Actually kinda worried about my odds. Bucknell, Duke.

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Ok so I've applied to Bucknell, Duke, Potomac State College and West Virginia University
Thanks to rolling admissions WVU has accepted me for their freshman engineering program, and Potomac state has also accepted me as I am currently taking classes. However I've had 7 siblings attend WVU with two obtaining masters and the other five failing out, so I don't quite believe it to be the best environment for me to be putting myself into. </p>

<p>Stats:
Male
White
Low Income
Grade: 12 </p>

<p>HS: Probably the most academically inept institution to ever masquerade as a High School. On the bright side, I'm not sure if this is terribly apparent to most institutions of higher learning as people from my school rarely apply for anything out of state.</p>

<p>GPA 3.50 (I went to high school and basically exchanged oxygen and got drunk for 3.5 years before an instructor kicked my ass into realizing I was future-less. So I started doing something with my life 2nd semester Junior Year.)</p>

<p>EDIT: Class rank is 15/142</p>

<p>AP TESTS: English(3) U.S. History(3) Government(4) | I took the U.S. history and Gov tests without taking the classes.</p>

<p>JUNIOR COURSE LOAD: AP English, 20/21 century, Pre-Calculus, Bio, Drama 1, Weightlifting, Engineering Design and Development (Project Lead The Way 4) </p>

<p>SENIOR COURSE LOAD: College Calculus 155, College Calculus 156, College English 101, College English 102, Psychology 101, Western Civilization 102, [All taught at Potomac State, a branch and feeder campus to WVU] High School Civics, Journalism, and computer programing.</p>

<p>ACT: 2nd Try
Composite:30
English: 25
Math: 29
Reading: 36
Science: 29
Writing: 9/12</p>

<p>Just missed registration for my last chance at the ACT....</p>

<p>Varsity Cross country and Track distance runner. Not particularly impressive.
Skills USA 2nd place state engineering Team.
State Geography Bee semi-finalist 8th grade.</p>

<p>ESSAYS: Never quite took time to apreciate the true significance of a good essay in the application process, and due to being actually stressed for the first time in recent memory as I never quite had to try before now (Calc is a wake up call). So my essay's happen to be some of the most atrocious combinations of words ever put to paper. I literally wrote my "name a challenge I've faced in life" essay about my problems with the common app. </p>

<p>So with my odd mix of mediocrity, what would be my chances for Bucknell and Duke?</p>

2

<p>Zero chance at Duke. Very high reach at Bucknell.<br>
Colleges are going to question the rigor of your HS curriculum if someone in the top 15% only scores a 30 on the ACT.</p>

3

<p>Have you taken Physics or Chem? The info you presented here does not look particularly strong for Bucknell. Have you looked at other engineering programs that are not quite as selective? (Wilkes, Philadelphia U, IUP etc)</p>

4

<p>“However I’ve had 7 siblings attend WVU with two obtaining masters and the other five failing out, so I don’t quite believe it to be the best environment for me to be putting myself into.”</p>

<p>Which tells me that success depends on the student, not the school. The great part is that these two siblings can share their advice with you on how they did it. If they are willing, they can be role models and mentors for you.</p>

<p>“I went to high school and basically exchanged oxygen and got drunk for 3.5 years before an instructor kicked my ass into realizing I was future-less. So I started doing something with my life 2nd semester Junior Year.”</p>

<p>And you learned a lot about yourself, that you have what it takes to succeed, and that partying doesn’t get you very far. Which brings me back to your siblings that failed- if they did this in college, this might explain why they didn’t graduate. Regardless of their reasons, you are you, not them, and you have the ability to do well if you work at it. </p>

<p>Duke and Bucknell are reaches, but you never know. With low acceptance rates, acceptance isn’t likely for many students. The bottom line is that no matter where you are, you will need to buckle down and work hard, like you have discovered. This is what will determine your success, not the environment. There are partiers everywhere, more or less. Don’t be one of them.</p>

5

<p>Duke High Reach
Not sure about Bucknell sorry
Best of luck!</p>

6

<p>Duke: Reach
Bucknell: Low Reach-Reach</p>