I have a very long list atm, and my counselor who handles hundreds of students categorized some of them for me but I want to get more opinions. For context, I go to a super competitive and well known NYC high school, and especially when compared to some of my peers, my resume is not very impressive. My school does not do rank or weighted averages. Grades here are not inflated. Ivies and some more popular schools are practically impossible, but I still want to try. Here are my stats and the list:
1430 SAT (took it without studying, with the plan of retaking after studying on my own)
SAT ii World History 800
AP world 4
AP European history waiting for results, took exam without class. Might retake exam if it’s below 5 and my SATIIs for August don’t go as planned.
Planning to take AP English and AP Art History next year.
SAT literature and US history scheduled for fall, as well as the regular SAT. Possibly ACT as well.
92.94 GPA, official transcript does not have this semester in it for some reason. If you include those grades, it’s a 93.59.
I do sailing recreationally in the summer, and plan on joining a club, maybe a team in college. Will be co-president of the school club next year. Had plans to really work on my skills, especially for racing, this past spring at a local college, and to work at a sailing camp this summer. Hopefully, I’ll be able to do that in the fall/next summer.
Did a few museum programs. Two internships, one at the Met, and just finished a semester long art history forum. Plan on majoring in history, possibly minor in art history.
A few other extra curricular activities, but all either family related or things I didn’t do enough to really mention.
the list (mostly schools I added, some counselor suggestions):
Amherst College - Reach
Bowdoin College - Reach
Colby College - Reach
Middlebury College - Reach
Williams College - Reach
Dartmouth College - Reach
Brown - Reach
Bucknell University - Possible
Colgate University - Possible
Connecticut College - Possible
Hamilton College - Possible
George Washington University - Possible
Trinity College - possible
St. Johns University - possible
Union College - likely
Hobart & William Smith Colleges - Likely
Smith College - likely
Bentley - Likely
Syracuse University - likely
Wake Forest - likely
Wheaton College - Safety
Hollins University - Safety
City College New York - Safety
SUNY Geneseo - safety
SUNY New Paltz - safety
Rollins
UW Madison
American University of Paris
College of Charleston
Babson College
Sweet Briar College
Lake Forest College
Villanova
Pine Manor
Davidson
Mt. Holyoke
Kenyon College
Some I haven’t looked into yet, some I feel like I’m definitely applying for.
I’m also really interested in UK schools, and atm plan on applying to Oxford for history of art (need the exam grades though), St. Andrews for Modern History and History of Art, and Durham, either for Liberal Arts or History. I’m also considering other unis, and signed up for Study Across the Pond, though they only help with a few of the universities I’m interested in. My plan is to submit my UCAS application by late September/early fall, and if I get into any of the ones I really like (Oxford and St. Andrews for now), I’ll just apply to a few reach/match LACs I really like just in case I change my mind by spring. Since none of the US schools will be my first choice, I don’t want to do ED or EA, and want to use that time to focus on the UCAS application. My counselor says that coming from my school, applying to UK unis (besides Oxbridge) gives me an advantage, but I’m not too sure about that, especially with the exams I have so far.