Chance a new (and very nervous) senior for Ivies, Wellesley, Tufts, and others?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Before I post my stats, I want to clear up one thing: my GPA is a bit low. However, almost all of my less-than-stellar grades were concentrated in my sophomore year, when I was taking care of my ill grandmother on hospice. They weren't for lack of ability or effort, but rather a product of my situation. My dean is will write about that in his letter of recommendation, and I'm writing one of my essays about how I dealt with the situation and what it taught me.</p>

<p>ANYWAY. Moving on to what you guys actually care about. (:</p>

<p>GPA: 3.74 unweighted, 4.1ish weighted (not sure exactly)
ACT: 32 (retaking at least once more)
SAT: haven't taking, but plan on taking the literature and math 2 subject tests
AP Bio, APUSH, AP World, AP Language: 5's
AP Literature, AP Calc: 4's
School doesn't rank, and valedictorians aren't chosen based on GPA.</p>

<p>Course load
Freshman year:
Honors English
Choir
Accelerated Geometry/Algebra 2
French 3
Honors Physical Science
Social studies (no honors offered)</p>

<p>Sophomore:
APUSH
AP Biology
Honors English
Choir
French 4
Accelerated Pre-Calc</p>

<p>Junior:
AP World History
AP Calculus AB
College Chemistry
French 5
AP Literature
AP Language
Choir</p>

<p>Senior:
AP Physics
AP Psychology
Sociology
AP Macroeconomics
AP Statistics
Comparative Cultures & Religions
Choir
College-In-Schools Composition
College-In-Schools Literature
(For those unfamiliar, CIS is the University of Minnesota freshman Honors English seminar taught in a high school classroom. I will be receiving a college transcript for the classes.)</p>

<p>Extra Curriculars:
Mock trial: 4 years, captain junior and senior year, MVP
Speech: 2 years
National Honor Society
Volunteering (Red Cross, Feed My Starving Children, Salvation Army, as well as local churches)
Peer mentor: junior and senior year
Tutoring: senior year</p>

<p>Music:
Received "superior" rankings in the Minnesota State High School League's solo/ensemble contest both years I participated
In All-Conference Choir sophomore and junior year
Take voice lessons at Northwestern College</p>

<p>I also have a job.</p>

<p>Here's where I'm thinking of applying:
Yale (most likely Early Action)
Brown
Penn
Wellesley
Boston College
NYU
Amherst
Middlebury
Tufts
Boston University
Carleton
Macalester
Georgetown
Johns Hopkins
UChicago
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
University of Wisconsin - Madison</p>

<p>Pretty please help me out here? (: Be blunt, but be nice - I'm fragile and on the verge of a nervous breakdown right now. ;)</p>

2

<p>Your ec’s are weak.</p>

3

<p>Any information beyond “weak ec’s” would be greatly appreciated. That really doesn’t tell me much about the big picture. ;)</p>

4

<p>This profile seems a but generic, especially for Yale and other ivies. The GPA is low like you said, which might cause you to be screened out of consideration before they even get to your essays. ACT is good but not impressive. The breaking point is EC’s. Schools like Yale routinely reject kids with 4.0 and 2350 with stellar EC’s. Basically what I’m saying is that Yale is a looooong shot. If you’re pragmatic and realistic, I’d say take an early shot at georgetown or NYU.</p>

5

<p>Thank you! (:</p>

6

<p>Any opinions on my shots at places other than Yale?</p>

7

<p>you’ll probably/definitely get into BC, BU, NYU</p>

<p>the ivies are all high reaches
and i agree that your ECs are a bit less than stellar</p>

8

<p>Your ECs aren’t weak, they’re actually pretty awesome. Keep in mind that the people here on CC are typically academic machines, the same with ECs, but not every applicant is this way. Sorry, I don’t have knowledge of any of these schools, I just thought I would put my two cents in about the ECs.</p>

9

<p>OH, a few things I forgot to mention: I’m a National Merit Top 50,000 scorer (not sure if I’m a semifinalist yet), an AP Scholar with distinction, and I’ve had a couple short stories published.</p>

10

<p>Thanks to all who replied. (:</p>

11

<p>Don’t be nervous! You have a very strong profile, given your situation sophomore year. If Yale is your dream school, apply. But, don’t fall in love with the school before being accepted. </p>

<p>Yale (most likely Early Action)- high reach (simply because it can be random in admissions, which may or may not benifit you)
Brown- mid reach
Penn- mid reach
Wellesley- not sure
Boston College- match
NYU- match
Amherst- match, maybe low reach
Middlebury- not sure
Tufts- low reach
Boston University- match
Carleton- match
Macalester- match
Georgetown- match, especially if you apply early
Johns Hopkins- low/mid reach
UChicago- mid reach (really depends on essays)
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities- match, safety
University of Wisconsin - Madison- safety</p>

<p>Consider cutting down the list and commiting to a school for ED, but only if you would be happy going there.</p>

12

<p>Thank you SO MUCH. (: You’ve quelled my fears a bit.</p>

13

<p>no problem</p>

14

<p>bump bump bump</p>

15

<p>Anyone else?</p>