I don’t know I thought the test was difficult. I got an A+ in the actual class, and I got an A in calc 3 at a university. My school doesn’t really have inflated grades I did worse on the exam that a lot of student who had worse grades than me.
except I did have a rigorous courseload? I had the most rigorous load that I could’ve had in my situation. First 2 years my school didn’t offer APs/Honors, and then in 11th grade I took 4 APs and 3 Honors. Then I dual enrolled at university and took college physics. I don’t see how I could’ve possibly made my course load more rigorous and met my requirements for graduating. Plus that 3.85 came from 1 B in freshman English. I don’t think a T20 would say that I had a low amount of APs when I had no access to them for most of high school, isn’t the whole point of holistic admission that they take context?
I don’t really understand the notion of getting rejected because you had low AP scores. I don’t think that colleges really care about AP scores. Almost every where I go I see that AP scores really only matter for credit.
My school offers 17 APs, and I am going to take 7 of them. I have only had access to APs for half the time of most people, and am taking just as many in addition to Dual Enrollment and honors courses. My school is T40, so idk how good that is, but it is the best in my county.
I know the 32 isn’t amazingly competitive, but considering how many of reaches will superscore to the 34, and the fact that a 32 is still good enough to at least not get insta rejected at most of my reaches I think that I can do well if I can write good essays and get good recs. I don’t think there is a reach I listed where my ACT (either at a school that superscores or doesn’t) is not at least 25%.
Absolutely, I think that I am on the lower end of applicants for my reaches, but they are reaches for a reason :). I think that schools like GATech and Duke I am more likely (but still unlikely) to get into simply because I have either worked with professors there or are legacy. Do you think that whether or not your ACT is superscored or not matters?
You have way too many reaches, and you don’t seem to fully understand the caliber student who will be applying to these schools. Your scores and GPA are good… but low for these schools. Your ECs are good… but almost look like a laundry list for these schools ( no offense intended… they are very good). These schools are very reachy even for “perfect” students. I would add Wake Forest- that is a realistic reach/match. If you lived in the northeast I would tell you that these schools are not reaches at all… they are totally off the charts. Having Duke educated parents means that these schools will expect a lot from you.
I would apply to 4-5 reach schools, and I would apply ED to Duke to maximize your chances. Duke has a soft spot for NC residents, and you are legacy. You will never be able to craft quality applications for the number of reaches on your list… you need to cut some (many).
I would move NC State and UNC to the match category. There are students with your stats who don’t get in. You will also need to pay attention to your essays… they are time consuming. Chemistry majors at these schools are nothing to sneeze at… you will find your people. You will also find many who are above you academically… way above you. Not trying to be mean… just trying to bring you back down to reality. I would add another match or two… how about Lehigh? U of Pittsburgh ( yes it’s a state school… you don’t want an OOS state school… but it’s outstanding)…U of Richmond is another one you may like.
You need at least 2 safety schools. What about Elon?
You are a good student… Congrats! Now it’s time to apply wisely.
I don’t really see how UNC and NC State are anything but safeties considering I am in state and above the 75% in every academic category. I am dual enrolled at a uni that is part of the UNC system, and have done research with professors who work for UNC.
The main reasons why I am not applying to more matches/safeties are:
- I don't see a point in applying to second choice state schools like ECU and UNCW when I am well above the 75% for UNC and NCSU, and already have connections to the better of the 2.
- I don't want to waste my time sending applications to schools that I know I am not going to attend. Like with my connections to UNC and the fact that I go to the best HS in my county where pretty much the top 20% go to UNC I cannot fathom a world in which I get rejected from UNC.
- Going to a T20 like UNC and having little debt is better than going to a worse state school and leaving with 80k+ in debt.
the only instance in which I don’t go to UNC or NCSU in my mind is if I get into one of my reaches. Because of this I am attempting to apply to as many reaches as possible in the hopes that I get in one.
Once again, my scores are ok for all of my reaches (cept maybe caltech). My reaches admit tons of students with 32-34 ACTs. For a lot of them their averages are ~32. Some schools don’t even factor in AP scores, and considering I got A’s in the classes I doubt it would matter all that much especially since i have strong subject tests. My ECs are ok, outside of the research, tutoring, and lifeguarding position they are kinda mediocre I am working on getting more research published and other stuff. I seriously want to know what you guys would consider a competitive applicant at one of my reaches? 36 ACT, 4.0UW, 5W, 800s, and only 5s? because these students aren’t exactly common, and it is incredibly common for students with perfect academics to get rejected from T20s simply because they write a bad essay, have bad recs, or have poor ECs.
They might be safety schools… check Naviance. What I am trying to say is that I know instate students with similar stats who have not gotten in. And… UNC is trying hard to recruit low income students from NC. But… if your schools Naviance has you clearly in the green zone… then it appears you are in… at least in previous years.
