Chance an Ambitious Girl

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>I've already applied to the schools that I've listed. Yes, I'm an Asian-American female with low SAT scores -- that's not news, so please no comments on how I've "wasted my money" applying to so many reaches; I used fee waivers and didn't spend a dime.</p>

<p>Now, information on me:</p>

<p>Low income, Asian-American Female
Chicago, IL</p>

<p>Most difficult courseload.
Cumulative GPA W: 4.91, UW: 3.85
SAT: 2090, CR: 730, M: 650, W: 710</p>

<p>ACT: 30,
English: 30
Reading: 34
Mathematics: 30
Science: 24</p>

<p>ACT: 30
English: 34
Reading: 33
Mathematics: 26
Science: 27</p>

<p>Top 10% in class [~30 kids]</p>

<p>9th: all honors courses
10th: 2 AP, 5 honors
11th: 5 AP, 2 honors
12th: 5 APs, 2 honors</p>

<p>APs:
U.S. History - 5
Language & Composition - 5
Biology - 4
Statistics - 4
U.S. Government & Politics - 4
Computer Science A - 3</p>

<p>EXTRACURRICULARS:
* Leadership Positions</p>

<p>COMMUNITY SERVICE
Community for Alternative Sources of Energy [11, 12] * (3 hrs/wk)
National Honor Society <a href="1.5%20hrs/wk">10, 11, 12</a>
Computer Science Corps. [11] * (4.5 hrs/wk)</p>

<p>GOVERNMENT/POLITICS/DEBATE
Junior Statesmen of America [11, 12] * (1 hrs/wk)
American Constitutional Law Program <a href="3%20hrs/wk">11</a>
Student Council Representative [9]</p>

<p>WRITING/ARTS
Slam Poetry Team <a href="2%20hrs/wk">10</a>
Peer Writing Assistant <a href="2%20hrs/wk">9</a> *
Student Path Writer <a href="2hrs/wk">11, 12</a> *
Editor of Say What Magazine <a href="2hrs/4wk">12</a>
Eye on Apply Writer for Princeton Review <a href="1hr/20wk">12</a></p>

<p>EMPLOYMENT:
Apprentice Artist @ Beacon Street Gallery <a href="25%20hrs/4wk">11</a>
Youth Radio Producer @ Teen Radio Project <a href="25hrs/8wk">12</a>
Youth Radio Editorial Board Member @ Public Radio Exchange <a href="2hrs/12wk">12</a>
Freelance radio journalist @ Chicago Public Radio <a href="5hrs/15wk">12</a></p>

<p>AWARDS:
QuestBridge College Prep Scholarship Winner
Scholarship Chicago Winner
Published in online literary magazines & school lit. mag
Harris Fellows Student Leadership Program
Dartmouth College Book Award
AP Scholar w/Honor
Most likely QuestBridge College Match Finalist
Radio segment licensed & aired by 2 radio stations</p>

<p>MAJORS:
1) English
2) TV/Film/Media or Communications
3) Journalism, if available
4) Computer Science</p>

<p>HOW LIKELY:</p>

<p>UIC-GPPA
University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign
University of Chicago
Northwestern University
Amherst College
Wellesley College
Brown University
Columbia University
Stanford University
Princeton University
Yale University
Harvard University</p>

<p>Please give an honest opinion. This is not an opportunity for you to bash. I chose schools with excellent English departments, college radio stations and great financial aid.</p>

2

<p>Maybe you could explain how your W GPA is more than 1.0 above your UW GPA. Since this appears impossible, I’m just curious.</p>

<p>P.S. It’s obvious you’ve taken a really tough courseload–so congratulations on that.</p>

3

<p>Calcruzer, I actually have no idea. The GPA is actually a bit outdated, and our school never hands us transcripts. However, I think the GPAs are in fact very close to what they are above (but probably less than 1, like you said). Any opinions? I still have time to complete a few more applications, so if you have any ideas alternative schools, that would also be great.</p>

4

<p>Please do not say you have low SAT’s. Imagine how people with 1200/2400 must feel.</p>

