Chances at Ivies/other "top" schools? Unsure about ED vs. SCEA

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

Hi! I’m a rising senior at a very very competitive private school in NE. Thanks for chancing!

Prospective major: Classics (possibly minor/double major in linguistics)
GPA: 3.85ish UW, school doesn’t weight
SAT: 2320 (800 CR 720 M 800 W)
SAT II: 800 Latin, 730 US History, 790 Lit, 770 Italian
AP: Human Geography (5), US Gov (5), Comp Gov (4), Italian (?), English lit (?), English lang (?), Latin (?)

ECs:
Classics club (member 9, president 10, 11, 12)
Volunteer at a museum twice a week (9-12), I want to be a museum curator when I’m older, maybe 1000 hours total?
Model UN (member 9, 10, president 12)
Debate (member 9, 10, 11, 12)
Varsity Basketball team (member 9, 10, 12)
National Geography Bee (9, 11, 12), highest ranked in nation
Tutor at local elementary school (9, 10, 12)
Play bass in a punk band (10, 11, 12)

My big thing is that I spent my junior year in Italy through SYA, there I volunteered at another museum a lot, tutored young kids in English, etc). I will write my essay about this completely amazing experience.

Awards:
Gold medal NLE 3 years
National Greek exam silver medal and gold medal
National Etymology Exam gold medal
National Roman culture exam perfect score
National latin vocabulary exam perfect score
AP Scholar of some sort I think

Summers:
After 9th grade, took graduate level ancient Greek course at unnamed U
After 10th grade, took Linguistics and and Italian courses at same unnamed U
After 11th grade, worked with a Classics professor in her research at a top 25 LAC

Curriculum:
My school doesn’t offer many APs or honors, as the classes are considered “above” that. All English and history courses considered honors. I took honors math but not science (only offered to me sophomore year). Because I missed junior year, I will be taking some junior classes this coming year, honors where I can. I self-studied all my APs except Latin and Italian. My coursework in Italy was very Classics-focused. I got As or A-s in all my classes, except a B in honors geometry sophomore year. Is that terrible? My GC will be saying my transcript is “most rigorous.”

My list is in general order of preference, not strictly though:

Brown (may apply ED)
Yale (may apply SCEA)
UChicago (may apply EA)
Harvard (may apply SCEA)

Penn
Cornell
Dartmouth
JHU
UC Berkley

Wash U
Notre Dame (may apply EA)
UMichigan (may apply EA)
UWashington
UW Madison

Any suggestions about EA vs. SCEA vs. ED? I’m still lost about it. My top choices from visits so far have been UChicago and Brown, but I’m not really sure. Any suggestions for further schools are welcome.

2

Your scores are good, and you have a good amount of ECs. However, none of them really gel together to show an underlying passion. And by “highest ranked in nation” for NatGeo Bee, do you mean you are #1, or that you placed high in a big competition? You need a bigger spread of schools, you are only looking at selective and competitive schools. Get some low matches and safeties, too, just in case. Chance me back?

3

As the above poster said, your SAT scores are good, and your ECs are really good. As a fellow Latin-lover, I do think that your ECs clearly show your dedication to the Classics. All the schools you mentioned besides UWashington and UW Wisconsin are either reaches or very high matches. I suggest that you apply to Yale or Harvard SCEA. You’ll have a better chance, esp. for Harvard. Chance back?: http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/discussion/comment/18614306#Comment_18614306

4

@eakirk16 I am #1. What do you mean by no “underlying passion”? Is my Classics focus not obvious enough?

@supercilious Thanks! Why Harvard over Yale?

5

@blinkin182 Can you clarify what this National Geography Bee is? I thought it was only for middle school students.

6

@blinkin182 I think Harvard has a higher SCEA acceptance rate

7

@eakirk16 is exaggerating a bit regarding the lack of an “underlying passion” in your ECs. Of this list:

Classics club (member 9, president 10, 11, 12)
Volunteer at a museum twice a week (9-12), I want to be a museum curator when I’m older, maybe 1000 hours total?
Model UN (member 9, 10, president 12)
Debate (member 9, 10, 11, 12)

  • Varsity Basketball team (member 9, 10, 12)
    National Geography Bee (9, 11, 12), highest ranked in nation
  • Tutor at local elementary school (9, 10, 12)
  • Play bass in a punk band (10, 11, 12)
    SYA Italy Junior Year

only the ones I marked with an asterisk have no clear relation to linguistics. Debate, tutoring, and varsity sports are incredibly cliched activities – Unless you are truly excelling in one of them, those ECs have almost no value. Also, be careful when you discuss foreign country trips. A fairly large percentage of applicants write about these, and their essays tend to be ineffective for two major reasons:

  1. Have entitled / privileged / elitist tone, often unintentionally
  2. Only discuss author’s experiences / actions as opposed to why her or she benefited from the trip / why it relates to his or her interests

    This is not to say you should not write about Italy, however; just be careful.

The B in geometry is not a problem at all, especially since you’re headed for the classics.

8

I would think you are a very competitive applicant for the top schools. Have you considered Princeton? It’s a great school to study Classics.

9

You are a good candidate for Columbia as well.

10

@Falcon1 I visited, but I didn’t get the best vibe. It felt a bit too preppy/elitist for me (totally just my impression though, it just didn’t feel right)

11

If you love Brown apply ED. You have a very good chance of getting in. Same with UChicago. Apply EA and you might just get in. With those amazing numbers, you are competitive at all top schools. Good luck!

Chance me back! http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1769031-what-are-my-chances-at-these-schools-p2.html
You will need to read through the comments cause I got a 31 on ACT and I added some colleges (BostonU, UTAustin, Northeastern)

12

I think you have a very unique set of ECs and your passion for Classics, which is also quite unique, shines through. Of course, the Ivies are a reach for all of us, but with your Stats and ECs you have a really good chance. For all the top-tier schools, you’re probably a low reach! Chance me back?: http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1788911-chance-me-for-columbia-others-ill-chance-back.html#latest

Best of luck!!

13

bumpity bump bump!

14

bump bump