A minute of your time (and two of your cents!) Chances Please?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>**Colleges:</p>

<p>Amherst College
Bard College
Boston College
Brown University
Hampshire College
Haverford College
James Madison University
Oberlin College
University of Pennsylvania
University of Virginia
Villanova
Wesleyan University
William and Mary **</p>

<p>I'm a rising senior. I don't plan on applying to ALL of these schools, however these are the ones I am currently interested in. Feedback on anything would be fine with me. I'm just sort of interested in seeing how I stand. I can take a punch, at least I think I can...And I realize some of these are mega-reaches (as my SATs and GPA aren't that great, but I think I can deliver a pretty good essay) but would like your input anyway and perhaps advise me on similar schools that I match well or how I can try and match the schools on my list more, if at all. So, if anyone has any history/information about any of these schools and my "stats" their $0.02 are welcome. Thank you!</p>

<p>**SAT I: 720 Reading, 660 English, 610 Math<a href="retaking%20in%20October">/b</a></p>

<p>Weighted GPA: 3.76 --- However, I got a 4.57 my Junior year. And am certain will get above a 4 my senior year.</p>

<p>Unweighted GPA: 3.44</p>

<p>*RANK: 65/318 *</p>

<p>Senior Year Course Load: Taking 5 IB's and 2 AP's next year (not an IB Diploma candidate). Took 1 AP and 4 IB's last year. All "advance" classes 9th and 10th grade (took AP Euro in 10th)</p>

<p>Extracurriculars:</p>

<p>Currently: Secretary of Model United Nations, Co-Founder/Co-President Music Club, Ultimate Frisbee, , Mountain Club, County Basketball, Guitar (have played about a handful of small local shows since 10th grade).</p>

<p>Past
Vice President of Junior Class (last year), JV Soccer, JV Basketball, County Soccer</p>

<p>Job/Work Experience: At a Clothing Store Summer 2007 and Summer 2008. At a restaurant during the coming school year.</p>

<p>Volunteer/Community service: Volunteered at the Smithsonian FolkLife Festival (2 weeks), Volunteered at Catholic University Camp for the Blind (1 week), Volunteered at a Summer Concert Series in a Park (2 months), River Clean Ups (once a year)</p>

<p>Essays: Either about an immigration rights protest (regional walk-out) my freshman year I helped organize or about my family's acculturation process and it's affect on my possible identity crisis (they are Muslim-Americans). OR about the Summer Concerts in the local park or about the Camp for the Blind. I have a few outlines, nothing formal</p>

<p>Teacher Recommendation: Should be good...I've had most of my teachers for multiple years.</p>

<p>*AP/IB Scores: *</p>

<p>AP English Lang 2008 - 5/5
AP European History 2007 - 4/5
IB Anthro SL 2008 - 6/7
IB Math 2008 - 5/7</p>

<p>Misc. (if it matters)</p>

<p>State: Virginia
School Type: public about (1500)
Ethnicity: South Asian
Gender: Male
Income: Less than $50,000</p>

<p>SENIOR YEAR COURSES</p>

<p>IB Biology HL
IB History (20th Century) HL
AP English
IB Spanish HL
AP English
AP AB Calculus
AP Government</p>

<p>Chance away! </p>

<p>Thank you so much!</p>

<p>Another question...do colleges (in their financial aid package) take a look at how far you are from the school and give a bit more for transportation costs?</p>

2

<p>You have a good chance at several of these schools--and I think you should add Carleton, Grinnell, and Lawrence to the mix. At least look at them. Good luck. :)</p>

3

<p>except Brown, i think you have a good shot at a lot of those schools</p>

4

<p>i don't know about other schools but for upenn
u need at least two sat subject test scores</p>

5

<p>bump 1010</p>

6

<p>you're looking good for several of those colleges.</p>

7

<p>Amherst College-reach
Bard College- in
Boston College- slight reach
Brown University- reach
Hampshire College- in
Haverford College- in/slight reach
James Madison University- in
Oberlin College- idk much
University of Pennsylvania- reach
University of Virginia-reach
Villanova- in
Wesleyan University-reach
William and Mary - slightreach/reach</p>

<p>reply to my thread. we have similar stats</p>

8

<p>i cant see someone who is applying to bard, hampshire and wesleyan happy at villanova...</p>

9

<p>I don't really know much about Villanova, except that it's a decent school and close not too far from home and Philadelphia.</p>

<p>How about Swarthmore? Thanks again!</p>

10

<p>..bump. :)</p>

11

<p>bump.10char</p>

12

<p>Yeah, I think you'd need at least around a 2100 and a 3.7 UW for Brown and UPenn. Amherst, Wesleyan, UVA and BC are also lookin' pretty high reachy because of your GPA, but other than those, you've got some decent shots</p>

13

<p>Thanks. Won't the schools see a huge improvement between my grades freshman/sophomore year and my grades junior/senior years though?</p>

14

<p>JMU: Red carpet ride IN
William and Mary: Reach, but possible
UVA: Reach, but possible</p>

15

<p>What is the common thread through these schools that have made you put them on your list?</p>

<p>They seem to be all sizes, locations, and to all have very different philosophies and students bodies.</p>

<p>I think you can get in to many of them, but more important--why do you want to attend any/each of them?</p>

16

<p>there seem to be several different groups here based on location (rural,urban) and philosophy/student body:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Bard
Hampshire
Wesleyan
Oberlin</p></li>
<li><p>Villanova
Boston College</p></li>
<li><p>Amherst
Haverford</p></li>
<li><p>Brown
UPenn
UVA</p></li>
</ol>

<p>And truthfully I don't know enough about James Madison or William and Mary to know where to place them above.</p>

17

<p>The majority of the schools are within a 6 hour drive from my home.</p>

<p>I like to think of myself as a well-rounded person, and so I will apply to a diverse group of schools and see where I get and make my decision from there. I like all the schools for different reasons, I just don't know which ones I can afford/get in to. </p>

<p>I don't think I will end up applying to Wesleyan, Hampshire, Villanova, and possibly even BC.</p>

18

<p>last bump. 1</p>

19

<p>You might want to raise your score for the SATs and your class rank will hurt you. Aside from that, your 5 in IB math might drag you down a little considering all the 7s but it depends alot on what you plan to major in though (I'm assuming that you're applying for Penn and not Wharton?). Your ec's are decent but won't save you from less than stellar scores if you're hoping to get into an ivy. I would say you have a decent chance at most of the rest, not familiar with all of them.</p>