Chance/Match Me: Rising Senior from Indiana. 4.0/1350, TO for Poli Sci or International Relations

Chance Me / Match Me!
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Demographics
US Citizen

  • State/Location of residency: * Indiana
  • Type of high school (current college for transfers): Non-Competitive, low-income Public
  • Gender/Race/Ethnicity: * Black!
  • Other special factors (first generation to college, legacy, athlete, etc.): FGLI, URM (though that might not matter anymore), midwest!

Intended Major(s) Poli Sci or International Relations while double majoring/minoring in Education

GPA, Rank, and Test Scores

  • Unweighted HS GPA: 4.0
  • Weighted HS GPA (incl. weighting system): 4.5/??
  • Class Rank: 2/360ish
  • ACT/SAT Scores: 1350 on the SAT but I’m retaking it in August and am aiming for a 1450+

Coursework
I have taken every honor/dual credit class that my school offers thus far. We only offer 1 AP which I will be taking next year.

Awards

  • CB African American Recognition Award
  • 21st Century Scholar
  • Linguistics Proficiency Award for German at my school
  • High Honor Roll
  • Best math student in grade lol
  • Also some speech and debate awards, nothing major tho (my event isn’t a national event and I was one spot from making it to state :’))
  • NHS

Extracurriculars

I’m planning on applying to QB, if I get accepted the top 5 EC’s listed will be the ones I list on my app.

  • High School Democrats of America State Chair and national committee member
  • Legislative and Communication Committee member of a student led Climate Group in state
  • Climate Fellowship and Ambassador that focuses on providing clean drinking water to my city
  • Co-Founder, Editor in Chief, and Writer of a newsletter that I started with my friend that focused on interviewing immigrants and refugees in my city. We also interview political figures in our area
  • Student Engagement Committee - Group I founded in school that works to increase student participation in social events and clubs with the hopes of helping to improve school attendance and graduation rate
  • Speech and Debate (Vice President/Captain)
  • Stuco (Junior Class Representative, back up Secretary)
  • NHS
  • Part Time Job
  • Marching Band (Drum Major and section leader for several years)
  • Jazz Band
  • taught music to kids at a local middle school

Essays/LORs/Other

I plan on writing my personal essay about a camera I had as a child and how I used it to capture my culture and family heritage. Then link that to why I value multicultural efforts and whatnot.

  1. I plan on asking my speech coach/tennis coach/English 10 teacher/history teacher for a recommendation. Yes, that is all one person. He knows me very well and I think we connect a lot when it comes to politics. He is leaving my school though so I’m not sure if I’ll be able to have him write me a LOR.

  2. College Counselor at my school. We have a strong mother-daughter like relationship lol. She is very supportive of my process and has written me a rec for a scholarship before.

Cost Constraints / Budget
My rough EFC is somewhere in the 1000s. I think it may be 0 when I actually file.

Schools
Safety:
Indiana Univeristy
Manchester University

Likely:
Howard University
Mount Holyoke

Target:
Smith
Bryn Mawr

Reach:
Wellesley
UPenn (part of their fly-in program, plan on applying through QB or ED)
Princeton
Yale
Wesleyan
Barnard
Vassar

As you can see, my list is very unbalanced. What schools would be a good fit for me? Also what are my chances at my reach school and which ones align with my desired major/ec’s the most? Be cruel, thanks!

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I don’t think your list is that unbalanced. You will Questbridge some of the reaches and probably have a pretty decent shot. Beyond that, you really only need one or two true safeties - schools you will definitely get into, that you will be happy attending, and that you will be able to afford (with their typical financial aid package). As long as you have that in your back pocket, you’re good. Just make sure these safeties are true safeties for you.

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These sites may offer you some guidance:

As an opinion, Mount Holyoke, for example, could represent an excellent choice for you.

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I love your list if you’re ok with IU. Do they have a program to afford the dorm ? You might look at W&L Johnson too. And SMU and their Presidential.

You’d also qualify for big merit but maybe not enough at many schools - Miami of Ohio. You’d potentially qualify for the U of Alabama diversity scholarship. 4 years tuition, one year housing and $1k a year scholarship. Others may have similar.

Why I U and Manchester? Will Manchester assuredly come in at a better cost ? I know IU has affordability programs but it’s obviously big.

There are other schools that meet need that may be a fit - from a U of Miami to Franklin & Marshall to a UVA and UNC ( the only two publics that meet need). See the list.

Ps - you’ll need more than one LOR and hopefully your teacher comes through. Pps - love your essay outline - sounds fascinating, using a camera to define you.

Best of luck.

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If IU is affordable AND you would be happy to attend then your list seems good to me. I would be sure to get your application into IU by the earliest deadline (may be 11/1 but check).

Also consider getting a second teacher LOR preferably from a STEM subject.

Good luck with the process.

