thanks in advance! i appreciate the candid commentary.
Demographics:
US domestic, urban area in North Carolina
competitive, public magnet high school: top magnet school in my city
white, female, LGBT (if that matters? mentioned in some essays), EFC ~35k, no hooks
Intended Major: International Relations (secondary majors: Middle East Studies/Arabic, Peace and Justice Studies) (applied for Human Rights at Columbia since they don’t offer IR)
GPA: 3.96 UW, 4.63 W
Class Rank: Top 10% (mid 40s in a class of 500+ - school is quite competitive)
ACT: 35 (36E/R, 34 M/S, took it only once)
Coursework:
IB Diploma and AP Capstone Diploma candidate
Freshman year: 1 AP, 6 Honors
Sophomore year: 3 APs, 4 Honors
Junior Year: 7 AP/IBs
Senior Year: 7 AP/IBs
No science class senior year + never took calc (is this bad?)
I took 4 languages (2 years Japanese (III+AP), 2 years Latin (I+II), 1 year Spanish (II (IB ab int.)), 1 year French (I)) and skipped 2 years of Japanese & 1 year of Spanish by self studying
AP Scores: 7 5s, 1 4
IB Scores: 2 7s on SLs (took junior year - my school doesn’t predict scores)
Awards
NSLI-Y scholarship (government-sponsored full ride for study abroad, 15% acceptance rate)
AP Research exam perfect score (all points on rubric received - only 1% of AP Research exam takers)
AP Capstone diploma recipient
Certificate of Advanced Arabic Speaking from national organization for foreign language teachers
Featured in my school yearbook for activism with refugees
In addtl. info section: AP scholar with distinction, 4 mid-tier model UN awards
Extracurriculars
Aforementioned NSLI-Y program: studied abroad in Amman, Jordan for the summer, took advanced Arabic classes + stayed with a host family + cultural immersion (also did virtual Arabic classes with same organization in previous years)
Lead youth volunteer at a local refugee resettlement agency: tutor youth in ESL + homework, assist with caseworking (healthcare/employment forms), assistant Arabic interpreter, 9-10 hrs a week
President of school’s Linguistics Club, lead lessons on linguistics + led team to participate in NACLO olympiad
President of school’s Amnesty International Club, led 15 different human rights letter writing campaigns over 2 years
Paid internship with local social justice collective: working towards educational equity and teen mental health solutions
Board member of school’s Japanese Club
Member of school’s Model UN
Worked at local restaurant 10 hrs/week all of jr and sr year
Participated in Ohio State’s summer linguistics camp in 2020
Mentioned in addtl. info: I completed 2 independent research projects in HS, AP Research paper (studying the religious practices of LGBTQ Muslim youth) and IB Extended Essay (comparing feminist approaches to conflict resolution in Rwanda and Western Sahara)
Essays/LORs/Other
I consider myself a pretty good writer so hopefully all of these will be interesting and strong!
Common App essay: about how learning different languages is my passion and how the experience of connecting with others through their native language (mentioning exp. with refugees + study abroad) made me want to pursue a career in human rights
Yale: wrote about how difficult home experience gave me the drive to create communities which I applied to volunteering w/ refugees (I had a friend of mine who is Yale 26 look at it and she really liked all my supps)
Other T20s I haven’t written yet but I’m trying to both highlight personality of compassion/community/kindness and my passion for international peace making + service/research experience
Trying to make all the “why us” essays super specific to their opportunities + highlighting how I’ll contribute to campus service and activism
LORs:
AP World & IB TOK teacher (also Amnesty Intl. advisor and my Extended Essay advisor): should be really strong. She has a rep at our school for being amazing rec writer + we have a very close relationship. Based on the questions she asked me before writing it, she should hopefully touch on how I am a collaborative/inquisitive member of community, how I have shown kindness in and out of the classroom, and how I was passionate as pres. of Amnesty Intl.
AP Research teacher: should also be pretty good, I participated heavily in that class and it sure doesn’t hurt that I got a perfect score on that exam LOL. Hopefully it will be good that she highlights that I gained research skills while in high school, took risks with my project, etc.
