hi friends just submitted ALL of my college apps and i’m very stressed (even though the stressful part is over ) please give me some feedback <3
Demographics: Location: Houston, Texas School: public high school with ~ 2500 students total / 580 in senior class Gender/Ethnicity: Latina Sexuality: Queer Family income: parents are divorced and my mom makes ~ $65000 including court-ordered child support
Intended Major: Political Science on a Pre-Law Track
GPA: 3.85 UW (according to outside sources) 5.28 W (on a 5.0 scale)
Class Rank: 68 / 580 - Top 15% 🥲
ACT Composite: 32 (Reading 32, Writing 32, Science 35, Math 27)
Coursework
received mostly mid/high A’s (did get 3 b’s on Honors Geometry, Honors Algebra II, and AP Physics) took the most advanced courses I could take for core classes - did only take 2 years of a foreign language (Spanish)
AP Human Geography (3) AP World History (4) AP Lang/Comp (4) AP U.S. History (4) AP Biology / AP Physics (2’s but I’m getting these scores taken off )
Currently in AP Psychology, AP Literature, AP Calculus AB, and AP Government!
Awards
AP Scholar
National Hispanic Merit Scholar
DECA 3X State Finalist and 2021 International Competitor
Superintendent Scholar (school district wide honor roll)
Extracurriculars
High School Democrats of America National Programs Director (elected by over 15,000 peers to represent the High School Branch of the Democratic National Committee)
Generation Ratify Texas State Chapter Founder and Director (basically created a statewide 501c(4))
Senior Class President
DECA President
Yearbook Editor-in-Chief (our yearbook has also been nationally recognized by Balfour!!!)
2X Student Council Officer
Selected as my school’s Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership Conference Representative
Interned on a congresswoman’s re-election campaign
Lobbyist with the Human Rights Campaign
Full-time Starbucks Barista
Essays: my essays for USC, Northeastern, and Georgetown were fairly strong! My UT Austin supplementals weren’t the greatest but my “Topic A’ essay was good (i think)
All of these schools are considered reach schools (UT might be a target but their admissions policies are somewhat strange) and I applied EA/Priority/Merit Scholarship Consideration for all
I do not think UT Austin and Northeastern are reaches for you, although they are closer to reaches than safeties. USC is a reach and Georgetown may be too far out of reach for your consideration.
Yes! I also applied to Syracuse, University of Denver, and University of Houston (automatic admission)! Not as worried about my admission into SU and DU as I am with the other schools!
I wasn’t able to see my letters of recommendation but I’m very confident that at least 1 of them are very strong (sophomore year English teacher who has written beautiful letters for me in the past)
Additionally, regarding my USC essays, they were definitely my best supplementals as USC is my top-choice school! I was able to get very specific while continuing to be personable throughout my writing. My Why USC essay discussed the benefits of studying political science at a major research university and emphasized my excitement about their various programs such as Dornsife DC and the USC Center for the Political Future.
It’s too late now - but you’d have been a strong candidate for Questbridge. Being a latina will help you. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have a chance at USC, Northeastern, or Gtown - your rank is too low. UT - not sure how it works with the auto admit.
I would not apply to Denver or Syracuse - well it won’t hurt but I would apply to schools that meet 100% of need given your families income. You can see the list here and I would run a few net price calculators so you know if you can afford them or not. Assuming your family can’t afford based on the $65K, you’ll not be able to handle Denver or the Cuse.
Past tense. So probably not the most constructive of comments.
OP sounds like you have taken your best shot based on some strong accomplishments. Good luck finding a financially viable school with a good fit.
Please remember very few if any posters on CC possess the insight or awareness of the entirety of your application to accurately chance you. You are impressive!!
So you are suggesting if she gets in it will only be because she is Latina? Not sure you can factually make such a definitive statement nor do I think it a particularly nice thing to say to a 17 year old who has achieved so much.
Please refrain from telling me what I can or cannot afford. I work a full time job for a reason and am a very strong candidate for high merit aid, in addition to institutional need-based aid, at both of those schools. Thanks!
Texas residents outside the Top 6% in their HS class have around a 14% acceptance rate at UT-Austin…clearly a reach category and a Latina is not URM at UTA. Many of those outside the Top 6% who are accepted do not get their first choice major either, as the Top 6% have first dibs (and not all of those students get their first choice major).
Yes, certain schools give preference to URMs, first generation, and the like.
