So I got deferred SCEA from Yale and was hoping that someone could chance me for RD for Princeton, Harvard, Stanford, Dartmouth, and Brown. I’d like to hear some feedback and perhaps have someone evaluate my chances during regular decision.
Here it goes:
SAT: Old - 780 M, 740 CR, 800 W (11 Essay)
ACT: 35 first sitting
GPA: 3.93 unweighted, 4.321 weighted
Rank: 3 / 300+
SAT II: Math II - 800, Chemistry - 760, Bio E - 800
AP: Chemistry (4), Environmental (5), Human Geo (5), APUSH (4), AP Lang (5), AP Calc (5)
Awards: Some state level math and chemistry awards, National Merit Commended, NAACP-ACT SO National Qualifier, West Point Award
ECs: Varsity Tennis Captain (9-12), Scholastic Bowl (9-12), Science Olympiad President (9-12), BSA (9-12), Latin Club (9-12), Orientation Crew Captain (10-12), Senior Capstone Research at Local University (12), ER and Diabetes Clinic Volunteer (9-12)
Jobs/Work/Internships: City Watershed Planner Intern
Summer Activities: Carnegie Mellon SAMS- 7% acceptance rate, all expenses paid 6 week STEM summer program for minorities, Boys State - elected state delegate, Virginia Summer Governor’s School (10% acceptance rate, all expenses paid 4 week STEM summer program), Pathology Lab Research, Outreach Clinic Volunteer
State: Virginia (rural area)
Ethnicity: Black
Income: Upper-Middle Class (but parents are divorced)
Intended Major: Environmental Engineering or Environmental Science & Public Health
@WinnerWannabe URM bump is largely negated by upper middeclass demo. Why apply to Princeton if you SCEA’d to Yale, very different campus vibes.
You are a good candidate for RD, but that means ~5% like all other qualified RD candidates. Make sure you have plenty of matches and safeties, since the odds are not in your favor.
Stellar essays and LoRs will be your best bet to improve your odds.
@WinnerWannabe what do you want out of a school? Are you more Yale (more urban) or more Princeton (more suburban)? Do you want a larger school or a smaller school? How sure are your that you want to study environmental engineering?
Depending on how you answer the questions above, you might consider CMU or Cornell. These might be low reaches / high matches. Just make sure you have a few “real” safeties too.
@psywar So I’m really interested in environmental health and am considering potentially going to medical school. I want a medium sized undergrad school (~6000). I’m pretty sure about environmental engineering, but at certain schools I would major in environmental science & public health. I’ve already applied to Cornell, but I’m not applying CMU.
You are competitive on stats alone, but at these schools that simply means you’re a reach. URM does help, but to what degree is hard to tell.
RD admit rates at H, P and S are under 5% and they’re under 10% at B and D, so even with the URM bump I think they are still reaches. Maybe you are bumped up to a low reach at B & D, but those still are not great odds.
So if you do not have some matches and at least one true safety on your list, definitely add them.
Make sure you like - fit well with - and can afford each school.
These schools are all different, so here are some basic variables to help you figure out where you would fit best:
Environment:
Weather
Location
Town/city setting (rural, urban, suburban…)
Campus look, size and convenience
Academics:
Class sizes
Majors offered
Ease of changing majors
Curricular type (open, regular, core)
Calendar
Research opportunities, if applicable
Pre-professional vs. intellectual vibe
Competitive vs. collaborative vibe
Social Vibe:
Party/Greek scene
Sports scene
Clubs
Stuff to do around town
Stuff to do outdoors (lakes and trees…)
Activism level
Figure out how your preferences match up with schools and choose accordingly. Also run NPC to see if you can (likely) afford the school before applying.