Will these universities consider me?

kjoy11
Fri, 19 Jul 2013 01:55:34 +0000

This is my first post here, so I’m sorry if I don’t provide enough information or anything (or if I provide too much)…

I have a list of colleges that I’m considering applying to, and I’ve narrowed it down to five so far.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Princeton University
Stanford University
University of Michigan
Arizona State University

I’m fairly certain I’ll get into ASU (it’s also in-state), so it’s mostly the others that I’m a bit concerned about.
Also, I’m planning on majoring in electrical engineering.

GPA: 4.0 (unweighted)
Class Rank: 6/421
SAT: 2160 (740 math, 740 writing, 680 reading)
ACT: 34 (35 english, 35 mathematics, 30 reading, 36 science, 32 combined english/writing, 9 writing)
SAT II: 770 math I, 800 math II, 670 physics
AP Calculus BC: 5

I’m fairly satisfied with the majority of my scores, although I realize my SAT score is a little low for competitive schools (I ran out of time during the critical reading portion), and I am not very happy with how my SAT II physics score turned out… Due to scheduling conflicts, I was only able to take the regular physics class as opposed to AP physics, and AP physics isn’t offered this next year. I got an A in my physics class (100%), but there was a whole lot of material on the SAT II physics test that wasn’t in the curriculum of the class that I took. I tried teaching myself some of the material, but a 670 was the best I could manage. I’ve already sent the scores, too.

Due to scheduling conflicts, I will only have 2 years of a foreign language. I know quite a few universities strongly recommend four, so I don’t know how much this will affect my application… If it helps at all, the foreign language I’m planning on taking in college isn’t offered at my high school, so I suppose any extra years of Spanish wouldn’t have helped me either way.

I’m also planning on submitting a visual arts supplement, and I’m thinking about submiting a musical one too (flute and piano), depending on whether or not I can find solo pieces that are long enough.

I have quite a few extracurriculars as well (most of them are band-related), and I do community service regularly (I would list them, but I think this post is already getting too long as it is). I also take honors and AP courses whenever I can.

So, of these colleges, which ones are likely to consider me? If my scores are too low for a particular university, is there anything specific that I can do to improve my chances? I could consider taking the SAT II physics test again, but I would need to teach myself any material that I don’t already know, since AP physics isn’t offered this year…
And if I do apply to a college where my scores are considered lower than average, will they still consider me if my essays and interview go well? I already know that the chances are very low, but I figured I’ll never know if I don’t try… I guess the main thing I want to know is if the test scores and lack of foreign language credits are a dealbreaker or not.

Thanks.