Chance Me For Ivy's

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

Hi,

I was wondering what my chances are for getting into some of the Ivy League schools this coming fall. I am thinking of applying Early Decision to either Columbia or Brown (finished both apps but haven’t picked which one yet lol).

SAT I: N/A
ACT: 34 (35 M, 35 E, 34 R, 33 S) (35 superscored)
SAT II: N/A
Unweighted GPA: 3.85 (4.50 weighted)
Rank: Top 10%
AP: World History (5), US History (5), Lit + Comp (5), Art History (5), Chemistry (4)
IB: N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Psychology, AP Biology, Honors Molecular Genetics, AP Language, AP Statistics, AP Government
Major Awards: National Hispanic Merit Scholar, NHS, AP Scholar with Honors

Extracurriculars: Competitive piano (statewide testing), Debate Club (President, been apart of for 7 years now), MUN Club (Founder and president), Red Cross Club, Freshman advisor for 2 years, lead tutor at school’s writing center for 2 years, apart of school’s STEM and accelerated business program.
Job/Work Experience: Internship at aunt’s law firm for 4 years over the summers, STEM related internship at nutritional bar company. Currently an intern at the Democratic Party in my county.
Volunteer/Community Service: Judge for middle school debate tournaments, work through the county’s courthouse to help rehabilitate nonviolent first-time juvenile offenders, some local work through my church.
Summer Activities: MUN camp at UCLA

Intended Major: Psychology / Political Science
State: CA (LA Metro Area)
Country: USA
School type: Parochial
Ethnicity: Hispanic / White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: $250k +
Hooks: URM

Obviously, considering that the Ivy Leagues are so competitive, anything can happen, but do you think I stand a chance with some of these schools? The only thing I’m concerned about is my GPA, but I have an explanation that I will be putting in my application to show why there was a little dip in my GPA.

Thanks!

2

I think so. It looks like you have meaningful extracurriculars and strong test scores.

3

You have good chances, but how on Earth are you deciding between possibly the two most different Ivy schools? Colombia has the heaviest GE requirements while Brown has none. Columbia is possibly the most rigorous Ivy while Brown is the least. Are you sure you know what you want out of college? To me it sounds like you’re still stuck on the name.

Also, what is this “dip” in your GPA that you speak of? I think adcoms will see right through your reason for your “low” GPA. Yes, a 3.85 is a little low for top schools, but if your excuse is something other than being very ill or having SEVERE family problems, I wouldn’t mention anything. Your GPA is good, own it.

4

I like certain aspects about both Columbia’s Core and Brown’s curriculums respectively. At this point, I’m deciding between whether I want a more academically rigorous college experience in a large city vs a more traditional college setting, hence being stuck between the two. Both of the school’s weren’t picked by me because of “name-brand” quality, but rather a culmination of different aspects that make them appealing.

5

Me too! I love how a strict curriculum would help me explore my interests while also still obviously completing my major (plus I mean nyc) but at the same time, I love the idea of being able to just choose what I want out of my college experience and really feel like I could fit in at Brown. I totally understand your struggle haha