An AA/First-Gen. At BostonC

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>My number one choice is a college I don't really have the qualifications for. I haven't visited Boston College yet, but I know two people who go there and they have told me how great it is. One of those people actually walked around the campus and gave me a tour with his laptop through oovoo haha. I think I will be visiting this summer. I am also considering applying to George Washington University, Drexel, NYU, UNC Chapel Hill, and Rutgers NB.</p>

<p>Looking to go undergrad for economics/finance to ultimately go to law school and then into corporate law.</p>

<p>I am a junior right now but here is the basic rundown of my profile, copied from an admission thread. </p>

<p>Decision:YOU Decide!!</p>

<p>[ *] SAT: 2090 (740 CR 730W 620M) I'm just not a math person. </p>

<p>[ *] SAT IIs: Taking in June</p>

<p>[ *] GPA: UW 88/100 (did awful 9th grade, all B's but 10th and 11th will be almost all A's)</p>

<p>[ *] Rank: Top 30% (that's all they tell us)</p>

<p>[ *] Courses: All honors 9-10(school only offers AP to Juniors), APUSH AP Lang. 11th grade, 5 APs 12th grade</p>

<p>[ *] Essays: Will be about my time spent in courtrooms. </p>

<p>[ *] Counselor Rec: He think I'm like the best student ever, should be great.</p>

<p>[ *] Hook (if any): African American and First Gen student</p>

<p>[ *] State or Country: New Jersey</p>

<p>[ *] School Type: Low ranked public school</p>

<p>[ *] Gender: Male</p>

<p>Activities:
Gotta be honest, I'm not too involved in school. We don't offer anything that interests me. </p>

<p>-Speech/Debate: Competed on state levels for congressional debate, NJFL tournaments for impromptu speeches</p>

<p>-Founded "Job Opportunities Board" to help employ high school students. I'm good at finding employment. </p>

<p>-Individual court case project. I personally go to NJ Supreme Court in Trenton when it is in session, and I sit-in on the appellate cases. I take notes on the case, and make a court brief, then analyze the techniques used by the attorney to present their case. </p>

<p>P/T Jobs:</p>

<p>-Line Cook position $9/hr</p>

<p>-Server for fine dining restaurant $100/night</p>

<p>-Server for off premise catering company $13/hr</p>

<p>-Papa John's $8/hr</p>

<p>Also, I'm probably gonna be attending the Boston University High School Honors program. I was just accepted today. I'll be taking a course in Finance and one in either American government or economics, not sure yet.</p>

<p>Thank you for your input</p>

2

<p>To be put honestly, you will probably to boston college because you are a URM. Your grades are good, but not that great, so i think being a minority will get you in.</p>

3

<p>Does being a URM really help at all in the process? Is there any chance I would be accepted based on my credentials alone? I really don’t want to leave it up to a “hook.”</p>

4

<p>I doubt it. BC is very stats based. They pay the most attention to your SAT scores and GPA. You are in the lower half of applicants for both. ECs are also important factors, and you’re lacking them. Ethnicity and First gen are only “considered” factors according Boston College. Same thing for GWU and NYU (depending on the program).</p>

<p>You got a definite shot at Drexel and Rutgers, IMO.</p>

5

<p>Theres nothing wrong with his ECs, he works and does courtroom stuff as well as debate, which shows dedication. Obviously race and socioeconomic status are only “considered”, but they are indeed considered, and its not like those stats are particularly bad. Upward trend is good, so if you get all A’s they will see that while your freshmen year brought your GPA down, you will probably be able to handle college level workload. </p>

<p>Good luck, it just depends on how good your essays are probably =P maybe talk about being a 1st gen student at least a little?</p>

6

<p>Seriously, don’t listen to those first two. They don’t know what they are talking about. You WILL NOT get in just because you are black. You have a great SAT score, your Gpa is on the lower end if translated to 4.0 BUT that doesn’t mean anything. </p>

<p>There is no set standard for you to get into a college. It is all about YOU. </p>

<p>YOu don’t need no"hook"
Thats just an excuse people make on the reason non whites get in which is ridiculous.</p>

<p>Good luck and I look forward to hearing your decisions next year.</p>

7

<p>Thanks for the replies, I know my GPA is low, but it’s all because of my 9th grade performance. </p>

<p>Also, my school doesn’t really offer many activities because no one cares. I did the only thing I was interested in, Speech and Debate. </p>

<p>Like I said, I am from a low ranked public school. We have sent a few people to the Ivies and top 25 schools in the past years, but regularly, over 50% attend a local CC, and many people just join the military.</p>

<p>I appreciate the input!</p>

8

<p>Even without URM, your stats look incredible. Sure your GPA isn’t the highest, but your SAT score is really good. Plus, within the context that you’ve provided about your school, you’ve done <em>REALLY AMAZING</em> ECs despite a lack of resources. And being a URM <em>does not!!!</em> mean you don’t qualify. Even being a URM you need to have really good stats. But hey! If it helps to be a URM, lucky you! It sounds like you may not be very well-off (based on the many jobs and the description of your school that you gave). So you were in that case, less privileged than people in super rich communities. Does that mean those kids shouldn’t get in because they were given the unfair advantage over you by living in a super rich town with incredible schools and resources? Because if they have that advantage, you deserve to have URM status to level the playing field, so to speak…</p>

9

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<p>And therein lies the rub.</p>

10

<p>Nothing wrong with your scores- it will hang on the “whole” picture you create in your app. Write a great essay that shows you are motivated, human, can learn from experiences. The jobs count as activities (better if at least some ran for a while.) If you haven’t looked at the Common App yet, try to, so you can work on how to present yourself well. Do some community service and find a way to mentor kids, maybe at the middle school or public library. There is always room for someone to tutor in math or reading/writing (or offer homework help.) Yes, URM and 1st gen will help. So be it. That’s beyond your control.</p>

<p>What IS in your control is get top grades. Make sure someone writing recs can explain why you floundered in 9th and 10th. They often do this- just a remark that you suffered because of x and have knocked yourself out since. I can’t overstate how important it is to ensure you get good recs- not the 4-line sort.</p>

11

<p>Sorry to bring this thread back up to the top, but I visited Boston College last weekend, and it just seems like such a great environment. The architecture is amazing and makes you think every time you look at a building. Everyone there also seems so goal-oriented and ready to start their professional life, it’s the perfect atmosphere!</p>