Chance Me? UPenn ED, UChicago EA, Columbia RD, and others?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

Hi guys! Any thoughts? I posted a chance thread more than three months ago, but I have some new information that I added on.

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): 1500/1600 CR+M & 2220/2400 Superscore (720 CR, 780 Math, 720 Writing, 8 Essay) (3 Sittings)
2180/2400 Highest Single SAT (720 CR, 780 Math, 680 Writing, 8 Essay)

SAT II: 800 Math II, 740 World History, 720 Spanish (I am NOT a native speaker)

Note: I’m done with standardized tests. I won’t be taking anymore.

GPA: 3.83/4 UW & 4.62/5 W

GPA at my school starts in 10th grade and goes through the 1st semester of senior year; we don’t include freshman year. If they were calculated, my GPA would most likely be ~3.8/4.

ACP = Advanced - A = 4.5 weighted
Honors = Honors - A = 5.0 weighted
AP = AP - A = 5.0 weighted

All classes are at the ACP level unless listed otherwise.

Freshman Year:

Literature & World History: A-
World History & Literature: A
Honors Mathematics 1: B
Introduction to Physics & Engineering: A-
Spanish 2: A
Jazz Improvisation 1: A
Lab Jazz Ensemble: A
Freshman Wellness: A
Freshman Health: A

Note: Only 1 honors class and no AP’s available to freshmen.

Sophomore Year:

Sophomore English: A
Honors Modern World/American History: B+
Honors Mathematics 2: B+
Chemistry (lab): A
Honors Spanish 3: A
Jazz Improvisation 2: A
Stock Market Analysis: A
Sophomore Wellness: A

Note: There are no AP classes offered sophomore year.

Junior Year:

Honors Junior English: B+
AP U.S. History: A
Honors Mathematics 3: A
Biology (lab): A
Honors Spanish 4: A
Principles of Economics: A
Jazz Improvisation 3: A
Independent Study in Philosophy: Pass (P-F Class)
Centered Self (wellness): A

Note: There are 3 AP classes offered to juniors: APUSH, AP Stats (which at my school is actually generally considered a bit easier than Junior Honors Math), and AP Chem (for those who like science)

I centered the independent study on ancient & modern epistemology (study of how we acquire knowledge (e.g. reason, experience, etc.)) and ethics. It is a strictly seniors only elective, but I wrote a strong proposal, and I became the first junior in recent memory (possibly the first ever) to be allowed to complete an independent study in history as a junior (not a hook, but I think a cool aspect that I go into on my application).

Senior Year

AP English Language and Composition
AP European History
Honors Ethics in the Modern World
AP Calculus AB
AP Spanish Language
Honors Theory of Music
Global Games (Wellness) (A-P-F)

Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A (My school does not rank, but if they did, I am fairly confident I would reside comfortably within the top 10%)

AP (place score in parenthesis): AP U.S. History (5) (so far)

Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): State Champion in FBLA Management Decision Making and National Finalist (Top 15 out of 179 in a conference of ~11,000 people))

Minor Awards: 3rd Place in FBLA Global Business (State Level); Top 5 in FBLA Economics (State Level); 2015 FBLA Community Service Award; 2014 Youth Social Justice Institute Certificate of Completion + Letter of Recommendation (not sending because it is generic)

Subjective:

Extracurriculars:

Captain, Mock Trial Team (9, 10, 11, 12)

  • Lead Attorney
  • Competed regionally against other teams in local and state tournaments
  • Recruited and trained core of team
  • Named captain senior year
  • Responsible for representing team at club fairs, as well as organizing meetings and managing communication throughout team
  • Will be receiving rec from my lawyer coach (who I've known for 4 years)
  • ~1200 hours spent here so far (most important EC)

Vice President, Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) (10, 11, 12)

  • Named Business Activities Manager Junior Year - Responsible for planning and organizing business events and bringing in guest speakers
  • Named VP Senior Year - Oversee all committees - Finance, Public Relations, Business Activities, and Community Service
  • Helped fundraise for state and national conferences
  • Recruiting
  • Awards (see above)
  • ~350 hours

Founding Member, Deeper Discussion Club (11, 12)

  • Helped launch weekly forum where each week a group of schoolmates and I debate contemporary moral and philosophical issues
  • Potential boost: Helped start a club in area of interest

Improvisational Jazz Pianist (9 years)

  • Member of high school improv group for 3 years
  • Performed numerous concerts after school
  • ~2000 hours playing experience over 9 years

Volunteer at Homeless Shelter (11, 12)

  • Work in food pantry and help serve low-income and homeless people
  • Help serve, restock, and load goods
  • Assist with administrative tasks
  • Help translate for Hispanic guests who don't understand English (and try to help them learn a bit of English as we go through the pantry)
  • Complete the Youth Social Justice Institute Program Summer 2014 (consisted of attending social justice seminars and volunteering; received certificate of completion and letter of recommendation)

Job/Work Experience: None (unfortunately)

Volunteer/Community service: See above (I would estimate total volunteer hours to be 100+)

Summer Activities: Volunteering, Online College Courses (w/ research) (big part of my application; I have spent about 250 hours over 4 summers taking these and conducting independent research; research won’t be submitted as it’s informal); College Touring; Traveling; College Apps; Various Camps

Essays (rating 1-10, details): Personal Statement - 10/10 (about background & interest in philosophy & how fear of death inspired me) (I spent 4+ months working on it, & I can tell you right now that I’m not overrating myself), Supplements are extraordinary (not exaggerating) for UPenn (10/10), Great for Columbia (9/10) and UChicago (8.5/10), and assume 7-8/10 for the remainder