Additional letter from my “boss” at the refugee resettlement agency: while she doesn’t commonly write rec letters, hopefully she’ll be able to break the mold and show that I was really passionate and went above and beyond (I was the most committed HS volunteer for the 3 years I’ve been there) + the unique experience I had as an assistant interpreter, and how working with refugees helped me expand my perspectives
Counselor letter: probably generic. just a repeat of my resume, however I did ask her to elucidate a somewhat difficult family situation I had during soph/jr year
Cost Constraints / Budget
Applying for aid everywhere. If I can’t get it below 30-35k, I can’t go (end of story). My family is around 160k income yearly. I have one older sibling who is a college sr right now (i.e. currently a dependent but won’t be when I’m in school) and when I fill out NPCs, the aid seems to hinge on whether she is considered a dependent or not.
This profile is very similar to my D22 from last year - white female, 35 ACT, EFC ~35k, eight 5s and three 4s, very good recs, ECs focused around potential social justice-oriented majors. D22 had stronger rank (8/583) but at an average public school rather than a competitive magnet. Her results were:
Yale (RD) - denied
Brown (RD) - denied
Rice (RD) - accepted, net cost 18k (attending)
UVa (EA) - accepted, legacy, net cost 52k
Baylor (EA) - accepted, net cost ~40k
Kansas (rolling) - accepted, net cost ~25k
I think you have categorized your list pretty well. I would expect at least a few of those matches to be acceptances and wouldn’t be shocked if you got into all of them. Aid-wise, UNC might be the best bet of those, but maybe also the hardest admit being OOS with no legacy.
Your reaches are going to be very tough as an unhooked applicant, but give it a shot. SCEA might help a little at Yale. I think Gtown might be the likeliest admit here, but possibly also the worst fin aid of the lot. If you’d consider adding Rice, I have anec-data suggesting you’d have a good chance. Good luck!
First of all, UNC is a very good university. I have only met a few graduates from there (I live way to the north and east of you) but they were all excellent. One UNC graduate that I knew was one of my best friends and one of the strongest students in the program when we were both graduate students at Stanford. Graduate admissions at top schools do know how strong UNC is.
Congratulations on already having been admitted to this excellent university (with the note that you clearly have earned this admission through your own hard work over the last 4 years).
At the Yale, Princeton level you are not all that far away from being an average applicant. You know what the acceptance rates are like for these schools. You are typical of the students that they accept, but you are also typical of most of the students that they reject.
One thing that would worry me is whether or not other schools might be affordable if they consider your sibling as also being a university student, but then might become unaffordable after your sibling graduates, which suggests that it might look affordable for year one but not stay affordable for years 2 through 4. I am not however familiar with how need based financial aid works. Hopefully someone who is more knowledgeable about need based financial aid can clear up my concern one way or another.
Thank you so much for your advice. The financial thing is definitely something to consider - I’ll have to check with offices if the aid will stay the same over 4 years. I guess I do understand that the Ivies are somewhat a crapshoot.
However, I think you might be confused - I was admitted to UNC-Charlotte, a separate school (they are both part of the “UNC system” but different schools - similar to how there is UC Berkeley and UCLA but also UC Santa Cruz and UC Merced). The very wonderful UNC-Chapel Hill is still out for me, but definitely an option.
Thank you for sharing your daughter’s results, I hope she is doing well at Rice (I haven’t looked much into that school, I’ll have to search about it!)
I appreciate the feedback! Yeah, honestly I understand the likelihood of the reaches, hoping that maybe I just get lucky.
You’ll get into UNC I believe even without calc. For the privates like AU, you’ll get in but check the net price calculator. Your EFC isn’t what they’ll say you can afford. You may not be able to.
I’ll throw you a curve ball. My daughter is an Intl Studies / Poli Sci major at College of Charleston. Yes it’s way beneath your stats as it was my daughter (rank wise 16th of 17th she got into - but loved it). She’s a Charleston Fellow and Intl Scholar. Basically a small cohort within Honors and kids that got into top schools. They have the Mroz Institute and get lots of dignitaries to speak/network such as Dennis Ross, David Firestein, Alan Rock etc. and my daughter started a club for supporting refugees there.
So small group. Smart kids and you get a ton of opportunity vs being one of many.
For big schools UGA is well known for IR and has merit.
You may get into all on your list but budget will be a concern at some. But you may struggle at some admission wise. You’re certainly worthy of all but it’s hard at your reaches. But the math will hurt I believe.
