Chances for Ivies, JHU, Georgetown, and others...

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Could you chance me, please for:
Princeton
Columbia
UPenn
Brown
Cornell
Yale
Georgetown
JHU
UVA
NYU
GWU
Loyola</p>

<p>Objective:
GPA: 4.0 UW (all A+ grades except in 3 classes), 4.4 W
Rank: 1/70-ish
SAT: 2220 Single (700M, 720CR, 800W 10E)
PSAT: 203, I think, commended
SAT II: 750 Math I (will this offset my 680?) 760 Math II 720 Latin
AP: Lang (5) US (4) Art (5) Gov (5) Latin (<strong>) Lit (</strong>) Calc AB (<strong>) Euro (</strong>) Bio (*<em>)
*</em>= this year</p>

<h2>School: small private (sends top 5 to top 10 schools every year)</h2>

<p>Courses:
Freshman-
English Honors 97
Physics Honors 98
Geometry 94
Health/PE 100 (required)
Music 100 (required)
Theology 99 (required)
Latin 99
World History 101 (required)</p>

<p>Sophomore-
Biology honors 97
English Honors 99
AP Government 97
Latin 98
Theology 99 (required)
Algebra II 99
Music/Tech 100 (required)</p>

<p>Junior-
AP Language 96
AP Art History 98
Chemistry 98
Latin 98
Pre Calculus Honors 98
AP US 95
World religions 100 (required)</p>

<p>Senior-
AP Euro
AP Calc AB
AP Latin
AP Bio
AP Lit
Religion Courses (required)
Tech Courses (required)</p>

<hr>

<p>Subjective:
ECs:
National Honor Society (president): did a lot of tutoring last year, community service project collecting clothing for homeless, already raise 1,200$ this year.
Mock Trial (captain): went to regional finals. Would have been top attorney but instructor chose seniors (it goes by selection) :/
Ski Club: purely recreational, though could make an essay?
Piano: 12 years, there are not many competitions around where I live. However I perform often for people, and I am quite good. I will send in a supplement.
Student Ambassador: act as a leader to younger children, get them ready for highschool, guide them around school.</p>

<p>Volunteering:
3 years volunteer at hospital. I will get a presidents award for hospital service. I have approximately 360 hours. I have also been recognized by many of the hospital's departments for my dedication every weekend (I show up alone and do all the work alone).
I play piano often for nursing homes- about 130 hours. I enjoy doing it for the people, it's fulfilling.
Some volunteering at elementary schools- 40 hours (not too much work here)</p>

<p>Work:
Intern at a prestigious research facility that is actually connected with some ivies. I work in the chair's lab, with all graduate students and postdocs, from ivies mostly. Will try for a recommendation from chair. I think I am doing pretty well, I was invited back for next summer. I went out of state to the city for this.</p>

<p>Awards:
A lot of school academic awards, too many to list
National Merit Commended
AP Scholar (Honors)
President Award for hospital
NLE Cum Laude
NLE Summa Cum Laude</p>

<h2>Poem Contest Semi Finalist, Poem is published</h2>

<p>Other:
Major: Looking at a double major in English/Biology (looking into Patent Law)
Essay: good, I'm loving how they are coming out especially the common app essay and the first essay for Georgetown. I am having a lot of fun with them.</p>

<p>Teacher Rec: English Teacher: excellent. really loves me.
AP US teacher: will be above average.</p>

<p>Guidance counselor: not sure. Likes me, but not a good counselor, so average-above average?</p>

<p>Hook(s): my family struggles a little financially. But doubt that's a hook.</p>

2

<p>Hey. I think chancing individual schools is rather foolish because nobody knows enough about you. However, what I am going to do for you is go through your application on this forum and analyze where things may go wrong. I may seem rude at points, but I would rather that you see me as a jerk than for you to get denied to a school.</p>

<p>-I don’t care about your weighted GPA. The only thing that matters is you took the most rigorous course load. Yes, your weighted GPA may be higher and make you feel all happy inside, but colleges don’t care about it.</p>

<p>-The main goal with test scores is to get 32 or higher on the ACT or 2200+ on the SAT. Because you have done this, relax and move on; you are in the door. Try for 750+ on Math II and one other subject test. Nobody cares about your Math I score and it will not make up for your SAT math score. Your SAT II math scores seem low because of the very generous curve (which the SAT math does not have).</p>

<p>-You need focus. What do I mean by focus? Focus is something that much of your ECs revolved around, and something that you were successful at. Most importantly however, focus is what college admissions think you will bring to the college. Now your focus doesn’t have to be unique; mine is mathematics research and engineering. Of course I backed this up (Siemens comp participant, submitted paper to journal, presentation at a conference at a college, tutor in engineering teams at elementary schools (engineering tutor of the state 2x), and competing at an international college engineering competition.</p>

<p>Of course yours doesn’t need to be this extensive, but you need to tell colleges why they want you to come to the school. Once you find your focus, write your R</p>

3

<p>Okay. Thanks, well I have a kind of focus in mock trial and piano and as a career that double major of biology and english or patent law. that I focus on.</p>

4

<p>Bump. Some things:
I no longer have a 680 disregard the question on the SATII part.
My double major is in English/bio (prelaw) so I interned in a lab and am on the mock trial team
I have played piano for years may think about a minor, I will send in a supplement.</p>

5

<p>Bump…</p>

6

<p>Bump 10char</p>

7

<p>I agree with the above with one exception: your GPA DOES indeed matter (and yours is good). In fact, most selective colleges look at GPA (including the rigor of the courses, number of AP’s in comparison to number available to you, and school profile- ie facts like the number of kids in your clss) who get a 4.0, 3.9, etc) even MORE heavily than test scores, although, of course, test scores are important, too.</p>

8

<p>So do you believe I have no focus? I feel that on my apps I have a distinct focus. What would you estimate my chances are?</p>

9

<p>Bump 10 char.</p>

10

<p>Bump 10char</p>

11

<p>Bump 10char.</p>

12

<p>Bump 10char</p>

13

<p>Bump 10char</p>

14

<p>There is a reason that no one else is chancing you - because its impossible. The good: you have all the pieces - good GPA, good test scores, good EC’s - you are in range for all these schools. The bad: they are super competitive schools, with seemingly random acceptances and so many very qualified applicants. Since you have no hooks or AMAZING EC’s, there is not much that makes you standout (we haven’t read your essays). You received some advice to define your focus - that’s just another way of helping you find a way to standout. </p>

<p>If I were pushed to a wall to make a guess about your acceptances, I would say your top 6 are reaches, and you have a good shot at the bottom 6 on your list. But I didn’t read your essays, and even if I did, there is no way for us to really know. I wish you the best of luck with the process and am sure will you will have some good choices by the end of this process.</p>

15

<p>I find it a little difficult to find a focus at this point, as I am a senior who is applying now. The focus I have is more in the fact that I want to double major in English and Biology, which I make apparent on my app, and do patent law: I am a mock trial captain and an intern in a Biology Lab at a prestigious research program (I am not sure if these are hackneyed ECs but thats what I have). Further, my passion lies in piano, I am sending a music supplement and wrote my EC section on it. Additionally, I have a lot of volunteer work that is kind of an afterthought I would admit. EIther way, I am not quite sure of how I can be “focused” at this point. I think I am as close as I could get.</p>

16

<p>It sounds good - seriously. You have done a good job - there are no holes in your application. You will get in places that you want to go to, I like your list and really think that at least one of your top schools will pan out for you. Best of luck.</p>

17

<p>Thanks you. That eases my concerns. Truly.</p>