<p>I'm a senior, half african american and half mexican, applying to USC and Stanford(early action) this year. I have about a 3.833 unweighted and a 4.125 weighted. my SAT is 1960 (620 CR, 670 M, 670 W). I'm a 4 year student government member, 3 year national honor society member (secretary, vice president), 3 year california scholarship federation member, 2 year basketball team captain, former vice president of the debate team and i started my own small clothing business while still in high school that I've been running for 2 years. I work in a senior home and for a non-profit basketball league. I got a 4 on the AP Stats exam and a 4 on the AP World exam. What are my chances of getting into Stanford, USC and UCLA??
Thanks!</p>
<p>Stanford and USC good- very active in recruiting African Americans & Chicanos, so your background is a strong plus, in addition to your good grades & SAT. UCLA by law is not allowed to consider race. But they can consider various types of disadvantaged status. That means if you have an abuela who crossed the Rio Grande, or a parent who experienced discrimination, etc be sure to work that into your essay. Hopefully you speak some Spanish- be sure to include that in your essay. You are the future of California- bi/tri cultural (and hopefullynbilingual) and Cal. Schools are going to love that. Weave that theme into your essay for all the schools and be sure to highlight any discrimination/disadvantage that you/your family has faced.</p>
<p>…since when is 1960 a good SAT score? it’s lower than stanford’s 25% mark and the small difference between the 3.83 unweighted and the 4.13 weighted indicates a not-so-stellar course load (only 2 ap’s?)</p>
<p>Granted, a lot depends on your background (and i’m not referring to race here; I’m talking things like how many ap’s your school offered) You have a shot certainly, due to your relatively strong ECs and family background, but i wouldn’t say ‘good’ just yet.</p>
<p>USC possible. Stanford, less so. I don’t know anything about UCLA</p>
<p>Stanford- Very high reach</p>
<p>UCLA- Low reach</p>
<p>USC- High match </p>
<p>Although your URM status gives you a bump, your stats and resume won’t make you that competitive in Stanford’s extremely competitive applicant pool. You are within range at UCLA however I feel your best shot will come at USC where your URM status will put you in the best position to be accepted. Good luck.</p>
<p>You can go to the link below, click on “Custom Tables”, answer some questions, and enter up to 3 “mean characteristics” at a time to see what the admit rates are for someone who matches your profile at all the UCs, including UCLA:</p>
<p>[University</a> of California: StatFinder](<a href=“http://statfinder.ucop.edu/]University”>http://statfinder.ucop.edu/)</p>
<p>squidgetx- my school operates on a specific block schedule makes it difficult for students to take very many AP classes and have very high grade point averages. i would have completed 7 out of the 10 APs offered at my school by the end of high school. I am currently the 2nd ranked student in my class and not very far off from the number one ranked student. i consider standardized testing to be my weakest thing. I brought it up from a 1760.</p>
<p>LottieM - I am fluent in french and spanish, both of which i mentioned on the common app. I also mentioned adversity I have faced in my life from growing up in a rough neighborhood, and being threatened by local gangs on a number of occasions</p>
<p>ThatGuyC - you are fine.
Squidge- schools view SAT scores of African Americ students with the knowledge that historically, regardless of socioeconomic factors, African Americans score considerably lower than whites. Ave SAT score for African American in 2010: 1300. </p>
<p>There are many theories - expounded on by Ivy league researchers in the fields of education, sociology and psychology as to why African Americans score low. </p>
<p>ThatGuy- I mentored an African American student here in NY with SAT of 1700- got into Cornell and got a fairly good financial aid package. The number of African American males attending 4 year colleges has been declining in the past decade- an alarming statistic. There are many good schools that will be very interested in you, and hopefully offer you some great aid.
Also- great about being trilingual ! Andale!</p>
<p>Work carefully on your essay to show all that you have overcome- and buena suerte!</p>
<p>Also be sure to apply to Occidental, Pomona, University of Redlands - they may offer you good financial aid. You want to widen the net, so to speak, and apply to a number of schools, so that you can compare financial aid packages. Try to keep your debt as low as possible.</p>
<p>Well here’s an update. I got differed to regular decision, which is basically a wait list, for Stanford. I’m currently waiting to hear from Santa Clara and USC as well as UCLA and UC Berkeley</p>