
<p>A job on a ranch would make you much more unique at a top college than a paid for summer program which makes you just another affluent kid. Free programs include RSI at MIT and TASP. There are also governor’s schools in many states.</p>
<p>@HarvardU - Is that sarcasm? Ehhh I’m hoping not. @Redroses - MIT programs look very science related which is not my thing
The TASP programs look interesting but how hard is it to get into and how much does it cost. Website is very vague. Problem with working on a ranch is I will not learn or play sports or meet new people, all of the things I love about summer. Would it really help me that much?</p>
<p>Read the great long thread about TASP from last year in the Summer Programs forum.</p>
<p>TASP is hard to get into (less than 5% of applicants can attend), but it is fully funded. Admission is based on several 1500 word essays you write.</p>
<p>First priority is getting those standardized test scores trending up. Being from ID can be a bump, but it will not overcome weak scores. Take both the SAT and the PSAT in October so that your study time does double duty. You do understand that the junior year PSAT enters you into the National Merit competition, right? NMF cutoff in ID is low, typically below 210, so that is an achievable goal. ID cutoff for 2008 was only 204.</p>
<p>For just being through sophomore year are my SAT’s truly terrible? I had thought they were at least decent. I do have another year. What is the commendation cut-off? Also was 210 a finalist cut-off or semi-finalist cutoff?</p>
<p>You need an SAT of 2150-2250 for low-tier Ivies, like Dartmouth, Duke, UPenn, and Coumbia, and 2250-2400 for upper-tier Ivies and Stanford, like Harvard, Yale, Brown, and Princeton. Right now, you can get into UC Berkeley (not really hard to get in especially if you are in California - ELC) and I think you are match for NYU and all the other schools excluding the Ivies and Stanford.</p>
<p>Another question…
Although my school is quite competitive, it does not offer AP classes because it does not want to follow a set curriculum, only honors. Should I take the AP tests junior year? How do I study for them without the class? Also, are the SAT subject tests hard? They seem very broad. How do you study for them?</p>
<p>Well, he said he’s from Idaho … and I don’t think you can ELC into Berkeley. I could be wrong, but my school is one of the top schools in CA and the highest you could be guaranteed was Irvine.</p>
<p>^ YeloPen is right. ELC only guarantees you get into a UC SOMEWHERE not that you get into the UC you want. Also, he’s from Idaho which makes the whole point moot.</p>