<p>Ok, on to your colleges. You’re in at UIC and UIUC no problem. NW and U of C are possible, about 50/50. It would cost a lot of money in travel fees to go to a East Coast college or Stanford unless that was covered, which I’m not sure it will be, so look into that. UIUC would probably be my recommendation if they give you good financial aid.</p>

5

<p>I apologize, notthatgood4; I’ve been bashed before about having low scores and wanting to apply to some of the schools that I have listed.</p>

<p>I am not too interested in U of I. Half the school goes there every year, and it’s really not my first choice. I am not too concerned about travel fees – visiting my parents while at school is not at the top of my priority list. I am sure that they would be fine if I didn’t visit home every holiday.</p>

6

<p>I’ll just presume it’s 4.85 W, since it looks like you’ve taken nothing but honors/APs throughout high school.</p>

<p>UIC-GPPA (University of Illinois at Chicago–but what is GPPA?)–Safe Match
University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign–Match
University of Chicago–Match–depending on essay
Northwestern University–Slight Reach
Amherst College–Reach
Wellesley College–Match to Slight Reach
Brown University–Match to Slight Reach
Columbia University–Reach
Stanford University–Reach
Princeton University–Reach
Yale University–Reach
Harvard University–Reach</p>

<p>Here’s the good and the bad of it. You have a very good GPA in a very tough courseload and great ECs. However, your test scores just don’t carry you into the toughest schools. Having said that, you are borderline for the lower Ivies and schools like Wellesley, Chicago and Northwestern–and will probably get offered acceptance at one of these and possibly two of them. Illinois and Illinois-Chicago are your safe match and safety, obviously.</p>

<p>Good luck.</p>

7

<p>GPPA is the Guaranteed Pre-Professional program; I will be applying for pre-medicine through there. I am not very interested in pre-medicine but my parents are making me do it, otherwise I couldn’t apply to any out-of-state schools.</p>

<p>I figured the usual problem would be the test scores. Thanks for your assessment, anyway. It is actually very frustrating, as it should be the easiest thing to change, but it really isn’t. I’ve taken the ACT three times and the SAT once (a whole thread dedicated to how unfair it is that I’m borderline mainly because of standardized test scores).</p>

<p>I actually thought I had a better chance at UChicago and Wellesley. There have been many students with way lower stats that were accepted from my school (and I know, because Naviance scattergrams are the best invention ever).</p>

<p>U of I is also not a match. It’s a safety. Half my school goes there. I’m in the top ten percent.</p>

8

<p>I think it doesn’t hurt to apply to some of these considering your low income status and outstanding ECs. About 20% of the top school’s class comes from the lower income bracket–and there are not very many from that bracket that have the outstanding ECs you do. You already realize that the test scores are the problem–but as you say, there is no cost to apply–so why not do so.</p>

<p>Best of success to you.</p>

9

<p>I am actually hoping I get in somewhere QuestBridge, because I don’t think I can stand the regular decision process. I really don’t want to be compared with some of my more well-off peers (who happen to have nannies and imported chocolate) in the regular decision round.</p>

<p>I’m also not applying just because I don’t have to pay for applications. I figure that the benefit of possibly having full-tuition at a good university outweigh being too afraid to apply because my stats are too low.</p>

<p>Any recommendations for other, (more realistic) schools?</p>

10

<p>Bump, hurrah.</p>

11

<p>Ok murkywater I hope this doesn’t come off as mean but really you haven’t been disadvantaged educationally - not like a low income student like myself that attends a poor performing school in a low performing state. You have the best resources available to you and better programs. Whether the kids you attend school with eat imported chocolate or have nannies has nothing to do with your educational opportunities. That also goes for students that are low income but live in the best school districts and/or attend charter schools. Honestly Wellesley College and UChicago are the only schools I see you matched with but I went to a summer program with an asian girl from FL with better EC’s and SATS that didn’t get matched (was a finalist though) so I think you better prepare yourself for the regular decision process.</p>

12

<p>grtskt89, you don’t know about how privileged or underprivileged I am. All I said was that I came from a low-income background. Please don’t make assumptions about me.</p>

<p>Second, I worked really hard to get where I am. Only a few kids from my low-performing neighborhood school ever made it to the prestigious high school that I attend now. Not all privileged people have had to work in order to achieve. I have earned everything I have right now. So please don’t make assumptions about me having good resources. It is harder for a low-income student to compete against well-off peers in a competitive school than it is for a low-income kid in a bad school, as there is no competition, anyways.</p>

