<p>I attended lower and middle school at a Catholic institution which I left after 7th grade because I felt overburdened by the strong devotion to Catholicism. I then transferred to an Episcopal school which was much more accepting of its secular students. I failed out of that school during my 9th grade year and transferred to one with no religious affiliation, where I finally passed freshman year and am currently enrolled as a junior. I recently took the SAT and scored 800 on CR, 720 on math, and 750 on writing. I receive 90-100% scores on tests almost exclusively and my lowest grade at the moment is a 92, however, my school has a different grading scale and my GPA is approximately 3.0-3.3. My school does not offer weighted classes or foreign language either, leaving me at a disadvantage. I read avidly, just recently finishing Joyce’s Ulysses, and write almost everyday for a minimum of one hour. I work during the summer, shifting jobs each year. In the school year I work at my father’s rare coin store on my own whim. Having said that, these are about the extent of my extracurricular activities. The reason I have done poorly in school is because I do not feel especially challenged, causing a very strong disdain for homework, as it is not necessary for me to understand material. I know that I would succeed in college as I would be studying subjects that I am interested in and that would require me to do work outside of the classroom in order to understand the material. I fear I have realized too late that the completion of homework is the spoiled factor of my GPA and, as a result, I will not gain acceptance into any of my choice colleges. My top colleges are as follows, in descending order of desire: Harvard (I understand that I stand virtually no chance of acceptance here), Emory, NYU (slight chance?), Hamilton, and the University of Michigan. Other less prestigious colleges I am considering are the University of Iowa (I believe I will be accepted here), the University of Texas - Austin, and Florida State University. I plan to major in English and either double-major or minor in creative writing. What are my chances? What can I do to improve my chances (apart from the obvious)? Should I send colleges a sample of my writing? Some of my work has been lauded by teachers, family, and peers as publishable, but I never pursued that route. Would a killer essay send me into the range of consideration for more prestigious colleges or is my head in the clouds?</p>
<p>Forgot to add this but, the reason I listed the very prestigious schools like Harvard, Emory, Hamilton, and UoM are because these are my potential transfer schools. If I do not get into a great college, how likely is it that I might transfer to one of these schools after my freshman or sophomore year provided my GPA is about 3.5-4.0?</p>
<p>Also, suggestions of schools with good English/writing programs are greatly appreciated.</p>