Chances at Ivy League and Others

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Hey everyone - </p>

<p>I just wanted to get some feedback on my chances of getting into some of the following schools:</p>

<p>Columbia, Brown, Dartmouth, Cornell, Harvard, Yale, Duke, Notre Dame, Boston College, Princeton, Penn State, NYU, BU, Amherst</p>

<p>Here are my statistics for your consideration:</p>

<p>White Male/Age 18</p>

<p>High School: Public, doesn't send many students to top institutions.
GPA: 4.04 (weighted)</p>

<p>Rank: #1 out of 350</p>

<p>Intended Major: Biochemistry/Biophysics
-Would like to study Non-Hodgkins Aggressive T-Cell Lymphomas</p>

<p>SATI: 1450 - 740m, 710v
SATII: Writing - 760, Chem - 750, Math IC - 720</p>

<p>AP:
Junior Year - Chemistry - 5
Senior Year - U.S. Government, Calculus BC, Spanish Language, Physics B & C (E&M), English Literature, English Language. Organic Chemistry I & II (Local College)</p>

<p>-Have taken most rigorous course load possible (all honors, etc.)
-School does not allow AP courses until completion of New York State Regents Diploma
-Only offers 6 AP’s</p>

<p>EC's: National Honor Society: President, Distinguished Speaker, Football: Captain (2001-2002),Math Team, Key Club (Kiwanis): Public Relations Director, Drama Club, SADD Coffee House, Mock Trial Team: Semi-finalist, State Tournament (2003), Scholastic Bowl: Treasurer, Youth in Government: County Judge, State Conference Delegate, Senior Enrichment, Seniors Support Success (9th Grade Mentor Program), Band:
Vice President (2003-2004), President (2004-2005)
Musical Production Pit Orchestra, Jazz Band, Concert Band.</p>

<p>Awards:
Most Outstanding Soloist: Music in the Parks, Richmond VA, Hudson Valley Youth Jazz Orchestra: Featured Instrumentalist, National Merit Scholarship Commended Student, National Honor Roll, Boy Scouts of America:Eagle Scout with Bronze, Gold, and Silver Palms, National Society of High School Scholars, American Legion Boy’s State: State Attorney, Principle Percussionist, Grammy All-Star North American Jazz Band Alternate with Honorable Mention, Bausch and Lomb Honorary Science Award, University of Rochester Kodak Leadership Award/Scholarship, Who’s Who Among American High School Students.</p>

<p>Musical Honors:
New York All State Jazz Combo – Drumset, New York All State Symphonic Band – Alternate – Percussion, New York All State Jazz Ensemble – Alternate – Drumset, New York State Zone 9 Area All State Orchestra - Percussion, New York State Zone 9 Area All State Symphonic Band - Percussion, All County Senior High Jazz Ensemble – Drumset, All County Senior High Symphonic Band – Percussion, </p>

<ul>
<li>Will be sending in supplementary CD with playing samples</li>
<li>Great Recommendations, two from big-name professional drummers</li>
</ul>

<p>Community Service: EMT with Local Ambulance Corps., volunteering 12 hours per week. Local Hospital Volunteer</p>

<p>Work: Regularly working Jazz Musician in NYC.</p>

<p>If at all possible, please be totally honest in your feedback and withhold nothing from your assessment. Thanks again!</p>

2

<p>Very good except HYP and maybe amherst.</p>

3

<p>your number one rank is impressive but your school isn't so that may negate your rank. Being a white male doesn't help either. so you need to apply EA. Your SAT are average for Ivy League so that doesn't help. you have solid EC's though and GPA though. I would apply early to Dartmouth or Brown and do regular for safeties and rest of what I think are matches. Or redo your SAT get it above 1500 and apply early action to HYP or Columbia. and regular to the rest. best of luck.</p>

<p>Reach: HYP, Columbia, Amherst
match: Duke, Notre Dame, Dartmouth, Brown
safety: Penn State, NYU, BU,Boston College,</p>

4

<p>I think it is more like</p>

<p>Reach: HYP
semi-reach/match: Dartmouth, Columbia, Amherst, Duke, and Brown
Match: NYU, Boston College, etc.</p>

<p>Although his stats are impressive, I think DCADB are reaches for even people with stats like jazz</p>

<p>btw, ivyleaguer, why is Amherst and Columbia reaches, when Dartmouth and Brown aren't?</p>

