Expert: Susie Watts - 8/31/2008

Question
My reach schools I'm applying to are Yale and Brown. I also will be applying to Notre Dame and Carnegie Mellon. Are there other good schools that suit my resume better? Should I take the SAT a third time to try and improve my scores, or should I take the ACT?


Standardized Tests: SAT I: Verbal: 720 Math: 670 Writing: 740
SAT II: English Literature 690 US History 750 Biology M 670

Academic Strength: Unweighted GPA: 4.53 out of 4.33
Weighted GPA: 5.33 out of 5.33
Class Rank: 2 out of 215 students.

Extracurricular Activities:
- Elected Student Senator -- 4 years
--Golf - JV player -- 4 years
--Indoor and Outdoor Track - Varsity runner --4 years
--Interact Club - Community service group --2 years
--National Honor Society --2 years
--Volunteering at after school program for underpriveleged children-- 2 years
--Guitar player for 6 or 7 years
--2 years work experience at a day-camp for small children
--2 years work experience at local supermarket

Awards and Recognitions:
Excellence in Biology-- schoolwide academic award
Yale Book award-- schoolwide academic award
High Honor roll all 4 years
Bausch & Lomb Honorary Science award and scholarship
Spanish honor society
National Honor Society

Other Information: Under-represented Minority? no
Location: Maine
Most rigorous courseload available.
6 AP classes by graduation
Numerous honors classes

Answer
From your resume, you sound like a very qualified student both in the classroom and out.  I usually suggest students apply to six or seven schools with at least two of them being safety schools which they almost know for sure they can get into.  Consider why you are applying to the schools you are applying to and then look at a few others that are a little less competitive.  You might consider Trinity in Connecticut, Miami University in Ohio, Lehigh University in Pennsylvania.