Admissions Chances?

Chance Me / Match Me!
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<p>I'm wondering what schools I should be realistically applying to based on my admissions stats. I go to a small prestigious private high school in California and am interested in fairly prestigious colleges like Princeton, Rice, Columbia, Carnegie Mellon and CalTech.</p>

<p>I have a 3.75 GPA unweighted while taking almost all honors classes, but I'm not even in the top 25% of my class (there's a lot of grade inflation and class rank is calculated unweighted). My grades are therefore not really high enough for me to seriously consider schools like CalTech normally. However, I also have a 2400 SAT and am student body president. In addition I have a really strong list of other ECs and know my teacher recs would be good. Should I realistically be looking at these prestigious schools or should I not keep my hopes up?</p>

<p>I'm particularly interested in Rice and CalTech (yes I know they're very different). What are my chances? Thanks!</p>

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<p>I think you actually have a pretty good chance at them all! I would say Rice and Carnegie Mellon are targets and the rest are reaches (as they are for practically everyone). A 2400 is really amazing!! And it seems you have good leadership and ECs too. So I think you should be fine. Just make sure you apply to other target schools and some safeties. If you want to lift your gpa a bit you could take a few summer classes online or at your local community college.</p>

<p>Good luck! Chance me back?? :)</p>

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<p>SATs are superb, but an SAT is a one-time event. In your case grades are a real problem, as they are the evidence of your day-to-day achievement over the long term. Being only in the top 25% of your class almost automatically eliminates you from consideration by these schools. Unless, and this is a BIG unless, you have really NOTABLE achievement in science research at the regional and/or national level (say Intel…). At this point CalTech, Princeton, Columbia, Rice, and Carnegie Mellon all seem unrealistic, unless there is some advanced science research you have neglected to advise us about. I say science, because your expressed interest in CalTech automatically creates the asssumption of science interests.</p>

<p>But I am mystified. Given your awareness that your stats are not – at this point – really competitive for these schools, why aren’t you working on a serious list of matches and safety schools? Why just this list of schools that your stats don’t match?</p>

<p>What is unrealistic is your seeming sole focus on some of the most prestigious, admissions-difficult schools in the country. You need SERIOUS WORK on a more broadly-based list of schools that are realistic given your listed achievements. And, as I say, even with a 2400 SAT, your grades and rank MAY sink your ship. Many applicants with perfect SATS are rejected from the best colleges, but many of them also have grades and ranks more in sync with the test scores. And, are still rejected!</p>

<p>New plan: work on a more realistic list of schools that include some that are matches and safeties. Of course, you have every right to apply to a few dream schools. But be realistic about your chances, while assuring admission somewhere by having a better rounded list of schools at which to apply. </p>

<p>Oh, and take “chances” from other high school students with a grain of salt. Since none of them have yet been admitted to college, how can they “chance” you?</p>

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<p>Does your school have naviance? Can you check and see if students with the same or similar GPA you currently have get into those schools you listed? If not, then your GPA and class rank basically make those schools completely unrealistic.</p>

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<p>My god swingtime, chill out. There is no reason to get so emotional about this! He is just asking about some of the schools he is interested in. He never said these are the only schools he’s applying to. Also Carnegie Mellon is not that hard to get into. I know many seniors with similar gpa and worse SATs who have gotten in. Here’s this years admission stats. <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/carnegie-mellon-university/1305040-official-carnegie-mellon-university-2016-rd-results-5.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/carnegie-mellon-university/1305040-official-carnegie-mellon-university-2016-rd-results-5.html&lt;/a&gt;
And class rank in public schools can be very different from those in competitive private schools. In public schools usually only the top 5% get into top 20 schools, but in some of these private schools over a quarter of them do.
Although many of these schools are reaches (as they are for most people), I think he still has a chance at all of them.</p>

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<p>kittenesarecute, YOU need to chill out. Rather than just writing a curt “these are unrealistic,” I attempted to show serious interest in and concern for the OP and offer some advice. Unlike you I have already graduated from high school, college (UChicago), and grad school (Harvard Ph.D, at which school I also taught) and have advised students on college applications. You are currently a high school student asking for your own “chances” and therefore may have less experience in providing appropriate advice.</p>

<p>If the OP has indeed a list of other schools, great. The OP did not post them, giving the impression of a more limited, high-end, range of schools which, as Cortana431 has also suggested, are UNREALISTIC for this OP given the OP’s current stats.</p>

<p>Don’t worry, though actually qualified by training and experience to do so, I won’t chance you.</p>

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<p>I apologize if I sounded rude, but unless you state your credentials most people are going to assume you are a high school student and are going to write to you accordingly. Also your credentials and experience does not give you a right to act in such a discouraging manner. And from looking at the Carnegie Mellon decision posts and talking to upperclassmen I still think Keshaluvr887 has a very good chance of getting accepted to Carnegie Mellon.</p>

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<p>kittensarecute: apology accepted! You do have to understand that there is a difference between being discouraging and being realistic. And, you don’t seem to have read my entire post. I encouraged OP to apply to his/her dream schools AND TO ADD MATCHES AND SAFETIES!!! But I also had to suggest a realistic look at OP’s stats as they compare to dream schools. However, nowhere did I suggest that OP shouldn’t apply. I truly said, work on a more realistic list of schools that include SOME that are matches and safeties. </p>

<p>Believe me, I GET how stressful this is. I’ve been through it. And NO ONE wants some one to throw cold water on them and douse dreams. Always dream. But you have to temper dreams with realism. That is my point.</p>

