Chances for in-state at UNC

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill
1

<p>I'm trying really hard to get into UNC - I know Chapel Hill is where I want to be, and I'm going to have serious issues settling for Appalachian if I don't get in. Haha, so here's an overview of my grades, ECs, etc. Any advice you can give me would be great :)</p>

<p>GPA: 4.45 weighted/3.88 unweighted (NOT including 2nd semester junior year...I'll update the topic w/ those grades as soon as I have them)
Rank: 28/390 - top 10%
SAT: CR: 600 M: 590 W: 480 (As of March, I took the SAT again on Saturday and actually made an effort this time haaa. I'm guessing my scores were around the 1900 range)
Freshman classes : Hon World History, Geometry, Hon English 1, Hon Earth Science, Speech 1, Computer Apps 1, Healthful Living (gym), Newspaper 1
Sophomore classes: Hon Algebra 2, Hon Civics, Hon English 2, Hon Biology, Hon Newspaper 2, Sociology/Psychology, Spanish 1, Spanish 2
Junior classes: AP English, AP Psychology, AP US History, Hon Spanish 3, Hon Chem, Hon Precalc, Hon Physics, Hon Newspaper 3
Senior classes: AP Government & Politics, AP English 4, AP Calc AB, AP Calc BC, Newspaper 4 (honors level not offered, it's actually an into to mass media class), Art 1, Printing Graphics 1, Senior Seminar
The only classes I've received B's in are Geometry, Spanish 2, APUSH, Spanish 3 & Physics. Otherwise, everything else is A's.</p>

<p>Extracurriculars -
Key Club - Member since freshman year, 25+ hours of service a semester required.
National Honor Society - Member junior & senior year, 25+ hours of service a year required.
Latin Club - Member sophomore year...the club kind of disbanded my junior year, after we dropped Latin classes.
FCA - Member junior & senior year. I got involved with FCA after the end of Latin club, haha. I'm hoping to do some leadership with it next year, I love the organization, but I don't know what yet.
Newspaper - On staff sophomore-senior year, I would have wrote freshman year if they had let me, ha! I'll have an editor position next year, not sure which one exactly at this point, though.
United Methodist Youth - I've been an active member of my church's youth group, we do a LOT of service projects, which you will get to hear more about in a few (:
Girl Scouts - Member for 13 years, I usually complete around 100+ hours of service a year with them. I received my Silver award my sophomore year, and I am currently in the process of earning my Gold award (everything is explained below!)
Appalachia Service Project - This is what I LOVE! I have gone on ASP all 4 summers of high school, and I decided earlier this year when I had to pick a topic to complete my Gold Award with that I was going to do something with ASP. I'm helping create a lot of promotional materials for ASP, for them to use to reach their goal of doubling their volunteer base in 5 years. I'm then taking the things I made for ASP and presenting them to churches, using the evaluations they give me, and improving them some more. I'm really excited about it, and all of this is starting in like a week, and I cannot WAIT! I want to major in public relations, and the girl I'm working with at ASP has the exact job I really want to have haha.
Miscellaneous - I received the Gold level of the Presidential Service Award all 4 years of high school. I don't know how any colleges are going to see that though, as I just have to turn in my service hours to some one, and then I get a letter in the mail...haha.</p>

<p>Wow...this ended up being really long, but I appreciate any information or advice (:</p>

2

<p>Lucky for you the writing section on the sat doesn’t matter(for admissions purposes). Anyways, if you want to give yourself a shot 1300 cr + m on the SAT is what you should be aiming for. And you don’t play a sport, which Carolina likes a lot. I don’t know I would say don’t count on it but don’t count it out. But hey I’d say that State is a shoe-in!</p>

3

<p>Ahh, I forgot to mention I’ve been horseback riding since I was 11. Ha, it’s not that important to me - I’m not that athletic and it kind of bothers me that a sport is something Carolina looks for. I purposefully avoid that, because I know it’s NOT something I’m good at, haha. The writing was crap my first time taking the SAT, I know, it’s going up - that I know for SURE. Unfortunate that I live in Raleigh and would rather die than go to State…nothing against the school, I just want to go somewhere else. I’ve lived 10 minutes from State my whole life. I’m tired of it (:</p>

