Chance meh for UCs/low ivies (I'll chance back)

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>4.55 Weighted GPA (school doesn't calculate unweighted)
SAT: 760 CR, 640 M, 700 W (2100)
ACT: 32
SAT II: US History 710, Literature 580 (did not study at all, hoping to not send these)
AP scores: US History 5, World History 5, English Language 5. Currently taking AP Econ, Government, Literature, AB Calculus and Physics B.
Race: White
Rank: 11/466
State: Texas
High School: Terrible Texas public school, almost never sends anyone to top schools (for example I'm one of two people applying out of state)
Intended major: I applied social science undeclared to most places. </p>

<p>ECs: Key Club all 4 years (but strangely do not hold a leadership position), low level management position at my job at a maintenance company, NHS, Tennis team for 3 years, golf for 2 years, helped run a schoolwide nationally recognized drunk driving awareness program called Shattered Dreams, many other smaller calibre charity events, People to People Student Ambassador, field study program in the Netherlands with Duke University</p>

<p>Volunteering: A combined 200 hours or so at a domestic violence shelter, a homeless shelter, and work through the Kiwanis Club (partners with Key Club)</p>

<p>Honors: AP Scholar, a couple volunteering awards</p>

<p>Essays: One is about a family death, how I maintained my grades and became a better person (many people say it has a huge emotional impact), another about how I overcame a debilitating stutter during high school. Both have gotten great praise. Supplements had less time spent on them and probably aren't as well written.</p>

<p>Hooks: First gen college student, possibly economic disadvantage? (Parents make a combined 50k a year)</p>

<p>Schools: </p>

<p>Berkeley
UCLA
UCSD
Georgetown
Duke
NYU
Michigan
UT Austin
Northwestern
UChicago
Brown
UPenn</p>

<p>A lot of reachy schools, but I can't seem to find very much safeties that I would enjoy attending...</p>

2

<p>Match: UT Austin
Low Reach: UCSD
Medium Reach: Berkeley, UCLA, Georgetown, NYU, Michigan
High Reach: Duke, Northwestern, UChicago, Brown, UPenn
Not bad stats, but your ranking in your poor school system will hurt a lot.</p>

3

<p>My prediction, but don’t take it for too much.</p>

<p>Accepted: UT, Berkeley, UCLA, NYU, Michigan, UCSD, Georgetown
Waitlisted: Northwestern, UChicago, Duke
Rejected: Brown, UPenn</p>

4

<p>Thanks for your opinion guys!</p>

5

<p>You might want to post on the financial aid forum asking about out of state need-based aid at the UCs. The OOS COA is ~$50,000/year, and the FA picture is gloomy for OOS. If accepted, it may be impossible to attend because of the cost - it is unlikely your parents can afford to spend their full yearly income on your college expenses. Good luck.</p>

6

<p>I’m very lucky that cost wouldn’t be a problem to attend these universities, it just wouldn’t be my parents paying for it. Thank you for your input though. I had no idea OOS UC was 50k a year.</p>

7

<p>OOS Tuition at a UC is around 42k then there’s the cost of books/living expenses that push it past 50k. There’s a scholarship that lets you pay in state tuitions for out of state colleges that pushes tuition down to around 11.7k a year at UC’s.</p>

<p>As for your chances I can only really comment on the UC’s for you. It looks very likely that you’ll get into UCSD and that UCLA is a pretty good match. Berkeley might be a higher match though, but likely that you’ll get in with your academic ability.</p>

8

<p>The GPA is great, although going to a very poor public school kind of makes it less impressive. Your SAT I is good enough for the UCs and some of your other schools, but a bit low for the Ivys.</p>

<p>Berkeley-high match
UCLA-mid to high match
UCSD-low match
Michigan-match
NYU-match
Georgetown-match
UT-safety
Northwestern-low reach
Duke-reach
UPenn-high reach
Brown-reach
UChicago-reach</p>

<p>Good luck! Chance back please (:</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1259037-chance-ucsd-bioengineering-ill-chance-back-2.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1259037-chance-ucsd-bioengineering-ill-chance-back-2.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

9

<p>I’m always amazed at some of these chaining threads-Penn high reach, Brown just a reach? Check out the latest common data sets before chancing kids, Brown is significantly more competitive than Penn!</p>

<p>I will second that the UCs are $50K plus OOS with almost no aid available. Even if you have people who can pay for it, it may not be the best value given their current financial crisis which has resulted in many classes being cut. Good chance you’d have to pay for 5 years to get the classes you’ll need to graduate, making them more expensive than any ivy. Similar cost if you’re OOS for UMich, but for 4 years.</p>

<p>The ivies and Duke are a significant reach. Not impossible if they like
your soft factors. I’d like to see some privates with good need based aid that are slightly less selective on your list. Schools like Carleton, Bates, Macalester, Occidental, Pitzer, Colgate, Colby…all have good aid and are great schools.</p>

10

<p>Thank you very much for your input. I will take a look into those schools, after all there still is a couple days to apply. Yes I realize Penn, Brown and Duke are probably longshots because of my scores, but they are more or less dream schools. What I’m really focused on getting in to is Cal and Georgetown.</p>

11

<p>

If you can afford over $200,000 to attend a UC out of state, then “economic disadvantage” does not apply.</p>

<p>Good luck.</p>

12

<p>Giving this a little bump, to see if anyone else has an opinion.</p>