All Ivies

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

Hey, I’m a junior in a really competitive public high school, wondering my chances at getting into any of the top schools (Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Columbia, UPenn, Duke, Brown, Cornell, Dartmouth). I’m probably going to be applying early to UPenn or Columbia. Here are the stats:

GPA: 3.67 UW 4.62 W (Before junior year, it’ll probably go up after this year I think?)

ACT: Taking it this saturday but predicting 34-36 range

SAT: 2240 before, 1500 after

Subject Tests: 800 Math Level II, taking physics in october

Classes: Took 6 APs this year (4 actual classes, 2 were self studied) took BC Calculus last year (got a 5). Here’s the legit breakdown:

9th grade: Can’t do honors, except I did Honors Precalc

10th grade: Honors Spanish 3, Honors Orchestra, Honors Comp Sci, Honors Chem, Advanced English, AP BC Calc, Honors World History

11th grade: Honors Spanish 4 (A-), Honors Orchestra (A), AP Physics C Mechanics (A), AP Lang(Unclear prob B+/A-), AP Statistics (A), APUSH (B+/A-). Also self studied AP Macroeconomics and AP Microeconomics

12th grade (going to take): AP Spanish, Honors Orchestra, Honors Biology, Honors Shakespeare, AP Comp Gov, might self study a couple APs if i feel like it lol

Extra Curriculars:

Varsity Debate Captain, went to nationals in 10th and 11th grade, nationally ranked and competitive
FBLA Officer, qualified for nationals in 10th and 11th grade
Have won several national business competitions, winning thousands of dollars.
Senator
Done well in a lot of individual math competitions
Volunteer in another town by teaching the elderly how to work with computers
Have like 150 hours logged volunteering in the hospital
Interning at a lab this summer
Founded and Captained Chess team at my school
Started a Youth Group, have raised thousands of dollars with it for charity
Treasurer of another club at school that raises money for another charity
Play violin (used to play in a prestigious youth symphony but dropped out :confused: )

So like chance for the top ivies and chance for the low ivies. I have a pretty good safety, but would def prefer to go to one of these lol, thanks guys

2

Your UW GPA is just too low for the ivies (but who knows, they accept many kinds of students). I think you may have a chance at Cornell but that would still be a stretch. Make up for your GPA with great essays.

3

Perhaps you should try to narrow the focus of the Ivy League schools based on your potential majors; these schools have different “personalities” and you might want to consider where you would fit in the best, and then concern yourself with admission at those schools. Otherwise you might have some difficulty with the “Why ____” essay question.

4

No chance. I will bet you my house if you get in any. AIM LOWER. Stop focusing on only Ivies. Go to your state school.

5

So many negative comments!
But if u want the truth, u should focus on other universities cuz Ivies are just something different! REALLY COMPETITIVE!

6

@HPYMSkid is a savage lol. He does have a point though. Unless you are a URM, which you did not list at all, you are not competitive at HYPC. You should focus on UPenn, brown, Cornell, Dartmouth. However these should be your reach schools. You need to have a better list with safeties and match schools. Also, your GPA is low for these schools. Your EC are good but they don’t send a strong message about your interests. They send the message of “I am a jack of all trades” which is a recipe for getting denied at elite schools.

7

What kind of debate do you do? Are you interested in debating in college? Have you talked to any of the coaches at the schools that participate in your type of debate? You must have run into them at tournaments if you are debating on the national circuit. They don’t have the same pull as athletic coaches but my understanding is that they can put in a good word for an applicant or two or three and have some influence. If you do policy/cross-ex, Dartmouth might be a fit.

8

Gotta love these posts where they want to chance based on predicted scores.

9

Eh, I have no problem with what are essentially “what if” posts. Companies provide reports on anticipated earnings and then report what actually happened. No reason a kid can’t seek guidance based what s/he anticipates/hopes will come to pass.

10

Waste of time

11

Why are you asking about all eight ivies? They’re very different schools. Some rural, some urban, some large some relatively small, some with relatively open curricula, some with lots of requirements. Focusing on this particular eight suggests you’re more interested in the “ivy” classification than in the specific educational/social experience each might offer. Do more research to narrow your choice within this set, and then broaden your horizons to other schools that share those qualities.

As for your “pretty good safety,” are you sure you’ll get in to that? And be happy? And be able to afford it? If not, broaden that field a bit.

12

Your GPA and extra-curriculars don’t cut it for these schools. Even Cornell would be quite a stretch for you. It would be a better use of your time to find colleges that you have a realistic chance of being admitted to. Good luck.

13

Suggest you ignore the Debbie Downer comments about your grades. You’ll have a chance at all the Ivies. Harvard and Dartmouth are the schools most welcoming to top national topic debaters.

14

Debbie Downer or realistic? The debate rages on… http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/1890659-ridiculous-negativity-p1.html

15

@Morningsider
I don’t think you’re being realistic. Grades are first and foremost. Then comes everything else.

16

@SJNccc is correct . Unless the OP has a hook and is such a star in debate that some of the other weakness can be overlooked, chances are low. They are low for everyone.

17

A 3.67 won’t keep someone out of the ivies, especially in a really competitive high school. Lots of kids from my school get into Ivies with grades like that, since it’s difficult to get straight A’s. If he has a low class rank, you guys might be right, but at some schools that will put you in the top 5%.
Anyway I don’t think you should apply to all the Ivies, do some research and see which ones you like the most. They’re all so different you can’t be a good fit for all of them. I think HYPMS kid was exaggerating (not to mention being quite rude)- you do have a chance at some of the “lower” ivies. But also apply to other less competitive schools, the Ivies are a crapshoot for pretty much everyone.

18

^But it seems everyone goes to a “really competitive HS”.

Are you top 5% of your class there? It would help a lot. But agree you chances are very slim, even for the “low Ivies”!

It is not a crapshoot for everyone. If you had a 4.0 with your scores, then it might be a crapshoot. With a 3.67, it is even less.

You have a safety, what you need are matches and less super reaches!

19

Haha, HRSMom, yes, it seems like everyone is claiming a really competitive hs right now.

It’s not just gpa, but what you got the less than A grades in. And what your possible major is. Less than A in the related classes or AP can be an issue. If a B in gym or chorus pulled you down, well, some posters have to get real and understand adcoms look at the transcript, not just the one or two places where gpa shows.

OP, you need to get to know these colleges well enough to distinguish one from another and know what’s going to matter to each of them. SJNccc, I hope you’ve done that, too. This will not be all about stats.

20

Well, I myself made the cut despite being in the bottom half of my high school class. I had two (in retrospect, unimpressive) hooks, and granted this was 35 years ago. I was also a top national topic debater though not quite at the OP’s level – he went to nationals in 10th grade. I know for a fact that the Ivies today still admit applicants with mediocre grades, if the candidate has attributes they want or need. They’ll take a top football player who’s a B student. And if Harvard or Dartmouth ever want to win another national debate championship, they need to admit a few kids like OP each year, whether or not they have great grades.