Senior, have no idea where to apply

College Search & Lists
1

1520 on the SAT (800 math) (720 reading/writing)
rank 2 in my class with unweighted GPA of 4.0 (I think)
2 year Captain of varsity lacrosse team
no awards other than AP scholar with honors
a few small clubs

I have no idea where to apply, already applied for Questbridge, I’m most likely going to be a finalist
my rankings are:
Princeton
Upenn
MIT
Yale
Columbia
Stanford
Brown
Swarthmore

I have 18 days to write all of my supplemental essays

I don’t expect to be matched to any of those schools, I want to do chemistry as a major and have no idea where I could go to with my lack of awards and extracurriculars

2

Forgot to say, I took 3 SAT subject tests (Math II 780) (Chemistry 800) and (US history 740)

3

Great stats! You need a safety school or two on that list. Places you wouldn’t mind attending.

4

that is not my official list, that is just Questbridge rankings if I don’t get matched with any of those schools I will definitely add safeties and matches when applying regular decision.

for my official list, I am thinking about adding Lehigh, Haverford, Cornell, John Hopkins and idk about the rest

if you don’t know what questbridge is, questbridge partners with 40 colleges, you get to rank up to 12 of those colleges, whoever accepts you and is highest on your rankings will give you a full ride with dorms and books covered but it is binding. those were my rankings, I only ranked 8 schools.

5

With respect to your interest in chemistry, you may find a few schools, including QuestBridge partners such as Swarthmore, that would match your level if you search “15 Best Value Small Colleges for a Chemistry Degree.”

6

I’m not entirely sure what I want to do with chemistry but I am thinking about doing biochemistry.

7

I would encourage you to apply to the honors program at your state flagship public. Good luck in the process! Break it down into manageable chunks so it doesn’t overwhelm you. Don’t be afraid to ask your school counselors for help, either.

8

I live in PA, is the Penn state honors program good?

9

I’m sorry, I don’t know, but I would think that for chemistry, it will be fine. For what it’s worth, US News ranked it as #20. So it can’t be terrible. If you are planning to go to graduate school, it’s more the prestige of your grad school that matters in the hard sciences, or so I’m told. It’s a good safety, and you’ll probably get a lot of financial aid there.

10

another factor is that I am not entirely sure if I want to do Chemistry, I might switch to math.

11

Also, did you work while in high school, or during summers? That counts as an EC, and it matters a lot to admissions people.

12

I did work, but it wasn’t that much, it was a few days a week before lacrosse season then only Saturdays then like 2/3rds of my summer before senior year.

Also, can I use watching my nonverbal younger autistic brother as an EC?

13

The Princeton Review offers a sampling, “Great Schools for Mathematics Majors,” that includes schools such as Harvey Mudd, MIT, UChicago, Caltech, Haverford, Harvard, Reed, Hamilton, Bowdoin, Rice and Carleton.

14

Schreyer Hinors college at Penn State is very good and difficult to get into. Are you in a high school with good counselors? I’m surprised a student with your stats hasn’t had several meetings before senior year to map out some schools.

As far as watching your brother, I don’t know that I would call it an EC but it certainly should be on your app as a productive way you spent some of your free time.

15

My counselor does absolutely nothing, another counselor that is not my designated counselor was the one that told me about questbridge and checked my essays and helped me with every step.

I come from a suburban public school with 59% free or reduced lunch

16

I agree that you should write about helping your family out with your brother. It’s not an EC, of course, but it is something that you did that you learned from.

17

Unfortunately, some counselors don’t do much, or are overwhelmed. The good news is that you had someone point you toward Questbridge. You might want to spend a few minutes looking for other helpful resources in your community, and definitely go back to the counselor who helped you out with the Questbridge. Do you have the resources to tour any schools? Do you get a fee waiver for applications?

18

Definitely apply to Penn State Schreyer. You need to check the box when you apply, it opens an application with three essays(you must answer all three and keep in mind thyll be read by your future professors) and request an application.
You can also apply to Pitt honors and temple honors. Pitt honors puts more weight upon test scores and Temple balances grades, rigor, essays. An issue is that the university may not be affordable for a student where income qualifies for QB - even if it’s your instate option. PA is terrible in terms of costs.
Your stats give you a good shot at big scholarships at UDel (excellent for chemistry) or UKentucky. If you’re NMSF or NH look into Benacquisto at UF.

19

I have a fee waiver for applications, I come from an immigrant family of 7 and only my dad works, my brother is paying almost nothing for Drexel. But he doesn’t live on campus.