Which Colleges to Apply To?

[VicodinMan]

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I really need suggestions on which colleges to apply to that I am competitive for. I hung out around the wrong kinds of kids my fresh and soph year so I didn't do anything much. I started doing stuff my Junior year and got my rank up but I think that it might have been too late. That's why in this predicament.

So far, I'm applying to:

UTD (First choice. I've heard it's really cheap yet kickass)
Johns Hopkins (Second choice)
Baylor
Rice
UT Austin
UT Arlington
Harvard
Yale
Stanford

Here's my stats:

PSAT: 224
SAT I: 2310 (710 Crit, 790 Math, 800 Essay)
SAT II: World History (800), US History (800), Chemistry (800), Math II (800)
AP: 5s on everything: Human Geography, World History, APUSH, Chemistry, English Lang, Stats, Comp Sci

GPA: 5.54 (Weighed) 4.00 (Unweighed - my school thinks of anything above 5.5 as a 4.00)
Rank: 6/~570

Chemistry Student of the Year (2009)
World History Student of the Year (2009)
Physics Student of the Year (2010)

Debate (2008-2010)
Class Council (2008-2010)
Earth Club (2010)
UIL Computer Science team (2010) -Made it to regionals
UIL Science team (2010) - Made it to regionals

Did research at a local college this summer.

Captain and founder of the Junior World Affairs Quizbowl Team (2009)
Founder and President of HOSA (2010)

 

[indya]

no place is beyond reach. apply anywhere which interests you (as long as n<15.)

 

[bacillus1]

You seem to me like you're a competitive applicant for pretty much any college.

When you started talking about how you pulled up your grades too late, I expected a 3.0 GPA and about an 1800 SAT score.

 

[wristbandMD]

Wow. You seem like a great applicant. I'm sure with a good personal statement you could get in anywhere you wanted. In fact, I'm sure a few of those colleges would give you some decent scholarships.

 

[ElChamaco]

Eesh... UTD is your top choice? If you must stay instate because of financial reasons please at least go to UT Austin. Austin is a way cooler city than Dallas and I don't understand why someone would want to go to a UT branch if they could get into the main campus. Don't you have automatic UT acceptance anyway as a top member of your graduating class? No need to apply to any other Texas public school except UT Austin in that case.

In any case, I would be looking for a change of scenery and leaving Texas, at least for college. The ivies (and Stanford) you are applying to are generally very generous with financial aid, so if you get in, it might not be as expensive as you think to attend. Your app seems very strong so why not add some more competitive school? Think about Princeton, Columbia, Brown and the University of Pennsylvania. Each ivy has its own particular character that may or may not appeal to you, but what they all share in common is an unbelievable amount of resources: financial, educational, professional and social. If you can get in, the school makes it affordable and you don't have a very compelling reason not to attend, you would be making a big mistake not considering them.

Basically, you could, and should be applying to more competitive schools and less UT Branch/Texas schools.

 

[Richardh]

great and impressive stats. i believe you will be fine gaining admission of your choice. if there is an early admission route then i recommend you to take it so then you will secure your seat.

 

[Ischemic]

Why do I have a nagging feeling that these stats are not real. Plus if you really did have those 5s and 800s then I don't understand why you're even worrying about this process. Unless you're a complete ***** who can't hold a conversation with somebody you're more than likely to get into most places.

 

[Radon XP]

You have nothing to worry about. You have a very solid set of stats: 4.0 + high SAT's and a fantastic rank.

UTD (First choice. I've heard it's really cheap yet kickass) - You're in automatically

Johns Hopkins (Second choice) - You have a good shot, esp. if you do ED

Baylor - They should beg YOU to join. You're in.

Rice - I'm not so sure. Slight reach
UT Austin - You're in automatically
UT Arlington - You're in automatically
Harvard - Reach
Yale - Reach
Stanford - Reach

 

[VicodinMan]

Thanks a lot guys! I really appreciate your help.