Chances are...you will chance me!!!

Colleges and Universities A-Z Dartmouth College
1

<p>Hello,</p>

<p>Hey, I will be a senior next year, but still have most of my stats/ECs in. </p>

<p>I am a white boy from Massachusetts...immediate negative. My family is very financially secure, and I probably won’t be applying for financial aid (which I have read is a benefit now in our bleak economic times).</p>

<p>Chance me both for ED and RD.</p>

<p>Unweighted GPA- 3.94
My school does not rank but I am in top 10% of class
PSAT – 211
SAT (first time)
CR: 740
W: 780
M: 670
SAT (second time)
CR: 670
W: 770
M: 700
Highest combined– 2220 (probably will be taking one more time)</p>

<p>ACT
English: 34
Math: 34
Reading: 34
Science: 30
Composite: 33</p>

<p>SAT IIs
Math I: 760
Math II: 800
U.S. History: 750</p>

<p>Academics
-Have made honors/high honors every marking term in high school
-Have received a final grade of at least an A- in every class
-With the exception of English freshman year and electives, all my classes have been Honors classes
-Am took AP US history Junior year (my school does not offer APs until Junior year)
-Next year I am taking AP BC Calc, AP Spanish, AP lit, and AP bio
- I attend one of the best public high schools in MA, it was only one of the 2 MA schools to receive the No Child Left Behind Blue Ribbon, and was given a silver medal by US News and World Report</p>

<p>Extracurriculars
- Boy Scouts of America (Grade 9, 10, 11)
o Achieved highest attainable rank—Eagle Scout (Grade 11)
- United Church of Christ membership confirmation (Grade 9)
- High School JV tennis (Grade 10)
- Weekly piano lessons (Grade 11)
- United Church of Christ Senior High Fellowship (Grade 11)
- Peer tutor at Medfield High School in math and English/writing (Grade 11)
- Student Member of Medfield High School Site Council (Grade 11)
- New England Mathematics League Participant (Grade 11)
- LifeSmarts Varsity Team member (Grade 11)
- Anime Club member (Grade 9, 10, 11)
- Member of Medfield High School Theatre Society (Grade 9, 10, 11)
o Backstage technician
o Set builder
o Spotlight operator
o Participated in 5 shows (3 plays, 2 musicals)
- National Honor Society (Grade 10, 11)--Vice-President (Grade 11)
- Spanish Honor Society (Grade 10, 11)</p>

<p>Work Experience
- Worked as merchandise salesman for Red Sox Official Team Store across the street from Fenway Park (summer of Grade 11)</p>

<p>Awards and Distinctions
- Shining Star Award (top 10% of class) (Grade 9, 10, 11)
- Excellence in Wellness (Grade 9)
- Above and Beyond in Science (Grade 10)
- Saint Michael's College Book Award for Scholarship and Service (Grade 11)
- Eligible to be National Merit Scholarship Semifinalist (or at least Commended Student)
- Took AMC 10 (Grade 9, 10)
- Took AMC 12 (Grade 11)
- Have made Honor Roll or High Honor Roll every marking period of high school</p>

<p>Future Activities and Plans
- This summer I will be:
o Volunteering weekly in the Emergency Department at the Milford Regional Medical Center
o Participating in a Youth Mission Trip to Washington D.C.--Tutoring inner city kids
o Working as an intern in cardiovascular research at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston
My mentor is a PhD and professor at Harvard Medical School
- Senior year I will be participating in:
o Cross Country
o Senior Ambassador--Help freshman transition into high school</p>

2

<p>Chances are…no. Try ED. At Penn.</p>

3

<p>bumppppppppppppp</p>

4

<p>Condiments was a bit harsh and a bit overstated. Your stats are certainly in the ballpark of many of those accepted at Dartmouth, but the stats by themselves don’t standout. Getting the SAT a little higher would help somewhat. But you might consider highlighting your theater work. That’s an area that might appeal to admissions. What makes you different? That’s the kind of thing that helps you stand out from the many other similarly qualified applicants.</p>

5

<p>bumpppppppppppppmore than 2 people!!!</p>

6

<p>Hmm, I see two areas you can work on.</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Raise those test scores. Both of your SAT tests are within dartmouth range so I’m not sure how much taking it a third time will improve your overall qualifications…especially when they see you took it three time. If I were you, I would try to get the ACT up to a 35 or 36 and send only that one test in.</p></li>
<li><p>You have a very long list of ecs, but only stress the one that you’re truly passionate about–two at max.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>Overall though, you have a decent chance if you play your cards right</p>

7

<p>Confirmation is not an EC. Cute though. </p>

<p>Anyway, you are in the ball park, you just need to make your app perfect. You have the tools, but you need to organize your ECs and such to make you look like someone they want part of their class. I was thinking about applying ED, but I am not sure if I wanna be at the same school as Condiments.</p>

8

<p>wilbest04</p>

<p>Because Dartmouth does score choice, I would only send my top 2 scores</p>

9

<p>Dartmouth is still need-blind, so not applying for financial aid won’t be a plus at all.</p>

<p>211 on PSAT in MA most likely won’t get you semifinalist either; in past years the cutoff has been 220+.</p>

<p>The fact that your high school has won those awards is also completely irrelevant.</p>

