Chance Me for Ivies, WashU, Johns Hopkins

<p>I'm new at these forums so I just want to hear opinions about my stats and where I could get in... My top schools so far in order are- WashU, Cornell, Johns Hopkins, Carnegie Mellon maybe UPenn as a reach..</p>

<p>So I'm a Hispanic male in a pretty good public school in NJ we have several students every year going ivy level, one or two people usually do end up going HYP every year</p>

<p>GPA Unweighted: 3.95
GPA Weighted: 4.46 (should be 4.50 by end of Junior year)</p>

<p>Rigor of Courses: Have taken everything honors except for english.. and doubled up in sciences whenever possible.. dropping a.p. spanish senior year tho.. cant take spanish even though i am spanish ironically...</p>

<p>A.P. classes/tests im going to take...
Calc BC
Bio
Physics
Chem (currently taking it now)
Econ
self study a.p. psych this year
A.P. U.S. History (currently taking, however terrible course in our school, I get A-'s but expect a 2 in the ap test)
maybe self ap study environmental science senior year since im taking a.p. bio</p>

<p>SATs
Math:800
Verbal:700
Writing:700</p>

<p>Will take chem, math II, and probably bio sat II's later this year...</p>

<p>Extracurriculars:</p>

<p>Varsity Runner (XC, Winter Track, Spring Track) 9,10,11 (was in top 5 frosh frosh year, but because of that got terribly injured and havent been able to make a comeback since)
Varsity Swimmer 11 decided to try it out since I used to swim I'm doing good but not planning on doing it in college
Local Hospital ER room- only have done 20 hrs so far.. try to get that up
Going to take EMT courses over the summer
Work as a Lifeguard over the summer
Going to observe my friend's dad who's a urologist over the summer
Math League Captain (11,12 grade)</p>

<p>I know I need more volunteering hours, hopefully when i get my EMT license I can get enough before applying.. should do more clubs too.. but sports take way too much time</p>

<p>Hook:
I guess being Hispanic, first generation... my parents were once illegal immigrants that came here when they were 18 years old but they fulfilled the american dream and now living in an extremely expensive town (Randolph NJ). My mom went to comm. college at age 35ish because when I was kindergarten I asked her why I only had to school and that motivated her to go to school too haha.. but I guess I still count as first generation college student? And I guess colleges would like it if i wrote my essay relating to this story too? </p>

<p>Im planning on either majoring pre-med or biomed engineering. I want to go med but nowadays being a doctor isnt worth 8 years of schooling and the proposed health care plan will just screw over doctors so we ll see... Also I know applying e/d is almost necessary now so right now I'm planning on going E/D with WashU. Any opinions guys?</p>

<p>Does your school rank? If so, what is yours? </p>

<p>Your SAT and GPA are very solid. Being Hispanic is a huge plus as well. </p>

<p>Write great essays and get good recs and I wouldn't really consider any of those schools huge reaches. If I were you, I'd try for some other bigger reaches/ivies.</p>

<p>My school doesnt rank, it only does percent of class... I am sure I'm in the top 10% of the class though, my school isnt that competitive</p>

<p>All my teachers love me so I'll get excellent recs- i think im getting them from my honors pre calc teacher and my ap chem teacher... Also even though I just met my guidance counselor me and him are in the process of bonding so he ll write me a good rec</p>

<p>Essays I alright on, itll prob end up being like a cliche, nothing they never seen before...</p>

<p>And yeah, idk, WashU seems to have everything I want, I want a strong pre med program and engineering program just in case I want to switch majors either way... and it also has a good quality of life, something I desire. Although its a little far from where I live, its not that far... I ll apply to Harvard and Princeton too I guess as reaches although I doubt I'll get in, maybe because of my hispanicness haha</p>

<p>If you want me to take a look at your essays when you start applying, I'd be glad to. Bragging aside, that's sort of my specialty :D. Don't be afraid to apply to any reaches because you have good chances everywhere. Trust me!</p>

