Chance Me for Top Tier Schools (Ivies and the like) - Second Sem Junior

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

First of all, I know my chances are kind of slim. My dream school is Harvard University, but I’m also looking at applying to more match/safety schools.

Total List: Harvard University, Brown University, University of Michigan, Boston College, Tufts, Emory, UC Berkeley, NYU, and Boston University are all my “hard to get into” schools. My safeties are U of I, UW-Madison, and Loyola.

Major: Either an Education Major (if they offer) or a Linguistics / Music double degree with an intent of going to grad school for education. (Harvard’s Graduate School of Education is the absolute dream!)

My personal info/hooks: I’m a mixed race (half mexican and half filipina) female, but I’m also financially well off and go to a decent public high school. Hooks are I’m a URM (Hispanic) and my parents are both immigrants, making me first gen (but not first gen in college lol so idk if that’s a hook?) I’m an award winning cello + flute player (like, nationally ranked and awarded and everything. Performed with the CSO (Chicago symphony orchestra) on multiple occasions ) and i co-founded an organization to protect the rights of undocumented immigrants and help them achieve citizenship. i play three sports at varsity/club level and have gotten (not as big as music) a good amount of recognition. i’m also pretty religious (christian) and openly bisexual.

GPA: 4.0 UW / 5.0 W (school grades on a weird five point school where honors and ap = the same)
ACT: 36
SAT: 1590 (800 R, 790 M)
SAT II:
Spanish With Listening - 800
Literature - 800
World History - 800
Math L1 - 800
Math L2 - 790
Biology E - 780
Physics - 780

APs: World History (5), Spanish (5), Music Theory (5) - taking Calc BC, Lang, US History next week! Senior year I’ll be taking Stats, Biology, and Gov

Courseload:
9 - Honors in Alg 2, Spanish 4, Physics, English, World Civ. Orchestra, Band, and Choir as electives.
10 - Honors in Pre Calc, Spanish 5 (self studied for AP exam), English, and Chem. AP World. Orchestra, Band, Choir, and Newspaper Staff as electives. Self studied for Music Theory exam.
11 - Honors in Physics. AP Calc BC, AP Lang, APUSH. No higher level of Spanish offered. Same electives as soph year.
12 (proposed) - AP Biology, AP Stat, AP Lit, likely not taking AP Gov, but getting class credit b/c I self study. Same electives as soph year plus Peer Group / Student Gov Exec Board.

ECs:

  • Music: cello for ten years, flute for eight, choir (in school/out of school) for seven. I am nationally recognized in cello + flute and have won some high honors for choir (IMEA, National Choral awards etc). I am in two selective in school choir groups, am likely the president of the school’s symphony orchestra next year, have been in high level in school jazz band since freshman year. Did marching band for three years. Am on Tri-M board next year.
  • Nonprofit aid organization for immigrants - co founded it two summers ago. I’m not naming it for safety reasons but we’ve helped a ton of people in the area.
  • Varsity Lacrosse Starter for three years, Varsity Volleyball Starter for two. I play club volleyball/lacrosse as well. Hoping to play one or both of these in college.
  • Field Hockey for about five years, school doesn’t have a team, but I play in a local league.
  • Roller Derby, which I do over the summer. I love it.
  • FCCLA - 3 years, and I’m president next year. Won national competitions.
  • Speech Team - 3 Years - Made it to nationals two years in a row
  • Snowball - 3 Years - Student Director next year
  • Student Government - 3 Years - Voted onto exec board for next year!
  • Student Newspaper - 3 Years - Sports Editor this year, Exec Sports editor next year.
  • Theatre - 3 Years - Usually only in the spring musical, though when I have any time I might do the odd winter/fall production. Inducted as a thespian my freshman year.
  • Future Educators of America - 3 Years - VP of school chapter
  • Young Life - 3 Years - It’s sort of a Christian / Religious mentorship thing. Think Big Brother/Big Sister meets Sunday School volunteer.
  • Academic Center Tutor - 2 Years
  • World Languages Honors Society - 4 Years, President Next Year.

