Chance Me Please

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

About Me:
Asian/Pacific Islander
Freshman
Northeast Florida
Public High School
Middle-Class Income
Major: Political Science, Law
Former President of National Junior Honor Society
Member of National Honor Society
I’d rank myself as an avid flute player and beginner piano player
Founder of Tutoring Program at my school
Member of National Junior Classical League
Won school spelling bee, 2nd in District
Published Author
50+ Community Service Hours
Member of Model UN Nations
Member of Robotics Club
Member of IB Program, JROTC
A’s in all middle school semesters, and all A’s so far in high school
GPA: 4.08 Unweighted, 4.58 Weighted
Gifted Program since 3rd Grade
Won County Medical Alliance Award for Research in the Field of Medicine
1235L-1385L by 9 years old
Freshman Classes: French I Pre-IB
Algebra II Honors
Foundations of Programming Honors
Naval Science I (JROTC)
English I Pre-IB
AP World History Modern
FL Biology I Pre-IB
Latin II Honors
Reach Schools: Vanderbilt (9%)
University of Pennsylvania (8%)
Washington University in St. Louis (14%)
University of Notre Dame (16%)
Williams College (13%)
Cornell University (11%)
Washington and Lee University (19%)
Georgetown (14%)
Oh also William and Mary, I don’t know what to say about that at 38%
Safety Schools: University of Florida, Georgia

I would love to have your honest advice, whether criticism or otherwise on my chances at the above schools. Also, can I have some advice on where I should be going from here to possibly get accepted into one of these schools?

P.S. Sorry there is no SAT score to go off of…

2

Extra thing- It’s not a college but would I have at least some chance of getting into the John Locke Institute Summer Program? Thank you so much!

3

Hi!! Your resume is very impressive so far!! Your resume looks very similar to mine. I am a hs senior in the IB Program with lots of extra curriculars. Out of your college list, I also applied to Vanderbilt (accepted), Cornell (accepted), and UGA (accepted) and I am waiting on WashU. I applied to 26 schools and of the 20 I have heard from, I have gotten in. Based on that, I say your chances look excellent.

My advice to you would be to continue to participate in extra curricular activities and continue to put service hours in. But also find yourself something to do that you truly enjoy, as it will only make the college application process easier (especially when it comes to essays). Make sure you are doing the necessary things (you definitely are) but also do something you are passionate about. Several colleges are looking for a person behind the resume. On paper, you look fantastic. But so does everyone else. Standing out in the crowd is the key to being accepted into these schools!

I would also say that while it is impressive that you are a part of all of these things, quality is more valuable than quantity. When you become an upperclassman, I would advise you to hold a leadership position in a club or two. But don’t spread yourself too thin! It is okay to drop an EC if IB or anything else gets to be too much! However I am sure that my leadership roles influenced my admissions decisions.

You have already accomplished so much! I wish you the best of luck and keep up the good work! Let me know if I can help with anything else!

4

by its nature, an unweighted GPA - assuming it’s a traditional, is on a 4 point scale. Some do 5, some do A+ at 4.33 but colleges will count as a 4.

You don’t have a test score - you’ll need one.

If you read the FL and GA chats, kids with your stats and better are getting rejected. Not most - but some. And there are plenty of chats with kids only applying to what they think are targets and reaches and getting rejected everywhere.

So I suggest you go down a notch. You’re probably fine but cover yourself.

You could go the easy route - you are in Florida - and do a UCF or if you want big merit - Alabama or even Arizona. Or if you want to go solidly up market (but merit an unknown), you can go with a Maryland or Pitt or if you want privates like a U of Rochester, etc.

I’m sure you’ll be ok at UBA/UF - but you’d be surprised at how many with your #s aren’t.

When you apply, you may need a test at some schools - you do already at UF - so that will weigh in. If you are a 32, you’re probably ok. Less than…will hurt your odds. 29 or less your odds go down rapdily.

Good luck.

5

Thank you! Good luck with WashU!

1 Like
6

You’re off to a great start. Too early to worry about schools right now. Focus your time and energy on establishing your record, not on choosing schools.

All of your middle school honors are lovely, but they won’t go on a college application unless they are national or international level - for instance, if you had placed in the top ten of the national spelling bee in middle school. You will need high school level achievements.

Know that outstanding achievement in music can help you to get into certain schools that value their orchestras (but don’t have schools of music). It can also get you some scholarship money, if you play in such orchestras. So if you’re really good at flute, consider trying out for the local conservatory’s youth wind ensemble or youth symphony, if such is available to you.

If you are thinking Poli Sci and Law, you might want to get involved with the debate club/team at your school, if they have one, and if not, you might want to found one.

Engage with your teachers. Speak up in class, and talk to them after class. You want to lay the groundwork for getting letters. Schools pay a lot of attention to what your recommenders say about you, and it’s not only how they rank you against other students - it’s what they say about your scholarship, how you interact with others, your hard work, etc.

After school is over this June, try a practice SAT. If you can prep for the SAT ahead of time, you might do very well on the PSAT in early 11th grade, and become a National Merit finalist. This is a big honor, plus there are schools that give merit scholarships automatically for it. Most students don’t prep for standardized tests until after the PSAT, and so miss that chance. You might also want to try a practice ACT, just to see how you do, and to see if you are a better match for the ACT than the SAT.

Continue to take the most rigorous courses available to you.

I agree, while it’s totally appropriate for you to have tried many activities up until now, try to focus your extracurriculars on what you love, what’s important to you. If you’re interested in politics, many hours at a soup kitchen or membership in lots of clubs aren’t going to get you into Georgetown, but working on local political campaigns, or running voter registration drives to get the seniors in your and other high schools registered to vote, and out to the polls, will, especially if you can recruit others to help you in achieving greater good.

7

How affordable are those schools?

Did you ask your parents about your college budget?
If your parents can’t afford those schools, you can’t assume that you will receive scholarships.
The Pandemic has affected the schools’ income. Scholarships will continue to be few and far between.
Money will drive your decision. If you are only a freshman, you have time to research the cost of attendance.