Ivy League/Top Colleges Chances

GPA:
Unweighted: 3.81 OR 3.9 (Depends on how the school will calculate the GPA)
Weighted: 4.55 (School’s calculation method)

ACT:
June 2015: 31 (E:32, M:33, R:32, S:26)
September 2015: 30 (E:33, M:28, R:27, S:30)
Super scores to: 32 (only for U Chicago since they superscore)

SAT Subject Tests: US History: 780, Biology E: 740

AP Exams: US History: 5, Calculus AB: 5, English Language: 5, Comparative Government: 5

Senior Classes:
AP English Literature, AP Calculus BC, AP US Government, AP Spanish Language, AP Environmental Science

Intended Major:
Environmental Studies or Government

Awards:
AP Scholar with Honor
National Honor Society
Honorable Mention on the National Spanish Exam (2014, 2015)

Extracurricular Activities:
-President and Co-founder of Environmental Club (2015-present)
-Treasurer and Founding Member of Model UN Club (2015-present)
-Captain of Varsity Quiz Bowl Team (2013-present)
-Homeroom Representative for Student Government (2013-present)
-Writer and Member of the School Newspaper (2014-present)
-Member of Leo Club (Volunteer/Service Club (2013-present)
-State Competitor in DECA (2012-present)
-Member of Spanish Club (2014-present)
-After school Tutoring for Spanish Students (2015)

Out-of-School Activities:
-Summer Honors Institute Participant at Long Island University in a program for Diplomatic Solutions to Climate Change (2015)
-Participant in Community College’s Sustainability Fair Day
-Member of the French Creek Trail Maintenance Crew (2015-present)
-Assists with Park Maintenance with local Township
-Organizing and Facilitating a Tire Clean-up of local river (In Progress)
-Usher and Volunteer at my church (2012-present)
-After school tutoring for underprivileged children at local library (2015)
-Enthusiastic Lego Builder and Designer (Still building in high school)

Recommendations:
All should be pretty good

Essays:
Common App: About a medical problem I had and how it affected me and changed my outlook on life. (I’d rather not share too much detail here because it’s personal, but I was told by multiple teachers that it avoids the common pitfalls of a medical problem essay; it doesn’t lament the problem)

University of Chicago Supplements (Already wrote for Early Action):
-Langston Hughes Prompt (Historically Adventurous Inquiry): Story about my love of geography and a change that I noticed in my life that allowed me to become an even more developed and interesting person.
-Optional Favorite Things Essay: I would think it was pretty unique. I talked about my love of Legos, Hudson River School Art, Covered Bridges, and a William Wordsworth poem.

Applying Early Action to University of Chicago
Applying Regular Decision to Princeton, Brown, Dartmouth, Yale, Bowdoin, Haverford, Wesleyan, and other Safety Schools
I’m Considering adding Harvard, because I’d just like to know if I could get in and maybe I’d get lucky.

I am aware that my test scores are not where they need to be now. I’m considering taking the ACT one more time in December before my regular decision applications are due. I really felt bad after the second test because I should have improved but the math section was ridiculously more difficult than usual. I probably don’t have anything really stand-out on my application, but I’m very interesting in environmentalism and making the environment accessible to others. Also, I really love Legos. To this day I still build pre-designed sets and add on to them myself. It’s more of a hobby though.

So essentially, I’m just trying to gauge my ability to get into these schools, and whether or not taking the ACT again might be good. Probably, not the strongest candidate, but it’s such a crapshoot with college admissions.

Slight note: My uncle is a graduate of Dartmouth and he said he’d help me with a letter of recommendation. I doubt this will do much to help me get in because I’m not a full legacy (having a parent that went there), but I thought I’d mention it.

Thanks to everyone that helps.

Reading over your ECs (and the dates you did them), it seems to me that you did them just because you wanted to look good on your application. Why would an admissions person think any differently, and how will you show that you didn’t just want to look good (if thats not why you did them)? Also, merely being a participant in something doesn’t really show any leadership or initiative.