Chances at Cornell/Princeton/JHU

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Slightly disappointed with my sat scores and thus reevaluating my college list.
I got a 2190</p>

<p>breakup: CR 730 Writing 780 (with 11 on the essay) Math 680 (bummer)
Will give the Sat Subject tests this october. I am an 18'er i.e will be applying this year to the batch of 2018</p>

<p>I am an Indian, international applicant seeking financial aid. I am really keen on attending Cornell, Princeton and Johns Hopkins. (These are my top 3 dream schools).</p>

<p>I have decent co-curriculars- School council 2 years (asst. headboy and then headboy)
Ed Board Chief editor- 3 years
Social Service
Won two national level quizzes in grade 9 and 10 + several inter-school quizzes and debates/declamations from grade 9-12.
Other intersests include photography, but have not competed in any comeptitions or won any awards.
10.0 CGPA (Cumulative Grade Point Average) in my grade 10 CBSE Examinations
86% in my class 11 examinations. Will appear for my boards in march 2014.
My intended majors are Molecular Biology, Biochemistry Biotech, Genetics or allied fields.
I am working on my essays and SOPs and they should turn out well, plus I am confident my teachers will write nice LORs for me.
I have not won any major olympiads or anything..but I am really passionate about science and hopefully I will be able to articulate my passion in my essays and that may earn me some brownie points.</p>

<p>What else...can't think straight right now as I am a bit shaken.</p>

<p>a) So well what are my chances at the following places:</p>

<p>Cornell
Princeton
Johns Hopkins
(I have taken down Harvard, MIT and Yale for the time being...I was expecting a 2200+ score...but that did not pan out)</p>

<p>Vanderbilt
Rice
Ohio State and University of Cincinnati </p>

<p>(A couple more schools maybe..I haven't made up my mind yet..suggestions are welcome)</p>

<p>--Reach/Match/Safe ratings will work as well, but I love long-drawn and detailed explanations :) </p>

<p>b) Should I retake the SAT?..I am not very keen on doing so as this first attempt was harrowing, not the actual test, but I was not in a very good place mentally the week before the test.</p>

<p>c) Will a good SAT subject test score compensate for a poor math score in the reasoning test??</p>

<p>Any advice will be greatly appreciated. </p>

<p>Thanks</p>

2

<p>A few things:</p>

<p>Don’t beat yourself up over what happened. 2190 is a great score, and having to “lower” you expectations to two Ivies and another top 20 is not exactly the end of the world. HYP does not want students who get emotionally distraught over test scores, especially good ones.</p>

<p>If this was your first time taking the SAT, I would suggest a retake. Scores often jump quite a bit the second time you take the SAT. I got a 2190 my first time, and a 2400 the second. Granted, there was a two year difference between when I took the tests, but still, retakes help a lot. You’re a hair-breadth away from passing 2200 which puts you in a pretty good place, academically.</p>

<p>Even if you don’t get accepted to an Ivy League (which you have to expect as a probability; International acceptance rates are extremely low), realize that any top 20 school in the US would be better than any college in India, with, perhaps the exception of IIT. And, based on what I know of IIT and American college life, you’ll have a more fun and fulfilling experience in a top 20 US college anyways. Speaking from experience here; I was born in India.</p>

<p>Retake, chill, apply, and see what happens.</p>

3

<p>Nihilus Thank you. Your response is very reassuring.</p>

<p>I acknowledge that 2190 is a good score, I am disappointed only because I was expecting higher…the math score was a real shocker. </p>

<p>I might retake, but only if I can make time for it this year as I absolutely don’t want to compromise my CBSE board results. </p>

<p>I am aware that my chances at the Ivies are sad, and I am aware that any top 20 school in the states is better tan any college in India. Plus, there are little to know options available in India for my intended course of study.</p>

<p>Thank You for your advice…“Retake, Chill, apply and see what happens”–this might become my motto this admission season. LOL :)</p>

4

<p>Going out on a limb here, but I believe that Cornell and Princeton are “reach” schools for me (since I plan to seek financial aid and my current score doesn’t allow me to distinguish myself in an international applicant pool, however, I plan to write killer essays and make them want me…let’s see how things pan out)</p>

<p>Can JHU be a “match” for me??</p>

<p>What about Vandy and Rice? match or safety? </p>

<p>Again, any advice will be appreciated (seniors, juniors, peers…anyone?)</p>

5

<p>JHU can be a match for you if you get your SAT score higher. Sorry, but it’s really hard and competitive in Ivy League/private schools. In addition, the international applicant pool’s stats are generally higher, making it more difficult to get in.</p>

<p>To answer your question about SAT Subject Tests: they are supplemental to the application and not enough to compensate for your SAT Math score. The SAT is a main driving force in your application.</p>

