Chance me please? (Princeton EA, Columbia, Yale, UChicago, Wash U, Duke, state schools)

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

Objective:
-SAT I (breakdown): 1780 old SAT, scores for new SAT not out yet
-ACT (breakdown): 28
-Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.7 (4.2 weighted)
-AP (place score in parentheses): 7 APs as of end of junior year, will have 10 as of graduation. all 3’s and 4’s.
-Senior Year Course Load: AP Euro, AP Stats, Calc Hon, Spanish 4 Hon, Journalism 4 Hon
-Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Nothing spectacular.

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses):

  • Lacrosse (9-12): 3 years varsity -Yearbook (9-12): Photo editor 3 years, multi-award winning book. -FBLA (9-12): Helped raise over $1200 for Relay for Life, Parliamentarian 12th. Spoken to middle school students and helped create middle school club. Placed twice at state competition. -NHS (11/12) -Self-published author of 2 books (will this be looked down upon?)

Volunteer/Community Service:

-Tutoring elementary school kids at a library (9-11), 200 hours
-Volunteering in Pediatrics at local hospital (9-12), close to 300 hours

Summer Activities: See above. Also, work. I’ve worked part-time since freshman year to help support my family, hence why my grades/test scores are on the low end. I’ve done the best I can with the time that I’ve had, something that I’m planning to write about and that I hope adcoms will see.

-Essays: If there’s one thing I’m good at, it’s writing.
-Teacher Recommendations: Should be good.
-Counselor Rec: I go to a large school (2800+), will be general.
-Additional Rec: Maybe from FBLA adviser, who knows me well.

Other
-Applied for Financial Aid? Yes
-Projected Concentration: English/Business
-State (if domestic applicant): FL
-School Type: Large public
-Ethnicity: Asian
-Gender: Female
-Income Bracket: <35,000
-Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): First-Gen, Low Income. Not sure if these count as hooks, but I’m also Microsoft Word, CPR, and first aid certified. Additionally, I’m fluent in 3 languages and proficient in 3 others (English, Vietnamese, Mandarin Chinese, Spanish, Italian, German).

Schools:
Princeton EA
Yale
UChicago
Columbia
Duke
WashU
UF
FSU
UCF
Rollins

2

You won’t get into Ivies with those standardized test scores. Retake the ACT, aim for about a 34. That’ll increase your chances for the top tier schools

3

No for sure to Princeton, Yale, UChicago, Columbia, Duke and maybe WashU. I think you’ll get in at all the others.

4

Low income/first gen is a good hook at most schools, as long as your GPA and test scores are solid. The GPA is good- the test scores are very low for the Ivies. Retake the ACT, that’s your best bet. Emphasize your extracurriculars!

5

Hi, i have low scores but good EC’s too. You are not alone :). Lets just pray for an approval letter. And will you take SAT at october/november? You should try your chance again for a better score.

6

I think if you can get that ACT up to 30+ you can bring more options into play, like:

  • Tulane
  • U Rochester
  • Northeastern
  • Wake Forest
  • Boston College
  • Boston U
  • Case Western
  • Brandeis
  • Holy Cross
  • U Richmond
  • Colorado College
  • Whitman
  • Bates
  • Kenyon
  • Macalester
  • Denison
  • Bryn Mawr

For the schools with the most competitive admissions – most of the top-20 of USN&WR Universities and LACs – I suggest aiming for at least a 32, preferably 33+.