[astar]

I'm just looking for possible schools. Right now, I really want to go to Brown...but I'm not even sure I'd get in.

My college choices so far, please help me find others:
Brown University
University of Chicago
UC Berkeley (I don't really understand the app, could someone help me.)
Macalester College
Stanford University (not so much)
Northwestern University
Boston College
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Carleton College
Case Western
UPenn
American University
Georgetown
Loyola Chicago
Fordham
Columbia
NYU

Stats:
GPA (weighted): 4.05 (that's as high as my school goes, I hopefully will have a higher weighted gpa senior year because I have 3 APs)
GPA (unweighted): 3.996

I'm ranked 11 out of 136.

AP Classes
AP Bio: 3
AP Lit: Unknown, took test
AP Physics (non-mechanical): Next year
AP Psych: Next year
AP Calc (the one = to 1 semester):

Test Day 1: SAT
(It was a bad test day, I had to drive 1.5 hours to get to the site)
SAT Math: 640
SAT Verbal: 630
SAT Writing: 570 ><

Test Day 1: ACT
ACT (with writing) Composite: 28

Test Day 1: SAT Subject Tests (These were disappointing, too. I'm retaking next fall)
Biology (E): 680
Literature: 570
Math 2C: 610

Test Day 2: SAT Reasoning
Reading: 640
Math: 670
Writing: 740

Test Day 2: ACT
Composite: 30
Writing: 31

Extra Curriculars:
Varsity Soccer, 3rd in State
Band
APPL
French Contest
Peer helping
Peer tutoring
My lyrics website website
Refereeing
Hospital volunteering
Piano (10 years)
Travel Soccer
Babysitting
Started a Korean club @ school
NHS
Drum lessons

I feel I'm forgetting something

[astar]

can anyone help me?

[krnddongsanpaji]

Whew, you're basically perfect in my eyes...your chances are damn good for wherever you choose to go. But just remember, you gota study hard no matter where you go. Several friends of mine attended community colleges, but they studied their ass off, and now, they're really really successful.

[litoxshortaii]

im not sure abt the other schools, but i think you can get into BC. ur SAT's might be little low for an ivy though, so if ur planning to take them again, you should def study for them more.

[Eddie]

Sorry to burst your bubble, but at this current state (with your test scores), I think you should look into "lower" schools -- NYU, BU, etc. An 1840 won't cut it at any ivy league or tier one school unless you're a minority (which you're definitely not) or you have OUTSTANDING extracurricular activities. Try to aim for a 2100 next time, and 700s+ on your SAT IIs. People say test scores don't matter, but that's true only to some extent. The test scores are basically the first aspects of your application that the person will read and determine if you're qualified enough to "proceed." At schools like Brown, Stanford, Berkeley, etc., they have applicants where their norm SAT score is over 2100, so an 1840 will definitely not help you.

As for your extracurriculars, don't give a laundry list in your application; instead, demonstrate which ones you're committed to the most through essays, short answers and stuff. Point out that these activities are done for fun, not for admissions purposes.

Good luck! It's not too late to improve your test scores and everything else looks fine. WORK HARD ON YOUR ESSAYS!

Btw -- for the UCs, it's incredibly difficult to get admitted as an out-of-state applicant, so good luck with that as well.

[dann]

yea, i think ucla has like a 5% acceptance rate for out of state students. it sucks because i really wanna go a uc too
and btw, from what i hear, the uc's stress extra curriculars more than test scores

edit: what's your class rank?

[EYJAYJAY]

^yeah i was about to say that too. u are pretty much well rounded the only thing that would affect your acceptance into any school would be you act/sat score, which are not high. they are decent and will/should get u into most non-ivy league schools, but ur gonna have to score much higher for ivyleagues. as for how much to aim for, eddie mentioned it.

[LDYxCR1STAL]

you have good extracurriculars, so what is going to set you apart from others now are your SAT scores (dundundun!) just bring them up a bit -- maybe take a SAT course during the summer. try to aim for a 2100+ first but to go to those top schools, you really need around a 2200+.

g'luck!

[astar]

i know my test scores are really bad...i'm retaking them in june.

i'm ranked 11, i'll edit that.

[sl33p1n6b34uty]

wow you're just like me academic wise..

i think your chances are pretty good into getting in where you want to go..

think about it this way..i got in to the hardest state university i could based on my stats

[iDoof]

hey cool I go to Brown!

Here's what I see in comparison to my status at your age: test-wise I think my numbers were a bit higher than yours. If you're up for it, study hard and take the SAT's again. If you take it by October or so you can still get it in by application if you want to apply early. It's not a foolproof plan, but it will boost your chances I think.

Second, your extracurriculars look really good. In general my impression is that Brown really values well-rounded students. It looks like you obviously have that with the music and the sports. I had a really strong music and science background. Remember, with extracurriculars they look for achievements, not just that you did them (i.e. prizes, awards, team placements, etc.)...and this applies to all colleges.

Keep in mind that I'm not saying whether you'll get in or not, or that if you follow my advice exactly things will go right. What I DO know is that test scores alone don't count a 100%, but hitting a couple 5's on the AP tests here and there would do you good...and consider the SAT thing...if you're up for it.


Ok that was really disorganized. I've never actually given advice to others on getting in. Ask me questions if you have any.

[astar]

thanks for your input...i'm retaking all my tests at least once.
SAT on Saturday, ACT next Saturday, and the subject tests on the first fall test date.

[c h r i s t i n e]

Truthfully, I don't think you'll be able to get into any of the ivy league schools unless you pull up your SAT I to 2200+ and your SAT IIs to 750+. Your extracurricular stuff are pretty good, but they won't help you unless you excel in them and get recognized with awards or certificates, etc. You have a pretty good chance of getting into Boston College though.

I don't really know Macalester College, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, or Carleton College... so I can't tell you of your chances there.

[astar]

^thanks for your honesty.
i added more colleges and updated my gpa

[astar]

i updated all my new scores, i'm somewhat pleased by them, but i wish they were higher

[flyaway]

Sorry to burst your bubble, but at this current state (with your test scores), I think you should look into "lower" schools -- NYU, BU, etc. An 1840 won't cut it at any ivy league or tier one school unless you're a minority (which you're definitely not) or you have OUTSTANDING extracurricular activities. Try to aim for a 2100 next time, and 700s+ on your SAT IIs. People say test scores don't matter, but that's true only to some extent. The test scores are basically the first aspects of your application that the person will read and determine if you're qualified enough to "proceed." At schools like Brown, Stanford, Berkeley, etc., they have applicants where their norm SAT score is over 2100, so an 1840 will definitely not help you.

As for your extracurriculars, don't give a laundry list in your application; instead, demonstrate which ones you're committed to the most through essays, short answers and stuff. Point out that these activities are done for fun, not for admissions purposes.

Good luck! It's not too late to improve your test scores and everything else looks fine. WORK HARD ON YOUR ESSAYS!

Btw -- for the UCs, it's incredibly difficult to get admitted as an out-of-state applicant, so good luck with that as well.

yeah. your class rank is awsome, ur ec's are good. what's going to bring you down is your weighted GPA (it's a bit on the low side) and esp your sat I score. with a bit more studying, getting 2200+should be no problem

and yeah, out of stater trying to get into UCs is like trying to get into top Ivy leagues...