Where should I apply? struggling to find the right school.

College Search & Lists
1

Hey all, just wondering where y’all think I should apply? I am a rising senior who lives in Maryland and I immigrated to the U.S when I was in 6th grade. My personal top choice is Notre Dame since I believe that their emphasis on community and public service is a huge draw that is very unique. I am also looking at UVA, University of Maryland (College Park), Penn State, Wake Forest, Case Western, Washington University(St Louis), Emory, and Umich. Am I setting my goals too high? I know I messed up at the start of high school but I had some personal issues which I had to deal with.

GPA:
9th Grade: 3.33/4.33
10th Grade(1st Semester): 3.1/4.4
10th Grade(2nd Semester): 3.87/4.4
11th Grade(1st Semester): 4.28/4.58
11th Grade(2nd Semester) 4.42/4.58

Test Scores:
SAT: 1510
AP Tests: AP European History(4) however, I did join the class halfway through the year. Probably all 5s on AP US, AP Calc AB, and AP English Lang.

Course Rigor/Load
Sophomore Year: 1/2 APs Offered
Junior Year: 3/3 APs Offered
Senior Year: 4/4 APs Offered
Considered to be the most rigorous course load at my school. I think there are like 2-3 kids who have 9 APs in my class and 3-4 more(including myself) who have 8 APs

Extra-Curricular/Public Service
100 hours volunteering at a camp, as a counselor, for homeless children.
Worked with a Non-Profit and raised money to send 6 kids to school for a year in Pakistan.
Model UN(Captain)
Tennis Varsity(Captain and 2 singles)
Squash Varsity(6/7 seed)
Taekwondo Black Belt

Notre Dame Summer Scholars
Future Work for Education with the same non-profit mentioned above
Also UTR Ambassador. UTR is a universal tennis rating system that coaches and players use all around the world in order to determine a player’s level.
Work with a non-profit called Aces N Deuces which helps provide access to Tennis in underappreciated areas of Maryland. I work in the Finance, Pr, and Coaching departments.

Also don’t know if this matters but I am taking a couple of courses on Coursera for fun.(Managing the Business of the Future, Sports Marketing, Behavioral Finance, and What Future for Education.)

Interests and Motivation:
I want to change how the education sector operates around the world. I grew up in Pakistan where I was surrounded by poverty, even in my close family. Obviously there are many factors to what leads people into poverty, however, the way I see it there is a huge gap in the quality of education and I hope that one day I can provide the entire world a chance of not only strong preliminary education but take it a step further and help people gain a secondary education as well.

2

I suggest you look into some of the Jesuit schools.

3

If you love ND, consider U of Dayton. They are another Brothers of the Holy Cross school and share many attributes with ND. Would be a good safety for you.

4

Great! Thanks for your advice. I will definitely look at Jesuit schools and U of Dayton.

5

Agree about the Jesuit schools and Notre Dame. Fordham and maybe Loyola of Chicago?

What’s your budget? What’s your EFC?

6

My family can pay for college, full-tuition along with housing and other costs. Also, I am pretty sure I can keep straight As in senior year probably staying around a 4.5-4.6/4.62 so should I wait to apply to my colleges until RD. Also, I would say junior year I was probably in the top 5% at least.

7

Do you have a full-on safety on your list? You need at least one place where your stats guarantee you automatic admission.

What is your status? Are you a US citizen or do you have a green card? If you are in H status or something else, you will be applying as an international student.

Get the details from your parents about their top figure. They might not know that some places are now about $80,000 each year.

8

I have two main safety schools. Penn State and the University of Maryland are my two main safety schools. Both schools are within my GPA range and a lot of people from my school have gotten into both without the same test scores, rigor, and GPA.

I am a U.S citizen, I was born in Connecticut and now live in Maryland.

Both my parents are doctors and their institution pays for college tuition for their kids. Money is not really a factor when making our own decision.

Hope that helps!