The OP asked for my opinion - for all our opinions - on her list of schools. I’m saying that I don’t believe she’d get into any of the four schools she has listed.
However, schools - including Gtown and Northeastern have fly-in programs for diversity students - and yes diversity students have an edge. Just like Pitt has the Cathedral of Learning scholarships and countless other schools have similar.
How about you write what you want to write - and I write what I want to write. You’d add value by giving opinions instead of critiquing everything I write. I’m glad to have a fan club - but that’s not what the CC is about.
I’m not looking to denigrate the OP but rather give her a true sense of what is out there. And yes, being Latina will help her. And yes, I don’t see a path into the schools otherwise.
She clearly understands her situation and has backstopped herself with Houston, SU, and U Denver.
OP - I said assuming you can’t afford. You listed a family income. You did not provide a cost basis so there was no context to what you provided.
So you cannot fault me for assuming that you will need a lot of need based aid.
Some schools stack and some don’t. I don’t know if SU or DU do - but I’d assume not.
While I hope you’ve saved up a lot of money and/or one can take out the $5500 in federal loans, it’s always best to save your money and not take loans.
I provided you a list of schools that meet 100% of need - although they all determine need differently. It’s simply food for thought if you decide to expand your list.
I am trying to help you - no need to jump down my throat.
If you have money saved or are confident you’ll get offers from SU and DU that you can afford, then that’s great.
I’m simply giving you another angle. You did not give context to your budget (you just provided an income) so I was simply trying to cover all bases.
After all, most will tell you, budget/expense is a huge consideration of the college journey.
If I might, the difference is that your comments can sometimes be viewed as demeaning to URMs. You may not intend it that way, but the effect remains. Yes, we are all entitled to provide our opinions, but we are also entitled to mention that some comments might be incorrect and/or harmful.
If you put your opinion out there, you accept the possibility someone else may point out flaws in your advice or insensitivity in your words.
The OP has done very well in her studies (and in life) and is applying for some reaches as do most students who use CC. The way you approached your advice was to say she does not deserve to be at some of these schools, but that she might get in only because of her race. As someone who heard “you only got a chance because of AA,” let me tell you that is a very offensive (and curious) approach to take for someone who is trying to provide helpful advice. Often, those words are mentioned in an explicit intent to cause emotional harm.
You may or may not know it, but taken at face value, those words are plainly offensive.
Whether it was your intent or not, what you said is the same thing that has been said as a complaint for the past 60+ years against URMs who achieve. It is a phrase of resentment, not aid and understanding.
I believe opinions only have value if they are informed. I personally won’t pop off based on my own kids experiences and my personal biases unless they are directly relevant to OP. Doing so in my opinion only serves to make the poster feel useful while not helping the OP.
If and when I express an opinion on a chance me thread I pay attention to OPs details, limit my responses to the questions asked, do not always return to the same themes or financial refrain regardless of the question and am sensitive to the fact the audience is made up of vulnerable 17 year olds.
Consequently I try to bolster confidence while steering a student in a positive direction or give a specific tip. I deliberately avoid pointing out mistakes or inadequacies when it is to late to correct them or state things under the guise of “honesty” that retrospectively only cause consternation and anguish.
Alternatively I will try and counter balance someone who authoritatively expresses negativity or suggests a persons future success is predicated on their race versus hard work.
Back to the OP she has done some great things, has formulated and executed a strong plan, has considered her financial situation and proactively prepared. Her future success will be a product of this effort not her heritage. Good luck once again!!
OP as I strong Latina women repeatedly advised me…
Empirically, is this a true statement…yes. Still, how does it benefit this student to bring this up in this thread? If you are upset about URMs having certain advantages when it comes to college admissions, there are plenty of places to go have that discussion. This thread is not the place. The young lady who started this thread certainly didn’t create anything having to do with today’s environment. She should take advantage of every opportunity and I encourage her to do so.
) please give me some feedback <3
Location: Houston, Texas
School: public high school with ~ 2500 students total / 580 in senior class
Gender/Ethnicity: Latina
Sexuality: Queer
Family income: parents are divorced and my mom makes ~ $65000 including court-ordered child support
Intended Major: Political Science on a Pre-Law Track
AP Human Geography (3)
AP World History (4)
AP Lang/Comp (4)
AP U.S. History (4)
AP Biology / AP Physics (2’s but I’m getting these scores taken off 
)
