Chance me for the colleges on my preliminary list to help me finalize! Will chance back if requested

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

Please chance me for the following ‘tiers’ or ‘groups’:

HYPSM tier // UPenn, Brown, Columbia tier // Cornell, Georgetown tier // George Washington, Northwestern tier

I know there isn’t a huge amount of difference between those top couple of groups, but chances at Harvard, Brown, and Cornell can be quite different.

I wanted to get these chances so that I can finalize my college list and know whether it’s a good one

General

Race: White / African-American both
Gender: Female
Financial Need: No financial need
State: New York
Intended major: Biology/Biomedicine

**School gives no class rank or GPA

**Transcript:/b

Freshman Year:
English I: A
History: A-
Physics: A-
Algebra II/Trig: B+
French I: B+

Sophomore Year:
History: A
English II: A
French II: A
PreCalculus: A-
Chemistry: A-

Junior Year:
AP Biology: A
English III: A
US History: A-
French III: B+
AP Calculus: A-

Senior Year: (Classes only)
AP Calculus BC (Semester 1) / Multivariable Calculus (Semester 2)
AP Physics C
AP Government
Shakespearean Tragedy (Semester 1) / AP English (Semester 2)
French IV

**This warrants a ‘most rigorous’ check on my app by my counselor

Total UW GPA: 3.84

SAT/Subject Tests

SAT: 790 CR, 740 M, 780 W (10 Essay, 77 MC). Total: 2310.

This is not a super scored value, and I only sat the test once.

Literature SAT II: 770

Math SAT II, Level I: 730 (re-taking this)

Biology (E) SAT II: [Have not taken yet]

My sophomore and junior PSATs were 204 and 206, respectively, if this matters. Enough to get commendation, but not enough for Semi-Finalist (225 cutoff for NE boarding schools applies)

Anyone interested in giving advice for framing my app, too?

Whatever you can answer of the above would be much appreciated. Thanks!

2

Siblings are not considered legacies, though they may be taken into account. Your high rigor college preparatory school is not a hook, though your URM status is, even though it sounds like you have had financial advantages. But you are a strong applicant. Your SATs, curricular rigor and GPA are fine, and the depth of your STEM activities will stand out, especially in combination with your URM status.

Given that you obviously come from a fairly privileged background and have had tons of opportunities (no financial need, siblings at top schools, private boarding school) I would try to show how you have taken initiative and created opportunities for yourself, and how you have tried to give back. The FabLab experience might be something worth highlighting. You have a lot of activities, so you need to be careful not to appear to diffuse.

3

Thanks, @renaissancedad! I was particularly concerned about my GPA, and the smattering of A-s and even B+s.

“Given that you obviously come from a fairly privileged background and have had tons of opportunities (no financial need, siblings at top schools, private boarding school)”

Do you think this will negatively affect me despite the fact that I’ve tried my best to take advantage of all the available opportunities?

“You have a lot of activities, so you need to be careful not to appear to diffuse.”

Do you have any particular suggestions?

Thanks again!

4

Given your socioeconomic background, I think checking off both White and African-American under race and downplaying your mixed background is appropriate. It will be noted.

You can’t be faulted for having opportunities and resources available to you, you can only be expected to take advantage of them. It seems like you have, so I don’t think it will negatively affect you. Adcoms love students who show initiative and create their own opportunities, which is much harder than just following pre-existing paths. I don’t know how much of things like your outside internship was done by your own initiative (vs. outside connections), but anything that you can highlight in this regard will help. Colleges want evidence that kids will come in and take advantage of the incredible resources on their campuses.

In terms of your activities, you have all of your STEM stuff, which is considerable and should be featured; your tutoring and FabLab camp, which is good because it involves helping others; and then a hodgepodge of common ECs like MUN, mock trial, newspaper, JV sports and orchestra. That’s too many, and it’s hard for me to tell which ones were important and which ones you became proficient at. Your language background is distinctive, and MUN may tie in to that. You need to feature no more than 3-4 things that you put most of your time into, showing focus and commitment. It’s fine to dabble in others, but make it clear that they were secondary activities for fun. In some cases, you may be able to group activities together (such as most of your STEM-related stuff).

I personally don’t see your GPA being an issue.

5

@renaissancedad


[QUOTE=""]

Given your socioeconomic background, I think checking off both White and African-American under race and downplaying your mixed background is appropriate. It will be noted.

[/QUOTE]

This doesn’t make a lot of sense to me - mainly because if AA was meant for students with low income or poor resources, they could have made it that way, unconnected with race. I mean, that makes more sense, but when people argue for AA, they explain why African-Americans and other URM are the sectors influenced and it usually has to do with casual discrimination and judgements based on skin color.

Ah well, I see what you mean. So how do I ‘downplay my mixed background’?

6

You already have downplayed it, as far as I can tell - you listed your race as white / African American / both, and nothing in your description of activities shows any strong racial identity or organizational affiliation. By checking off African American you will qualify as a URM. That is enough. I wouldn’t focus on it in your essays - I’m sure you have encountered prejudice at some point, but given your resources and opportunities I don’t that is a major part of your story.

7

Bump

8

Your GPA and test scores are great. Your ECs are extraordinary, especially the publishing of 2 papers, patent, and starting your own business. Additionally, being the president of a few clubs is great as well. Your also a URM, which is great as well. I honestly think you can make it in the HPYSM tier, even though they’re reaches for everyone. You look like the average accepted applicant for the UPenn/Brown/Columbia tier. Cornell/Georgetown tier are matches for you. You should get in at the GW/Northwestern tier as well. Good luck on your applications. Chance me back please. I pasted the link below.

http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1796213-good-test-scores-and-leadership-but-average-gpa-chance-me-for-these-schools-please.html#latest