Chances for Duke, Northwestern, and more

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

I applied to Duke, Northwestern, Dartmouth, UC Berkeley, UCLA, USC, Harvard, UPenn, U Michigan- Ann Arbor, UNC, and WUSTL. Duke is probably my top choice.

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): 2070 (690 CR, 700 M, 680 W)
SAT II: 760 Math II, 700 Spanish
GPA (out of 4.0): 4.46/4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/480
AP (place score in parenthesis): Spanish Lang and Culture (5), English Lang (5), Euro (3), Chem (3)
Senior Year Course Load:
1st semester: AP Lit, AP US Government, AP Art Hist, Advanced Journalism (Got all As)
2nd semester: AP Enviro, AP Psych, AP Human Geo, Advanced Journalism

ECs:

-Spanish newscast at my school (founder, anchor, translator) [12]
-Spanish section of the school newspaper (editor, translator) [11,12]
-Junior State of America club (President) [11,12]
-Beyond Diversity club at the community college [11,12]
-Homeless outreach team (translator, team leader) [9,10,11,12]
-Big Brothers Big Sisters 9 (mentor) [11,12]
-Unpaid Spanish and English tutor [9,10,11,12]
-Mexico missions trips (translator, team leader) {9,11,12]
-California Scholarship Federation club [9,10,11,12]
-JV Volleyball [9,10]
-Club volleyball [10]

Job/Work Experience:

-I work 25+ hours a week at a Brazilian steakhouse. I’m the lead hostess and the job requires me to speak in Portuguese, Spanish, and English. I am also an administrative assistant for the restaurant. I do filing projects, translate documents, and take care of some technological aspects. Absolutely in love with my job. Began over summer and will continue working there until I go off to college.
-Soccer referee [10,11,12]

Summer activities:

-Junior: Took 2 classes at the local CC.
-Senior: Work, Work, Work, Work.

Intended major(s):
Latin American Studies, Public Policy, Linguistics, Political Science (really depended on the school and its specific programs).

State: CA
Region: Greater Sacramento
School type: Large Public (2000+ students)
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Income bracket: like 25k

Recs:
Should be really great. My Spanish teacher said it was the best one of her career.

Essays:
CA essay about spinal surgery and my transition from athlete to fan.
Supplements were mainly about learning Portuguese at the restaurant and how my job ignited a passion within me for Brazilian culture etc etc etc.

Other important(ish) info:

-I speak Spanish, Portuguese, and English fluently. I’m proficient in Italian.
-I had spinal surgery which is why I stopped playing volleyball after my sophomore year.
-12 credits from local CC.
-No impressive awards, just small ones in Spanish. I won most-spirited student for 2 years if that means anything lol. Super passionate about school spirit stuff.

Thanks so much guys!

2

Shoot. There actually was an important award that our school newspaper won. It was an award at the NSPA convention in DC (November 2014).

3

@bemore19‌: Your SAT I results are an obvious problem for Duke, although the remainder of your credentials solid (and your GPA/class rank, among other achievements, are excellent). You need to understand three major facts:
a) 48 percent of '19 has already been admitted through ED.
b) Approximately 8 percent of RD applicants will be accepted.
c) 20,000+ RD applicants also have “distinguished performance and potential,” also merit admission, and also would be essentially indistinguishable from those who matriculate next August.

This does NOT mean you are certain to be denied – there are MANY admissions-critical elements (beyond GPA/class rank) that will weigh strongly in your favor. However, I respectfully suggest that it would be a mistake to become too “emotionally invested” in Duke (that’s how individuals sometimes get hurt). I sincerely wish you the best luck; as a long-term and deeply involved alumnus, I’d love to see you at Duke (and with major need-based-grant financial assistance).

4

Your GPA is over the top and so are your ECs that demonstrate strong involvement. Your SAT is int he lower 25 percentile for many of your tough schools, but I think it can be mitigated to some extent by the rest of your application.
UMich: In with a substantial scholarship
UCLA: low match with your high GPA
Dartmouth and Upenn: Low-mid reach (SAT) I think the same with Duke, but I’m not exactly sure.
Harvard: High reach.
Chance me back?
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1731814-final-chances-rd-williams-hamilton-ivies-and-nyu-stern-will-chance-back.html#latest

5

@TopTier Thank you so much for your feedback! Do you think my strong interest in a specific program would improve my chances by a decent amount, or not be of much significance? Duke recently launched the Duke Brazil Initiative (DBI) and both of my supplemental essays indicated a strong desire to be a part of it.

6

@bemore19‌: Not too much, I am afraid. While it is a GREAT new program and your interest is excellent, Duke’s Undergraduate Admissions staff is (as you know) inundated with the work of assessing 20,000+ RD application by late-March. I doubt they would have the opportunity to discuss you – personally – with that program’s director. With this said, your interest cannot hurt and you still have a very legitimate shot (in my opinion).