We’re located in Northern NJ, and my son attends a competitive public high school (not magnet). GPA-wise, he is likely within the top 3–5 students out of a class of 320, with a weighted GPA around 4.75–4.80 depending on final junior year grades.
His tentative college list includes:
ED: Columbia
EA: University of Chicago, Rutgers (Honors College)
RD: Yale, Princeton, Duke, Penn, Vanderbilt, WashU, Williams, Amherst, Emory, NYU, Washington & Lee (hoping for the Johnson Scholarship)
He self-studied for the SAT and took it twice in 2024:
August: 1510 (770 EBRW, 740 Math)
November: 1490 (770 EBRW, 720 Math; he had a headache during the math section)
He does not plan to retake the SAT. Instead, he intends to try the ACT and aim for a 35 or 36.
That said, if he does not reach that ACT target, would a 1510 SAT (roughly 25th percentile at many of these reach schools) still be competitive enough for admission consideration?
At this stage, there’s limited opportunity to significantly enhance his extracurricular profile. The main area he can still improve is the essays.
Academic coursework overview:
9th Grade:
Spanish 2 Honors, Public Speaking CPA, African and Asian Studies Honors, Physical Science Honors, Biology Honors, Geometry Honors, World Literature I Honors
AP Language & Composition, AP Psychology, Spanish 4 Honors, Precalc/Calc Honors, AP U.S. Government, AP U.S. History, AP Chemistry
12th Grade (Planned):
AP Literature, The American Experience Honors, AP Statistics, AP Calculus BC, AP Spanish Language, Public Speaking II Honors, AP Economics, Peer Leadership CP
He decided to switch from AP Physics C to AP Statistics in senior year. The rationale was to pursue a more manageable course load and avoid a potential GPA hit, especially since his academic interests align more with pre-law, political science, and economics, where AP Physics C is not particularly relevant.
Any feedback or suggestions, especially regarding test scores and positioning for reach schools, would be greatly appreciated.
I think your son is a very competitive applicant despite most of these schools being reaches for everyone. However, I strongly suggest he take some form of physics, even if it isn’t AP. Most of the colleges on his list will expect applicants to take biology, chemistry and physics during high school.
Really, the only school I feel comfortable chancing your son on is Rutgers where I think he WILL get accepted, and probably to the honors college…which would be terrific.
The rest of the colleges on your list are reaches. They have very low acceptance rates, and many many more qualified applicants than they have spots for in each freshman class. Your son is a strong student, but so are the vast majority of others applying to the schools you have listed.
Are you able to pay for all of these colleges (including WL without the Johnson). These schools do meet full need for all accepted students (except Rutgers)…do you qualify for need based aid?
Right now, the net price calculators are set up for students starting college fall 2025 and that is not your son. He won’t be starting until fall 2026. If you do a NPC, it would be an estimate only. Use your tax year information from 2024, because that is the tax year that will be used to determine your need based aid eligibility.
it’s possible that Rutgers is the only school he gets into, but it won’t be the 1510 SAT that holds him back. It’s good enough, I think, for any school.
It’s also possible he gets into every school on that list (unlikely, but possible).
I agree with others that I would add a safety or 2 unless he would really be happy at Rutgers (even if not in Honors there).
I would take an AP science (if possible) senior year instead of stats..Doesn’t have to be Physics though. I don’t think AP stats is more impressive than any of the AP sciences.
I don’t think a 1510 will rule one out but that is a LOT of reach schools and it doesn’t help, especially being from a good NJ district.
I would say that is a VERY reach heavy list if it is the total list. I would add more targets and safeties. He could very well get into a number of those reaches, but it is so hard to predict, I would hate to have him only have 1 -2 choices in the end? You could also re-assess after Columbia comes out, though…
I suggest your son reach out to current seniors and the counselors to get some information regarding the admissions of the recent (maybe 3 years) graduates. When he applies, he is being evaluated among the other applicants from the same school and schools alike in your area. If in the recent past there are multiple instances of admissions with similar profile then he is fine. I teach in a Texas public high school, title I campus. In the past 5 years that I know of, there was one student reaching SAT 1500; however, there have been admissions to Ivies and T20 (besides UT auto-admits) schools with <1500 scores, so SAT score alone is not the deciding fact.