You are an unhooked applicant at your reaches. And… there are plenty of students with perfect gpas and scores who are applying…and don’t get in. If you are happy with your safety schools and will definitely get in, then there is nothing more to add.
OP, many - probably most - of the schools on your list do not superscore the ACT so they’ll be looking at the 32, which as many here have told you is low for your reach schools and I agree. Your AP scores may hurt you as well.
I can see that you don’t like the feedback you are getting, but people here are trying to help you. Try to be open to what they are saying.
Yes, tudents with perfect stats are rejected by your reaches every year but don’t assume it’s because of a weakness in another part of their application. Two students in my daughter’s high school hit the perfect trifecta of stats plus excellent ECs, work experience, recs, national awards, and phenomenal writers. Both got wait listed and didn’t come off for their most competitive schools (and btw, both are going to state schools). That’s what everyone is trying to tell you, if students with the most perfect applications are getting denied, being on the low range of scores makes it even harder for you. There is nothing wrong with applying to a handful of reaches but you have to be prepared and happy to go to your match and safeties.
Schools are looking at the whole package. Your overall GPA is on the low side for schools like MIT, coupled with the low end ACT, and the BC test will raise some flags. If only one of those things were off, you’d have a better shot.
I agree with the other posters that your best bet of getting into one of your top choices is to ED at Duke. Legacy matters there and coupled with ED, that gives you the best odds. Personally I would not throw away that chance for a sliver of a chance at MIT.
sure some of my reaches may see the 32, but once again the averages at my reaches are only ~33. A 32 isnt that low.I admit that I am unlikely to get into HYPSM, either because my academics aren’t perfect or because my ECs aren’t the most incredible. I do think that my academics are generally pretty competitive considering the opportunity that I had I received 1 B in 9th grade, and have taken as many APs/dual enrollment classes that I have had space for. In all honesty the difference between a 4.0 and 3.8 is miniscule, and plenty of kids with my stats have been admitted to T20s. Plus a lot of T20s have stated that they dont use APs in admissions.
I am considering applying ED to Duke simply because I do know that chances at these schools are low and EDing Duke is a boost for legacy. My question now is whether or not I would get more of a boost from EDing Duke or EDing Northwestern.
yep, and students with comparatively low GPAs, ACT scores, ECs, Essays, Recs, etc… get in every year. It is absurd to think that just because some kids with perfect stats get rejected from T20s that all kids that attend T20s have perfect stats. The class profiles don’t show that, and it is impossible that all T20s admit are perfect students.
Just because kids with 4.0s get rejected from HYPSM doesn’t mean that you need a 4.0 to have a chance to get in. What my question is, is whether or not I meet the academic level that you need to even be considered at these schools. All I have gotten is people saying that since I didn’t have a 4.0 and a 36 ACT that I was going to be rejected. AP exams aren’t important in admissions, so I dont understand why some people cite the 3 as a reason for rejection, especially since I did well in the class. I am not trying to be that guy who thinks that he can get into Harvard with F’s, but saying that a 3.8+ GPA and an average ACT at T20s isn’t the least bit competitive makes no sense.
@ToxicityXD “I am not trying to be that guy who thinks that he can get into Harvard with F’s, but saying that a 3.8+ GPA and an average ACT at T20s isn’t the least bit competitive makes no sense.”
I think what people are trying to explain to you is that kids with lower than average test scores and gpa’s that get into T20 schools usually have a hook of some kind. The only hook you have is legacy at Duke. This is why posters are recommending that you apply ED to Duke. Your chances at admissions at the other T20 schools, imo, are much lower than your odds of admissions to Duke.
Here are my thoughts:
Your chances of acceptance if you don’t apply are 0%. Keep that in mind. You’ll never know if you don’t apply.
Things you have going for you:
1> You will be published as a high school student, puts you in a very small group of people
2> It appears you have real volunteer work. What I mean is you appear to have a legitimate reason to do it and aren’t doing it for the sole purpose of ornamenting your resume.
Challenges:
1> Your stats are low-average (GPA average, Test scores average, AP scores low, and you have no opportunity to get a 5 on an AP before the application cycle)
2> Your other ECs show no leadership at all
Things you can influence or change in your application to help increase your chance of acceptance
1> Get a leadership position in something your first semester your Senior year
2> When you write your essays and get Letters of Recommendation be deliberate about it. Find out what the University is passionate about and make sure your essays and LORs show you have that passion too. If it is using your experience helping your brother and how that is driving you to find ways to improve life for people with CP or families who live helping people with CP and how University X shares that passion for medical research and your lifelong dream is to make a difference in that space. Talk to your teachers and let them know your passion and why University y will help make a difference with your passion. Ask them to include how they see you living this in their LORs. IF YOU WRITE AN ESSAY THAT TELLS THE UNIVERSITY HOW GREAT YOU ARE AT SKEET SHOOTING AND IF YOUR TEACHERS SEND IN A GENERIC RECOMMENDATION YOU WILL BE REJECTED AT ALL OF YOUR REACHES.
