Hey guys, I’m a high school senior interested in biomedical sciences. I’m from West Virginia. I know my chances are low, but i’m really hoping to get into an elite university or college. I’m a URM with Samoan background (if that would help anything. I’m so nervous about getting into college!!!
SAT I (breakdown): n/a
ACT (breakdown): 26 (R: 26 E: 24 M:28 S: 26)
SAT II:
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.72 UW
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): school does not rank
AP (place score in parenthesis): 2, AP Chem (3) AP World (4)
Senior Year Course Load: Calc AB, AP Bio, English, European History (not AP), Spanish 3
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Spanish Exam regional top 10, scholastic art award 2013 (painting) High School science competition for chemistry through Chemistry Club.
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Varsity Basketball, 4 years. Debate team (4 years, 15 multiple regional awards. Chemistry Club president (2 years)
Job/Work Experience: I work year around employment at a banquet hall/catering service 25 hrs/week.
Volunteer/Community service: Local library with Reading Dogs.
Summer Activities: Biomedical research at local lab. I spend most of the summer working.
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Common App: 8.5. About researching adulthood and getting a job. Counselor said it was one of the most compelling essays she’s ever read in over 20 years.
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1: AP Chem teacher. She loved me and said I was one of her brightest students.
Teacher Rec #2: Art teacher. She described my determination and ability to understand the complexities of painting.
Not sure you should put much faith in an anonymous college confidential appraisal of your academic chances,
however I feel as though your work at a lab will prove very helpful, but your GPA needs some work
I hate to say this, but Harvard and Yale may be a long shot. You definitely sound like you have a very strong application (ECs, essays and rec’s) and would be a very good match for some very selective schools, but (as everyone knows, and I’m sure you do as well) Ivies are SO tough. Your ACT score may pull you down a little bit, as well as your GPA. Not to say that your GPA isn’t great (it is) but we’re talking Harvard/Yale here, and they receive plenty of apps with perfect/near perfect ACTs and GPAs. Of course, it’s worth a shot anyway, because you never know what they’re looking for! You definitely have a better shot at Colby, but your ACT may still hold you back a little. Regardless, good luck!!
Yale and Harvard are such long shots, but you have nothing to lose except time you may want to spend on a college you have better than a .1% chance. Apply to many match schools and a few safe schools and your don’t need to worry as much. I had my daughter apply to ten schools, one with a 10% chance, one with a 20%, one with a 30%, etc. up to our state school where she has a 99% chance. That way you know you don’t over or under estimate yourself. Yale and Harvard would be on top of those ten. In other words, do the other 10 applications first, and if you have time go for Harvard or Yale, but it might be a mistake doing those first and not completing the other applications. She had a easy time finding the tougher schools to apply to, and we did some searching to find the schools she liked where she had a 60% chance and 70% chance, but we ultimately found them. Some kids do make the mistake of only applying to 4 slight reach schools and one safety, and end up with no choices.
For Yale and Harvard, you’re going to be banking on being one of the top students applying from West Virginia (like top-three or better) in order to have a chance. I would definitely apply to more match schools (score/grades-wise); there is nothing worse than not having any options.
Why do you want to go to an elite college? You do not have a great chance at Harvard and Yale, but those are tough for anyone. There are so many amazing schools out there, so don’t limit yourself! Just because a school is lacking the elite name you have in mind doesn’t mean it doesn’t have amazing academics. Going to an elite school doesn’t automatically mean you’ll get better job offers. Broaden your horizons and do some research to find a match school that you like.
Hello there - not too many kids from West Virginia at the ivies. Another thing in your favor is your minority status, this also will help. But the ivies are pretty tough on the test scores. Are you a bad test taker? Or didn’t practice enough? From the looks of your GPA, you probably should have done better on the ACT. Consider taking some time to study and re-take.
I agree with the others. Don’t get fixated on the brand names. Find a college that fits you. There are hundreds of colleges that would love to have a student like you. But definitely broaden your list. Whatever happens, best of luck
