Chance a long shot to top schools?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Hey, I will be applying to Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Pomona, Claremont Mckenna, Duke, U Chicago, Georgetown, and Dartmouth (Safeties as well).</p>

<p>I fully understand that applying to any of these schools is a crapshoot, but if you want to shoot some opinions at me, please do, i'd really appreciate it.</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I: 2350
ACT: Didn't take
SAT II: Eng. Lit. - 780, US History - 740, Math II - 800, Physics - 780
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.989 - (Weighted): 4.3 (count only AP as 5.0, not honors)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/80 (Tiny school)</p>

<p>AP (place score in parenthesis): World History (5), Human Geography (5)(ss), Environmental Science (5)(ss), English Language (5), European History (4)(ss), Micro Econ (4), Macro Econ (4), Us History (3)
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc, AP Physics, AP Eng. Lit, AP Gov, Acadeca, 2 requisite courses</p>

<p>Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Nothing huge - NMS, Dozens of State/Regional Acadeca awards, Various small Scholarships and school awards</p>

<p>Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Founder of School Newspaper (Editor in Chief - should I mention that I founded it on app?); Run a small marketing business with a friend (Businesses, organizations, and people in the area - market products and programs mostly targeted towards youth); co-founded a not-for-profit homeless ministry (Collecting food, clothing, water etc, organizing trips for people to volunteer, going out in groups to offer services, revising school volunteering policy and method etc.); intern/volunteer with US Senator; intern/volunteer with my district's state senator; intern/volunteer with district republican party; Mayor's youth council member (committee chair, Senior member); Student Government; President/founder of school's Libertarian club; Plan and run town halls for the city; presented city research to Mayor, 4 years varsity soccer (intermittent/junior captain); Published in a few national and local newspapers and periodicals; Academic Decathlon (Dozens of medals); NHS (President); Run extensive school tutoring program (k-12); Run/Organize large college fair at school; Running; Mountain Biking; Hiking, Fishing extensively; etc. etc </p>

<p>Job/Work Experience: Whatever I have in my extracurriculars, I make most of my money through my business/working for my parents</p>

<p>Volunteer/Community service: Volunteer for Project Cure; Volunteer for St. vincent De Paul; Volunteer for St. Mary's foodbank, Volunteer for Packages from home, City volunteer on various projects; Work with community and local organizations in a number of cities in a number of states (working with the homeless/living on the streets - mission trips); Building houses/children's ministry on Apache reservation; Trip to Haiti building a hospital with prestigious institution; Volunteer at church; Others mentioned above.</p>

<p>Summer Activities: Summer camp; travel; work on projects etc; volunteering; friends</p>

<p>Intended Major: Econ/political science
State: AZ
School Type: Tiny private (280 kids) - known to be a reasonable school academically
Gender:Male
Ethnicity: Very white (Dutch-Irish)
Income Bracket: 379k +
Essays will be amazing</p>

<p>A couple of side questions if you'd be willing to answer them:
1. How much do you think my tiny school and state will affect me, positive or negative?
2. Any advice for the application?</p>

<p>Thank you very much, I'll chance back if you want.</p>

2

<p>So I’m kinda new to this chancing thing, but if I was an admissions counselor at any of those places I would definitely stop and take a look at you. Your volunteering and ECs are amazing, not to mention relevant to what you want to major in. I’d say the tiny school thing won’t be too big of an issue, however public school kids are a hook for some of those colleges, especially Stanford, who loves lower-income non-white kids from rural areas. Overall, I’d say you have a good chance at all of those schools. Write an amazing essay and you’re set!
By the way, thanks for chancing me.</p>

3

<p>These colleges aren’t long shots at all. All of them except harvard and Yale, but those are reaches for everyone. Anyway, write amazing essays and I think you’ll be fine. Good Luck!</p>

<p>Chance me back?
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1215251-chances-nyu-cas-early-decision.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1215251-chances-nyu-cas-early-decision.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

4

<p>I’d say you have a great chance at all of these schools (but things are never certain). Like the above poster said, your ECs are amazing and are in the field you intend to major in. Your test scores are great, too. One problem for you may be that you seem to be the rich white kid who uses his daddy’s connections and money to get many opportunities. Not that I think that, but it may hurt you just because of your income bracket and the things you’ve been able to do. Maybe make it clear that you raised the money for those trips yourself (unless you didn’t, lol).</p>

