Chance Me for Early Decision UPenn, Brown, Cornell, Dartmouth, and Duke!

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

Hi everyone!!! I’ve read tons of these threads over the years but have never made one so here I go. I’m a rising senior who goes to a school that is not extremely competitive. It seems that regular decision not many people will get into ivies so I really want to use my ED (or EA) wisely. I know numbers wise I don’t have the strongest transcript but I would like to think that I have poured all of my time and energy in high school to doing things that I love instead of just doing them for my resume and I hope my application shows that. Also, do you think it is a big deal if I have a few A-'s my junior year if they aren’t in my projected major. Please be as blunt and as honest as you can be and thank you so so much for any feedback :slight_smile:

SAT I (breakdown): 1520 first time (will be retaking in August to hopefully get 1550+)

SAT II: 750 USH, will be receiving my Math II score shortly
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): (Unsure, school does not use a 4.0 scale but mostly A+'s and 2 A’s freshman and sophomore year, junior year a couple A+'s, couple A’s and 3 A-s in chem, math, and spanish)
Weighted GPA: 4.7
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 1%, school does not rank
AP (place score in parenthesis): USH (4, will not send probably), AP Gov (should get 5), AP CSP (Should get 5), AP Lang and Comp (hopefully I will get 2/3 5’s on these three and will send the two fives)
Senior Year Course Load: AP Bio, AP Psych, AP Calculus AB, Brit Lit (Counts for an AP at my school), Human Growth and Development (Counts as an AP as well), Symphony Orchestra

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
1.) President of Young Democrats Club (Voted best chapter in the nation a few years ago, most state politicians know who we are, easily the strongest club in my school, was secretary my junior year, 9-12)
-Overall 350+ hours of phonebanking, canvassing, all that good ol grassroots stuff, organizing events, interning etc.
-Interned at a local congresswoman’s office, she will write me a letter of rec
-Interning this summer on a gubernatorial campaign
-Active member of a local PAC in my town dedicated to progressive causes
-Will probably be Vice Chair of my state’s High School Dems chapter next year
-Has attended a variety of events related to politics (ie will be going to girls state next week)
To perhaps get a better sense of how much time and effort this club will take running it, I will definitely be sacrificing some quality time for college apps to help win back our town council but this is what I love to do and wouldn’t change it.
2.) School Newspaper (Editor in Chief)
I was a staff writer freshman year, wrote about half the articles for our newspaper sophomore year as student life editor, and finally made my way up to editor in chief as a senior. I love newspapers and writing.
3.) Bible Study Club (Co-President)
-Sunday school teacher at my church for all of high school (teaching and preparing engaging lessons for elementary school kiddos every Sunday)
-I play violin for my church as well during Sunday services (I know, liberal and Christian, I am quite the anomaly jk)
4.) XC, Indoor and Outdoor Track
-4 year member of these three seasons, I will be varsity as a senior for all three sports!
5.)Student Council Secretary (9-12)
6.) Violin
-Played for 10 years, I’m not amazing but I do love music and will continue to play in college
-I have made regionals and the New England Music Festival
-Concertmistress of my school orchestra
7.) Member of NHS, Mu Alpha Theta, NEHS, SNHS (ik this doesn’t mean anything but just wanted to include it)

Intended Major: Political Science
State (if domestic applicant): Some smallish state in New England
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: F
Income Bracket: Very Middle Class
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): N/A

2

You have excellent academic qualifications and I do not think an A- differs from A or A+ when calculating your GPA so I think you will have a 4.0 UW as long as you do not have any Bs. Your test scores are also very good, and there really is no need for you to retake them unless you are positive that you will improve. Your ECs are fantastic, and are well built around your intended major so overall I think you have very good chances at most of these schools. As for ED/EA, the schools you have listed only have ED, and you should use ED for your top choice as long as you are not worried about comparing different financial aid options. I think applying ED to UPenn would be a good idea. Good luck! I would appreciate it if you could chance me back here: http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1995754-chance-me-low-gpa-rank-cornell-rice-wash-u-ucla-etc-p1.html Thanks!

3

You have a great chance at these schools. I would only recommend that you don’t take the SAT again, since increasing your score to 1520 to 1550+ doesn’t have that much benefit. You should focus on college applications instead.

4

Thank you both so much for the feedback. I know that the schools I listed EA are relatively similar in level of difficulty (perhaps Penn and Brown are the harder of the bunch). I think that I do need to retake the SAT because I am an asian female but I will make sure to focus on college apps. My high school is also very close in proximity to Yale University and 1 student tends to get in every year. Do you think I have a chance or should I stick to the schools I have listed?

5

I would definitely try!! You are amazing applicant with amazing qualifications. Good Luck!

6

While you are safely in the “range” for all of these schools, I’d take the SAT 1 more time. Many schools formally super score and all of them will at least informally consider the highest scores. Taking it twice won’t hurt (vs applicants who take it more than 3x). If one of the sections in your 1520 was appreciably lower, focus more of your prep time there.

Your stats also put you in the competitive range for Yale (and for just about any school in the country), but those schools are reaches for everyone.

I’d use the summer and early fall to research and visit the schools that interest you the most. It’s probably also a good idea to use the summer to begin thinking about your Common App essay and line up your Rec’s. On your Rec’s, I’d ask the teachers sooner rather than later before they get inundated with requests.

If there is a clear favorite, I’d apply ED or EA as the case may be unless FA will be a big factor in the case of ED. The upside of ED is that it will likely give you a bigger boost than EA. If there is no clear favorite, I’d apply to your top EA school to keep your options open.

Also don’t neglect to have match and safety schools in your choices. The schools you listed are all super competitive.

7

Thank you a bunch for the responses!!! I will definitely be applying to safeties, these are just my very very difficult options for Early (decision or action) that are really “dream schools”. I know it is all about a “calculated risk” but it’s just so hard to imagine how strong my profile is and what adcoms might be thinking so your feedback is super helpful. Which schools would you recommend I apply to early?

8

You have really great stats and very deep involvement in the Young Democrats Club! I’d recommend not putting “7.) Member of NHS, Mu Alpha Theta, NEHS, SNHS (ik this doesn’t mean anything but just wanted to include it)” on your college app; maybe including a few is okay, but it seems like extra baggage if you don’t have a leadership position in these clubs.

I’d recommend applying early to your favorite dream school. If it’s Yale, then so be it! You should probably take more campus visits and research majors at each dream school to solidify your favorite. Don’t try to apply to a school because you think you will have a better chance of getting in EA or ED, but apply because you truly want to be there and you think the school is a good fit for you and you are a good fit for them.

I’d appreciate it if you could chance me back! http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/2000649-chance-me-low-rank-common-ecs-cornell-harvard-wharton-etc.html#latest