Admission Chances? Help!!!

Colleges and Universities A-Z Dartmouth College
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<p>Future Ivy Leaguer Hopeful </p>

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<p>Hey guys, I know that it's late, but I cannot wait. I am "dying" to get into an Ivy League college, specifically Brown, Harvard, UPenn, or Yale. My mom went to Brown, which can help. I have been to two summer camps at Brown (awesome experience), and I fell in love with the place. I even want to play basketball to increase admission chances. I am only a sophomore and have not taken the SAT yet (will take in fall), so don't chew me out on it!Also, I have about 20 inventions that I will "sell" this summer/ work with company in nearby city.</p>

<p>Here are my classes:</p>

<p>Freshman Year (4.0 unweighted GPA)- school did not offer advanced classes:
Geometry
English 9- Poem Published in National Publication
Spanish II
Biology
Ancient History
Band (Clarinet for 6 years)-2nd Chair (Lower Register Specialist)
Studio Art- gold key award
Altar Boy(Church Service)
Basketball Captain+ MVP</p>

<p>Sophomore Year(4.0 unweighted GPA):
Honors Algebra II
Honors English 10
AP Euro. History
Debate- Best record in school history, Best L-D debator
Chemistry- 2 science olympiad medals
Physics
Spanish III
Class President
President of Concession stand Operations
ABCCM Volunteer (150+ hours)
Part-time Job(Chick-Fil-A)
Altar Boy (Church service)
Basketball MVP+ Captain
Clarinet Independent Study</p>

<p>Schedule for 11th grade:
AP Stats
AP Chemistry
AP English 10- Language & Composition
AP U.S. History
Honors Spanish III
Honors Precalculus
Debate Team- Captain
Hopefully Honor Council, Class Pres., or Honor Council
Possible newspaper work
Part-time job
ABCCM Volunteer
Independent Clarinet Study
Altar Boy Leader (Church Volunteer)
Science Olympiad</p>

<p>Likely Senior Year:</p>

<p>AP Physics
AP Calc.
AP Environmental Science
AP Spanish
AP Government
AP Englsih 12- Writing
Hopeful Student Body Pres.
Basketball Captain (2 teams)
Possible Soccer captain
Debate team Captain
Altar Boy Leader (church volunteer)
Possible Year Book Editor
Chick-Fil-A Job
ABCCM Volunteer (Local Medical Ministry)
Science Olympiad</p>

<p>Expected SAT Score: 2200-2300</p>

<p>B-Ball Stats:
14 ppg
13 rpg
3.3 bpg
2.5 spg
4 apg
55+ FG%
5' 11"-could dunk since 8th grade when I was 5' 7"
play all positions</p>

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<p>Okay…you posted this on seven other forums. That says something about you.
I have this feeling that this is some kind of closet ■■■■■, but oh well.</p>

<p>Your stats are good, and you seem well-rounded.
But there is this sinking feeling that you may get rejected at like all Ivies except like two.
I do not know why. I have this feeling that you don’t seem like the type who can stick to one thing and see it through, or you do too much for your own good.</p>

<p>There is just something wrong with this picture.</p>

<p>And yes, I noticed that he posted this everywhere.
And dude, get a grip, IVY status is not everything. There are a boat load of colleges like MIT and CALTECH that isn’t IVY but up there.</p>

<p>There’s something not normal about you.</p>

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<p>Sound like a normal kid to me, ivys will tear you apart if you dont have something diffrent about yourself, your just the typical get good grades kid, with nothing really diffrent that sets you apart from others. your mom going to Brown will help.</p>

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<p>thanks for the tips. It is hard to describe on a forum what sets me apart, but my ultimate dream is to become a patent attorney (i know, really unique LOL) because I am actually a budding inventor. I hope that I become succesful enough to help out three specific cause: A homeless shelter in my hometown is completely run down and in ruins, but they lack funding (especially now). I coud feel my chest swell with disappointment because I could not help the cause (lack of money). At Christmas, the salvation army center and this homeless sheltre had lines of 45+ people waitin gin the snow! Also, there are two orphanages tat pain me to se photos of or to actually be there. There is an orthodox orphanage in New Jersey that makes everybody cry after seeing how innocent children live in tatters and a group home close to where I live. This local orphanage is old, with equipmnt falling apart and so many sad, embittered children. I want to be succesful so I can give these kids the special attention, food, cloths, and real education that they so despreately need. Happy easter!</p>

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<p>Anybody have some good advice for me?</p>

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<p>So…why are you posting in the Dartmouth forum?</p>

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<p>I said I was interested in ALL Ivies, just Dartmouth is my “fifth” favorite (they are all wonderful!). I do not know that much about Dartmouth admissions, and was hoping that current students/ acceptees could assist me. I knew somebody would make a comment like yours Consolation, but just help chance me, please! Thanks!</p>

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<p>Take one of your passions, and plan, develop, and execute a sizable, meaningful project. Boy Scouting provides this structure in the form of an Eagle Scout Leadership Project - you can Google and get the guidelines which can help you. My son’s was historic and well-documented with the local paper doing a full-page newspaper article when it was close to completion. My daughter has done the same through Girl Scouting/4-H. She was recently interviewed by our local hospital publication and we’re looking forward to the print article. Use your position as class president, student council, etc. to rally support and helping hands. School groups, especially when actually student-run, have good success in raising awareness and funds for significant projects. If you’re good at leading others, they will become enthusiastic and take on parts of your project, which in turn will benefit them and their college resumes. </p>