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If you’re open to historically women’s colleges you might look at Agnes Scott in Decatur in the Atlanta area. It’s a really diverse school. It does that weird thing that a lot of second tier, but well respected, private schools do where the sticker price is really high, but then they give everyone a scholarship to bring it down to a level comparable with a state school. With your excellent grades I’m sure it would be a safety for you and you might get a lot of money or even a full ride. When I say “second tier” it is an excellent school and scores really high on all the lists out there (USNews, Princeton Review, etc), it’s just not Harvard, etc. They offer a full ride scholarship that with your excellent grades you might very well be invited to apply for.

Agnes Scott is probably the most diverse school we toured. It is about 35% black, 13% Hispanic/Latina, 6% Asian and only 35% white. It’s a very vibrant community and while not a HBCU is a really great community for black women.

It is part of a consortium so you can take classes at Emory and other Atlanta area schools also.

The Agnes Scott Summit program is all about lifting students up. It is a gorgeous campus and close to lots of shops and restaurants in Decatur.

(As an aside I was looking for a link to the Princeton Review to post and found this great story on Slate of the 1966 quiz bowl match between Princeton and Agnes Scott that Agnes Scott won. )

My mom went to Agnes Scott many eons ago and it’s sort of the one that got away for my D22.

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If I’m being honest I only plan on going to IU if I get rejected from every other school or other schools don’t offer enough FA. I’m part of a scholarship program that pays for 100% of tuition and board for any school in Indiana, so I’m not worried about costs for in state schools. However, I’m really not interested in staying in state, most of the schools I want to attend are on the east coast and that’s where I can really see myself in the future. However IU is always a great backup!

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You look like you’re doing everything right!
One little note: don’t stress out too much about the SAT. With your GPA and activities, applying test optional is a GREAT option for you, I think. If you get a higher score, that will only help you with merit aid at schools that give out merit, but for the schools that only offer need-based aid (most of your reaches, I believe) the SAT would not be needed.

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I have no notes. You sound like a very adaptable person.

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Fantastic attitude. And for what it’s worth …Hamilton Lugar at IU is a top IR program.

I suspect you’ll find another home but wonderful attitude!!!

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How would you feel if you end up going to IU? Do you think you would be happy there, or would you be trying to figure out a transfer plan before the fall semester of your first year even started? If you think you’d be more of the latter than the former, you need additional/different safeties. I will say though that IU and Bloomington are absolutely wonderful, but they’re not for everyone.

That is super amazing and you are very lucky. Although you want to leave Indiana, I’d take a real thorough look at the in-state possibilities you have if almost all of your expenses are going to be covered. I think these would all be likely/extremely likely admits, except for Notre Dame. But Big Name schools with low admit rates often are more accepting of students from their home states, so that does work in your favor (though it would still be a reach).

  • Butler: About 4500 undergrads in the state capital…a great place to be for people interested in politics and policy

  • Earlham: About 700 undergrads at this school that’s part of Colleges That Change Lives, an association of mostly smaller, liberal arts colleges that were recognized by a journalist who specialized on colleges, and then the schools formed an organization named after the book (its CTCL profile).

  • Saint Mary’s: If you’re interested in women’s colleges, Saint Mary’s is an option with about 1400 undergrads. I believe there is also cross-registration with Notre Dame.

  • U. of Notre Dame: About 9k undergrads with a great reputation

Okay, enough of about Indiana…what about elsewhere in the U.S.?

I think that Agnes Scott was a good recommendation. And one of the schools that is also part of the consortium is Spelman, a women’s college and HBCU that might be a nice place for you since you have Howard and several other women’s colleges on your list. Emory is also part of that same consortium and a QuestBridge partner. If the project on clean drinking water in your city makes you think about doing anything related to public health and related policy, Atlanta is an amazing option as the CDC is based there and it’s also the capital of Georgia, so lots of options politically there, too.

Okay, this one’s not far from Indiana, but it’s not in Indiana. Centre College (KY) is another CTCL school (its profile) and has a popular international studies program. Of greater import for you is that it has three different premier scholarships, and I think you’d be a good contender for any of the 3. Two of them are full cost plus additional money for enrichment, and one is full tuition, enrichment fund, and continued eligibility for need-based aid for room & board.

A couple other QuestBridge partners that you might want to give a closer look at are:

Tufts (MA): About 6700 undergrads and also very known for international relations

Barnard (women’s college of about 3k undergrads) and Columbia (its coed partner school of about 8800 undergrads). Barnard students have their own college and resources of a women’s college plus all the resources of Columbia. With their location in New York City, there are lots of possibilities for someone interested in international relations.

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I think you can afford for your list to be unbalanced, because IU as a safety sets such a high bar. As already mentioned, Hamilton Lugar is top-notch for IR; and there other fantastic options like the Policy Analysis major, which combines Poli Sci / Public Policy with a very strong base in quantitative analysis and data analytics - perfect for a strong math student, and a real asset when building a career in the field. (Plus, a top-notch music school with good opportunities for non-majors, including marching band if you want to continue with that… stellar for foreign languages… and all the education programs you would need.) I know that staying in-state probably doesn’t have the excitement factor of some of your reach schools, but an IU education wouldn’t be inferior to most of the other schools you’re considering, and a with a guaranteed full ride… not much reason to apply anywhere that you’re not 100% excited about.