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: AP U.S. History Teacher 7-9/10

Teacher Rec #2: Honors Spanish Teacher 8-9/10

Counselor Rec: 8-10/10

Additional Rec: Mock Trial Lawyer Coach: 9-10/10

Interview: Haven’t had mine yet, assume that it will be average/good (don’t think these really matter that much anyways unless you bomb them)

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes (but not necessary/required to attend)

Intended Major: Philosophy (or some variation on a major centered around philosophy) (pre-law as well)

Intended Minor(s): Archaeology, Ancient History, and/or Economics

State (if domestic applicant): Massachusetts

School Type: Public (class of ~450 kids); wealthy suburb of Boston; very competitive; ~Top 10 in state & ~Top 250 nationally

Ethnicity: White

Gender: Male

Income Bracket: Upper Middle Class

Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Unique Interest in Philosophy & History displayed through essays, extracurriculars, classes, & recommendations (Not exactly a hook, but it certainly makes me stand out).

Thanks so much.

My Schools:

UPenn ED (have legacy (my dad went to Wharton as an undergrad)
UChicago EA
Northeastern EA (looking for honors college (not likely) and merit aid)
UMass Amherst EA (in-state)
Boston U RD (applying to Kilichand Honors College and for Presidential Scholarship)
Columbia University RD
Georgetown RD
George Washington U RD (Applying to Honors College & looking for merit aid)
Wash U RD
Tufts U RD
NYU RD

Note: Schools are in random order, not my order of interest.

Thanks so much.

2

You have very good chance. They admit 40% of legacies in ED round. Good Luck!

3

Forgot to mention that I would be doing pre-law as well.

4

Actually disregard the thing about interviews. BU doesn’t offer interviews as part of the admissions process.

5

Just realized that you can only submit one teacher recommendation for WashU. Disregard one of the teachers. To be honest, I don’t think it really matters that much which one I pick for chancing purposes.

6

^So WUSTL only looks at CR and M for SAT I? Can you tell us where it says that? New info but probably not paying as much attention as I should to the admissions requirements.

7

Hooks are traditionally reserved for the special categories- athletes, URM, development cases etc… So the above areas of interest are not “hooks” but interests that set your application apart from others.

Not going to chance but a strong applicant and good luck!

8

Hi! Our grades and scores are very similar and I was accepted EA last year - however a lot of kids with grades like ours were also rejected so I’m not saying that to get your hopes up. I think that, with uchicago, it really comes down to your essay. You might think that yours are great but unless they show how you think (and why your method of thinking is unique from your peers yet still valuable), and not only what you could gain from the university but also what the university could gain from you then I can almost guarantee they’re not going to help you very much. Everyone has great scores and extracurriculars, but not everyone is going to write the same essay and I think that it was really my unique essays that got me into this school. If your essays knock it out of the park then I’d say you have a decent shot. (context: I was the first person from my school to get into to UChicago, as far as our college counseling office knows).

9

Wash U considers the writing section for the SAT’s. See below: http://admissions.wustl.edu/apply/Pages/Application-FAQs.aspx

What standardized test scores does Washington University accept?

We accept the following standardized tests:
•SAT Test (includes a writing test)
•ACT Test (with the optional writing section)
•ACT Test (without the writing section)
•We do not require the writing test if you submit ACT Scores.

We do not have a preference for either the SAT or the ACT. Test results from any of your high school years are acceptable, although we encourage senior-year testing. Consideration will only be given to the highest individual scores, whenever they occurred. Washington University considers your highest section scores across all SAT and/or ACT test dates that you submit. Final admissions decisions will be made using only your highest scores. Each time you submit scores, we will update your record with any new high scores (so-called “Super Scores”). We strongly encourage you to submit your scores each time you take the SAT and/or ACT. Sending your scores each time you take the SAT and/or ACT can only benefit you by allowing us to consider you for all available enrollment related opportunities. The last test date accepted will be the December testing (October if applying Early Decision).

10

Yeah… you’re not gonna make it. Sorry.

11

@mzhao8 Any reasons why may I ask?

12

@newjersey17 Thanks for letting me know! I don’t think it will make that much of a difference, but it’s good to know.
@goingnutsmom Thanks for the reply! Yeah I actually wrote next to the hooks section in parentheses (“not exactly a hook”), so I agree with you. I just thought it would be the most appropriate place to put it.

13

@tawsch Thanks for responding! Yeah, I have heard that essays are really important for UChicago. Unfortunately, I have been extremely busy and have only written about 2/3 of my UChicago supplements. For my first choice school (UPenn), I spent nearly 2 full months writing the supplement, so I am worried that the quality might be a tad worse for UChicago. Nonetheless, I believe that I have original essay content and will try my best to put forth my best work. And I have absolutely no expectations to get into the school. Just applying to see because if I don’t I won’t ever know whether I would have made it or not.

14

Minor Correction: My unweighted GPA is a 3.82/4.

15

Minor Correction: My unweighted GPA is a 3.82/4.

16

One further minor correction: My unweighted GPA is actually a 3.82/4.

17

One more minor correction: My unweighted GPA is actually 3.82/4.

18

One more minor correction: My unweighted GPA is actually a 3.82/4.

19

One more correction, it’s Columbia University I think you are aiming for…:slight_smile: Good luck!

20

You have a good shot. How involved with the Penn alumni assoc is your dad? Does he donate significantly ?