can someone smart plz help me face the facts?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Hi everyone. I really need to know what my chances are @ these schools: UCLA UCSB UCSD
USC
Pepperdine
LMU
Irvine
Stanford (crazier things have happened)
Here are my stats:
CA resident
GPA: 3.94 (unweighted counting freshman grades)
4.5 (weighted)</p>

<p>Curriculum: Have taken the hardest classes available. Though we can only have 2 AP's a year, I've petitioned for three, and by senior year will have taken APUS (3) AP Comp (5) AP Bio, AP Gov., and AP Lit.</p>

<p>SAT: 1960, but I'm going to take it again with A LOT of prep, and will hopefull score 2050+. </p>

<p>I'm also taking the ACT two times. On the Pre ACT I did very well, and it seems to be much better suited for my academic ability, so I am expecting a 30+ (I've been studying for it all summer).</p>

<p>I have a few awards, and a lot of EC's:
Student Government (3 years) soph class rep, junior class treasurer, senior class secretary.</p>

<p>Service Club: Have served in the position of upper rep, secretary, and vice president. Annually coordinate a service opportunity with the salvation army bell ringing, and helping distribute food and goods to the need each holiday season.</p>

<p>NHS:4 years</p>

<p>Member of school newspaper (4 yrs): Will be editor this year.
Peer Counselor (3 yrs): Organized and led a fundraiser to raise money for seminar.</p>

<p>Student Ambassador: 2 years</p>

<p>Varsity cheer (2 yrs): First place in our division at cheer competition.</p>

<p>Competition Cheer (1 yr)</p>

<p>Part time job: Worked 15+ hours a week for over a year at an ice cream shop.</p>

<p>Drama Club (3 yrs). Going to be in the play this year.</p>

<p>Nature Club (3 yrs)</p>

<p>Volunteering:
Organized and started a nonprofit organization which raises money for the hungry and homeless. I put in about 5 hours a week to this organization. We volunteer at the food bank twice a month, and started a drive of pop tabs and selling other items to raise money. Am putting together a concert starring a school band, all proceeds helping the organization.</p>

<p>Volunteer @ local hospital in the ER 3 hours a week
Volunteer @ Ronald McDonald House 4 hours a week, nominated to be Teen group leader there.
Volunteer @ the Make a Wish Foundation. Once I'm 18 will be a wish granter.
Help coordinate a school wide food drive, organized donations from major companies to the school.
Volunteered at Bible school (4 yrs), also at vacation Bible School 2 summers, 40 hours.
All together over 500 hours of community service but more I have to add in.</p>

<p>What do you guys think of my chances @ these schools? I know my SATs aren't great, but it's not like I'm applying to an ivy. I hope a lot of people respond... :-)</p>

2

<p>Hi,</p>

<ul>
<li>UCSB, Pepperdine, UCI, and Loyola Marymount are match schools</li>
<li>UCSD is a wild-card.. theoretically it should be a match, but I don't know if you'd be well-represented in their formula system (unfortunately!). Your community service, which I think is your strongpoint, will be reduced to- did she do over 200 hours of community service, if so, she gets 200 points. It seems unfair but that's how it goes. If you talk about your community service and shed some more light into in your essays, then UCSD should be a match school, too.</li>
<li>UCLA and USC are slight reaches, but let's just say I won't be surprised to see you get into either one of them (or both!). UCLA will be dependent on how strong your SAT II scores are, and USC will depend on whether or not you're able to get a 31 on the ACT. Good luck on further exams!</li>
<li>Yeah... it doesn't look like Stanfurd is going to happen... but hey, what about Cal-Berkeley? It's a much better school... =)</li>
</ul>

<p>Best of luck,
TTG</p>

<p>(I love your sn)</p>

3

<p>I disagree a bit here. Your grades are phenomenal, which are a solid foundation for any school. I assume you are ELC (top 4%), which will help you quite a bit at UC's.</p>

<p>The SAT will most likely knock you out of Stanford, but it is OK for your other schools. A 2050 will help solidify some things for you. But don't forget, SAT II scores are critical (primarily at UC schools) and could make or break it for you. 2 scores that are 700+ could seal the deal for you at UCLA & UCSD. Conversely, 2 scores below 600 would diminish your chances A LOT.</p>

