<p>Background
Ethnicity: African-American
Sex: Male
Residence: VA
Graduation Year: 2009
Major interests: Engineering
School: Highly Competitive
Class Size: About 600
Hooks:African American Engineer, In state(most schools)</p>
<p>GPA:
4.0 Scale
Had a 2.75 UW freshman year which put my GPA in a hole, then turned it up Sophomore-Junior Years with a combined 3.5 in my schools AP/Honors program. My counselor will talk about my great turnaround in her recommendation.
UW:3.2 W:3.3
Had only one C after freshman year in 11th grade AP Macroeconomics which isn't offered by my school.
GPA's arent weighted much at my school.
The valedictorian of my class has only a 4.06 weighted GPA.
Senior Year First Semester GPA W:3.78</p>
<p>Course Rigor:
Most Rigorous
9th-12th:7 APs, 7 Honors, 4 years of Spanish, 4 years of Business Classes
11th:3 AP's Macroeconomics, Microeconomics, English Language
12th:4 AP's Calculus BC, Biology, English Literature, US Government</p>
<p>Extracurriculars
1. (9-12)Future Business Leaders of America (President)
2. (9)Freshman Basketball Team (Co-Captain)
3. (10) JV Basketball (Co-Captain)
4. (10-12)National Business Honor Society
5. (9-10) JV Winter/Spring Track
6. (10-12) Varsity Track Team
7. (11-12) Science Honor Society
8. (9-10) Junior Math Team
9. (11-12) Senior Math Team</p>
<p>Volunteer Experience
Many Hours in:
1. Local Church Helping First Graders
2. Library Helping Librarians
3. Cleaning local Neighborhoods</p>
<p>Other
Recommendations:Amazing rec from my physics honors teacher who graduated from UVA in mechanical engineering.
Counselor Recommendation: Great explaining how I've matured in four years
Essays: Great</p>
<p>The Schools
University of Virginia
William and Mary
Virginia Tech
Maryland-College Park
University of Pittsburgh -(just got accepted yesterday even though I applied 2 weeks ago, it's a rolling admissions school)
James Madison
George Mason
Virginia Commonwealth University</p>
<p>The GPA, CR SAT, and W SAT won't help you at UVa and W&M--reaches. VTech, JMU, GMU, and VCU--In, with possibly a lot of merit aid @ the last 3 and maybe VT. Maryland's a toss up for me but I'm leaning "no". I wouldn't have put you in Pitt, but you got in (Congrats!), and College Park and Pitt seem to have similar standards so there's a very big possibility I'm wrong. And I'm not familiar with UVa's instate standards. I've got a good idea of their OSS stats (very, very, very competitive), but you could be in if their in-state standards are better.</p>
<p>You should get into VT, VCU (your math score is well above the average for engineering), JMU and GMU. UVA and W & M could be a bit tougher -- UVA has nearly 22,000 applicants this year.</p>
<p>I had similar stats to you when I applied to VA schools. I was wait-listed, then rejected from Tech, rejected from W+M, but I got into VCU, Mason, and JMU. I didn't apply to UVA (shocker, I know but I didn't really know what I wanted back then). College Park is a little harder, but you might make it. As long as you wrote good essays, you're good recs and you're essays can take you far. You might get into Tech (maybe not engineering school, but undergraduate studies which you can then transfer into engineering).</p>
<p>You go to high school in NOVA? I think I recognize that awful grading scale... I am so glad they are changing it now.</p>
<p>Yeah I think we are very similar as applicants, although you have the in-state advantage with UVA and WM. The one thing that might go slightly against you are your ECs. You stated you were the president of a business club throughout high school, but that dosn't reflect on your interests in being an enginering major.
However, you may balance it out with the science and math ECs. I think UVA and WM are your toughest schools and you'' probably get into most if not all of the other schools. I'd say we both could be competitive in the pools, I don't know if this will lead to acceptance letters though.
By the Way, what did you write about in your college essays?</p>
<p>Because the OP is an African American, he will have a much better chance at admission to the schools on his list, than you think. It's still more difficult for a brother in the US to achieve what he has mostly now because of peer pressure. It's not so cool yet for a black student to be studious within his peer group. Thanks to our great president, strides will be made. </p>
<p>OP, I think you will accepted to most of the schools on your list (and you should be). I don't feel that you will be accepted to the engineering programs, so hope you didn't apply specifically. I don't know why you would want to go to William and Mary if you are interested in engineering ??? I am a senior at W&M. I think you will be successful at any of the schools on your list because there is no doubt that you have what it takes. </p>
<p>Great job. Let us know how it goes. I think you wil be pleasantly suprised. </p>
<p>I got accepted to William and Mary and I can't spell!</p>