Chances for urm at top schools

<p>Stats:</p>

<p>Junior</p>

<p>2370 SAT (800Math 800CR 770Wr)
4.0ish W (Yea not so strong) about (3.5-3.6 uw)
SAT II Math IIC, Physics, and US expecting 770+
No class rank, but 1st decile
African American
Very competitive public (aka 90+% to 4 yr colleges)
Junior yr sched 5 AP's
Senior yr sched 4 AP's (3 math/sci+ap eng)
Expecting NMSF and Natl Achievement SF(226 PSAT in NJ) and AP scholar awards</p>

<p>Quiz Bowl Team member-highly ranked team that always goes to nationals (2 years)
Tutoring (2 years I put a lot of time into this)
Italian NHS (VP now Pres next yr)
Habitat for Humanity (3 yrs)
Chess Team (2 yrs)
NHS (starting next yr)
Orchestra (2 yrs)
Copious Volunteering- Started in Middle School Really
Summer of 2006-Traveled to Nigeria
Summer of 2007-Chemical engineering research at reputable university</p>

<p>Prospective major: Chemical engineering, mechanical engineering, or economics</p>

<p>Prospective schools:
Stanford (SCEA)
Harvard
Princeton
MIT
Cornell Engineering
Brown
University of Michigan at Ann Arbor
Columbia SEAS
Rutgers </p>

<p>Also, any ideas of some more schools to apply to... preferably safties? Thanks in advance for your responses.</p>

<p>bumppppppp..........</p>

<p>If you're a URM, you're definitely getting accepted to one of those schools on your list.</p>

<p>What helps is the research you've done, which clearly shows how excited, as well as serious, you are about your desired major.</p>

<p>All you need is to win them over with the essay. Don't make it to obvious and attempt to persuade them that you are what they are looking for. Just show your dedication, passion, and interest for your desired major, as well as sharing positive experiences or philosophies you've had through life.</p>

<p>You're probably in at MIT, since they are really affirmative action. They're the place for engineering, so I say apply to them EA.</p>

<p>I would say to add one safety, probably BU, and you're set.</p>

<p>Thanks about BU and trust me, MIT is either 2nd or 3rd on my list :)</p>

<p>bump........</p>

<p>w o w</p>

<p>b u m p</p>

<p>Stanford (SCEA) - Match/Reach
Harvard - Reach
Princeton - Reach
MIT - Match/Reach
Cornell Engineering - Match
Brown - Match
University of Michigan at Ann Arbor - Match
Columbia SEAS - Match
Rutgers - Safety</p>

<p>If you were white or Asian, I think I'd change the Matches to Reaches because affirmative action really does have a great bearing on college admissions.</p>

<p>Another safety: University of Chicago
Another match: UC - Berkeley (good for chemical engineering)
Another reach (that you still might want to check out): California Institute of Technology</p>

<p>id say you have excellent chances to get into one of the ivies, stanford, mit since you're black. id be extremely suprised if you didnt get into the others.</p>

<p>i wish i was an urm</p>

<p>You're 3.5-3.6 is really weak, luckily, MIT doesn't seem to care much about GPA for minorities (I knows some low 3's that got in), so you should probably get in there.</p>

<p>Other schools...a crapshoot (besides Rutgers, Mich)...but you'll get into a few.</p>

<p>UChicago doesn't have engineering but they do have pretty much the best econ. department in the world. If your looking to do the engineering thing MIT is where its at... if you go econ. UofC.</p>

<p>3.5-3.6 uw is weak?</p>

<p>it's weak when you're applying to that caliber of schools. don't you know that you'll be competing with a huge pool of 3.9x's and 4.0's?</p>

<p>but fortunately enough for you, since you're a URM, it's a different game and standards.</p>

<p>A 3.5-3.6 isn't weak as long as it is justified. Make sure you portray yourself as always having challenged yourself with the toughest courseload.</p>

<p>Your test scores are smash-banging, your ECs are balanced with good leadership and academic content. In terms of stats, you are pretty much in everywhere.... but, you need to prove that you aren't a:
a. genius slacker that knows all but tries not at all
b. head-in-book workaholic, but your musical/language ECs could prove to be vital in an essay
c. personality lacking "try-hard"-er that wants to excel in everything but not develop a character.</p>

<p>I'm not accusing you of any of this, I am saying that this is what gets kids with great stats rejected from schools. Good luck, go jersey! btw, what district are you from?</p>

<p>I have taken the most challenging courseload available at our school. I may be a little bit of number 1 but not 2 and 3. I am from Livingston.</p>

<p>b u mp</p>