Chance URM (Hispanic) to Duke (ED), Notre Dame, etc.

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

Demographics: Male, Hispanic (Colombian), Public school in Florida, URM, $75k

Intended Major(s): Economics

ACT/SAT/SAT II:

SAT: 1570 (790 M, 780 RW, 19 Essay)

SAT II: 800 Math II, 760 US History

UW/W GPA and Rank:

4.0 UW, 5.119 W GPA

1/556 class rank

Coursework:

AP: Calculus BC (5), Macroeconomics (5), US History (5), European History (5), Chemistry (4), World History (4), Human Geography (5), Physics C: Mechanics (currently taking)

IB: Economics SL (6), Math HL, English HL, History of the Americas HL, Chemistry SL, Spanish SL (all taking this year except for Econ)

Predicted: Probably upper 30s? Not sure.

Awards:

I don’t have anything really, no real national recognition which worries me

Miracle League VIP Volunteer: given to most exemplary volunteers at Miracle League

History Bowl: Playoffs at a couple local tournaments, nothing national

AP Scholar with Distinction

Extracurriculars:

Miracle League: organization where special needs children/adults play baseball, done it since middle school, accumulated over 300 hours on it in high school, role goes beyond the field (help organize special events n stuff)

Notre Dame Leadership Seminar: summer program at ND discussing global violence/peace issues, 9% acceptance rate, earned a college credit

Cornerstone Club (President): club focused on underclassmen mentorship and community service, around 40 members, we host events for underclassmen to become more integrated in the school community

Mu Alpha Theta (Communications Director): run communications of events like tutoring

Science Honors Society (Treasurer): basically the same thing as above, also run social media

History Bowl (Captain): made playoffs a few times regionally, also I help train younger kids

Beach Cleanup Organization: around 40 hours, help clean up beaches and plant native species/remove invasive species

Model UN: I only did this junior year but yeah

Marine Club: Beach cleanups, petitions, etc, about 30 volunteer hours

Other Honors Societies: Rho Kappa, Spanish, NHS, about 50 service hours overall, helped lead organization of Rho Kappa basketball and Jeopardy Junior year, NHS Homecoming committee Junior year

Essays/LORs:

Essay: 8/10 I think, people who have read it said it was very touching and whatnot

LORs: History teacher 10/10, Calc teacher 7/10, Spanish teacher 9/10, director of Miracle League 10/10

Schools: Duke (ED), Notre Dame, Columbia, Dartmouth, Carnegie Mellon, UF (in-state)

2

UF is a lock. Will you be Benacquisto for NMSF?

Hard to chance you on the others, but I’d say your odds are “pretty good” for Duke ED. I do feel you will get into at least one of those schools other than UF as well, if ED at Duke doesn’t work out. Stress service to the extent you can with Notre Dame in particular.

Best of luck!

3

Also I’ve never done one of these before so lmk if any other info would be useful.

4

Thank you for your reply! Unfortunately, I fell short of National Merit, so no Benacquisto for me.

5

You’re competitive. Now it hangs on how well you put the actual app/supps together. Do you understand what Duke says it looks for?

Btw, when it comes to tippy tops, be sure that “touching” essay is relevant to a college app. You want them to see you as a compelling applicant for their college. Not just write well. And nail down any Why Us questions. Themore you understand what a target wants, the more chance to ring their bells.

6

Well, sorry about the NMSF, but at least you will get free tuition through Bright Futures!

Depending on your family’s assets, UF might wind up being the most expensive to attend for you. The other schools should be very generous with aid.

We are Hispanic as well (Puerto Rican), and have spent plenty of time in Colombia… Whatever you can do to highlight your connection to the culture, especially if you or your parents were born there, can only help you. Based on what we have seen, even at UF (though you shouldn’t need the help there with such a stellar record).

Buena suerte!

7

I’ll agree it’s sweet to find kids with affection for and ties to their family culture. But it’s an extra, not a tip in itself. It can be used effectively in some supp questions. But for the personal statement essay, you want to show the traits/attributes the colleges want. “Show, not just tell.”

Best wishes.

8

@playboicartisdog you wrote you fell short for National Merit, but did you make NHRP? If so, you might want to consider putting UCF on your list as financial safety.

See https://finaid.ucf.edu/types-of-aid/nh-program/

9

@NJEngineerDad I did, thanks for the info. FSU and UCF are my safeties.

10

Congrats on an awesome resume. I would say that you are competitive at any of these schools. As you know, schools like ND, Duke, Columbia, Dartmouth are reaches for everyone and have to turn away many stellar candidates. However, IMHO you have a shot at any of them and I think especially at Duke (since you will go ED) and ND (since they saw something in you to select you for their summer program). You’ll get in at UF too IMO.

Best of luck!