Pretty low chances for Stanford and Harvard; You don’t have much to distinguish yourself from other top students with same stats. There are literally thousands of students like you: president of clubs, almost perfect SAT, good GPA, etc.
@ACEPLUS Thanks for the feedback. I would be interested to hear why you say that. I have published Econ research in a major high school research journal. I have worked at the lab of a big-time professor at Columbia and helped in research that was published in one of the top medical journals. Plus I have had actual work experience is a very hot biotech start up that has secured a lot of financing from top VCs.
My GC told me that these would help me differentiate myself from other high stats kids. Of course I am sure that there will be some other applicants with similar or stronger profiles but what makes you say I will have very low chances?
@CaliDad2020 Thanks for the advice! For Penn my first choice would be M&T but I will put SEAS as my second choice I think. I know M&T is super hard to get in but do you think it is harder or easier than Harvard or Stanford?
@ivyoxbridge1 I think it’s hard to compare Penn M&T to any “regular” admission as it only usually admits like 50? +/- students per year, a good % of those being women + international, so “chancing” you being one of the 30 or so US male students who get in is just beyond my predictive powers!
However, if you’re ok with going to Penn even if you are not selected for Fisher then overall I think admit stats suggest your Penn RD application is more or at worst no less likely to be successful than Stanford or Harvard.
I’m no adcom and my guess is you have a very good shot at one of those 3 schools absent some unusual weakness in your app. But I’ll just repeat my advice:
- Don’t be overconfident in crafting your app. Schools, like spouses, want to know “they’re the one.”
- Be sure to have a good safety plan, just in case the unimaginable happens. You’ll sleep better for it. (or, at least, I will…! lol)
This a very strong application. IMO you have a good shot at Harvard / Stanford. I wouldn’t worry much about safeties.
As for Oxbridge, it could be a problem, especially for Cambridge if you have not taken AP exams. I know these schools do not offer AP classes. They are probably favorable towards your type of school,are mostly interested in straight academics, and you are probably way above there average students academically. However, they probably wouldn’t look much at your class rank.
@CaliDad2020 Thanks for the info! Yes Penn would be my third choice after Harvard and Stanford even if i do not get into M&T. If I got into M&T I would consider Penn over Stanford or Harvard but that is a pointless discussion without any acceptances at hand. I only wish I will face such a first-world dilemma in a few months LOL.
And yes I am for sure not taking anything for granted. i know how insanely competitive all these schools are.
I agree that OP is extremely qualified and competitive but Stanford is a lottery school. No way to chance anyone with that low of an acceptance rate. All any applicant can do is apply and hope for the best.
As I told my D last year - don’t take the result of any 1 school as a an indication of your qualifications when applying to schools with such low admit rates. Institutional needs might mean you won’t get into 1 specific school - especially for this specific class - but you’ll get into some of them if not most.
@sattut The idea that anyone on CC, without seeing a student’s recs, the naviance #s of any other of his school’s Stanford REA applicants, art portfolio, ethnic BG, sports talent etc. can assume this student has a 2 in 3 shot at Stanford is silly.
None of those 4 schools sends more than 5 students a year to Stanford. Choate is closer to 2 or 3. The OP has great stats, but so will the other kids applying to top schools. Stanford will take ~ 50% women from those schools. Maybe a fencer or tennis player or coxswain or published poet.
@ivyoxbridge1 will get in someplace great - quite possibly Stanford - but if I was a student, I would not bet my academic future expecting those kind of odds on one of the most selective schools out there…
I wouldn’t put him at 63% for Stanford, It seemed less out of line than 5% though That is what I meant to imply… There are so many applicants not as well qualified. The test scores and class rank are really good, but I agree that the ECs are not particularly strong. However, OP will likely get into some very good schools on the list he mentions.
What’s the most impressive is your rank and how you excel at your prep school. I believe prep school applicants generally have a slightly better chance of getting accepted to these top schools. All Ivies are still reaches, as they are for just about everyone, but you have pretty good chances relative to most who apply. Make sure your essays are great.
