Chance me for top schools

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>I'm a current junior wondering my chances at Grinnell, Smith, Claremont McKenna, UChicago, UPenn, and other top schools. I know at certain schools, I'm going to need a huge amount of merit money, but if I have little chance at those universities, I'm pretty much going to take the full ride at my top state university and not apply anywhere else.</p>

<p>Stats:</p>

<p>White male, low income (less than $10,000, single parent)</p>

<p>Current rank is 23/215, but once this semester's grades go in, I will be close to the top ten. Also, anyone above 4.0 at my school is valedictorian and I will have after next semester.</p>

<p>33 ACT (1st try)
800 US History SAT II
800 Biology SAT II
800 World History SAT II</p>

<p>Recommendations by:
The state director of Academic Decathlon;
my Academic Decathlon coach;
the Gifted and Talented director at my school;
my Advanced English II teacher</p>

<p>Grades:</p>

<p>Freshman -</p>

<p>20th Century Contemporary World History (A/A)
Geometry (C/C)
Spanish I (A/B)
English 9 (C/B)
Leadership (student council) (A/A)
Physics (A/A)
Gym S1 (C), Computer Apps I S2 (A)
Power English (class that all freshman have to take) (B/C)</p>

<p>Sophomore -
Chemistry (B/A)
Biology (A/A)
Spanish II (A/B)
*AP Psychology (A/A)
*Intro to Engineering and Design (A/A)
*AP US History (D/C) (5 on the exam... I refused to take notes over her communist book.)
Algebra II (C/B)
Advanced English II (C/B)
Academic Decathlon (A/A)</p>

<p>Junior - the second semester grades haven't came out, those are current.
*AP Biology (A/A)
*AP Environmental Science (A/A)
*AP US History (retaking with a different teacher) (A/A)
*AP Government (A/A)
*College Statistics (A/A)
*College Calculus (A/B) - this will likely be an A, it's at 88% right now and I have three missing assignments that I'm turning in tomorrow
*AP Human Geography (A/A)
*College Powerpoint and Multimedia S1 (A)
Gym S2 (A)
*AP Language (A/B) - this is probably going to be a B because I messed up and didn't do a project on time...</p>

<p>Senior - the schedule that I selected yesterday
<em>AP Physics
*AP Chemistry
*AP Comparative Government S1/</em>AP Macroeconomics S2
Gym S1/Gym S2 - I was short on the graduation requirements
*Linear Algebra/Differential Equations
*AP Literature
*AP Computer Science AB (It is independent study; I'll have an A for sure)
*AP European History</p>

<p>ECs:
Student Council (9th, 11th, will probably be in it next year)</p>

<p>Quizbowl (captain in 10th grade, captain in 11th, and I will be next year too.)</p>

<p>History Bowl (captain of JV in 10th grade, captain of varsity this year, where we won state and are going to nationals, in addition to being first individually)</p>

<p>Academic Decathlon (led my team to win state for the first time ever as captain in 10th, repeated this year in 11th, and will likely do so again next year, as the competition is getting worse since we knocked down a dynasty that won more than ten years in a row. I would write my essay on this.)</p>

<p>Also, I have about three-hundred hours of community service.</p>

<p>Any other questions, feel free to ask.</p>

<p>EDIT: I also have an internship with the Speaker of the House of my state this year.</p>

2

<p>bump. I will chance back, just post a link.</p>

3

<p>I think you have a pretty good chance at CMC. They look out a lot for leadership and you are doing well in that aspect.</p>

<p>Don’t need to chance me back; I’m in the college class of 2016.</p>

4

<p>You have a decent chance, except that D in APUSH will probably hurt you. If you don’t have a better explanation beyond whining about your “communist book” you’ll have problems. Believe it or not, in college you have to take courses with professors that you disagree with, and that’s not an excuse not to work hard and get the best grade in the class. Maybe if you turned it into an essay that showed how you’ve become more tolerant over time, it would help…</p>

5

<p>Well, there is definitely more of an excuse than that, but that’s the core of the issue. Also, will the D hurt me that much when I retook it and got an A, 5 on the AP test, and an 800 SAT II in US history?</p>

<p>And since I still have another year, what can I do to increase my chances? I also didn’t note that my Academic Decathlon team stayed every night four hours after school, and I led the meeting, so even though I don’t have a ton of ECs, I was very devoted to what I did.</p>

6

<p>I think it’s worth applying since you’ve clearly shown in junior year that you’re able (and willing) to do the work. Chicago and Penn will be reaches (although for Chicago, it kind of all depends on the essay), but you might have a pretty decent chance at CMC, Grinnell, etc. If you want to go somewhere other than your in-state public, it’s definitely not a waste of time to apply. Especially to LACs, which will be more inclined to review your app holistically and therefore pay more attention to your much better junior year.</p>

<p>Chance back?
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1320744-chance-junior-visiting-colleges-will-chance-back.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1320744-chance-junior-visiting-colleges-will-chance-back.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

7

<p>Smith for a white male? It is an all women’s college! Penn doesn’t give merit aid, no ivy does. You don’t have the stats for merit at Chicago.</p>