Great application profile. If you’re concerned about the test score, I’d be tempted to encourage him to study for the math section closer to a testing date. He’s more than a year away from taking SAT-level math, and that bit my C25 on the PSAT. Study and practice brought their math section up considerably for the SAT.
But if he’s sure he doesn’t want another crack at the SAT, sure, he could try the ACT. I’m not an AO so I can’t tell you if a 35 ACT would be viewed more favorably than a 1510 SAT.
Those reach schools are reaches for everyone - kids with great profiles and 1600 SAT scores get rejected. I agree with others who have suggested adding target schools, as there is a not-zero chance that he will land Rutgers and nowhere else. Of course, he may also land multiple reaches - but you can’t know going in.
This is an indication but not infallible. As a topical example, no-one from our high school had gotten into Columbia for about 4 years by the time D19 was applying to college; then they admitted I think 3 or 4 people from her year. In other words, be realistic based on precedent, but don’t let it stop you applying somewhere you really want to go.
I will note one other thing about a reach-heavy/scholarship list - it’s a lot of work to do all the essays. Make sure you either plan time for that or cull the ones you don’t think are worth the extra time and energy investment.
Unfortunately, that score is on the low end for competitive NJ school districts. But I agree that this score by itself is not a make-or-break factor.
OP, I strongly encourage you and your son to explore additional schools. I’ve seen too many strong students from competitive NJ high schools get rejected from all the reach schools on your list.
Thanks for the reply. He does not want to take AP Bio. And he finished AP chem. He may do good on AP Physics C (his 9th and 10th grade of physic are great), but he would prefer AP stat which may be more useful to him.
Also he is happy to be at Rutgers, although he knows he is going to see a lots of upperclassman there.
I don’t think a 1510 will keep him from being considered. However, I’d suggest adding some more realistic schools to your list unless he is 100% ok with attending Rutgers. To put this in perspective - my S24 had a 1580 SAT (not super scored), a 3.98/4.64, was top 10 etc, etc, and was rejected or WL from all the T20 schools he applied to (he goes to UVA). It is just that competitive. It is even more competitive if you come from an over represented state (we are in MA). I say this not to discourage you because your son’s stats are excellent and he very well could be accepted to one or more reach, but without some kind of hook, admissions at tippy top schools are very, very tough. A list of reaches plus Rutgers is liable to land your son with few choices.
I like your strategy of switching to the ACT. Many students find it a far more “teachable” test, and with practice find they can get top scores after bumping up against a ceiling on the SAT. Those students report that the material is easier but that you have to work fast and that you can train to work fast.
Echoing what others have said – good profile, lots of very reachy schools for everyone. I might add 1 or 2 rolling admissions school (with early response dates) to the list so that you have less of a mad scramble if Columbia doesn’t pan out. Or identify a few more LACs that are slightly less competitive.
As for positioning, make sure he’s thinking about essays and how to be interesting and authentic. As one AD said a couple of years ago “good grades/class rank, rigor, and good scores are table stakes for admission”. I feel like the essay part is the hardest to figure out , but it’s often the thing that makes an applicant a real human who then gets advocacy from an AO. That’s key for the kid who hasn’t been to the Olympics or starred on Broadway or isn’t in some other way going to grace the alumni magazine in its update about the newly admitted class.
Your son does have Rutgers which I think is a sure thing for admission. BUT…I would still suggest you read the thread I’m about to link. The student in this thread was a tippy top student, NMF, class val, great ECs, great LOR…no one expected him to be denied admission everywhere he applied, but that is what happened. This thread is from 2005…and admissions have become more competitive…
Your son does have Rutgers as a safety, but I would suggest that the rest of his list NOT be comprised of reaches.
This student did land well on his feet after a well thought out gap year and a different list of colleges. BUT it was no fun getting rejection after rejection his senior year.