Chance me, Duke (ED), Brown, Princeton, JHU

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Hello and thank you in advanced for reviews my chances!
I am a White Male rising Senior at the top rated 3AAA school in the state of Texas:
I am hoping to apply to Trinity as a Biochem/Chem major with Pre-Med reqs.</p>

<p>WGPA (not including last semester, which comprised of 6 AP classes, 97x4 99 100): 4.389
Courseload: all Pre-AP and Honors classes
Junior Year: AP US History, AP Calc AB, AP Physics, AP Chem, AP French IV, AP English Lang
SAT 1: 2040 (already taken twice, think it will improve?) 800 math, 620 CR, 620 Writing
ACT: 33 (English 35, math 30, reading 32, science 36)
SATII: 690 World History (not even going to think about sending this one)
770 Math II
790 Chem
760 Physics
Placement: 6/256
4 on World History as a Sophomore, most likely getting 5s on AP Calc AB, Chem, and Physics. 4/5 range for English and US history, and failed French due to not being a native speaker.
Hook: Sister goes to Duke as a rising Sophmore, help much? Also applying ED to Duke.</p>

<p>EC:
11 Years of Ice Hockey, including being a founding member of my School's Varsity Ice Hockey Club
8 Years of volunteering Altar serving at my local church
Internship with an Orthopedic surgeon over my Junior year (I attained no grade lower than a 95 my junior year with 6 AP classes, an internship, and playing on two hockey teams)
National Honor Society Member- two years
Model UN Member
Key Club(Community Service Organization)- Senior Class Representative
Junior Year- State finalist for the UIL Science Competition, coming in 4th overall
District Finalist for UIL general Math, advancing to regionals
A Honor roll every year in high school (I have never made below a 91)
I assistant coached a youth Ice hockey team
(These are all for my Junior Year)
Most like the Graduate Profile Award- Sophomore and Junior Years
Hopefully able to get a volunteer opportunity at a local hospital, but most hospitals around us require the volunteers to be over 18. </p>

<p>Summer Advanced Chemistry class through local community college
Working during the Summer and through Senior Year
Senior Courseload: AP Gov, AP Econ, AP Calc BC, AP Stat, AP Lang, AP Bio, Physics C Mech and E&M through Stanford EPGY program, AP European History</p>

<p>My Essay writing has never been particularly strong, however I do believe that I have an amazing essay lined up.</p>

<p>Thanks again for reviewing my Chance thread! If you chance me ill chance you!</p>

2

<p>Improve your SAT to at least 2150 and I say you’re in at Duke. You’re a legacy and you’re applying Early Decision.
Brown, Princeton are very, very unlikely. Even for the best students, they are unlikely.
If you improve your SATs in CR and Writing to at least 720, you probably can get into JHU.
So:
Duke ED: 40% currently
with at least 2150:
60+%
Brown, Princeton: <20%
JHU: 50% currently
60+% with 2150.</p>

<p>Chance back?
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1168046-thread-has-interesting-title-ill-chance-back.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1168046-thread-has-interesting-title-ill-chance-back.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

3

<p>JHU is decent shot, Duke is a reach, Brown is an even higher reach, and Princeton is a very high reach.</p>

<p>Your test scores are a bit low and could be better. ECs are weak. I see mostly that things were done in Junior year, so there looks to be nothing you were really involved with seriously before that. That will definitely hurt your chances.</p>

<p>Chances aren’t horrible, but not so great. Apply if you are really serious about the schools I guess.</p>

4

<p>33 ACT anyone? That score is above their average, FYI</p>

5

<p>If your SAT/ACT profile does not improve, I think you are fine, but you need to do a few things:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Clean up your resume: you have a lot that you want to say but I think you need to figure out how to say it better. The schools you are going to be applying to use the CommonApp and you need some clear distinction in all the things that you do (meaning, you need to show your commitment to them either through leadership positions, honors, or special recognitions of some kind). If you are NOT passionate about even just one of your ECs, throw them out. If you have NOT done anything to show your undying commitment to them, throw them out. Then sort out the remainder of what you have and make a list with the most important at the top and a list of your respective accomplishments in each. A lot of people say that activities lists are only checklists in the eyes of admissions officers, but they’re not; if you can fix your resume, you can definitely bolster their opinion of you.</p></li>
<li><p>Calm down: A 690 SAT II score is not an application killer by any means. In fact, most universities admit that they only use the SAT II to cut down the number of applications (b/c they know some stragglers will either forget to take it or decide not to apply because they don’t want to take it) and for placement purposes. So, decent SAT scores (that means 600-700) are no deterrent in your ability to place well. You only need two and you have excellent scores on all the rest, so don’t waste your time taking another one in October or November. Also you could sit the SAT one last time, but it’s not really necessary. The improvement from second to third time is generally not all that impressive, but you may just want to do it for some peace of mind. </p></li>
<li><p>Stay confident - but not too confident: You seem VERY impressed with your own credentials, to the point where you spend time pointing out that you go to a top-ranked high school and uniquely stand out in the field of your peers. College adcoms at these top schools are going to realize who is unique and who is trying too hard to be unique, so a lot of this plethora of details is really telling me that you may phrase your apps or essays in a way where you MAKE yourself sound extraordinary rather than BE extraordinary all on your own. </p></li>
</ol>