<p>Don’t fret or worry too much; there’s still time. Good luck! :)</p>

6

<p>What if I decide to apply with these scores? Can my application in its entirety (essays+EC’s+LORs) get me into a good school?</p>

7

<p>International applying for FA => High Reach (All of them)</p>

<p>Except OSU or Cincy</p>

8

<p>@20more: Ouch! That bad, huh!</p>

9

<p>20more is pretty much right. And it wouldn’t be that much better if you had better scores either; the essential problem here is that you’re basically competing against all of India, while I have to compete against all of NJ. Guess which one is easier to stand out in.</p>

<p>Also, for biomed consider Georgia tech. Its grad school is ranked #2 in biomed by USNWR, and its undergrad biomed is ranked #1 by another site: [Top</a> 10 Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Universities in the U.S.](<a href=“http://education-portal.com/top_10_biomedical_engineering_undergraduate_universities.html]Top”>Top 10 Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Universities in the U.S.). It’s also easier to get into, at least for Americans (idk their international policy); 60% acceptance rate.</p>

10

<p>Bump Bump</p>

<p>Well I guess I will be applying to the following…(not sure yet, still subject to change) chance me at these places…</p>

<p>1) Johns Hopkins
2) Princeton
3) Cornell
4) Vanderbilt
5) Rice
6) Tufts
7) University of Southern California
8) U Cincinnati
9) Ohio State University
Misc: MIT and CMU (was really keen on these, but should downsize keeping my current situation (both in terms of finances and overall profile in mind…well there’s always graduate school :slight_smile: ), Northwestern, Univ Michigan and Univ of Wisconsin-Madiscon (aid will be an issue at these places, so unlikely)</p>

<p>@Nihilus: not very keen on an engg. major, but will definitely look into it. thanks :slight_smile: </p>

<p>Cheers!</p>

11

<p>I would retake SAT, hopefully 2250+. It’s possible, and you seem like a great student otherwise. Subject tests try for 750+. Or maybe try ACT and avoid subjects all together?
You ECs are ok, but top schools would want to see more-volunteer, internships, research etc
I wouldn’t knock off Harvard and stuff right away- schools like that are a crap shoot, and you never know.
You prob have a decent chance at Cornell, low reach for Hopkins, reach for princeton (don’t worry, everyone is). Vandy is a low reach and Ohio and the other state school are matches </p>

<p>Glad to help another Indian out!</p>

12

<p>My friend got into JHU with a 2000 SAT score and he didn’t really have any other outstanding factors like minority race or low income. Honestly I think you should have more EC recognition- focus in on that, because people have some ridiculous, outstanding awards and it’s starting to get really competitive.</p>

13

<p>Honestly, I think your SAT’s are the least of your problem, they’re right on par for Cornell, pretty good for JHU, but not so hot for Princeton (but still really amazing scores!).</p>

<p>What I would be concerned about are your EC’s. John’s Hopkins and Cornell love to see applicants with a demonstrated interest in their major, as in internships, shadowing Dr.'s, etc, which I think will be your weakness. </p>

<p>To be honest though, if you can REALLY convey your interest in medicine, then I really think you have a decent shot.</p>

<p>Now for the other schools, Princeton is hard for anyone to get into. That said, your scores are almost average for them, so again, if you can get that essay to really stand out then it wouldnt be totally surprising if you got in.</p>

<p>Tufts LOVES creative, interesting essays, so be sure to really spend time on that. U Cinci is obviously a safety school for you, and if you don’t get in I’ll eat my hat, same with Ohio State.</p>

<p>Rice will be a high match, low reach, but you definitely have a great shot.</p>

<p>Vanderbilt will be tough, but again I think it’s reach as well. Admissions are a crapshoot but you seem like a solid applicant. Yeah you don’t have a ton of awards, but not everyone can get those.</p>

<p>Chance me back please?? <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1525569-realistic-list-schools.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1525569-realistic-list-schools.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

14

<p>I wouldn’t worry too much about your 2190. If you get rejected, it won’t be due to the fact that your scores were “too low”.</p>

15

<p>I got a 1880 on my SATs, I didn’t do subject tests but I have many awards like MUN and speaking competitions and science fairs. I am a high school senior in Lebanon, Im trilingual and have a 3.8 gpa. What are my chances of getting into John Hopkins ?</p>

16

<p>I think JHU might be a match for you if you have a good GPA 3.9+. </p>

<p>@mirna: JHU would be a reach for you. Get your SAT at least above a 2000.</p>

17

<p>@mirna, considering you keep calling it “John Hopkins”, pretty low.</p>

18

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=1597054[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=1597054&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Anyone?</p>