<p>Your EC's are great for the schools you are talking about. If we were talking about Harvard, I'd say your EC's would need some work, but for UCLA or UCSD they're more than fine. 500 community service hours will score you major points at these schools (where numbers are just as important as anything else).</p>

<p>UCLA: match / slight reach
UCSB: safe match
UCSD: match
USC: match
Pepperdine: safe match
LMU: ?
Irvine: safe match
Stanford: reach</p>

<p>Remember, a match means that you are "likely" to be accepted (meaning above 50%). But it is definitely not a guaranteee. </p>

<p>I generall look at a "reach" as less than 30% chance, slight reach 30-50% chance, match 50-70% chance, safe match 70-90%, & safety 90%+. It is certainly possible to be rejected from a handful of matches & safe matches, although it is not likely.</p>

<p>Also consider Berkeley. It is arguably as good or better than UCLA. Your chances of getting into Berkeley may actually be better than into UCLA b/c Berkeley places more emphaiss on grades and less on SAT's.</p>

<p>Hope that helps!</p>

4

<p>Thanks everyone I really appreciate the time it took to write your responses... Lately I've been feeling really stressed that I'm not going to get in ANYWHERE. My number one school is probably Pepperdine, and I don't want to go to Stanford anyway. @ least now I have some hope!</p>

5

<p>I don't know much about the other schools, but I do know that if you can't raise your SAT (and even if you raise it to around 2050), you have no shot at Stanford. Your chances at the other schools seem pretty good though, especially if you raise your SAT.</p>

6

<p>To my fellow cheerleader (Cheertator):</p>

<p>Turn that frown upside down! You have grades/ECs/test scores that many people would KILL for! You are definitely stressing over nothing. You will get in to the school that you are meant for, you know? You're going to give yourself an ulcer with all that worrying your doing. I know that Pepperdine is a really good match for you and I'm sure you'd be happy there. It's a beautiful campus. So take a deep breath and relax, because everything will work itself out!</p>

7

<p>I'd say you have a real, real good shot at Pepperdine. I would estimate somewhere around 80-90% with a decent essay and at least another 50 points on the SAT. Heck, you probably have at least a 50% chance if you don't retake the SAT.</p>

<p>I don't know if Pepperdine requires SAT IIs; if they do, then a significant part of your testing is missing.</p>

8

<p>wow thanks for not being blunt atomicfusion... Brutal honesty I like it. </p>

<p>Cheer06: Hmmm... who could this be? Last time I ever tell anyone my name on CC. Let's keep this on the DL. Ur the bees knees....</p>

9

<p>I don't know why you'd want to go to Pepperdine, but if you express interest, I'm sure you're in. It has a 26% acceptance rate, but note that most of their applicants are on the weaker side. It's actually not that hard to get into despite the low acceptances. Again, it's not a good place to be unless you're a strong Protestant Christian who does not mind a lack of social place.</p>

<p>LMU: Likely admit
USC: Match</p>

10

<p>I read Pepperdine's acceptance rate at 37%. This is a huge difference from 26%, so I thought it was worth mentioning.</p>

11

<p>It was 37% for 2003-2004, but I know the admission director there and he said it was 26% for 2004-2005. Other schools with 25% acceptance rates like UCLA and USC are much harder, because of the pool of applicants. Or look at U Penn which I think is about 25%, and is much much harder than any of the above.</p>

12

<p>Cheertator:</p>

<p>UCLA: Slight Reach
UCSD: Safe Match
UCSB: Safety</p>

13

<p>It's kind of rude shooting down the college that I might want to go to. Just because I don't have a 2400 SAT and can't get into Harvard doesn't mean that u have to make me ridiculous for liking a college even though I'm not Prodestant. It doesn't have a LACK OF A SOCIAL LIFE. You're like 25 minutes from the heart of LA, where u can go to clubs, USC, or UCLA parties. Plus the location is beautiful. Not that I feel I have to justify where I want to go to college thank u.</p>