What schools should I apply to?

Applying to College
1

<p>I’m not sure if this is the right forum, but based on my stats, what schools should I apply to? I’ve been looking at schools that accept between 20-40% of applicants, but I’m not sure if I’m searching in the right range.</p>

<p>Basic info: White, Female, middle class
GPA: 3.8 (UW) [my school doesn’t do weighted but I’ve taken two APs (A’s in both) and will take four more next year]
I have an upward trend in grades; got quite a few B’s sophomore year, but I got a 4.0 last year.
ACT: 31
SAT:Taking it in the fall (I expect I’ll get between 2000-2150)
I’ve taken two college classes over the summer (A+)
ECs: Volunteering (a homeless shelter and a science museum) [2 years], Chemistry Club <a href=“Pres%20senior%20yr”>2 years</a>
Thanks!</p>

2

<p>I don’t think acceptance rate is a good criteria to decide if you want to apply somewhere for college. Those numbers don’t really indicate the quality of the school… Try Princetonreview.com they have gpa, sat, ect for the entering classes at any given college and a pretty good overview of what the university is all about. You’ll find the stats your looking for, and whether or not it would be a good fit, which is equally important.</p>

3

<p>That’s not really what I meant. Within those selective ranges I would look for schools that have programs I’m interested, good teachers, good dorms, etc. But what I intended to ask (though I may have been unclear) is how competitive of an applicant I am.</p>

4

<p>If it helps at all here is a list of schools I’m potentially interested in:
Carnegie Mellon
William and Mary
Cornell (Arts and sciences college)
Johns Hopkins
Northeastern
University of Rochester
University of Virginia</p>

5

<p>looks like a good list. add a few reaches in the top 20 or so in national university rankings and look at some liberal arts colleges too. plus some sure safeties.</p>

6

<p>Are you a Virginia resident? I agree that you should take a look at a few LACs that are stong in the sciences. Grinnell has outstanding sciences, amazing facilities and offers both merit aid and no distribution requirements. Oberlin is also a good option if the culture is a ‘fit’ for you. Consider Davidson and Wake Forest too.</p>

7

<p>I think you are in better shape with these schools than you think:</p>

<p>Of your list NEastern seems like a match to safety
You are right there at the 50th percentile for stats to the others. UVA will be tough if out-of-state. If you applied to all 7 my guess is that you be admitted to at least 3 of the schools on your list.</p>

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<p>it’s a little different geographically from the others…but i’ve heard harvey mudd is strong in sciences</p>

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<p>Thanks for the responses. Im OOS for all of them. W&M is my favorite so far. What Im most concerned about is my lack of extracurriculars. Does anyone know of good schools that consider rigor of classes and test scores above ECs?</p>

10

<p>They all do. ECs is just a way of differentiating among all the students who have the grades and test scores with solid letters of rec and good essays. At that point, they are looking for kids who would contribute to the campus’s quality of life through the talents and interests they can share with others.</p>

<p>ECs are critical only at schools like HYPMS where everyone is stellar and they need some way of choosing between otherwise comparably talented students.</p>