<p>And it does impact me to have well-off peers who throw away money. You’ve never been in that position, so you really can’t say whether that would impact someone or not.</p>

<p>Sounds harsh, but it’s true.</p>

13

<p>Um I think I have a pretty good idea from reading your posts and I disagree because I’ve been in both situations. The fact remains that your EDUCATIONAL opportunities ( the classes you can take, the teachers, the schools resources, etc.) are equal to your wealthy classmates. Also under your employment, are those all paid jobs?</p>

14

<p>You should not assume that just because you did your absolute best in a less than high-income situation that you are more entitled or a more attractive candidate than someone with equal credentials from a higher-income family. It may certainly be true, but the best that you can guarantee is some excellent essays about your struggles and triumphs over adversity and whatnot.</p>

<p>The truth is, your standardized scores are simply a bit too low to have a good shot at HYPS. That’s all there is to it. I certainly will not predict rejection, but they are definitely reaches.</p>

<p>You don’t have any big hooks that would make you more attractive than the many thousands of other candidates with similar or better academics and scores than you. Beyond your standardized scores, that is the only weakness in your application for your reach schools. Also, being Asian might be another weakness, if you can count it as one. It’s really a shame how much of a role ethnicity plays.</p>

<p>HYPS - Reach
Columbia - Reach
Amherst - Reach
Brown - Slight Reach
Northwestern - High Match
Wellesley - High Match
UChicago - Match</p>

<p>The other two are safeties.</p>

15

<p>grtskt89, yes, I did get paid for those jobs. They did, however, involve a lot of work. You can’t know everything about somebody’s background just by what they tell you. </p>

<p>sinistercharity, I never said or suggested that I was more entitled than someone with equal credentials from a high-income family. However, someone from a high-income family certainly has access to more resources than I do, and therefore, I do feel that I may have had to overcome some serious obstacles to achieve at their level. That doesn’t mean I “deserve” anything more than they do. </p>

<p>And for somebody who has posted this in the past, I don’t think you can really understand:</p>

<p>“My family’s income falls right into the range where you are awarded little to no money for need-based scholarships, so I’m going to be applying for a lot of scholarships to offset the costs (I’d rather not have my parents pay for everything).”</p>

<p>I did write some excellent essays about overcoming adversity, and I’m hoping that they will play a more significant role in my admissions decisions than people think.</p>

<p>I am thinking of retaking the SAT.. all this jazz about my scores being too low is really cramping my vibe. I have done so well in every other aspect that I would certainly feel cheated if I didn’t give it one last shot.</p>

<p>I don’t have a hook, but I am doing QuestBridge. And only a few thousand kids do QuestBridge every year, so I do think I am a little different than most applicants. I don’t think that difference will necessarily help me in terms of admissions, but I think you are too quick to think I am just like every other applicant. Low-income applicants only make up 10% of the class at the elite schools, so no, I am not “just like everybody else.”</p>

<p>I actually think it will be easier to get into Wellesley than other people say. Nobody from my school really applies to any liberal arts colleges, making the competition next to none.</p>

<p>Thanks for your help, I guess.</p>

16

<p>All ivies and stanford are reaches for you… you have great chances at getting into the other schools!</p>

17

<p>Thanks.. I am just a little heartbroken.</p>

18

<p>I do not know how Questbridge will help you in their review of your application-but it might-you already know what the stats are for the schools you are applying. You also know that there are a large number of female applicants, so you have a great deal of competition. The important thing is that you strive for the very best-and don’t take the bumps in the road too seriously…if you are interested in rtvf…you might also look at USC-they are good about scholarships…G’Luck!</p>

19

<p>Thanks for the suggestion of USC. I am actually sort of interested in the school, but am still unsure about how good their finaid is. I am not interested in applying anywhere that doesn’t give Ivy-level financial aid, simply because I would rather go to my state school than be buried in debt.</p>

20

<p>Hey, I was also an apprentice artist for Beacon Street Gallery! But in my freshman year. We worked on a mosaic for MP.</p>