White female
NJ private school, about 150 class size
income bracket >250k
GPA: 4.0
school doesn’t rank
ACT: 33 (35E, 35R, 31S, 29M)
2 APs JY: Chemistry (3), Euro (4)
4 APs SY: English Lit, Calc AB, Psych, French
National Merit Commended
My essay is pretty good, working on making it better. My teacher recs should be great.
What are my chances at UPenn, Duke, and Cornell? I need the best reach possible because I don’t want to waste time and money on schools I have no chance of getting in to. Thank youuu
I really don’t see anything that makes you stand out? It will be a reach for ANYONE regardless of their numbers, unless they have a hook. Assuming you don’t have a hook, with the information you have provided, it will be a high reach for all three schools. Your numbers are acceptable, but pretty common for applicants of all there schools. What distinguishes you (such as your essays, recommendations, your ECs) we have no information on. Also, we have no info on 2 hard/objective data: your course rigor and your SAT II subject tests.
Thanks for your input @ohiopop. I don’t have any hooks. Regarding course rigor, we can’t take any APs until JY at my school, and I would say 6 APs is average for the highest percent of kids at my school (the ones who will probably be applying to the same schools I am). I took subject tests in previous years and did poorly on them, but I am taking 3 in about a week so I will update that info when I get the results (hopefully they will be great). In terms of ECs I do a lot of community service which is pretty standard but I am president of two service based clubs at my school which may present it as being kind of my thing (which it is). I also run the blood drives at my school which takes up a lot more time and effort than college admissions officers might guess but I don’t know if there is a way to really clarify the full extent of that responsibility on the application. I play lacrosse, but not seriously, and I also work backstage in the theater which might be kind of different, especially for a girl, but I don’t know. I am an editor for my school’s literary/art magazine, and was also published in it… I guess my ECs are kind of standard but there they are if that helps. Thanks for responding!
I forgot to mention something, I had a job over the summer and I also have one now (a different one). I know that a lot of kids have jobs but I have also heard some rumors (which may be urban legends) that admissions officers often regard working as a higher quality summer activity than those ivy league internship with famous doctor or whatever things that kids do. I don’t know how true that is, but I feel that having a job and still doing well in school shows time management skills and responsibility.