<p>All these schools are gonna need a kid or two from Wyoming so that they can put it in their brochures… It’ll probably be you, with good essays and recs. Besides, with THAT many college classes, MIT and CalTech for sure will be begging for you to attend (well, they’ll accept you RD, given your geographical diversity plus)</p>
<p>is there really any advantage to EA? at all?</p>
<p>Your list is definitely very heavy with the exception of uw, of course. As others have told you, you need to get some more safeties. You have a while still: I would recommend this summer that you spend a lot of time on sites like collegeboard.com and do some research. </p>
<p>Also, see if you can visit some schools on your list. Nothing can tell you more about a college than actually going there and seeing for yourself. </p>
<p>As for your skeptics, don’t worry too much: you are a very fine applicant. Your overall quality, coupled with your being from wyoming gives you a very good shot at any of the colleges on your list. Just do some research and narrow it down a bit. </p>
<p>Interestingly enough, I am from Wyoming too (Sheridan). And I swim. And, I was the one who won the 2007 AP Calc Contest. Weird, eh? Does that mean that you are from Laramie? Is Tom Hudson your coach? Huh, I wonder . . .</p>
<p>how do you predict SAT scores? i think thats kind of funny.</p>
<p>um…sat practice tests?</p>
<p>Sorry, but while nice (to you…rude to the rest of us), elsijfdl’s post is overly optimistic. I’m not bitter that I didn’t get into my reach schools, but that doesn’t mean that I can’t add a bit of perspective to others looking to apply to those same schools. I looked at your record, which is strong–but not amazing–and I see someone who has as good a shot as anyone…which is to say not a very good shot. At the top schools, it doesn’t matter what exotic locale you come from, how great your test scores are, or how wonderful your extras seem–no one really has a good shot. Of course some have a better chance than others, and a few really stand-out as being top applicants, but the point that nothing is sure remains. </p>
<p>As I see it, you have a decent plus with your geographical location and strong, above-average extras. You do not have a racial/ethnic hook, and your current ACT score, while certainly strong, would probably put you between the 25th and 50th percentile (ie, below average…I know it sounds harsh) at the top schools. So, I stick by my advice: less top heavy list, look at some more LACs, and also attempt to raise your test scores to become more competitive. </p>
<p>I never liked it when people gave me less than glowing feedback, either, but the reality is that for every person who comes on these boards and says “Everyone was wrong, I got into every amazing school that I applied to”, there are probably AT LEAST 4 or 5 other kids who were incredibly accomplished, who were in many cases at least as smart as the average HYPMS etc. student, who did not get into their reach schools and had to “settle” for another school. If these kids (and I am one of them) did the college admissions process right, they should still be going to a great school and getting a great education. But if they overreached, and applied to the Ivies + a safety school, their only option might be that safety school because they refused to apply to matches. Not that a safety school cannot offer a great eduation, but I think that it is a shame for highly qualified applicants who are squeezed out of the Ivies to cheat themselves out of admission to any number of great Universities and LACs just because they weren’t AS prestigious as those few dream schools.</p>
<p>Any list with all of HYPSM, Penn, Duke, Columbia, and Brown means you are looking for the strongest overall schools rather than a personality fit - this is a fine method.</p>
<p>However, after you get your acceptances, be prepared to do a fair bit of traveling.</p>
<p>Also, for all of those schools, aim for a 2250 - good luck on your SATs, hopefully you’ll hit your estimates.</p>
<p>ok.
well, my list is now as follows:
HPS (no Y)
MIT
Caltech
Cornell
Rice
UChicago
Carnegie Mellon
UT Austin
UCSD
UCLA (maybe.)
U of Wyoming
NYU vs. Boston U (not sure which)</p>
<p>How much better is this list than the previous?
And please try to understand, H and P are truly only there becuase my parents are basically forcing me to apply there.</p>
<p>I would re-add Dartmouth, Brown, Duke, and Columbia - all schools close to HYPSM in strength but easier to get in. After all, from the rest of your list, it looks like you are still aiming high - applying to more schools just increases your chance of getting into a top one.</p>
<p>Btw, don’t listen to anyone who says to apply to less schools…I had no idea what I wanted in a college but decided AFTER I got in - of course, I only applied to 8 whereas you still have 15 some. But the point is - if you are unsure, better safe than sorry.</p>
<p>Depending on what you plan on majoring in, the size of school you’re looking for, the location, urban vs. rural, etc., you should be able to remove some. For example, NYU and Caltech are basically completely different schools. If you’re at all like most people, you should be able to easily eliminate one of the two (and subsequently the others similar to that one).</p>
<p>Anyone want to explain what the differences (or where to find such info) between Harvard, Yale and Brown (department wise). Becuase i’m finding the resources out there very vague and generic. I want specifics on department strength.</p>
<p>You probably aren’t going to find information on the differences in dept strength between those three schools because the level of statistics usually gathered doesn’t provide enough detail to distinguish them. I recommend looking at the courses offered in the major you are interested in. Compare the required coursework and then look at the upper level courses. The school with the most choices in the upper level courses is the one I would choose, if everything else is the same. Also, you can email the department chair and ask all kinds of questions. For example… “What kind of research projects are going on this year?” “Is there a senior thesis or senior project (depending on the major)?”</p>
<p>ok i see. so basically i have to dig a little deeper…that’s fine, i’ll enjoy that.</p>