5

<p>Thanks for your evaluations. I do have one additional question. How much influence in the admissions process can a member of the college faculty have(such as profesors, band directors, etc.)?</p>

6

<p>I think you have a good shot everywhere, although, of course, many of the schools on your list are reaches for everyone. Your ECs are great.You've reached high levels in an astonishing variety of areas: jazz, Eagle Scouts, mock trial... You've obviously got great energy as well as talent and colleges will see right away that you can be a real contributor to their campus communities.</p>

<p>I'd really work on your application -- it's about highlighting two or three of your strongest passions and showing them in depth. Don't bother with the clubs or teams you are just part of, it comes off too much like resume padding and you don't need that. Use your list of ecs, your essays, and possibly an extra letter of recommendation or two, as well as your supplemental cd to show that depth of interest and achievement in the two or three ecs that really take your time and are important to you.</p>

<p>As far as your specific question, it varies by college, but many discourage professors from actively trying to influence admissions. If there is a college professor who has taught you or helped you with research and really knows you, you can always ask him or her to write a letter of recommendation. As for a band director, I think your cd and awards will speak louder than any one band director.</p>

<p>By the way, my son is a first year at Columbia and really into jazz. He's a saxophone player who would love to have a great jazz drummer around. Definitely keep Columbia on your list!</p>

7

<p>SAC - Thanks for your suggestions and answers. I will definitely keep columbia on my list!</p>

8

<p>You're welcome, and good luck. Remember that the aim of the application is to leave them with a couple of phrases they remember about you (the jazz drummer who's a paramedic, kind of thing) so that you are not just another good student. Also, especially for HYP, I don't know how many times you've taken the SAT. But, if it's only once and you think you could do better, you might try again. Same with the SATII in Math. How about the IIc?</p>

<p>Beyond that, there is just the matter of which school is looking for what. Yale, with its music conservatory, doesn't seem as interested in finding undergrad musicians, and does not seem to have as much to offer in jazz as some of your other schools. Harvard loves to see music as an ec. Princeton, I've heard, is trying to beef up the performing arts.</p>

<p>Of course, they're all very different from each other. Do you have a first choice?</p>

9

<p>Sac - I just submitted my application to Harvard this week for early action. If I was forced to name a top choice, Harvard would obviously be it. However, I would be perfectly content to attend Yale, Princeton, Columbia, etc. (Similiarly, I'm sure, to just about every other motivated HS student.) As far as the SAT is concerned, I began taking it in the fall of my junior year. However, with football games being the night before, my scores were not what I saw as reflective of my abilities. The current scores you see are from the May 2004 SATI. I would like to take the test again. Yet, I do not want it to appear as an extracurricular activity. Any advice on that matter? Also, I took the math IIC, same afore mentioned scenario, came out with a 690 - still a little aprehensive about taking it twice. Any further advice you have would be greatly appreciated.</p>

10

<p>Wow, I'm impressed you've already got your Harvard app in. That's great. Hope you get to stop right there. </p>

<p>I agree with you (and love your line) about not making the SAT your life's work, especially since there are so many places you would be content to attend. Good luck!</p>

11

<p>Anyone else have any thoughts on my chances?</p>

12

<p>kimfuge, Columbia is a reach because it received 17,255 applicants last year and accepted only 10.5 percent of those. Brown had 13,387 applicants and accepted 16 percent. Columbia also has a higher average SAT percentile. Brown and Dartmouth are not on par with Columbia for admissions. Columbia is more comprable for HYP in that area. I would do the calculations for amherst but too tired. But it isn't as much of reach as Columbia so you may have a point there.</p>

<p>Best,</p>

13

<p>For colleges such as Harvard and some other ivies, the SAT score and GPA may be somewhat low, although if your grades are all or mostly A's and you took all of the hardest courses that your school offers, I can't imagine it could be held against you. You have the recognized musician hook which greatly improves your chances at various places. A few schools on your lists could be considered safties/matches, others are somewhat unpredicatble, but I'd say you have a fair shot.</p>

<p>It really depends on if you have some quality that the school happens to be looking for. I've known someone who has a 4.8 GPA and scored a 1580 on the SATs, but with no real strong talents or ECs and have been rejected at ivies. I have also know someone with a slightly lower GPA and equivalent SATs who was admitted becuase he is an excellent musician with various awards, involvement in competitive programs, etc.
Good Luck.</p>

14

<p>Thanks for the information and suggestions. All of your insight is greatly appreciated.</p>