5

<p>Yeah, I knew that would be a problem. My dad is a surgeon from a rather poor family on his own, so I don’t really get ANY connections from him, at least in the fields I’m interested in. There’s also four kids in my family all of whom went through private school and a couple of whom just finished or are in college, so it might seem like we make really good money, but it can get pretty slim. I’ll probably have to shoulder around 1/4 or 1/2 of the tuition myself with loans and scholarships, I wont be getting FA. I intended to address the whole issue in my essays etc. Thanks for the opinion. :)</p>

6

<p>I say u Chicago is somewhere you can bank on getting accepted to.</p>

<p>Your ecs are really good. Keep it up.</p>

7

<p>I’m pretty sure U of Chicago, provided you EA, will be a safety for you :p</p>

<p>The others are very reachable for you.</p>

<p>The school thingy might hurt you depending on what kind of resumes the kids at your schools have. However, based on your EC, it doesn’t look like many people could have done what you did.</p>

<p>Looking at your resume, then back at mine makes me feel a bit sad…lol great resume!</p>

8

<p>Much thanks to both of you. I don’t know if its good or bad, but compared to the rest of my school, my resume would be pretty ridiculous. But either way, there’s nothing I can do about my school. Thanks for the opinion.</p>

9

<p>Extracurriculars are extremely impressive, particularly the political ones. Why do you think you’re a “long shot”?</p>

10

<p>Regarding chrome’s post, where the hell is the “like” button when I need one on this forum…</p>

11

<p>Positives: Obvious that you have a focus being that your ECs are in the same area (and impressive), SAT and GPA are good (although impressive probably will not be focal point of your app being that the majority of students applying to those schools have similar stats), amount of volunteer work definitely shows you were involved, and the fact that you started your own business will definitely stand out.</p>

<p>You are definitely not a long shot for these schools, if anything you have things on your app that will help you stand out as long as your essays reflect all of the extra work that you put in.</p>

12

<p>Your ECs are really something, definitely sets you apart from the typical “good test taker” with no life outside of the classroom. Hype up your Acadeca awards, as well as your leadership roles in the various things you’ve mentioned, while remembering to tie it into how it’s related to your major of choice. Obviously a 2350 SAT and really high SAT II’s help, and I wouldn’t worry about attending a smaller school as your accolades prove that none of the tests were “flukes.” As long as you don’t mind paying for most of your education, then you should be able to attend most of your schools of choice with ease. Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Pomona, Claremont Mckenna: 60%, I’d say almost 100% that you’ll get into at least one
Duke, U Chicago, Georgetown: In, 100% at least 2 of the 3
Dartmouth: Probably</p>

13

<p>I’d say that you have great chances of getting into all of those schools (except for yale & harvard, but you never know!). Your testing is amazing! Not to mention all of your extracurriculars and community service. Good luck!</p>

14

<p>your resume is godly, only thing that took me by surprise is how you could possibly spend any time going in depth in any of your EC’s when you have so many…but I could obviously be wrong, and a good essay will clear that up. GREAT JOB!</p>

15

<p>I don’t believe what I see here.</p>

<p>“I’m pretty sure U of Chicago, provided you EA, will be a safety for you.”
“Duke, U Chicago, Georgetown: In, 100% at least 2 of the 3
Dartmouth: Probably”</p>

<p>“I’d say that you have great chances of getting into all of those schools (except for Yale & Harvard, but you never know!).”</p>

<p>HYP, Chicago, Duke and Dartmouth are all reach schools for you.
These schools will have acceptance rate below 10%.
You might get into some of them but they are reach schools (for everybody).
Yes, everybody!</p>

<p>They were reach schools for me (last year).
My stat:
2380 SAT Single sitting
35ACT Single sitting
800-800-780 SAT II
UWGPA: 3.96 from extremely rigorous courses</p>

16

<p>Thanks for the opinion 20more. Out of curiosity, what were your ECs? And are you willing to share where you got in? I know your scores are better than mine, but I always had the feeling that scores didn’t really make much of a difference once you reach a certain threshold. Thanks again. (And do you have an opinion on Pomona and CM?)</p>

17

<p>Wow. Excellent Stats and impressive ECs. You have as much potential as the next guy that applies to the top tier schools on that list.
I replied to your chance on my thread… take a look!</p>

18

<p>Eh, maybe just one bump? for curiosity’s sake.</p>