Should I ED UChi or Northwestern Transfers? Or should I have hope for more
For context, I took a gap year to help out with my family's company while our legal situation gets sorted out so I have ECs I have already started and things I have already won. I will be transferring from a small college that only offers business (prestigious but not t20 level). Keeping this SUPER vague because I do not want to get doxxed.
Persian, Gap Year, No hooks
High income, Full pay
Academics:
Highschool: 3.85/4 GPA (1B junior 5Bs senior year - horrible financial situation), 36 ACT, 15 APs (took test for all but only 2/5 senior year. 10 5s 2 3s)
College: Reasonably could get a 3.95+ will retake ACT again because score expires soon I heard???? Coursework: Intro to Arabic, Calc 3, Econometrics, Seminar on Israel Palestine, Principles of Macro/Micro, Business and Economic policy in developing countries. Again my gpa is speculative because i obviously could not get it during my gap year
Spike/Capstone: Created student-run policy think tank on MENA counter terrorism and free market economics to fight it- 140 members, 500+ publications on website + war on the rocks, Times of Israel, Al Jazeera, Washington post, etc. Received parliament/congressional citations. Spoke at a pretty big conference, actual advisory board with real professors and defense staff for mentorship (these are mainly nepo family members, but they do actual things so) and cohosted engagement events with actual thinktanks.
Independently competed for varsity sport - contacted coach at new college for walk on spot (not a recruiting sport). Won a few championships and placed at nationals for it.
Research - One publication to a very major International Review Journal as a first author on counter terrorism and free markets, another one being written, War on the Rocks article accepted for publication about economic failures leading to ISIS rise in Mosul - have an actual mentor I cold emailed (he literally just gives feedback lol so not an actual mentor) - data and policy analysis. Got concord review in hs but idt that counts for anything
Internships - CSIS and CFR (did data and policy analysis focused on counter terrorism, lead engagement events). Applied to CATO but we will see?
Super high up leadership role in major youth political organization (not mentioning anymore because name+pic+contact info is up) - Set policy directives, contact/collab with congressional offices, engagement analysis, etc just buzzword after buzzword to say i decided what we supported
Volunteer consultant for Yezidi refugees - Helped (long-term) 10 Yezidi refugees rebuild financial stability and sustainability after ISIS attacks, did a similar thing with Indians dealing with terrorist attacks too but with restoring businesses over summer (one was a somewhat well known organization the other was under an Indian philantropist)
Large social media following (multiple hundreds of thousands) - Fitness, Mens Grooming, Policy, and Econ content
8 9 and 10 - I want to save these for college where I want to join student council, policy debate, and maybe one other cool club based around MENA policy/geopolitical finance
Awards: I have NONE from my gap year (obviously lol) so here is what Ive won during highschool and senior year summer
- Some writing prizes such as placed at John Locke
- Some DECA International and SnD nats Finals and t10 placements
- IEO and IPSO
- Local 18 under 18 (tryna get someone to nominate me for diana please)
- Some big MUN awards at CMUNCE NAIMUN, HMUN, UCHIMUN etc
Obviously, I did not start all this during my gap year, most except for the Research and Internships were started during High school however i had the most impact during the gap year. I got two likely letters (one from a t5 another from a lower t20 + merit at USC and Berkeley Regents, I ED2 to this school under my parent's pressure and I know I will absolutely hate it)
Reason for gap years and senior bs: family went under massive lawsuit, lost a lot of money ---> legal and financial stress
Reason for transferring: Small school but mainly I do not want entrepreneurship/complete business education and want to combine business and public policy.
School list:
Harvard
Yale
Stanford - Goal
Columbia
Cornell
Berkeley (LAS)
Rice
USC
Georgetown - 4th
Duke - 3rd
Penn -2nd (I want to apply to huntsman but people say they do not take spots so I was thinking either Wharton or PPE CAS)
UVA
Duke
UMichigan
UNC
Vanderbilt
Uchi
Northwestern
Boston College
No safeties because i go to a highly ranked school already so
Any others people recommend?!