What should I be shooting for?

Chance Me / Match Me
1

<p>First post here! I am a year away from applying to colleges but am curious what posters here think about my stats.</p>

<p>Homeschooled, female, hispanic/white/asian, parents went to college at an ivy league school, one parent went to graduate school at Notre Dame and is currently in the armed forces.</p>

<p>I am going to apply at Notre Dame, UVA, William and Mary, probably Princeton and Yale, and then 1-2 Catholic colleges like Wyoming Catholic and Franciscan. I want to major in biology (any college suggestions there?), but love history and literature </p>

<p>9th grade:
Went to a private Catholic school, first year of school ever. Small class, but ranked #1 in my grade
GPA: 4.0
Self-studied for and took AP Bio and SAT II Biology E, got a 5 and 780
Published short stories in homeschooler-run magazine
In charge of sets for school play in 9th grade (The Rivals, by Sheridan)
Participated in school-wide debates in 9th grade
Elected vice president of local charity group</p>

<p>10th
Back to homeschooling for rest of high school
GPA: 4.0
Took Modern History (non-AP or honors) at aforementioned Catholic school, got an A
Took Physics 101/102 at community college, got As both semesters
Again, did not take any AP classes but self-studied
AP English Lit: 4
AP English lang: 5
AP European History: 5</p>

<p>11th
SAT: I took a practice SAT cold and got an 1850, will take real thing in the summer
Taking US History at Catholic school, confident I will get an A
Taking college-level chemistry at community college, currently have highest grades in the class
On track for a 4.0 GPA
Will take APUSH exam, SAT II US history and english lit tests, possibly AP/SAT II chem exams depending on how I feel about the subject in the spring</p>

<p>12th
Will probably continue to take community college classes, maybe take SAT II for physics the summer before</p>

<p>ECs and awards</p>

<p>Orange belt in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, medalist at state-level tournaments
Green belt in Mixed Martial Arts (three years)
Wrestling (one year)
Avid horseback rider (hence my username!), been riding since I was 7, teach horseback riding lessons, also horse-sit at a local barn when owners go out of town
Applying for a job at a vet clinic to help caring for animals boarded there
I draw and enjoy writing short stories
Currently president of local charity group, elected officer 4/5 years (vice president, ceremonial guard), received Young Lady of the Year award in 8th grade.
Also: have a running booklist of every book I’ve ever read that is currently at about 400 works of fiction, including most major works of literature, haven’t started on non-fiction list yet but that will probably be comparably long.
Currently an AP Scholar with Honor, will probably end up being an AP Scholar with Distinction
Haven’t gotten PSAT scores yet, but hoping for at least semi-finalist</p>

<p>I know I don’t really have anything until my SAT score, but considering that without studying for it at all I got a 1850, I think by the end of a prep class I’m taking it will be significantly higher. Also, as the oldest of a large family, my parents can’t contribute to paying for college. My #1 priority would be graduating college as debt-free as possible, so which college I apply to would have to reflect that.</p>

<p>Thank you!</p>

2

<p>Notre Dame: Reach
UVA: Aim for 31+/2100+
W&M: Aim for 31+/2100+
UWY: Safety (if you score 1850 for real)
Franciscan U (Steubenville): Safety
Catholic: Safety</p>

<p>If you want to major in biology so you want to go to med/dental school down the road, I advise you to do otherwise; med schools are swamped with biology majors, while they will welcome history and literature majors, as long as all pre-med prereqs are done.</p>

3

<p>Thank you for your reply!</p>

<p>And yes, I did score that, actually, looking at it again, it was a 1880: 660 CR, 520 math, 670 WR.</p>

<p>What would you suggest I do to have better chances of getting into ND? It’s my dream school, really, and I would welcome anyone’s input, especially as I am starting to think about what I want to do for my senior year.</p>

4

<p>Given your impressive stats, and your love of horseback riding and reading, consider adding Deep Springs to your list, with a slight caveat. </p>

<p>First, the pitch: free-tuition 2-year great books program on a working ranch. Tiny student body, intimate and life-changing learning experience. My friend went there and credits it as the best two years of his life. Students typically transfer to the best 4-year schools in the country (Ivies, top LACs, leading research unis, etc.)</p>

<p>The caveat: They were excited to begin admitting women but have faced legal challenges to their attempt to modify the trust governing the college. They were forced to turn away the women who were applying to enter in Fall 2013, and will not go to trial on their appeal until April 2014. Hopefully by the time you are ready to start submitting college applications they will have sorted out the legal complications. But until they do, the school remains men-only. Keep it on your radar and hope for the best - it’s a wonderful place!</p>

<p>Some other thoughts:</p>

<p>Your Catholic choices (other than Notre Dame) are interesting. Why those particular schools? Those two would be likely safeties, but if your test scores come out as solid as your grades, you could also aim for Georgetown or Boston College.</p>

<p>Given your interest in horses and biology, have you considered majoring in equine science? Since it’s a relatively uncommon major, you might even be able to get in-state tuition for it at an out-of-state university, through one of the regional Academic Common Markets.</p>

<p>Edited to add: Just out of curiosity I googled to see if there are any catholic schools that offer equine science. There’s one: St Mary-Of-The-Woods, a women’s college.</p>

<p>Also, I wanted to mention Thomas Aquinas, a small Catholic school in the great books tradition. Gorgeous campus near Los Angeles. A true hidden gem. Definitely a safety for you admissions-wise.</p>

5

<p>Thoms Aquinas College and Wyoming Catholic College do NOT have majors. Both are “Great Books” schools where everybody studies the same liberal arts curriculum (with only very minor exceptions, mostly in classical language). You spend most of your time reading high level books from our cultural past. No textbooks, as such.</p>

<p>For a debt free strategy, consider Saint Vincent College near Pittsburgh, PA. – A good Catholic college with very generous scholarships. Also, Princeton is dedicated to debt free graduates, and they do a good job of delivering on that; average debt at graduation is less than $5,000. Nice.</p>

<p>NOTRE DAME RECOMMENDATIONS:

  1. Visit campus in person, with at least one parent, and talk to them about legacy admissions. Campus visits show dedication and serious intent. Never underestimate the power of being in the same room with someone.
  2. Ask ND about homeschooling. Notre Dame can give you the best information about how to get admitted. There are very few secrets they might want to hide from potential students, especially legacies.
  3. Consider applying to the University of Portland in Oregon. It is the best “sister” school to Notre Dame. If you are initially denied entrance into ND, it might be easier to transfer from UP than some other schools.
  4. If you do not get into ND, then you likely will not get into Princeton or Yale either. Saint Vincent College and UP are excellent “safety” schools, as back ups.</p>

<p>Good Luck!</p>

6

<p>I suggest you aim for a 2000+/32+ on your SAT/ACT if you want to be truly competitive at all of those school. Besides that, your ECS are very good but i recommend taking on a a bit more leadership roles and try to join clubs that pertain to your major to show interest. </p>

<p>My thread (chance please): <a href=“Chances for Vanderbilt, UNC, NYU, UF, and Duke? - Chance Me / Match Me! - College Confidential Forums”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1610985-chances-for-vanderbilt-unc-nyu-uf-and-duke-p1.html&lt;/a&gt; </p>