Applying Again (Chances????)

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>I was a high school senior last year and ended up enrolling at a prestigious New England liberal arts college for the 2004-2005 school year. Extenuating family circumstances which surfaced near the end of August, though, have prevented me from attending that college and forcing me to take a year off from school. Thus, I am going through the process of applying again this year and am wondering about my chances at the following schools, if I apply Regular Decision:</p>

<li>Harvard</li>
<li>Yale</li>
<li>Princeton</li>
<li>Dartmouth</li>
<li>Brown</li>
<li>Columbia</li>
<li>University of Pennsylvania</li>
<li>Cornell</li>
<li>Duke</li>
<li>Swarthmore</li>
<li>Amherst</li>
<li>Williams</li>
</ol>

<p>I know my SAT I and SAT II scores will hurt me at many of these schools (not that they’re bad) but I’d like to give it a shot anyways. I’d appreciate any input anybody could give me on my chances.</p>

<p>Overall GPA: 3.9</p>

<p>Class Rank: 7/410</p>

<p>SAT I
Combined: 1390
Verbal: 710
Math: 680</p>

<p>SAT II
U.S. History: 740
Writing: 720
Math IIC: 700</p>

<p>AP
Calculus AB: 5
Literature & Composition: 5
French: 4
U.S. History: 4
Language & Composition: 4
Physics B: 3
Government & Politics: 3
Psychology: 3</p>

<p>Junior Year Schedule:
AP U.S. History
AP Language & Composition
Honors Physics
Honors Precalculus
French 4
Latin 3</p>

<p>Senior Year Schedule:
AP U.S. Government & Politics
AP Literature & Composition
AP Psychology
AP Physics
AP Calculus
AP French
AP Latin</p>

<p>Awards & Distinctions

  • Outstanding Achievement in Honors World History I (9th grade)
  • First-Prize in School-Wide Algebra Contest (10th grade)
  • Outstanding Achievement in Honors Algebra II (10th grade)
  • Outstanding Achievement in French III (10th grade)
  • Outstanding Achievement in Latin III (11th grade)
  • College of the Holy Cross Book Prize (11th grade)
  • Outstanding Achievement in AP French (12th grade)
  • Outstanding Achievement in AP Latin (12th grade)
  • AP Scholar with Distinction (12th grade)</p>

<p>Extracurriculars

  • President of National Honor Society (12)
  • National Honors Society Member (11 & 12)
  • Founder and Editor-in-Chief of NHS Newspaper (12)
  • President of Academic Decathlon (9-12)
  • French NHS Member (9-12)
  • Latin NHS Member (9-12)
  • National Junior Classical League (9-12)
  • Pre-Calculus & Calculus Tutoring (12)
  • Legacy Project for Veterans (12)
  • Drama Department’s Medieval Society (10)</p>

<p>Employment
-Congressional Internship for U.S. Congressman (Summer 2003)</p>

2

<p>If you had already been accepted and enrolled, why didn't you take a leave of absence or something, why can't you go back to that school if it was an extraordinary family circumstance?</p>

3

<p>Applying Rd, there is a reasonable chance that you will be WL/Rejected at all of those schools. If you applied ED, you would have a chance at Cornell, Upenn, Duke, Columbia, and maybe one of the LACs.</p>

4

<p>You still have impressive stats and ECs though. What about some SLIGHTLY lower schools like Northwestern, Rice, Vanderbilt or JHU?</p>

5

<p>In response to cangel's question, I am currently on a leave of absence from the college I was to attend but they said that if I wished to, I could apply elsewhere while still retaining a place for next year's class. This college was definitely not my first choice when i accepted its offer so I guess I have the best of both worlds: I retain a place for next year's class at the College, plus I get to apply elsewhere if I wish. So I'm going to give it a go once more at these schools.</p>

<p>And I am considering less prestigious schools as well. I was just curious about the big ones for the time-being. But thank you for your compliment, Tenacious J. Right now I am most interested in the University of Pennsylvania since it is such a massive research university and it has so many opportunities that I could take advantage of. All I can do is hope at this point! :)</p>

6

<p>I'm a soph at Penn and I'll be honest...you'd need quite the hook to get in RD with your stats. They aren't necessarily "bad" but they aren't what Penn would be looking for in a successful RD applicant (at least not without a serious hook of some sort). Your real problem will be that you are applying as a non-traditional applicant. They will be trying to fill their class with current seniors...you might be better off going to your present school and trying to transfer (after pulling very good grades). hth</p>

<p>edit:</p>

<p>I was actually in a situation very, very similar to the one you're in. Family troubles caused me to have to choose a different school. I ended up doing a year at a decent LAC and then I transferred to Penn.</p>

7

<p>almost all the top schools take less than a dozen transferer students for each school yearly. However if you have not taken any classes after HS, you will be considered in the same pool as the rest of the applicants.</p>

8

<p>Did you do anything of note during your year off?</p>