Any chance at an Ivy??

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>I am currently a junior and I absolutely love Dartmouth, Princeton and Columbia (first choice Dartmouth). I want to get a feel for my chances before I get my heart too set on those schools. If anyone could tell me what they think that would be much appreciated!</p>

<p>ACT: just took the real one yesterday, but my blind practice ACT score was a 34 so assume 34-35
SAT Subject Tests: will most likely be around 750 for Spanish w/ listening, Math II, Chem, and Lit</p>

<p>GPA: Currently a 4.0 (but may be a 3.9 at the end of the year) at a top 50 school that only does unweighted grades and only 14 people have ever graduated with a 4.0, so as of now I am either the top of my class or tied for it.
Currently taking AP Physics, AP Spanish, AP English, AP Chemistry, Honors Precalc, and Drawing/Painting II this semester (Global Communities next semester - kind of like model un in a class). (Senior plan: AP Biology, Post-AP Spanish, Two semesters of English electives (required to graduate), AP Calc AB, AP European history, possibly Political Science and Economics as last electives)</p>

<p>Extracurricular stuff:
Leader of my school's Challenge Success club (advocates for student wellness, organization from Stanford)
Model UN (went to University of Chicago conference last year, going to Harvard conference this year, trying to become club leader senior year)
Student Interaction Committee (an application-based committee, works to promote school spirit, welcome freshmen, make school a better place in general, etc.)
Past: Admissions Ambassador Leader (I was the main student admissions person and I had kids shadow me, made shadowing kids' schedules for the day, helped run open houses, etc.)</p>

<p>Awards:
Freshman year: I was a silver medalist in the National Spanish Exam- 88th percentile (not great but its something...)
Sophomore year: Dean's Recognition Award (basically says that, apart from academic prowess, this student is respected by their teachers for their personality)</p>

<p>Summers:
I studied abroad in Spain this past summer with School Year Abroad. I was there for a month, lived with a host family, etc. It was an awesome experience and I learned a ton. I'm planning on doing an Oxbridge program at Oxford this summer (traveling abroad and exploring new cultures is my passion).</p>

<p>I have also applied to start volunteering at a hospital near my house, but I sent the application in yesterday so I'm still waiting to hear back. I assume that they'll take me so I'll have 100+ volunteer hours.</p>

<p>I've been looking at chance threads for Ivy League schools on this website and it seems like kids do a billion things and its really intimidating. I don't understand how they have time for it all! Do I have any chance at all? Thank you so much for reading all this!!</p>

2

<p>average stats and extracurriculars. Nothing really stands out. I mean, anywhere else, I’d say you’d have a good chance, but with the Ivies, it’s a high reach for you.</p>

3

<p>Even if you have good ACT, I really don’t see any ECs that screams what you are passionate about.</p>

4

<p>Reach, simply because they’re a reach for everyone. I think you have a good chance. EC’s aren’t too bad, although they could be better, especially with more leadership. Stats seem great. Good luck!</p>

<p>Chance me? <a href=“Claremont Mckenna, Duke, Bucknell, Grinnell, UofR chances! - Chance Me / Match Me! - College Confidential Forums”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1690007-claremont-mckenna-duke-bucknell-grinnell-uofr-chances-p1.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

5

<p>“I studied abroad in Spain this past summer with School Year Abroad. I was there for a month, lived with a host family, etc. It was an awesome experience and I learned a ton. I’m planning on doing an Oxbridge program at Oxford this summer (traveling abroad and exploring new cultures is my passion).”</p>

<p>Direct from the Admissions Director at Princeton (very slightly paraphrased, b/c I didn’t write it down verbatim): ‘We don’t care what you do over the summer- we care what you do with what you did over the summer. We are not impressed that your parents can afford to send you on amazing adventures, we want to know what you have done with that experience. Do not do any summer program for any reason than genuine interest- we know when you are doing things because you think that we will be impressed.’ </p>

<p>I have heard essentially the same thing from Admissions people at a number of the top universities. </p>

<p>I am not suggesting that you don’t go do an Oxford program, just giving you the head’s up that the fact of it will just be seen as a privileged student. And generic ‘I learned so much!’ enthusiasm won’t impress either.</p>

<p>Starting with your experience from last summer, think hard about how you have changed through that process and how that change has been / is being expressed in your life. Does that link into a story arc about who you are / where you think you might be going? Now think ahead to next summer: how does your plan for an Oxbridge adventure fit with that story arc? (btw, with respect, you will do very little exploring of a new culture at Oxford or Cambridge- you will have a blast, and they are fantastic places, but it is going to be lots of students a lot like you, even if they are from different countries).</p>

<p>If you really want a different experience, look at going international for university. UK universities admissions are based almost entirely on test scores (APs/ SAT-ACT/ SATIIs), and is a great choice if you know what you really want to study. A number of universities have dual degree or multi-site programs, where you spend half your university years in another country. Obviously, pretty much every college has a study abroad program, but actually living overseas as a full-time student is a whole other thing.</p>

6

<p>The ivy schools you listed are generally a reach for everyone. I think you would definitely get in Cornell.</p>

7

<p>Others have already covered the points well–the Ivys are a reach for everyone–but I wanted to give you a suggestion, re: study abroad. A summer program isn’t the most impressive; yes it shows interest but also that your parents can afford such a program.</p>

<p>However, you could take it to the next lever and be a full year exchange student. I spent my junior year in Germany on a government scholarship and it changed my life. Now, programs like this don’t always fit into traditional high school schedules and therefore a lot of students don’t do them… but if international travel & culture is truly your passion and you want to stand out, I recommend checking it out: <a href=“http://www.usagermanyscholarship.org/”>http://www.usagermanyscholarship.org/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

8

<p>bump</p>