<p>Will I have a hard time even getting admitted to the school, let alone this full ride scholarship?</p>
<p>SAT 2250
Male Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
CT</p>
<p>GPA: 4.1
UW: 3.8</p>
<p>six 5's on AP's
taking four AP's this year</p>
<p>Awards: Top 150 in the nation on US Biology Olympiad</p>
<p>AB is very competitive. I don’t think that you can get it with just what you have up there.</p>
<p>Your stats are average.
I had a 2300, 3.9, many 5’s and Extra Curriculars and I’m considered a pretty average applicant.</p>
<p>so…no? not a chance in the world? even if I had something unique?</p>
<p>what do you have thats unique?</p>
<p>with whats up there, i can’t see you getting it. people who get these scholarships are people getting into schools like harvard.</p>
<p>You look to have a very good chance of getting in (non AB), but I can’t say what your chances are for AB unless you tell us what is so special that you have done.</p>
<p>
So I couldn’t get into Harvard?</p>
<p>
Well I was top 150 in the nation for the USABO, I’m Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, and I got the school to allow cell phone use in the hallways and cafeteria so that there wouldn’t be as much use in classrooms.</p>
<p>you’re not really giving much information.</p>
<p>other than being in the top 150 in USABO, which, truthfully, I don’t know how hard it is to get, you don’t really have anything else up. if think that top 150 is good enough to get you places then maybe its good enough for you to get AB or whatever.</p>
<p>even if you were top 3 in a state for something (depends what it is though), i don’t think that it would be enough for you to expect to get these things.</p>
<p>Yeah, I’m sorry, but that isn’t that amazing. You have a great chance at getting in, but not so great of a chance getting the scholarship. I’d say apply anyways, because you never know; they might see something special in you.</p>
<p>Top 150 in the nation in the Biology Olympiad is pretty insignificant. I know of many kids that easily get first place in State competitions (Science Olympiad), putting them in the top 50.</p>
<p>Getting top 150 means that there are 149 people equal to or more qualified than you. Then there’s the other science olympiads: physics, math, chemistry, etc. That’s easily 500 people with similar qualifications. There’s only a ten or so AB scholars each year.</p>
<p>I know a few AB scholars, though I can’t say what they’ve done before college (people don’t like to brag). I think one of them got published in a peer-reviewed journal.</p>
<p>The ethnicity thing does nothing: it’s purely a merit thing, and there’s no bonus points for diversity.</p>
<p>These stats are good for getting into the school, but you certainly won’t be in the top 10 out of the 2000+ admitted.</p>
<p>
Don’t a lot of people have this qualification too? And anyway, all you need to do for a peer reviewed journal or science research project is to go to a nice expensive private school and do stuff for a mentor who is three times your age. I mean really, when was the average college applicant given these opportunities?</p>
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Well it does help for getting in, right? Maybe not getting the scholarship, but it’s gotta help.</p>
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Well first place in Rhode Island doesn’t mean top 50, and I wouldn’t call it insignificant, unless your saying in the context of AB scholars.</p>
<p>Yeah, it’ll help with getting in.</p>
<p>I never said it was fair with who gets these scholarships. The ones I know are the children of academics, so they already have ties to a university and generally have a leg up on everyone else. Not a lot of people have publications pre-college precisely because not a lot of people have the opportunity to do real research. That’s just the world we live in.</p>
<p>These types of scholarships are given on an absolute merit basis, so it isn’t relative to the situation in your life. Some people start off with more advantages than others. These types of scholarships are to reward those who actually did something with those advantages rather than just party and be generally lazy. Financial aid is to help the people who had no access to those advantages.</p>
<p>Meh what u mean top 150 USABO? I suppose it is semifinalist? Every year, around 300-500 gets semifinalist for USABO, so I suppose what ur doing isn’t USABO. Unless u get in finalist (top 20) when u go to camp training for the IBO team, USABo won’t make a significant case for you (although semi will help a little). I know lots of ppl with USABO rejected, even ppl with IBO medals right here in cc from elite schools. Imagine a talented applicant pool vying for a few spots of AB Duke Scholarship, being in the top 150 won’t help much. Anyway, it doesn’t hurt to apply.</p>
<p>^ What he said… the only distinctions in USABO are Semifinalist and Finalist, so I don’t know where you’re getting this “top 150” thing from.</p>
<p>The AB Duke is so competitive that it’s difficult to chance someone for it. I know several ABs, and they’re incredibly bright, talented people. However, there are plenty of non-AB kids at Duke who have similar levels of awesomeness.</p>
<p>
But do you know what they did in high school? Are they international olympiad winners?</p>
<p>^ Many of them are, in fact.</p>
<p>oh ok. oh well</p>
<p>
That’s a nice way of putting it.</p>
<p>Yea, I wouldn’t say that they’re on a whole 'nother level above the above average Duke student, but they’re the ones who have the achievements, awards, etc. to back up their brightness. That in and of itself shows dedication and hard work, at least, while some people (like me) spent their school days playing video games all day.</p>