Chances at Selective Schools

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Hola,</p>

<p>I am going to be a junior in high school this following year, and will thus be applying to colleges within the next few months. I would appreciate it if someone could take the time to gauge my chances of getting into MIT, Stanford, Carnegie-Mellon, Cornell, and WPI. I am going to major in either mechanical engineering, computer engineering, or computer science. </p>

<p>Race: White
Sex: Male
State: South Carolina
Weighted GPA: 5.1
Unweighted GPA: 4.0</p>

<p>SAT: 690m, 730r, 800w (I plan to retake this; I feel I simply wasn't mentally prepared for the grueling nature of the test)</p>

<p>SAT II Math II: 770
SAT II US History: 800
SAT II English Literature: 800</p>

<p>Note: I say most likely because I thought all three exams were incredibly easy)</p>

<p>AP European History: 5
AP Calculus AB: Pending (5, most likely)
AP English Language: Pending (5, most likely)
AP U.S. History: Pending (5, most likely)
AP Calculus BC: Pending
AP U.S. Government: Pending
AP Macroeconomics: Pending
AP English Literature: Pending
AP Physics C Mechanics: Pending
AP Physics C E&M: Pending</p>

<p>...10 AP Credits Total</p>

<p>~Grades & Courses~
Note: At my school, foreign languages are automatically CP, rather than honors, until level III.</p>

<p>-Freshman Year-
Honors Algebra II: A (95)
Honors Physical Science: A (98)
Honors English I: A (100)
Honors Global Studies: A (100)
Honors Introduction to Engineering Design: A (98)
CP Spanish I: A (97)
Physical Education: A (99)</p>

<p>-Sophomore Year-
AP European History: A (99)
Honors Precalculus: A (100)
Honors Geometry: A (96)
Honors Biology: A (97)
Honors English II: A (98)
Honors Principles of Engineering: A (99)
CP Spanish II: A (95)</p>

<p>-Junior Year-
AP Calculus AB: A (97)
AP English Language: A (95)
AP United States History: A (96)
Honors Chemistry: A (95)
Honors Spanish III: A (96)
Honors Digital Electronics: A (97)
Honors Theory of Knowledge: (96)</p>

<p>-Senior Year-
AP Calculus BC
AP English Literature
AP United States Government and Politics
AP Macroeconomics
AP Physics C
Honors Spanish IV
Honors Guitar I</p>

<p>~ECs and Honors~
Note: While I plan to participate in a lot of these my senior year, I am just noting what I've already done.</p>

<ul>
<li>Varsity Swim Team: 9, 10, 11 (Member of state team in 11th grade, placing top 30 in 200m Freestyle)</li>
<li>Summer Swim Team: 9, 10, 11 (Ranked 2nd on Team in 50m Freestyle, recognized greatest work ethic award following 9th and 10th grade)</li>
<li>Lifeguard at community pool: 10, 11 </li>
<li>PLTW Engineering Competition: 9, 11 (Won 1st place overall in 9th grade for IED, won best presentation in 11th grade for DE)</li>
<li>Annual academic competition at local college: 9, 10, 11</li>
<li>Membership in Mu Alpha Theta: 11</li>
<li>Membership in National Honors Society: 11</li>
<li>Qualified for National History Day Nationals for Senior Documentary: 9</li>
<li>Member of school academic team: 11 (Won 1st in county at championships)</li>
<li>1st place in senior engineering division at local science fair for wind turbine design: 10 (Won several special awards, including best environmental project and best energy project)</li>
<li>Presented the above project to a local association of defense contractors: 10</li>
<li>Bassist for local band, playing gigs at various locations in area: 10, 11</li>
<li>Performing capstone thesis project on employing biomimetic design principles into the design of disaster relief shelters: 11 (Will be completed senior year)</li>
<li>100+ hours of community service</li>
</ul>

<p>I am sure I left off some stuff, but overall I feel that I am a fairly well-rounded person. That being said, I have no clue how it stacks up to what these schools expect. I would appreciate all the help I could get!</p>

2

<p>You shouldn’t worry about Cornell. As for Stanford and MIT, you have as good a chance as anybody, but those schools are difficult to get into regardless of how amazing your grades are. Solid app, decent chances, in my opinion.</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/949527-i-can-haz-chances-columbia-nyu.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/949527-i-can-haz-chances-columbia-nyu.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

3

<p>MIT low/mid reach but you have a good chance
Stanford reach but you have a good chance
Carnegie-Mellon match/ very low reach
Cornell match/very low reach</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/950150-chance-me-please-ill-chance-back-super-fast.html#post1065129509[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/950150-chance-me-please-ill-chance-back-super-fast.html#post1065129509&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

4

<p>If you just finished your sophomore year, you have more than a few months to apply to college.</p>

5

<p>I think he just finished his Junior year because why would he already know his Junior year grades?</p>

6

<p>Thank you all very much! I was wondering, however, if you could explain what “reach” means in terms of CC.</p>

7

<p>Basically, there are 3 categories: reach, match and safety. Safety is when you are so overqualified for a school that you are doubtless getting in. Match is when your grades/app are pretty average compared to what the school takes. A reach is when you are somewhat below average, or have low chances of getting in. All ivies are reaches because all of their acceptance rates are extremely low.</p>

8

<p>a low reach means its still a reach, but you have a better chance of getting in. it’s closer to a match.
a mid reach means you have less of a chance of getting in.
a high reach means you have virtually no chance of getting in.</p>

9

<p>I think your chances at Cornell are very good. </p>

<p>MIT will be a reach. SAT I math score and SAT II math score are low for MIT. (A 770 on the math SAT II is 81st percintile - <a href=“http://professionals.collegeboard.co…Ranks-2009.pdf%5B/url%5D”>http://professionals.collegeboard.co…Ranks-2009.pdf</a>). If you can get these scores up, your chances at MIT will improve signficantly.</p>

10

<p>Thank you all so much!</p>

<p>I am going to retake the regular SAT and the SAT II Math in the fall, so that should all be good.</p>

11

<p>Apply to Cornell RD it’s basically a safety for you. I think you have a definite chance at Stanford if you do SCEA.</p>