<p>Could you please give your advice on my chances to get into the following universities/colleges…</p>
<p>Total 11 APs including Calculus BC
SAT I 1960 giving again in Jan 2013
SAT II Math II 720 Physics 630
GPA 4.31 Weighted 3.9 unweighted
State: VA</p>
<p>Duke University
University of Pennsylvania
Johns Hopkins University
Brown University
Cornell University
Carnegie Mellon University
University of Virginia
University of Michigan
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Virginia Tech
Dartmouth College
Princeton University
Stanford University</p>
<p>Duke University - reach
University of Pennsylvania - big reach
Johns Hopkins University - reach
Brown University - big reach
Cornell University - big reach
Carnegie Mellon University - reach
University of Virginia - low reach
University of Michigan - low reach
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill - low reach
Virginia Tech - not sure
Dartmouth College - big reach
Princeton University - big reach
Stanford University - big reach</p>
<ol>
<li><p>We need more details to work on. If what you listed above is practically everything you have - no ECs, so-so recs and essays, zero volunteer work & awards - then you have 0.00000001% chance at all your schools.</p></li>
<li><p>Your SAT scores are real killers. While your GPA is great, your standardized test scores do not stand up to them. My first impression upon seeing your stats was that your school is an easy-A school, where class rigor is near to nothing and students are incompetent. You have to do really well on your next SAT to make up for it, though your 2 SAT IIs really bring it down regardless.
*720 might seem an so-so score, but given that it is in Math II, where students tend to earn the highest and the curve is skewed left, that 720 is no better than a 630 in Physics, the latter which is also in bad shape.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Besides, you CANNOT use your January SAT scores - even if you take it - in most, if not all colleges on your list. The January deadline for applications means that they will not take the January SAT unless you provide a good excuse. Most schools on your list made that crystal clear in their websites. You should - and should have - check with them.</p>
<p>So heed TylerNark’s advice. From what is provided - again, given the lack of details - you have 0 chances at any of the colleges of your choice. Aim a lot lower. I would be glad though to provide further feedback if you return with more information.</p>
<p>I’ve already checked the websites and most of the colleges on my list said they will accept the January SAT, as “it will reach them in time before they make the decisions in March.” My SAT scores are pretty bad; I’m just not a good test taker. The only killer is my CR score. SAT I breakdown: 580 CR, 710 Math, 670 Writing. My CR should definitely improve (I’ve been practicing). However, I need to bump up math and writing to mid 700’s, which is doable. True my SAT II scores aren’t that great (especially physics), but from what I’ve heard SAT II subject tests are not given the same weight as SAT Reasoning test scores. True I haven’t mentioned any EC’s, but I’m assuming that most people will have the same EC’s (VP for NHS, Spanish NHS officer, AP Scholar with Honors Award, various volunteer works, tennis, basketball, yadayadayada, etc.). I do realize that getting in to some of the Ivy Leagues on my list is a long reach, even if I do get a very good SAT I test score in January, but it’s worth a shot.</p>
Volunteered at disadvantaged schools in
some country over the summer (not going to give away too much info.)
-G.I.V.E. program tutoring
Volunteered at local library over the summer
-Guitar Club
-Spanish Club
-P.E.E.R. program (volunteered at various elementary/middle schools)
-Basketball (not on school team however)
-Science research project throughout 9th grade for local science fair
-Organized community clean up
-COMPUTER PROGRAMMING (I have spent years on this, making games)
-VP for National Honors Society
-Spanish National Honors Society officer
-Regularly go to the gym (don’t know if this counts)
-Boxing (at gym or in free time, but don’t know if this counts)
-Cultural travels (I travel abroad a lot)
-School Helper
Play guitar
-various volunteer works (accumulating hours)</p>
<p>Awards:
-Excellence in Education Banquet Award from county
-President’s Outstanding Performance Award (got this in 9th grade)
Aguado Guitar Competition Award
-For Love of Country Foundation: Certificate of Merit
-Letter of Commendation from county’s board of supervisors (again not going to give away too much info.)
-AP Scholar with Honors</p>
<p>You’ve done lots of things, but I’m not clear about what you actually achieved. If you hadn’t done any of this, how would the world be worse off?</p>
<p>Just having a list makes you one of the thousands of cookie-cutter applicants who all sound alike and tend to get rejected. Do you have a safety school?</p>
<p>In terms of ECs you should eliminate the following from your list</p>
<p>-Basketball (not on school team however) - If you do not play on a team there is no way to document the activity
-Science research project throughout 9th grade for local science fair - Not actually a bad EC, but if you did no science research after 9th grade it is not a strong EC
-Regularly go to the gym (don’t know if this counts) - No this does not count
-Boxing (at gym or in free time, but don’t know if this counts) - No this does not count
-Cultural travels (I travel abroad a lot) - If it is not through a program and basically just a family trip it does not count as an EC. You could mention it in an essay though</p>
<p>Anyway basically what everybody has said, you need safeties. Apply to a few of the schools on your list, but they are all reaches so they should not be the only schools you are applying to.</p>
<p>Okay I will withdraw my comment on that you cannot use your January scores. I’ve just checked and it seems most schools on your list - except some schools, notably Stanford - will accept January test scores given they arrive quickly.</p>
<p>And I am willing to say you do have a bit of a shot at some schools on your list. I seriously doubt the Ivies and the like - including Stanford, Duke, and JHU - will be worth applying to, but if you think you have a strong essay and letter of rec, and if you can get a better score -at least 2100 - in your January SAT, I would certainly give it a shot.</p>
<p>Are there any other aspects of you though? For instance, what is you ethnicity and your family income level? Are you a star athlete by any chance? Or do you happen to have more ECs that you haven’t yet mentioned?</p>