What’s your goal with the education major? Is the conventional wisdom about going to school in the state where you want to teach applicable, or are you not thinking of going directly for teacher certification?

For another strong IR school that would be a low-match if not a safety, U of Denver and its Pioneer Leadership cohort program might be worth a look. They don’t guarantee full-need-met aid, but I’d think it very likely that you’d get enough merit to fill any gap. Lots of music opportunities there too (albeit no marching band - that was disbanded a few years ago when they got rid of football, although there’s still an active pep band), and education programs. I wouldn’t say it beats IU on any objective measure, but it could be worth a look if you’d like the location/vibe better.

Mostly, though, I think your best bet is to take a deeper dive in terms of the Questbridge schools, and figure out whether there are additional schools worth ranking (if clearly preferable to IU) or at least keeping on a “maybe apply RD through QB if not matched” list. Macalester, for example has a strong reputation for Poli Sci, International Studies & International Development. If you’d consider the west coast, the Claremont Colleges could be worth considering (Pomona, Scripps, and Claremont McKenna are all QB Partner Schools), in addition to Stanford (huge reach but no harm in ranking it!). I know you said east coast because that’s where you see yourself (and I’ll infer from your list that this really means NORTHeast); but going through the whole list of partner schools and making sure none of them gives you a reason to widen your geographic preferences would be worth a a bit of your time. I agree with Tufts as a possible addition - potentially BU also - and I think Wesleyan, already on your list, could be a great choice (in particular, the CSS program/major).

I think you’re going to end up with great options; and if UPenn ends up being your top choice, I think your odds at QB/ED are not bad (although of course there are no slam dunks at this level of competitiveness, short of athletic recruitment). Good luck!!

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Seconding Tufts, Macalester, Scripps, Agnes Scott.
Show “interest” (see below) at Dickinson and Grinnell.
Dickinson is excellent for international relations and study abroad.
(Note: try to reach the highest level foreign language your school offers.)
Grinnell is in Iowa and highly selective, probably quite different from what you know, huge resources to support each student’s goal.

If you give your top LOR recommender a “brag sheet”, it’ll be easier for them to say yes. In it you summarize your grades etc, but most importantly, 3 super important things you learned in their class in terms of content (1), of skills (2), and personally (3); what lesson or chapter struck you and why; what you loved in that class; a chapter or unit or text or cartoon or film or… that blew your mind and why… Then, examples of what you do outside of class but at school that relates to the subject(s), whether you’re known at school for doing X, Y or Z…

To show interest (important at all private colleges): create a college email (name.number.college at mailsystemofyouchoice .com), look up “join our mailing list” for each college listed on this thread, check it regularly (several times a week), open all messages, click on links that sound interesting. You don’t have to click on everything :slight_smile: but not opening the email or not clicking, v. clicking and what, is tracked as an example of genuine interest you have for the college.

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Let’s get the cruelty out of the way: For many of your reaches, odds for any high-achieving student will be 95% or more that they will not be admitted RD - not because of anything lacking in their application, but because of the very few spots for very many outstanding candidates, such as yourself.

With ED you can improve those odds by a meaningful degree for that one college, but even then it will remain a long shot. But you realize that - that’s why they are reaches for everyone!

As far as Barnard, political sciences is indeed one of their larger majors:
https://polisci.barnard.edu/course-requirements
next to Economics, English, Psychology, Biological Sciences, Neurosciences, History,…

I think your GPA and class standing, especially in light of what appears to be a resource-limited public high school, social-economic background, FGLI makes you appear as a young woman with great potential and persistence.

And the consistent activism shown through your various EC’s, while maintaining a part time job and teaching music at a middle school, further hints at the type of exceptional young woman that Barnard hopes to attract. Your essay idea will further support that.

Assuming that Barnard will be test optional, you might have to weigh whether you already have sufficient factors in your favor, where whatever SAT score may (at best) not truly add to it.

Wishing you good luck on this journey - you already have done very well for yourself!

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Why Vassar? Since you are interested in poli sci, I’d swap that for some combination of Georgetown, Harvard and / or Lehigh (as a likely).

The lists that were shared are excellent. You’ve got nothing to lose by trying, so as the saying goes, Shoot for the Moon and you’ll fall amongst the stars! Good luck to you.

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For what it’s worth, Vassar has an excellent political science department …? It is one of the most popular non-STEM majors on campus, with excellent and large (for a liberal arts college) faculty. Also was among the most diverse PoliSci faculties at liberal arts colleges that we looked at for my son when he was applying a couple of years ago).

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If I was OP, I would make sure i’m applying to meets needs schools (Vassar).

I didn’t realize but Lehigh also does. Lehigh also has a fly-in. I’m not sure if Vassar does.

Financial Aid | You First, Lehigh Next

Diversity Achievers Program | Lehigh University

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