Chance Me -- URM Rising Junior

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

Demographics:

Male, White Hispanic (can speak Spanish), FL, private (sends about 25 students/year to T20s), will apply for FA but probably won’t get any

Intended Major(s):

Interested in Econ, but will most likely apply for Public Policy b/c it’s less common and my ECs support it

ACT/SAT/SAT II:

ACT: 35.25 single-sitting, 36 Superscore, will have to re-take it during the school year

Not taking SAT

1410 PSAT from sophomore year, aiming for NMSF junior year

UW/W GPA and Rank:

School uses a weird scale but it’s currently a 4.25/4.25 UW and a 5.39/6.25 weighted. I’ve converted it to a normal 4.0 and 5.0 scale and I would have a 4.0/4.0 UW and a 4.61/5.0. The weighted is slightly deflated because we have to take a theology class every year, and there’s no Honors/AP version of it.

My school doesn’t publicly rank but I have the highest GPA possible. No one else I know has the same GPA as me so assume 1/200+.

Coursework:

Freshman Year:

  • Honors English
  • Honors Algebra 2 & Trig
  • AP Spanish Lang (5)
  • Honors Bio
  • AP World (5)
  • Theology
  • PE/Debate, each 1 semester

All A+s

Sophomore Year

  • AP English Lang (5)
  • Honors Pre-Calc BC (dual enrollment)
  • AP Spanish Lit (5)
  • Honors Chem
  • AP Human Geo (5)
  • APUSH (5)
  • Theology

All A+s again

Junior and Senior Year:

I plan on taking the max number of APs my school offers for these years, which would be 5 in junior year and 4 in senior year. I’m trying to take AP Calc BC in junior year but I would mostly likely have to take AP Stat as my math senior year, as my school doesn’t offer Multivariable/Linear Algebra/DiffEq. Overall, I hope to graduate with 15 APs.

I plan on graduating with 3/4 classes that I get dual enrollment from within my school.

I’ve also taken 5 dual enrollment classes at a local university over summers, and I’ve gotten all As so far. These classes were on topics that I didn’t have time to fit in my school schedule or my school doesn’t offer.

Awards:

Nothing crazy. I know I only get 5 on the Common App but I’ll list some extra.

  • Semifinalist at Nationals in (debate event)
  • Top 5 finish at major Nat circuit tournament (think Harvard, Emory, Blue Key, Yale, Glennbrooks) in (debate event)
  • 2-time TOC qualifier in (debate event), have the opportunity to qualify again next year and put it on my app
  • 3-time state, 2-time National qualifier in (primary/secondary debate event), same as above
  • Ranked Top 50 by an independent website for (debate event)
  • Top 5 in state for (DECA event)
  • ICDC qualifier for (DECA event)
  • 2-time varsity letter in (sport), regional champ qualifier as well
  • Grade-wide leadership award

Extracurriculars:

  • Debate: 8th-12th. (Event) captain 10th grade, team captain 11th/12th grades. Big time commitment, I’ve done it since 8th grade, traveled on numerous trips before COVID, have 4 official TOC bids, made outrounds in 7 Nat circuit tournaments, the whole deal. Something I really enjoy and have learned so much from.

  • Sport: 6th-12th. I used to practice year round, so I was good enough to make varsity in 9th and 10th grades, where I qualified to districts. In 10th grade I made it to regionals and placed top 10 in my event. I’ve stopped training year round to focus on academics. I plan on staying on the team for the next 2 years but I won’t be as good. Not good enough to compete in college.

  • DECA: 9th-12th. Done it 2 years, won’t have a leadership position for 11th but maybe 12th. Qualified to states twice, made top 5 in 10th grade which qualified me to ICDC. Pretty much a resume filler tbh

  • Student Council: 9th-12th (hopefully). Was a class representative, as we can’t run for student body president until senior year. I’m probably not going to be class president but maybe some sort of executive position like treasurer or secretary.

  • Non-for-Profit Volunteer: 10th-11th (?).Volunteered for a non-for-profit last summer that deals with a personal interest. Contributed to a campaign and got my name on an official document. Only lasted 2 weeks during the summer, might put some more time in with them this summer.

  • Writing: 10th-12th. I wrote some articles for a magazine that focuses on Gen Z. None of them have been published yet (lol). Low time commitment so far.

  • Misc: Hoping to be president of an honors society senior year. Also random volunteering.

I wish I had more time to contribute to ECs outside of school, like the non-for-profit and the writing, but my classes take up most of my time. Junior year definitely won’t help with this :frowning:

Essays/LORs/Other:

I think I’m a pretty good writer, as I got a 5 in AP Lang, but nothing special. LORs should be above average.

Schools:

Reaches:

  • Ivies
  • Stanford
  • Duke
  • UChicago
  • Georgetown
  • Northwestern
  • USC
  • Vanderbilt
  • Notre Dame

Matches:

  • UF
  • UMiami (FL)

Safety:

  • Non-flagship state school

Also, I want to apply for some programs and scholarships before senior year, like The Coolidge Scholarship, TASP, and Bank of America Student Leaders. If you can recommend any other programs/scholarships/maybe even fly-ins then lmk.

2

UF and Miami are safeties in your case. As long as you are happy at one and can afford it, you’re fine. You could add one underneath to be sure.

3

If you go to Belen or similar, the Catholic schools in your list might be matches if you keep it up. Trust your college counselor in chancing. They have the best info for someone like you.

4

Be mentally prepared to be rejected by all the reach schools. Would you be happy only having two acceptances to choose from?

1 Like
5

Ok, it’s nothing like the schools on your list, but check out Washington and Lee’s Johnson Scholarship. That’s worth the 5 -10 minutes it will take.

Washington and Lee is not for everybody, but it has a strong connection to Washington DC, and law. The Johnson is a full ride and 10% of the class gets one. They look for leadership and are looking to increase the diversity of their students.

6

I 'll take a different direction, since I think that, as a rising senior it’s still too early to make any such determinations. While you are doing great, and I expect you to continue to do great, I would wait until your second semester of Junior year to focus on chances at specific colleges.

Keep on doing what you are doing, and you will be competitive for any colleges, though reaches are reaches, and the large majority of qualified people who apply to reaches are not accepted…

Looking at you PSAT 10 scores, and knowing the general cutoff for NMSF in FL, I think that there is a good chance that you will do well enough on the PSAT/NMSQT be a semifinalist (and then finalist). That is another reason I would wait. If you are a finalist, the financials change. You may think that finances aren’t a problem, but for most students they are an issue - even if your parents can afford everything, it is always better to have lower cost options.

Good luck, and keep up the good work!

7

Agree; did not realize rising junior.

8

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