3> Pick the school that you think will most match your passion and apply ED or SCEA to it depending on which one they offer. For some schools like UChicago, the acceptance rate at ED1 is significantly higher then the RD round. Of course, make sure A> You love the school and B> You can afford the school.
4> You may want to put a higher priority on Duke as you are a legacy and maybe look at your reaches and ask are some more attainable then others (for example GA Tech and CMU might be less of a reach then UChicago and Harvard)
Your list is far too exotic and reach-heavy. The GPA and ACT is low for virtually all of these elite schools, so I wouldn’t count on an acceptance from any of them. UNC is also not a safety. Your stats are average, and they have a 30% acceptance rate. It’s a reach. You have an 80% chance of admissions to NCSU based on your stats. That would be a good safety option. At this rate, you’re going to have a big list of rejections and you’ll wind up going to NCSU, possibly UNC if you’re lucky enough. 
the in state acceptance rate for UNC is 50%, and I am above their requirements. You have to be joking lol
I think you @ToxicityXD and @coolguy40 are both right. If you go in with just your stats to carry you 50% get rejected and you could be rejected.
My oldest was a lot like you with higher stats and 5s on all but one AP (4 in AP Physics Newtonian Mechanics) and he had like 12 APs. His ACT was 34 (same as you) his SAT was 1490. UW GPA of 3.99 W GPA of 4.40. We toured GA Tech and he fell in love with it. During the admissions presentation the Director of Admissions said specifically "At GA Tech we are looking specifically for X and Y. He winked at the group and said “It would be wise to include how you would do that in your life in your essays.” My very “wise” son thought he knew better and wrote an essay on how as a CS major he wanted to break the mold of the IT nerd and still spend his time backpacking and camping. No mention of X and Y (something along the lines of making the world a better place, etc). He was waitlisted and accepted very late in the cycle to a point where he had already decided to go to another university.
The moral of the story, even with your stats, a university can reject you if you rely on those stats alone.
The posters on this thread are trying to give you a realistic perspective. Look at the results threads on CC for all of your reach schools from last year to see what kind of students got rejected. Every year there are students that apply to too many reaches and don’t get into any of them and then are upset they have to attend a safety they do not like. The average ACT at some schools may be a bit lower because of the hooked applicants such as recruited athletes, underrepresented minorities, first generation students etc. Unhooked applicants such as white males from well to do college educated parents are a dime a dozen at your reach schools. You need to be above the 75 percent mark to be competitive. Your ED will get you more bang for the buck at Duke, or you can retake the ACT and try to pull your scores up to the 34-36 range. Duke legacy doesn’t pull much weight in the RD round. Duke assumes you will go elsewhere if admitted elsewhere because you didn’t ED. In recent years, Duke has been filling more than half its class with people of color. Many of your reach schools are also trying to increase their diversity.
@ToxicityXD Not joking Totally serious. I entered your stats into Prepscholar and it came back with a 35% chance of getting in. This means that you don’t want to rely on this school as a safety. NCSU gave a comfortable 80% acceptance chance, so this would be a good safety…but based on the list I’m seeing, chances are, you’re GOING to NCSU whether you want to or not. Make sure your safety is a school you would WANT to go to. There’s still that other 20% that could still bite you, just in case NCSU gets overwhelmed this year, perhaps. You need to put a couple more safeties like UNCC. Colleges have had record numbers of applicants over the last couple of years.
@ToxicityXD unlike many of the people on this thread, I personally agree with you that it’s possible that UNC is a safety for you. You should probably look at the naviance graphs but you scores are good enough. Many of the posters are talking about your application as if you were out of state and applying for a super competitive major such as Georgia Tech CS or NYU business. Since you are instate and chemistry is not super competitive, that increases your chances exponentially. As for your chances to T20s, with below average scores and solid but not exceptionally ECs, they are not great. It is still worth applying though, especially to Duke as a legacy and local applicant. I would apply ED. And if UNC is actually a safety based on naviance, you are in a position that many would envy. You have a good chance to attend one of the top schools in the country at an in-state price so even if you don’t get into top 20 schools, you can still feel really great about where you are going.
The ACT 25% for the fall of 2017 was 28, and the 75% was 33. The OPs score of 32 places him below the 75% for incoming freshmen. To me… that is a match for UNC and not a solid safety. Keep in mind that the school is actively recruiting low income students and students from rural areas of NC. The OP does not appear to be in this demographic. If Naviance shows he is clearly in the green zone…100%… then maybe it’s a safety based on last year’s data. Calling it a safety or a match today will depend on one’s comfort level… IMO.
The OP has a list of reaches and high reaches, with one likely (NC State) and one match/safety (UNC).
This student needs to reduce his list of reaches and add some more safety and target schools. He does not seem to fully understand who and what he is up against… despite being a good student.
You are right @ToxicityXD .
The instate acceptance rate is INSANE around 50% +
and your profile looks very decent for the instate. Good luck.