4

<p>from the “ask admissions” website:</p>

<p>How does Carolina use writing scores?</p>

<p>Testing is important but it is just one of many factors in our holistic application review. No student is ever admitted or denied on the basis of a single number. We require the writing score because we have found this information, along with other scores such as critical reading and math for example, to be helpful tools when evaluating an individual student’s ability to succeed at Carolina. Moreover, the ability to express yourself clearly and concisely in writing is an important skill that you will need in college and beyond. This is why we also require our applicants to complete two essay prompts, which give you additional opportunities to demonstrate your writing skills, and at the same time, tell us more about yourself.</p>

5

<p>Everything looks really good, except your SAT scores could be a little higher. Your grades and rank look excellent, what high school in Raleigh do you go to? If you have grades and a rank like that at a school like Enloe or Leesville then you’re definitely good to go. Schools like Wakefield (where I go), Broughton, Millbrook, and Athens Drive are a little less competitive, but still have good representation at Chapel Hill. I am exactly like you, I have been working my butt off to get into UNC (My sister goes to NCSU and that is my last resort!), and because Wake is probably the second best county in the state education-wise, it makes it a little harder for people from our region to get in. But all in all, raise your SAT scores a little higher, maybe consider taking the ACT and you should be set! Good luck!</p>

6

<p>And judging by the fact that you said you live 10 minutes from NCSU, I would say you either go to Athens Drive, Broughton, or a downtown private school, all of which are competitive schools!</p>

7

<p>I actually go to Middle Creek, in Apex - I’m supposed to be at Athens, I’m only at Middle Creek because when I started high school, they had just redistricted me to Middle Creek from Athens, and then moved me back last year. Haha, I live way closer to Athens, but you know, that’s just Wake County…</p>

8

<p>O2H4, so admissions uses the writing score for the decision now?</p>

<p>It used to be that they only looked at critical reading and math. The writing score was only used for placement in english.</p>

9

<p>UNC-CH isn’t that hard to get into school for instate students as long as you are decent.</p>

10

<p>pkp20 - I went to Carolina a couple weeks ago and someone in admissions told me that they did not consider the writing score, and I had heard somewhere else that it’s used for English placement. I didn’t think they really considered the writing score, even though you had to send it.</p>

11

<p>If you can raise your SAT score to 1900 as you mentioned, then I think you have a decent chance. And yeah, some leadership would really help, too.</p>

12

<p>I visited last month for an admin info session and was told writing is being used now.</p>

13

<p>I was there, literally, two weeks ago and was told the exact opposite. I wonder which ones true?</p>

14

<p>knat - My leadership comes through in Girl Scouts and with everything I’m doing with ASP and my church. I can’t say that I’m the president of some random club or anything, it’s really something I’m going to have to explain, but it’s definitely there. I’ve planned and ran numerous events for Girl Scouts, I help lead putting together Discovery weekends for middle schoolers at my church. My school’s pretty new, we don’t have many clubs, and you have to go through a lot of hoops to even start one, but I’ve tried hard to get my leadership outside of school, and with things I love.</p>

15

<p>Oh, okay. You might want to go ahead and take a look at the UNC application (is it out, yet? It might not be, idk). It might be a little tricky to include those into your application (unless you somehow include them in your essays), since they give you hardly any room to explain extracurriculars, and UNC doesn’t offer interviews. If you planned a certain event, then you might want to make that an entirely separate “activity,” even if you did it through one of your other EC activities. (Example: “Raleigh Area Girl Scout Fun Run Coordinator”).</p>

16

<p>^Yeah, it’s not out yet. I just checked an hour or so ago, and it won’t be out until early August. I’ve already planned to write one of my essays about ASP, and since the prompts are out, I’ve already started that essay. I understand how it’s going to be hard to explain, I haven’t really decided what I’m doing about the Girl Scout events yet thoughhh…I think I’ll do what you suggest & list them as separate activities. Thanks (:</p>