Thinking of applying to
Stretch:
- UCLA
- UC Berkeley
- UNC
- UVA
- Vanderbilt (ED)
- Northwestern
Match:
- Michigan (double legacy)
- Emory
- Texas (double legacy)
- USC
- Wisconsin
- U of Washington
- Boston College
SAT: N/A
SAT II: N/A
ACT: 33 (Math: 33, Reading: 33, Science: 30, English: 35)
- RETAKEN. Hoping to get a 34-35.
GPA (Unweighted) - 3.56 (Weighted) - N/A (School doesn’t weight GPA)
Class Rank: N/A
Attending: Private School in NYC (One of the most competitive in the city)
Courseload: Been on most rigorous schedule possible for my school. Mostly honors/advanced/accelerated courses as school doesn’t allow most APs until senior year.
Senior Year Courses:
AP Calc 1 & 2
AP Chemistry
AP Biology
Advanced Math Course
Regular English Class
Chemistry Research Independent Study
Extracurriculars:
- TEACH Tutor - 11th-12th
- STEM club - 11th-12th
- Chem club - 10th-12th
- School JV and V soccer - 9th-12th
- Writer and contributor for Intersections (School math + science journal)
- Sabores Latinos (Latino affinity group) - 10th-12th
Volunteer:
- Brooklyn Community Bail Fund 11th
- Habitat for Humanity 9th
How I Spent my Summers:
- Language and service immersion trip to Costa Rica (2015)
- Job at a day care center (2016)
- Pre-med immersion trip to Nicaragua and volunteer work at BCBF (mentioned above) (2017)
Race: Multiracial (Filipino, Polish, Black, Mexican, Cherokee)
Sex: Male
First Generation College: No
Intended Major: Chemistry/Biology
Hooks: URM, ideas?
Recommendations: Should be great
Your gpa is a problem, but everything else is fine? I think your race will be a great advantage. What positions do you hold in those club?
You GPA is a little low, and because of that I would add more safeties. Other than that, your ECs and volunteer work are well-rounded and match the expectations of the schools that you’re looking at. Writing great essays will boost your chances!
Okay, thanks. I had a really bad freshman year and I am on an upward trend (3.86 this year).
I think your GPA is definitely a bit low for the UCs and a few other universities you listed, but your test scores are pretty decent. You have indicated that you have retaken it, so I do hope you at least obtained a score of 34 or above because that is what is competitive for many schools you have listed. You may even have to get at least 35 to offset the impact of your GPA, but I don’t think your GPA will hurt you too much. That said, your ECs are pretty decent but I’m not sure they will help you stand out from the rest of the applicants, but I do think they clearly show your interest in chem/bio.
Based on your stats, your college list seems pretty accurate, except I would move Emory and USC from match to reach only because your GPA is a bit lower than the average GPA of an admitted student at both schools. I think if you use this summer to step up your resume by participating in more science-related activities that allow you to achieve at a national/global level, you can definitely get into a lot of these schools. You may want to include more safety schools, though. Good luck!
I would appreciate it if you could chance me back here: http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1995754-chance-me-low-gpa-rank-cornell-rice-wash-u-ucla-etc-p1.html
Oh and also forgot to mention that I am qualified for the NHRP so I should be on that as well!
I don’t think UMich would be a match for you. Your GPA ia way below their admssion range while they consider GPA to be most important. OOS admission rate is around 20%. Even double legacy won’t give you the boost you needed. Same for UT Austin considering the small percentage of OOS students admitted. Both are reaches for you, also for a couple other schools on your match list. When you claims to have double legacy at two schools, that means some are not primary legacy from undergraduate.
The UC’s don’t look at freshman grades so if it’s just your freshman grades that are bad I think it won’t be a problem.
@billcsho I have grandparents who went to both schools as well as parents. IDK if that counts as much as parents but on the common app it asks you to list them as well.