<p>BEST of luck to you.</p>

6

<p>Thanks for the advice! However, I do know to limit the ‘useless’ ECs and I merely included everything that might have been of use. The 690 is in a history subject, and I have absolutely no intention of majoring in anything related to history, so it would just be dead weight. On the SAT/ACT issue, my ACT score (33) is the one im technically using for admissions, but I have decided to also send in my sat score so the adcoms can see that I got an 800 on sat math, yet it was also my lowest act subscore. Not at all making excuses, just trying to illuminate my plan</p>

7

<p>WHY IS THIS SO HARD FOR PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND??? COLLEGES DON’T CARE WHETHER YOU SEND THE SAT OR ACT!!! you will get into duke ED with that ACT, and you can send in the SAT so that they can see your math skillzzz. good luck!</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1168613-chances-congressional-page-columbia-ed-will-chance-back.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1168613-chances-congressional-page-columbia-ed-will-chance-back.html&lt;/a&gt;
chance back!</p>

8

<p>It’s not the test scores, but the ECs. Maybe it’s just that he wrote them funky, but it seems that everything was done Junior year. Colleges don’t generally like to see that.</p>

9

<p>Um, I know anonymous? And that is truly my major folly, that most of my ECs were done my junior year, but luckily my major EC ( 10 hours a week+) has been done for 12 years, so maybe, just maybe, adcoms will cut me the tiniest bit of slack (relatively unheard of I know). That being said, I am in the third graduating class of my high school, and I am a founding member of our ice hockey team and key club, as well as the co-founder for UIL science and math teams. Will this help appease the adcoms or should I just hope for sincerity?</p>

10

<p>I don’t know since I’m certainly not an admissions counselor, but definitely add some matches and safeties, because in case if they don’t cut you that slack, there’s a chance you won’t be admitted to any of these 4 schools.</p>

11

<p>Maybe it’s just me…but I thought his ECs were pretty good? Decent club-type stuff, plus he has a serious internship in ortho and founded a hockey team. It could be better if the OP worked a part-time job or something else that made his accomplishments even bigger but I’d say you’re totally in at Duke ED, maybe in at JHU, reaching when it comes to Brown and Princeton but hey, so is everyone else. Maybe I’ll see you at Duke!</p>

<p>Chance back!
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1159965-chance-me-yale-sil-vous-plait-first-gen-all.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1159965-chance-me-yale-sil-vous-plait-first-gen-all.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

12

<p>Thanks for the optimism, and in fact I do have a job! (15 hours/week) as a barista at a restaurant near me. Also, will being from Texas (US region diversity) be a boost, or does it not matter?</p>

13

<p>Fran</p>

14

<p>No, no, his ECs aren’t bad at all. What I was saying was that except for one or two, they all were done Junior year, which makes colleges think they were done just for college, even if that’s not true.</p>

15

<p>True, true…</p>

16

<p>pretty solid, you are right on track. with such competitive schools, you are definitely an above average candidate so you’ll get into at least one of them. Duke is a great school, but it is indeed a costly school. But keep up with the great work and good luck!</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1170620-chance-me-these-colleges-i-will-chance-back.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1170620-chance-me-these-colleges-i-will-chance-back.html&lt;/a&gt;
please :)</p>

17

<p>Ok, more questions :D. Since my sister goes to duke and received no financial aid (she applied and was denied), are their any specific scholarships/aid available for students whose siblings go to duke or other high priced schools, even if there is no present need?</p>

18

<p>Just send your 33 ACT, it’s <em>much</em> higher than your SAT.</p>

19

<p>Ice decided to send in both since they look at the highest scores overall and my 800 Sat math can’t hurt</p>

20

<p>Forget the SAT, try to improve your ACT score since you seem to be much better at it. Your ACT score is much better.</p>