Chance a junior for top LACs

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>I'm a current junior wondering my chances at Claremont McKenna, Haverford, Grinell, Harvey Mudd. Also, if anyone knows any safety schools that would be generous in financial aid for a student like me, please let me know.</p>

<p>Stats:</p>

<p>White male, low income (less than $10,000, single parent), so I will be applying for aid.</p>

<p>Current rank is 23/215, but once this semester's grades go in, I will be close to the top ten. Also, anyone above 4.0 at my school is valedictorian and I will have after next semester.</p>

<p>33 ACT (1st try)
800 US History SAT II
800 Biology SAT II
800 World History SAT II</p>

<p>Recommendations by:
The state director of Academic Decathlon;
my Academic Decathlon coach;
the Gifted and Talented director at my school;
my Advanced English II teacher</p>

<p>Grades:</p>

<p>Freshman -</p>

<p>20th Century Contemporary World History (A/A)
Geometry (C/C)
Spanish I (A/B)
English 9 (C/B)
Leadership (student council) (A/A)
Physics (A/A)
Gym S1 (C), Computer Apps I S2 (A)
Power English (class that all freshman have to take) (B/C)</p>

<p>Sophomore -
Chemistry (B/A)
Biology (A/A)
Spanish II (A/B)
*AP Psychology (A/A)
*Intro to Engineering and Design (A/A)
*AP US History (D/C) (I've got an excuse for this.)
Algebra II (C/B)
Advanced English II (C/B)
Academic Decathlon (A/A)</p>

<p>Junior - the second semester grades haven't came out, those are current.
*AP Biology (A/A)
*AP Environmental Science (A/A)
*AP US History (retaking with a different teacher) (A/A)
*AP Government (A/A)
*College Statistics (A/A)
*College Calculus (A/B) - this will likely be an A, it's at 88% right now and I have three missing assignments that I'm turning in tomorrow
*AP Human Geography (A/A)
*College Powerpoint and Multimedia S1 (A)
Gym S2 (A)
*AP Language (A/B) - this is probably going to be a B because I messed up and didn't do a project on time...</p>

<p>Senior - the schedule that I selected yesterday
<em>AP Physics
*AP Chemistry
*AP Comparative Government S1/</em>AP Macroeconomics S2
Gym S1/Gym S2 - I was short on the graduation requirements
*Linear Algebra/Differential Equations
*AP Literature
*AP Computer Science AB (It is independent study; I'll have an A for sure)
*AP European History</p>

<p>ECs:
--Student Council: 9th, 11th, probably 12th.</p>

<p>--Quizbowl: captain in 10th grade, captain in 11th, and I will be next year too.</p>

<p>--History Bowl: Captain of JV in 10th grade, captain of varsity this year, where we won state and are going to nationals, in addition to being first individually.</p>

<p>--Academic Decathlon: Led my team to win state for the first time ever as captain in 11th, and will likely do so again next year, as the competition is getting worse since we knocked down a dynasty that won more than ten years in a row. I would write my essay on this. I should also mention that I am extremely involved in this - I started in 10th grade as the captain, and since then we have been staying after school 4 hours every night.</p>

<p>I also have plans in the work to start a tutoring program at my school with Academic Decathlon kids to help.</p>

<p>Any other questions, feel free to ask.</p>

2

<p>Sorry that this post isn’t much of a chance, but I was just wondering:
a) what your excuse for APUSH was/why/how you’re retaking it
and
b) how you’re ~top 10% in your class with that many Cs?</p>

<p>I feel like that might shed some light on your chances.</p>

3

<p>A) - I didn’t do one assignment, flat out, and that brought me down to a B, but I’m in a unique situation other than that. I was able to take the class at a school across town that I had to take the bus to get to. My Academic Decathlon coach had mandatory tests in the morning at my school, so when the bus arrived, I often missed it (probably once every two weeks), and my teacher wouldn’t give me any work I missed. Also, my home school added APUSH, that’s how I’m retaking it.</p>

<p>B) I currently have a 3.9 weighted, 3.5 UW. Most students in my school take no AP classes, so I am generally only behind those with 4.0 UW. By schedule, I have the most rigorous in my school by far - the counselor at my school had never seen a student take more than five. So the main reason I’m ranked so high is my weighted GPA, although by the end of my senior year, I should have an unweighted GPA around 3.76, provided things go how I plan.</p>

4

<p>Bump</p>

<p>10char</p>

5

<p>Good upward trend on grades and strong test scores, but it is important to put yourself safely into the top 10 at your school. If you can do that, I would consider Grinnell likely for you, Haverford possible, and CMC and Harvey Mudd reaches. You are a candidate who might benefit from applying ED at a place like Haverford, which takes a lot of its admits this way. Of course, you would have to gamble a bit on the FA, but if that does not work it is grounds to withdraw the EA acceptance.</p>

6

<p>It is very important that you get all A’s senior year to finish off your upward trend</p>

7

<p>I could be, without too much of a reach, be #1 in my class - there is very little to separate the top from the bottom, and the #1 currently has 4.2, with a very easy (2 weighted classes) schedule next year, and no real challenge in sight for #1.</p>

<p>Also, will being in the state for any of those schools hurt (or help) my chances? I don’t want to reveal who I am, so I don’t want to say which of those are in my state, but one or more of them are.</p>

8

<p>Your state probably wont get you in or keep you out.</p>

9

<p>Bump. Any other opinions?</p>

10

<p>Bump again.</p>