<p>OP has a RIGHT to apply to EVERY single school on this list. But not to REALLY look at safeties and matches would be a HUGE mistake. Huge! And his/her future cannot depend upon Carnegie Mellon alone!</p>

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<p>Just to clarify, a 3.75 is above an A- GPA unweighted. I have above a 4 weighted (they’re almost entirely honors courses). I have been elected student body president, have really tremendous ECs and a perfect SAT score. </p>

<p>So what I am really asking here is this: is the difference between an A and an A- actually that big of a deal to colleges? Especially given my other great stats?</p>

<p>swingtime, I really appreciate your realism, but am obviously skeptical that you went to UChicago or Harvard (you are after all just a stranger on the internet). However, I would appreciate some suggestions on good target or safety schools given my credentials.
I like medium sized schools near cities; Rice is pretty ideal though a little on the small side. I’m not at all interested in a name, just a good school. And yes, I am strongly interested in science.</p>

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<p>Also (just for some context) many of my classmates have gone to Brown, Harvard, Yale, etc. while not being in the top 25% (none were inducted into Cum Laude) but these were mostly athletic EDs or legacies, which has seriously turned me off to these type of institutions.</p>

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<p>Keshaluvr887, you are absolutely right to be skeptical of anyone on the internet. I know where I went to school, received my degrees, and also taught. Whether you believe it is totally up to you and really, totally irrelevant to me. Now, on to your college applications!!!</p>

<p>Suggestion: another poster has urged you to use your school’s naviance tool if you have it, to check your stats against others in your school who have applied to the colleges in which you have shown an interest. If your stats are in line with students from your school who were accepted to these colleges, then clearly these colleges know and respect your high school’s grading and ranking systems. Then, no problems!!!</p>

<p>Given your ECS, it is possible that the difference between an A minus average and an A average will prove ultimately to be meaningless in the application process. However, given your strong interest in science, the schools in which you have expressed an interest on this site – most particularly CalTech – will probably expect to see from you some advanced work in science at a reasonably high level. That is being realistic, if you want to apply to these schools as a potential science major. Not a discouragement, but a reality check. Being student body president is MUCH less relevant to CalTech, than an Intel or Siemans award. And this may be true of the other schools on your list. They want to see more focused interest and achievement, especially in the area in which you will indicate interest, in your case, science. If you have done no advanced science research, or won any science awards, this could be – not will be, but could be – somewhat of an issue. These schools want to see you excelling in your passions!</p>

<p>Please also remember that I have NOT said, don’t apply to your dream schools. I said, add safeties and matches, and be aware that getting into your dreams will be tough, BECAUSE IT IS TOUGH FOR EVERYONE, stats match or otherwise. Just urging you to be smart about this process.</p>

<p>If you are interested in science, another school you should consider strongly is Harvey Mudd College, which is part of the five-college Claremont College Consortium (which includes strong LACs like Pomona and Clarmont McKenna). Mudd is superb. You should still, of course, consider Carnegie Mellon. A school I love, which has superb science offerings, is a lovely LAC in Minnesota called Carleton College. Carleton has absolutely top-notch academics and is reasonably close to the Twin Cities (about an hour away), though it may be too small given your requirements, I think you should still look at it. Washington University in St. Louis is also strong in sciences. Of course Johns Hopkins, also. Be advised that Wash U. and Hopkins DO NOT promise to meet full demonstrated need, if this is an issue for you.</p>

<p>Several of the UCal branches are particularly strong in the sciences, and you need to investigate those as well. In other words, now that you have your reaches, REALLY work on getting not only matches, BUT SAFETIES you would attend.</p>

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<p>Of course haha. Well regardless thanks for the suggestions :slight_smile: and thank you as well Kittens.</p>

<p>I seriously appreciate your time and dedication swingtime. Johns Hopkins is big on my list. The UCs were fantastic (Cal was the best school in the world for Chem about 5 years ago and UCLA was top 3 for math) but unfortunately due to the state’s budget cuts and all the political protests they’ve really gone downhill. UCSD and UCLA are possibilities but the 4-year grad rate is ridiculously low right now - way too many students aren’t able to take classes they want.</p>

<p>Carleton is a little too small for my liking but I’ll definitely give it a second look - very, very, very good school from all I’ve heard, a few people from the senior class are going there next year. Harvey Mudd isn’t as popular at my high school but I’ll also give it another glance. I’d rather go somewhere out of California.</p>

<p>The Naviance is very uninformative, as the student body is pretty small. For example, the Harvard average acceptance GPA is a 3.54 due to the numerous legacies and the average SAT is below 2000. Meanwhile Georgetown and Pomona are both above 4.00 and 2150s. Because of this subjectivity I am really interested in what more prestigious schools value - for example, that information about CalTech valuing national science awards was really helpful.
Are there any schools that tend to value test scores and ECs more than others?</p>

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<p>I just wanted to comment that although it is true that Caltech values awards and advanced research, you are not an auto-reject if you have neither. What Caltech really looks for is passion and interest, and if you can demonstrate your passion for math/science in other ways, then lack of awards or research will not hinder you. </p>

<p>I also agree with the suggestion of Harvey Mudd. It is very similar to Caltech - in scientific focus, size, location, social scene, etc.</p>

<p>While I cannot think of any schools off the top of my head that value test scores and EC’s over GPA/rank, you could take a look at Common Data Sets of certain schools. They often have a section listing Scores - Very Important, EC’s - Important and the like which may be some indication of how the school weighs the stats on your application.</p>