<p>shameless bump :)</p>
<p>ROFL@ Alabama...</p>
<p>um, you have a pretty good chance. And don't retake. Please.</p>
<p>Yea seriously. Apply to Duke ED if thats ur #1. Apply to Penn ED if thats ur #1. Don't apply to one over the other b/c you have a better shot of getting in, because then you're stuck there, if its not your top school. If your top is HYP, don't apply anywhere ED. You will get into a great school.</p>
<p>what school do you go to in Alabama, I go to spain park and screwed my freshman year with WoW also.. quite addicting</p>
<p>alabama school of fine arts, math and science major :) </p>
<p>Yep, WoW is a grade-killer :(</p>
<p>As to Upenn and Duke ED. Both of the schools are really fit for me. Vaglos LSM program at UPenn is definitely for me, but Duke has a great bioengineering program (which I'm currently doing research in). So I'm basically split down the middle between these two right now. I doubt I'm going to get a cent of financial aid from either school lol.</p>
<ol>
<li>UPenn or Duke - go with UPenn</li>
<li>Wash U in st. Louis-match</li>
<li>Vanderbilt (semi-safety?)-match/safety</li>
<li>Northwestern-match</li>
<li>U Chicago-low reach/match</li>
<li>Emory-match</li>
<li>Cornell-match</li>
<li>Harvard, Yale, Princeton (HYP) - parents want me to apply, but i probably won't stand a chance- not sure, (crapshoot, but u got a great shot)</li>
<li>UAB early medical school acceptance programs (safety)-safety</li>
<li>University of Alabama (safety)-safety</li>
</ol>
<p>Other than your GPA, you are a really strong candidate. With your SATs and being from AL, I think you will get in almost anywhere (except HYP probably). Not that I know- just an educated guess.</p>
<p>you seem pretty flawless to me. good stats. i wouldnt fret if i were you. not to lie. im kinda jealous :P</p>
<p>dude your scores are godly, you can pretty much go anywhere</p>
<ol>
<li>UPenn or Duke- ED Wharton, else RD: reach(GPA)</li>
<li>Wash U in st. Louis- Safety</li>
<li>Vanderbilt- match</li>
<li>Northwestern- match</li>
<li>U Chicago- match~ slight reach(GPA)</li>
<li>Emory-match</li>
<li>Cornell- slight reach(GPA)</li>
<li>Harvard, Yale, Princeton (HYP) - parents want me to apply, but i probably won't stand a chance -- reach(GPA really kills here)</li>
<li>UAB early medical school acceptance programs (safety)- safety</li>
<li>University of Alabama: safety</li>
</ol>
<p>GPA killed you, but otherwise, you would seem to be Ivy material.</p>
<p>G'Luck!!!</p>
<p>even if my GPA shows a great upward trend, and I have a somewhat valid excuse for it? (i. video game addiction)</p>
<p>lol azngod, we azns do have video game addictions, but do we ever write about them as excuses? Lol, our rents would be... you know. I think that the GPA will really kill at top colleges, cause they'll know you didn't try hard enough. Too many horror stories about the guy with good scores + valedict. I suggest that you cut out your WOW in the essay because it will give the colleges the impression "this kid is isolated"/ "he likes excuses". </p>
<p>G'luck!!!</p>
<p>mmm interesting points.</p>
<p>It's not that I didn't try, it's the fact that I didn't really realize the importance of GPA in my freshman and 1st semester of sophomore year. When I tried, I made some great grades. I suppose you're right...I am just trying to find an excuse (albeit in a somewhat unique way), but I feel it's necessary to show that I wasn't showing my full potential and I really wasn't trying. I'll make sure to get some people to read it over and critique it before I actually submit it. </p>
<p>thanks for the advice!</p>
<p>Can someone tell me the actual importance of an upward trend in GPA/grades?</p>
<p>I was getting 98s and 99s in all my APs (5 classes) by the end of junior year</p>
<p>when i saw the '1992' in your sn, i was like, "darn..im applying the same year he is". but did you skip a grade?</p>
<p>apply to duke ED</p>
<p>yea, 3rd grade </p>
<p>My application would look sooooo good if I applied next year :)</p>
<p>I'm really leaning towards duke ED right now...but I'm concerned about their financial aid. From their case studies and friends/relatives, they seem to be somewhat my stingy with financial aid compared to some other Ivies.</p>
<p>bumpty bump bump</p>
<p>I would have to agree with Harvardian. Unless you remove that braggart suit you have on there on your essays. Everything about you seems a little ostentatious and academic in even that little conspectus you have so self-indulgently fashioned.</p>
<p>AP scores did come out that early if you ordered them early :)</p>