Trying to quantify the chances is futile. OP definitely has great chances, but no one has over 50% chance of acceptance at Stanford unless they have a perfect profile AND come from a major legacy and donor family or they are international math champions or sth equivalent.
@ivyoxbridge1 Unfortunately too many high school students have very similar stats to yours.
I would recommend asking your guidance department. You are not going to get an accurate answer on CC. Maybe 200 students a year have that level of class rank from a top prep school and a similar number from elite public high schools. Plus you obviously have a high quality of education and there may still be some advantages due to perceived background. I am not sure about Harvard and Stanford, but I would chance OP as a favorite at any of the other schools.
These schools generally send about 10% of the class to HYPS, so top 5% should mean a good chance. Obviously, many of those accepted have other hooks. OP also has close to perfect test scores, which may be standard for students of his class rank.
The reality is @ivyoxbridge1 GC will have the best idea of the OPs chances.
OP’s GC will know who is applying where and what their stats are. If Ivy has an honest GC and really wants to know where he stands, he already has a good idea of his chances.
A top prep school GC’s assessment won’t be bulletproof - and any decent GC will tell a student that - but they will know how many kids from their school are recruited athletes, major legacies, being actively courted, or just have better stats or hooks. They will let a student know where they estimate the kid falls in the “line.” If Stanford then takes a few less than usual, the kid could still be rejected even if stats suggest he’s got a good shot, and if they take a few more than normal, bubble student may be pleasantly surprised. But any top Prep School kid gets better insight from their college office, with its years of info, relationships and experience than anyone here could give.
@CaliDad2020 my GC thinks I have a good chance in all of these schools. Obviously we have discussed that Stanford, Harvard and Penn M&T are incredibly hard to get in for anyone, even for people with major national awards
However my school sends a ton of people to the ivies and ivy-equivalents so I trust her when she says i have a decent chance and I am not punching above my weight here. She thinks my chances are very good for the rest of my reaches, Penn (not M&T), Columbia, Cornell, Duke and Dartmouth.
Btw I am almost certain i will be substituting UChicago with Dartmouth on my list because UChicago apparently takes over 70% of their class early now so RD is insanely hard (people on the UChicago forum say like 2% acceptance rate). I would be interested to hear people’s perspectives on this.
I’d say you’re in for at least 5 of those schools.
Again, I think you will, unless there is some hidden “poison pill” in your app, get into at least 1 and likely quite a few of those schools. I was more speaking specifically to Stanford EA. They just don’t take that many students. Many, even with amazing stats, get left without a chair. It’s no reflection on applicants, but a reflection on #s.
My only question in regard swapping Dartmouth for Chicago is more personal: Hannover for Chicago?
I understand being motivated by “rep” of school, esp for someone wanting to get into upper eschalons of Biz/engineering out the gate, and obviously you are now at a school where you should have a great sense of what Dartmouth environment is like, but Hannover is different from Chicago is different from West Philly is different from Palo Alto is different from La Jolla.
Given that you’ll likely have some options probably also worth considering where you want to spend you next 4 years (and even where you want to get your first job.)
And lastly, really make sure you work on your apps with a strong specificity for each school you apply to. Students have asked me to look at their apps over the years and it’s surprising sometimes little ways applicants “telegraph” that they aren’t as familliar with/interested in a school as they pretend to be.
Good luck. You’ll have a great outcomes, just don’t take anything for granted and it will work out great.
Columbia and Chicago may be your best shots if you can get your research adivsor at Columbia to go to bat for you in Admissions. Chicago likes hard workers. Penn, if you can specifically address Why Penn in your supplemental essays. If you are dead set on an ivy, I’d add Cornell to your list. Let us know in the end, where you are accepted.
^yes I will be applying to Cornell and Columbia. Will not be applying to UChicago for the reason mentioned above. I have already talked to the professor and he has written a LOR for me. Thanks for the suggestion though! And yes will keep you guys posted!