<p>Honor roll doesn’t really mean much. It means you have a high GPA. Same with the “Shining Star Award”.</p>

<p>You appear to have many useless EC’s and awards beyond that. The things that stick out are Eagle Scout and theatre. Your merchandise salesman job sounds interesting.</p>

<p>Your SAT math sticks out as very low considering your SAT IIs, participation in NEML and AMC, and the fact that you’re taking AP Calc BC next year. Bring it up so you can get over 2300.</p>

<p>White males from just outside of Boston are over-represented at Dartmouth (you seem to know this). You need to stick out, and right now you don’t. Obviously you’re qualified, and I think you could probably get into at least one Ivy League school, but I’m not sure whether it would be Dartmouth, in specific. Go ahead and try your luck at ED. It’ll give you a better shot. And highlight only your most important and unique extracurriculars; don’t distract from them by listing the other 20 things you’ve done only for one year. Good luck.</p>

10

<p>You point out yourself that being from MA is a major negative. Without a hook you need to really stand out in your pool. Dartmouth will also figure out a rank for you–hopefully you’re at the top of the top 10%.</p>

11

<p>“The fact that your high school has won those awards is also completely irrelevant.”</p>

<p>Really? So you’re saying my high school will be viewed in the exact same light as a high school in Hickburg, Wyoming which sends 2 kids to college every year? Following that logic, what’s the point of a high school profile? These awards select the best HS, and obviously the students that attend these HS are a big part of it. I didn’t pull all of those awards out of my a-ss, they are listed on my HS profile… I’m not saying those awards alone will get me into an Ivy League school, they obviously won’t, but from what I’ve heard from previous applicants they show that my HS is very academically challenging, and educates its students in a way that is superior to other public HS.</p>

<p>So, in sum, I think it is unfair to say that being awarded a blue ribbon by a NATIONAL agency is completely irrelevant…because if it was, what is the purpose of a school profile. Its purpose is to provide a context, and I hope these school awards will show that the context I am in is a little bit better than other schools out there.</p>

<p>Sorry to sound ****ed/boastful, I just think that above statement was a little extreme.</p>

12

<p>I think that you grossly overestimate the accuracy and importance of the national rankings of high schools.</p>

<p>Not only that, but you clearly don’t understand how your context affects you.</p>

<p>I have news for you: if you presented the same stats and came from the high school in Hicksburg, Wyoming that sends two kids to college that you sneer at then you WOULD be something special. A kid with your SATs and ECs who has had the benefit of all of the polishing and coddling that an upper-middle-class school system and family near Boston can provide does not stand out in the Ivy League pool.</p>

<p>Your consistent performance in terms of grades is certainly in your favor. Your course rigor doesn’t sound outstanding, though. Your SATs are okay. You list a lot of ECs that you did for one year that don’t add much. Your strong ones are theater and Eagle Scout. You need to find a way to stand out.</p>

13

<p>Go UPenn ED for your best shot. Your ECs are great as are your test scores. Your GPA will make the cut. ED for sure at UPenn!</p>

14

<p>You have about a 1 in 5 chance; better than the average.</p>

15

<p>I would say that you have a pretty good chance, like low reach [25%]</p>

16

<p>“I have news for you: if you presented the same stats and came from the high school in Hicksburg, Wyoming that sends two kids to college that you sneer at then you WOULD be something special. A kid with your SATs and ECs who has had the benefit of all of the polishing and coddling that an upper-middle-class school system and family near Boston can provide does not stand out in the Ivy League pool.”</p>

<p>Ok, while I understand what you are saying, I still stand by my point. To be in the top 10% of a HS in Wyoming for the most part would not be special, because (forgive me, I am stereotyping) grading would be less strict. Now other factors like SAT scores and such would have an extra advantage because of the context, but class rank would not. Now at my high school, to be in the top 10% really means something because it is sooo competitive. Therefore, to be in the top 10% of a HS in wyoming is not that big of a deal as compared to Massachusetts. In terms of SAT of course you get a huge advantage in wyoming</p>

17

<p>yeah… but you wouldn’t put your SCHOOL’s stats on YOUR app.</p>

<p>why don’t you try cornell for ED? i think you could definitely get in there! dartmouth’s more of a crapshoot</p>

18

<p>everyone keeps saying that I should do cornell/upenn ED…well I have news for you people:</p>

<p>I DON’T WANT TO GO THERE!!!</p>

<p>Both of those schools are huge…plus UPenn is in the center of Killadelphia…not my cup of tea.</p>

<p>I truly like Dartmouth because it is small but not too small (same goes with Princeton), and seems to have a true undergrad focus–which I really like. I don’t want to there solely because it is an Ivy League school (although that does only add to its appeal).</p>

<p>I may apply to UPenn/Cornell RD, but I really don’t want to spoil my ED (if I choose to use it at all) on either of those two…</p>

19

<p>“yeah… but you wouldn’t put your SCHOOL’s stats on YOUR app.”</p>

<p>No, but all your school stats are posted on the school profile, which your guidance counselor sends to all the colleges you are applying to. The school profile is included in your application, and you are viewed in the context of your school.</p>

20

<p>firstly, everything looks good; you do a lot of activities. But you don’t stand out from the crowd. try to find something that makes you different and unique from everyone else applying to dart.</p>