<p>Hi i am new to these forums too and i have never posted before. I just got my first SAT scores back yesterday and I was curious what kind of chance i have at all of the Ivy league schools/Ivy league caliber schools:
SAT I
math- 800
critical reading- 690 (i am taking SAT again and it will definitely go up but not a ton)
writing- 800</p>

<p>GPA-
unweighted- 4.0
weighted- 4.684
rank- 1/491</p>

<p>i have good extra curriculurs but if u want any other info i can give it to you</p>

<p>all i saw was "hispanic" and "gpa 4.46"
so i'd say..roughly speaking..your in for all ur schools</p>

<p>unless your teacher recs are pathetic...you will get in to all of those schools you listed...</p>

<p>yeah ging, i suggest you make your own thread in the chances forum, and deff post your xc's they mean a lot for top schools... Also your state cause certain schools desire to have a student from each... I'd say if you're #1 in your class though and have half decent recs</p>

<p>And yeah my teacher recs will be amazing we have great relationships...</p>

<p>and north face i deff will take you up on that, my essays will most likely be the weak point of my resume...</p>

<p>and thanks guys haha yeah being 100% colombian is pretty good i guess</p>

<p>yea no problem thegusroman I only posted on this one because I don't know how to start a thread good luck with everything</p>

<p>Your chances are really great for the schools you listed, especially for Wash U if you apply ED as you say.</p>

<p>Would you guys recommend me also applying to Princeton/Harvard and then try my chances with the Reg. Dec. with all these other schools or should I just apply early to WashU or another school of similar caliber?</p>

<p>Have you visited these schools? Your scores and activities are quite good, so now you should make your choices based on what you like, not a fleeting badge of honor on where you are admitted. The day you send in your deposit to the school you are attending it doesn't really matter where else you were admitted, does it?<br>
I have a class of 2013 ED to Hopkins, and you are wise to consider that it's the student with balanced resumes who are of interest to most schools. Have your essays checked carefully (your post said you 'swim good' but you swim well) (it's a little thing, but if you choose words correctly in casual communication you will be more likely to do so in essays and in interviews).
If you are interested in Biomed Engineering, then look for schools strong in that, such as Hopkins. Ivies aren't for everyone, and may not be your best choice for certain areas of study.
Overall, you have terrific credentials, and you have a good chance at any school which interests you. The best of luck in your decision process!</p>

<p>Thank you njcentconf, that post contained valuable information.</p>

<p>Visiting is the next step in my admissions process. In fact, I am currently posting this on a Princeton mac laptop that I have to say is absolutely ridiculous. I just chose to visit Princeton first because it's the closest to me out of my top colleges. UPenn, WashU, and Hopkins are going to be the next colleges that I visit. It's not about the name, it's about the best fit and the best education that I want.</p>

<p>And sorry about the improper grammar, I just slack off when I'm out of school and just like don't worry about it, I realized that there are many errors in my first post.</p>

<p>Lastly, I am actually excellent at interviews. My main strength is that I come across as a laidback guy who you would never expect to be smart. I can't tell you how many of my friend's parents thought I was joking when I tell them my GPA and SAT scores. I'm the type of guy who pays attention in school but has fun fooling around sometimes, goes to swim/track practice, afterwards go home and manage to find a good two hours of my time to play video games, and after all that somehow manage to have only an hour of homework every night. I'm out every Friday and Saturday night with friends occasionally going to a party. I don't try that hard to maintain the grades I do, but I do realize that I'm going to have to study alot more in college, and I believe I am up for it.</p>

<p>You are welcome. Sounds like you have a good approach. You sound like my daughter - people are surprised to find out she's got such a high rank and good scores because she's not what they'd expect. She also knows that college will be a bit tougher, but she's ready for it.<br>
I think you have a good perspective to make a good decision. Good luck!</p>

<p>u should get in to a lot of good schools</p>