<p>One of the catch phrases I see on college admission websites is “sustained commitment and achievement.” You want to show a history of passion and continued achievement. A project which you complete and keep ties to can be beneficial, not just for your college admissions, but for your life.</p>

<p>When you are applying, don’t be afraid to send in copies of notable print articles, just don’t send a scrapbook. If you’re in a larger city, getting noticed will be harder. Smaller cities/towns tend to print more about what kids are doing - it’s one of the tradeoffs that equalize the greater opportunities in larger areas. At the very least, make sure you get some print in your school newspaper. Be humble and credit those who help you.</p>

<p>Also, start/continue cultivating good adult relationships, especially at school. Help them and make them look good whenever possible. Don’t brown-nose, but be sincere in expressing gratitude for what these adults do for you. Develop a spirit of gratitude and establish that you are a person of integrity. Make sure bosses know when someone has done a good job in their position, whether it’s paid, volunteer, or school work. Let me re-emphasize - BE SINCERE.</p>

<p>I think you can become a stand-out candidate if you have the personal characteristics to develop depth rather than just width of credentials. Good Luck!</p>

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<p>You cannot be bothered to even edit an email before spamming it into multiple forums, but you want people to take the time to seriously assess your chances? Oh.</p>

<p>You are asking the wrong question here. The question is not “Where can I get in?” the question is “Where do I WANT to get in?” What you need to do is think seriously about what you are looking for in a school, then look for a range of schools (Reach, match, safety) that appeal to you. </p>

<p>You are taking a strong schedule of classes, which is good. But no one can chance you without a GPA and real SATs. Your chances of being recruited as a basketball player would be better assessed in the athletics admission forum. In any case, you should be playing basketball because you like it, not “I even want to play basketball to increase admission chances.” “Even”??</p>

<p>Your inventions intrigue me. Is that what you really care about? If so, perhaps you should let that guide your college choices, rather than aiming at a laundry list of places with prestigious names. Unlike many here, I think that prestige is a perfectly reasonable consideration when choosing a school, but even prestigious colleges are different. A business-oriented entrepreneur might be more interested in U Penn (or Babson). An engineering-minded tinkerer might be more interested in Cornell. Or MIT. Or Carnegie Mellon.</p>

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<p>Thanks Consolation; I did not realize that it was a terrible thing to post same thread in different forums (I did not mean to offend anyone, I just discovered the site recently). Plus, you’re comment about editing was a bit harsh, but I typed this up at like two in the morning when I could not sleep!</p>

<p>I really care about my inventions, and see myself becoming a patent attorney when I am older. This way, I can easily invent, develop, and market my products without having to worry about good patent attorneys. I do have other schools in mind (Duke, Hopkins, Wake, MIT, Caltech, etc.). I am just wondering which Ivies are “most realistic” (this is hard to detect) for me, then I know which schools schools are feasible for met to gain admission, and then I will look at best fit (don’t want to fall in love with school that I regret that I can’t go to). </p>

<p>I’ll try to get in my local paper, but my dean stifles me with whatever school-wide service projects or new clubs I want to start. She rejected EVERYTHING that I had suggested, and I had my entire grade and teacher-advisors giving me all the support in the word. Oh well, thanks everyne!</p>

<p>BTW, I ACTUALLY love basketball; I impressed a Brown scout last summer, and I felt awesome! I make time to hone my skills, and I am driven to excel. My GPA is 4.0 UW right now and I’m #1 in my class (out of 39).</p>

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<p>bump…bump</p>

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<p>

Most of the Ivies are so selective that it’s pretty much impossible for them to be anything other than a reach for everyone (unless your family donates millions to a particular Ivy, in which case it’s probably your safety). Like Consolation said, the most important question and the first one to ask is which Ivies fit you best.</p>

<p>Seriously, if these schools weren’t part of the Ivy League, would you be that interested in applying to them? It’s hard to imagine someone keen on Brown being almost as keen on Cornell or Dartmouth or Princeton.</p>

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<p>johnleemk, thanks for your input! About the prestige thing, didn’t I mention that I am looking at Wake, Hopkins, Duke, considering vanderbilt, etc. I know that admissions is so hard to predict (unfortunately, my family doesn’t have spare millions! :frowning: ) Am I at least on the right track? Thank you everybody!!! :)</p>

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<p>How are you not on the right track? you have a 4.0 gpa for the two years in high school so far and you are taking 4 aps as a junior. honestly, what could you possibly want the members of this forum to say.</p>

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<p>Thanks cs12345! I just want some assurance, which you provided, that I look OK so far. Thanks for your input everybody!</p>

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<p>big dreamer, yes, you certainly sound like you have a reasonable chance at the Ivies, as well as other selective schools.</p>

<p>What you need to do now is decide which of them interest you the most, and why. Then you can identify less selective schools that share those characteristics and work up a balanced list of safeties, matches, and reaches. Remember that you need a <em>financial</em> safety as well as a stats safety.</p>

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<p>Make sure your application expresses interest somehow. If the adcoms get the impression that you applied as a “safety,” they will reject you in a heartbeat.</p>

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<p>I wouldn’t turn down Dartmouth, that’s for sure! Also, would not mind going there! Thanks, I definitely don’t consider Dartmouth a “safety,” I consider it a privelege to attend there. Thanks for your input! :)</p>