Safety/Match rec's

degoutant
Sat, 19 Apr 2008 16:07:16 +0000

NOTE: i posted this in the chances thread, but it looks like it belongs here. I would try to get it moved, but i dont know how to contact mods.

Could you guys recommend some match and/or safety schools for me? I plan on staying on the east coast, but I could go as far as the Midwest. I went on “Counselor-o-matic” on princetonreview.com, but they matched me with some pretty top schools, so I don’t know if I’m just underestimating my qualities or if counselor-o-matic sucks. I plan on majoring in Economics, with a focus in global/macro econ. I want to end up getting into law, but a federal agency might want someone with an econ degree. Anyway, I’m getting ahead of myself.
Safetys/Matches that I’m looking at are: flagship (UGA), Syracuse, Rochester, Fordham, UMich Ann Arbor.

Reaches: Yale (#1 choice. thinking about applying SCEA), UChic (#2), Bowdoin (#3), Emory, Penn, Notre Dame (#4). I def plan on shrinking my list, and I’m well aware that my reaches are reaches for a reason.

white guy, limited income, attend a school that rarely sends kids that arent part of the magnet program to top schools

GPA: 3.7/4 (If the adcom actually looks at my transcript, he/she’ll see that my GPA tanked because of 2 C’s.) (I don’t know if its weighted or unweighted, it is whats on my transcript.)

Rank: 15/403 (Top 5%), should go up when current semester grades go in though

APs this year: English Lang/Comp, Microecon, US Gov’t

APs next year: Registered for USH, WH, Stat, English Lit, and Comp Sci A (school doesnt have AB, i plan on selfstudying AB). Might self-study psychology, environmental sci, comp govt, human geo and who knows, maybe I switch one out for Euro hist or art hist.

Academic Strengths: Soc Sci, English. Moderate on science. Math is my weakness, but I know that I can do better.

I’d say that my academic schedule is pretty rigorous (the planned APs arent definite by a long shot), but I’m definitely not an uber overachiever on paper.

ECs:
Class President, soph.
class comm. pres, soph
soph class rep - rennaissance comm, soph
ymca youth & govt, delegate to state convention, legislation presentation, soph
student council, soph
presentation with a local hospital and SIDS of PA to my class on sudden infant death syndrome (its half class work, half vol, but i believe that it is worth mentioning)

my jun. year i’m going to a different school, so theres diff ECs.

class treasurer, jun.
student leadership team, jun.
beta club member, jun
earth tomorrow member (natl wildlife fndation-sponsored club. we do environmental awareness stuff), jun.
leo’s club pres (youth version of lion’s club; akin to interact. most of my time is spent on this), jun.
sadd, jun
student mediator, jun
student tutor, jun
student mentor, jun

that appears to be it, but there might be more that i cant remember.

i’m looking into tutoring at a local elem. school or vol’ing at the local senior center/hospital, but as of now i dont know whats going on with it. the principal of the elem school refuses to email me, and no one from the after school prog has phoned me. i’m going over today.

act expected: 28-32 (or higher, but I doubt it)
sat expected: 1800-2100 (doubt i’ll get higher than this. i plan to send my act score since it will probably be a higher percentile)
sat II expected: us hist 700-800
sat II expected: math I or II (havent decided, might end up going for II since the curve might give me a better score and its looked higher upon) 650-750
sat II expected: lit 650-800

jun year summer: academic achievement scholarship @ oxford oxbridge summer programs (declined acceptance, financial reasons), JSA summer school at the democratic national convention. waiting to here from other programs on admissions decisions.

i dont want to reveal my topic for the common app essay, but i think its some of my best and most thought provoking writing.

i am working on concentrating my interests (politics, econ), but there arent many opportunities in my area. only summer progs would provide me with something econ/poli related.

if i left anything out, post away.