Chance me for top 50 schools!!!

Chance Me / Match Me!
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1

I’m a rising senior with pretty average stats and I’m wondering if I might have a chance of getting into top schools. I am planning on majoring in biology (pre-med or pre dent) or business. Right now Umich (LSA) is my dream school but I’m interested to hear about some private schools I might be a good fit for since I’m expecting little financial aid. Here’s my stats:
Background: I am an African American female from Southern IL. I am lower-middle range middle class. My school does not offer many APs and those available can’t be taken until jr year.
ACT: 32 (projected based on practice tests. ACTs and SAT were cancelled due to covid but I’m taking the ACT on June 13th)
UW GPA: 3.98
W GPA: 4.98
Rank: 13/483 (we have 12 valedictorians right now)
APs: APush, AP bio, AP physics 1, AP calculus BC, AP chem, AP english lit
Honors: biology, chemistry, human anatomy, civics, algebra 1, algebra II, Geometry (my only B), Trigonometry/ Pre-calc, English 1-3,
Dual Credit: CEO Entrepreneurial leadership (competitive business class taken through my local community college in which we have to organize and run our own business/service)

ECs:
Marching/ Symphonic band: served as a drum major junior year and will be head drum major senior year (takes up over 300 hours over the summer). I have also been second chair clarinet in the senior symphonic band fresh-soph year and will be first chair/ principal player Sr year.
Jazz band- started participating junior year. Self taught saxophone.
Winter drum line- Started participating junior year- Self taught piano, xylophone, and glockenspiel.
Speech and Debate: Started sophomore year- 1 yr jv, 2 yrs varsity. Our team is one of the top teams in the state of IL and I have won numerous awards.
Science Olympiad: 3 yrs. Just a regular member. Unfortunately did not get to compete this year due to covid.
Scholar bowl: 4 yrs: 2 years jv, 2 years v
National Honor Society- regular member, 2 years
National English Honor Society- 2 years, 1 year secretary
Multicultural student club- 2 years. I will be doing step dance and choir in the annual recital senior year.
I sing lead in my church choir.

I also work part time during the school year and summer. I spent 10 month as a cashier at Boston Market before moving to Longhorn steakhouse where I’ve been a hostess for the last year. I work about 15 hours a week, or pretty much everyday I don’t have after school activities.

Community service: not much
~30 hours this summer boxing and distributing food boxes at a local high school to hand out to the need
~ was supposed to have 50 hours as a counselor at a week long kids stem camp in late july but there’s a large chance it’ll be cancelled.
~ about 20 additional hours from volunteering at local elementary school programs and game nights
~20 hours yearly (80 total) as a Vacation bible school student aide.

Awards: nothing special besides honor roll and awards from club competitions.

Schools on my list: Umich, UW madison, U of I Urbana-Champaign (instate), and Baylor University. Do I have a shot at these schools and where else do you think I should apply?

2

Sorry, I meant to say geometry was my only B.

3

If you’re lower to middle class, it’s unlikely you would be able to afford those out of state schools. Tuition is at least double, and financial aid is for state residents. UIUC is a good option, if you can get into the business school. Even then, the maximum student loan you can take out for a 4 year degree is $27k. Even that’s a stretch for an in-state student, which is why so many start at community college. You may want to consider scholarships. You probably won’t get one in a “top 50,” but they’re definitely available if you apply for them. You’ll find them in more underrepresented areas like the south and southwest. Univ of AZ and Univ of AL, for instance.

4

“UW GPA: 3.98”
“my only B”
“work part time”
“African American”

This is a rather compelling combination. Usually on CC I am seeing students reaching for Harvard or Stanford and I am telling them to look for safeties. In your cases I still think that you need two safeties. However, I think that you are in a position to apply to pretty much anywhere you want to attend and I think that you do have a chance at top schools.

“from Southern IL”

You have some good in-state universities. UIUC is sort of obvious and very good. One of my daughter’s good friends was one of the top students in middle and high school and went to Chicago. He quite liked it but said it was tough and a lot of work.

Have you considered smaller schools? From my neck of the woods somewhere like Bowdoin or Wellesley College might be possibilities, and Harvard might be worth an application.

To me you look like a very strong applicant, and the main two issues might be to figure out where you want to go and to run the NPCs and see what schools you are likely to be able to afford.

5

Many of the top colleges will give you a “free ride” if your family makes less than 60K a year and many will give you free tuition if the family makes less than 100K.

Based on your stats and being a URM, you have a decent shot at attending a top college for a very good price. You might even consider applying early decision or single choice early action once you run the NPC and better understand your family finances to make it affordable if you are accepted. FYI - your dream school UM gives free tuition up to 65K in family income.

Also, this might be one of the times that you talk with a reputable private college counselor, even if its only for a couple of 1 hour sessions as they might be able to steer you in the right direction to maximize your financial aid.

As others have said, also research affordable match and safety colleges so you have lots of options.

btw - you are not “average”, you are #13 in your class of 483, have taken a very rigorous course load and if you get the 32 ACT will be in the 96th percentile. In my mind you are a rockstar and will have many good college options if you do your homework.

If I was you, I would create another thread called “AA female with top stats needs advice on which colleges to apply to?” and provide your family income and assets to that thread with all of your stats and ECs. You will get a lot of great advice that way. Many of the experienced CC members don’t give advice in “chance me threads” like this one we are posting in right now.

6

With your stats you would definitely be accepted to Baylor. The question is cost. Even with generous merit, Baylor can still be pricey.