So the list is fine if you can afford them so I’d run NPCs. I do think UNC is a given. Good luck
One edit. Look at your school LOR requirements. Typically they want core and AP Research isn’t. My daughter had the same issue. Ultimately got the math teacher instead. So check bcuz you don’t want to be downgraded for something silly like that. Looking at Yale this is the case.
And yes not having calc will hurt but u have what you have so go with it. And you have a great overall profile.
You are a competitive candidate. Comparing the stats, results and experiences of others and extrapolating them to what you will experience is a fool’s errand.
At your reaches 70%+ of kids are academically “qualified” and in a quantitative sense indistinguishable. No AO sits there and differentiates subtle differences in scores and stats. Instead the measure is rigor and demonstrated ability to thrive.
Once screened against this measure however the real challenge is standing out. LORs, authenticity and impact of ECs and specificity of essays juxtaposed against the schools institutional targets, ambitions and goals are how you will be evaluated. With all that considered you need a little luck and the ability to resonate with an AO.
You have the stats and the narrative to take your shot and make it work. Good luck and try not to personalize results that ultimately aren’t personal. You have and will achieve a great deal of success regardless of admissions results. Good luck.
I like the cohesiveness of your interests and activities. I found your post refreshing in that sense: it felt authentic to me.
Glad you are applying to Tufts- that came to mind for me immediately.
One suggestion: when writing the “why us” type essay, try saying it out loud or writing it as if you are conversing with someone in front of you. You can mention visits, location, size, class size and “vibe.” Many “why us” essays show research by citing specific professors and classes, which can be helpful but also can go too far. Subjective reasons are good too.
you will do well. I think you will get into most of your schools but the lack of the highest math and science classes might knock you out of some of the reaches.
I think you might get the merit $ you need at American.
You should consider adding Hopkins to your list, they have a top international studies program, and offer a BA/MA with SAIS in DC (3 years Baltimore, 2 in DC).
Congratulations on a stellar high school career. You would be a strong candidate at any of the schools on your list.
Have you run the Net Price Calculators for each school? I ask because with a family of four income of $160k in NC, and a price target of < $35K, it is unlikely you will qualify for financial aid beyond the $5500 student loan.
To meet your goal, I would suggest that after running the NPCs, you check to see if any of the universities have merit scholarships you may qualify for.
Check out Dickinson College, which offers some very generous merit and has an excellent IR program. Review the list of Catholic universities that offer merit - this would not include the top eight or so, so NOT Georgetown, Holy Cross, Boston College, Notre Dame, but those ranked further down. Fordham is a good idea, but I think you will be hard pressed to end up with a cost of $35k simply because living expenses will be so high in NYC. Catholic Charities is one of the very best refugee resettlement agencies, and attending a Catholic university might offer some interesting opportunities. I’m partial to Jesuit universities, which focus on the whole person (cura personalis).
Finally, what about NC State or UNC Chapel Hill?
Keep us informed of your journey. You are pursuing a noble calling, I wish you all the best.
Thanks! The first time around, I missed that you are a NC resident - given that, I agree with others that UNC is likely, and that’s a great option. I would also add that D22 didn’t have calc or physics, despite both being offered at her school, yet still did pretty well in admissions at selective schools. If you have a compelling application focusing on a non-STEM field, which it sounds like you do, I don’t think calc is a dealbreaker.
I don’t usually like adding schools to robust lists, but I will at least suggest looking into Johns Hopkins in your case – it has a great IR/IS program and is a great school overall if you decide to change your major. Have you considered it?
You’re going to get into some of the schools on your list – you’ll very likely have options.
Your achievements are great. All the ivies are hit or miss, if you’re unhooked. It’s definitely worth a shot. You’ll never know unless you apply. My daughter is in the same situation, similar stats. Good luck to you!
To all who have helped - I really appreciate the feedback. I will also definitely consider some of the other schools mentioned (trying to keep the number limited but if I end up having extra time after all these apps I will for sure look into it).
Honestly, right now I’m hoping that I’ll end up where I’m supposed to be - my dad always says “if it’s for you, it won’t go by you” haha!
Thank you all again. I’ll post again in March/April or so with an update.
Good luck!
(I haven’t looked much into that school, I’ll have to search about it!)