Job/Volunteer Experience + Summers:

  • TONS of volunteering I’d say close to 1000+ hours through Young Life, my organization, Snowball, and Tutoring.
  • Work at an ice cream shop part time over summer.
  • Tutor kids in Spanish when I have the time

Essays should be really good - I like writing a lot. Recs should be STELLAR.

Awards:

  • AP Scholar with Honors (likely with distinction by applying time)
  • Likely National Merit Semifinalist/Finalist
  • Music Awards / Honors Nationally + Athletic Awards Regionally
  • Won first place at FCCLA nationals and placed tons regionally at Speech and a few times at nationals.

I know Harvard is a long shot, but I’ll chance you back!

2

I have a feeling you might actually get yield protected at some of the schools you list…

3

Harvard University: REACH Brown University: ACCEPT University of Michigan: ACCEPT Boston College: ACCEPT Tufts ACCEPT Emory ACCEPT UC Berkeley ACCEPT NYU ACCEPT and Boston University: ACCEPT

4

http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/discussion/comment/20608597#Comment_20608597

5

Wow! I think you have a great shot at all of them- even Harvard depending on how you craft your essay!

6

Harvard- Low reach, Brown- High Match, Emory- High Match, UCB- Match, Michigan- Match, Tufts- Match(if you show interest), BC- low Match, NYU- High Safety, BU- High safety

@agood2000 If you like all of these schools equally I would apply EA at Harvard, And ED1 or ED2 at Brown/Emory. RD at Tufts, BC, NYU, and BU. I wouldn’t apply to UCB or Michigan fin aid would be the pits.

7

@beepybeetle what my counselor told me lol (doesn’t help I’m actually planning on applying to Tufts) Which schools do you think I could add/remove to the list that I have a good chance of getting in, but don’t face a high risk of Yield Protection

8

@VANDEMORY1342 I’m very much thinking of applying early to Harvard! It’s definitely my top school, I’ve visited campus multiple times and adored it there. (I love Boston in general. Four Boston schools on my list) EA acceptance rate is good, but I feel as if though all the applicants there would be just as qualified as I am, compared to RD.

9

NYU and BU might give you the L solely due to yield protection. But who needs them anyways, you’re probably going to Harvard lol

10

@agood2000 95% of Harvard applicants will be just as qualified as you, trust me

11

Bump?

12

What does nationally ranked in Music mean?

13

@ClarinetDad16 meaning I’ve won national competitions and the like (not name dropping for safety reasons) and have made it to IMEA four years for four.

14

Harvard University: Accept (depending on your essay)
Brown University: Accept (again, make sure you have essays that stand out) or waitlist
Boston College: Accept
Tufts: Waitlist/reject
Emory: Accept
NYU: Accept
Boston University: Accept

It would help you a lot if u applied EA/ED to the schools u really like!

15

I do not believe this post is real there are some red flags that admissions officers would catch if they saw this profile.

So my advice is simply share what you have actually done in / out of school.

I don’t think Harvard would accept you.

16

You’re in excellent shape, you don’t need to apply to all of those schools, NYU and BU are safeties unless they yield protect as others have noted - apply early to Harvard and Michigan (flexible EA) and work on the Brown, Tufts, NYU, Emory, BU or BC, UCB apps based on how EA turns out. Pick schools with varying approaches to music or education so you have some differing choices. Emory, UM, UCB will provide good geographical balance as well. No need to apply to your safeties.

17

How can you have a 5.0 weighted gpa? Does that mean every class in honors/Ap?

18

Yet three of the eight classes are Music which normally are not counted like AP classes

19

@agood2000 would suggest you add Yale, Princeton, and Columbia to your list. Applying to those + H + Brown, I’d expect you to make it in to at least one and perhaps more. UMich has been known to turn down kids with your stats on the assumption that they’ll matriculate somewhere else.

20

@Muad_dib @ClarinetDad16 school only weighs academic GPAs- all my academic classes were honors level lmao so that would be my weighted. also I’m curious what about my stats you think are fake?