Chances to get into at least one of these?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

Hi! So I applied to Stanford REA and got deferred. Apparently this isn’t a terrible thing though, since they defer about 8% of applicants. Now I am applying to the following RD as an English major (except USC, which is Journalism):

Brown
Columbia
UPenn
USC
Rice
UChicago

Testing: 33 ACT (35 English, 30 Math, 35 Reading, 31 Science)

Weighted GPA (don’t know if my school even does unweighted): 4.52. I also sent my college transcript, on which my college GPA is a 3.9 I think…don’t know if that will matter or help.

Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 2/72

Dual Credit coursework: I will graduate with ~66 college credit hours

Senior Year Course Load: 4 Dual Credit classes each semester and one regular mandatory class

Awards:

School: Best English Student, Best Overall Freshman, President’s Scholar
State: UIL Scholar

Extracurriculars:

  • UIL Spelling & Vocabulary (9,10,12, Co-Captain)
  • Flute (9-12, outside of school)
  • Dance/Choreography (9-12, also outside of school)
  • Junior Class Council (11-12, Transition Adviser)
  • Senior Class Council (12, President)
  • NHS (11-12, Vice President)
  • Student Ambassadors (9-12, Senior Officer)
  • Teen Court (9-12)

Job/Work Experience:

  • Old Navy Sales Associate and Sales & Training Coach (10-12)
  • Journalism/News Intern for Fusion Communications Corp. (11-12)

My Common App essay for Stanford is about being gay and how growing up I was bullied a lot day in and day out, my father being both verbally and physically abusive, having alcoholics for parents, etc and how I overcame all of it.

I changed my essay out for the other schools because I ended up writing another one for my RD schools. It still briefly mentioned all the hardships and all that but it mainly focused on why I love writing and English; it was passionate and everyone who read it really liked it.

Teacher Recommendations: Both are probably pretty good, I also got one from my manager which was glowing, and my counselor. I haven’t read any of the other three.

State (if domestic applicant): Texas
School Type: Charter
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: ~78K, but it’s a bit more complicated than that
Hooks: First Generation

I would very much appreciate answers for the RD schools and Stanford as accept, waitlist, or reject. Thanks!

2

I believe you have a reasonable acceptance probability for all the universities you’ve cited – which is unusual and great – with two exceptions:

  • Stanford - a long reach for almost everyone
  • USC - a match, possibly even a low match
3

Decent enough chances at all of them that i’d apply if I liked the schools - significantly higher chances at USC and Rice.

No one can really give you an accurate chance at top-schools, see: http://mitadmissions.org/blogs/entry/no_chance

And this article is cool too - talks about rejection, but cites a cool study about salaries in top schools (like Columbia) and mid level schools (like USC) with qualified applicants (like you)
http://content.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2063935,00.html

Good luck, and remember to stay classy!

4

Do you not have any safety schools?

5

@suzy100 I already got into UT Austin and I’m hoping I’ll be in at Tulane as well. These are just my reaches obviously.

6

Stanford - Reach
Brown - Low Reach
Columbia - Low Reach
UPenn - Low Reach
USC - Match
Rice - Low Reach
UChicago - Low Reach
Chance back: http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1728527-chance-an-international-student.html#latest

7

There’s no logical reason you’d be rejected from any of these; you’ve got a solid app. But of course, these schools are highly selective and often fickle so even though your chances are high, I’d recommend having a safety school or two

8

Rice Low Reach/Match
Uchicago Reach
Columbia Low Reach
USC Match
Upenn match

chance back please?
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1729235-what-are-my-chances-will-chance-back-immediately-add-link.html#latest

9

Stanford is a reach for everyone

10

Brown: Accepted
Columbia: Waitlist
UPenn: Rejected
USC: Accepted
Rice: Accepted
UChicago: Waitlist

chance me back
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1727267-homeless-to-harvard-chance-me-chance-back.html#latest

11

Note that a “wait list” at Stanford isn’t much help. Of the last three years, it looks like maybe 7 got in off the wait list of over 2,000. A couple of those years it was zero, according to the common data set.

12

@JustOneDad‌ it isn’t a waitlist. I was deferred, which is a huge difference. Only 8% of REA apps are deferred, while 10 percent are accepted. That means I was NOT in the 82% rejected, and that is a fact of which I’m pretty proud. And ~15% of deferrees are admitted RD.

13

Stanford - Reach
Brown - Low Reach
Columbia - Low Reach
UPenn - Low Reach
USC - Low Reach
Rice - Low Reach
UChicago - Match

Hope you get stanford mate :slight_smile:

14

Hope you get into Stanford! You seem like an interesting applicant. I’m sure you’ll get into at least one, outside of Stanford (and hopefully Stanford too).

Brown - Low reach
Columbia - Low reach
UPenn - Low reach
USC - Match
Rice - High match
UChicago - High match

15

Oops, I should have seen that. Well, you’re up to the 15% level. Is there something spectacular you can do that will come in by decision time?

16

@JustOneDad I gained my Senior Officer leadership position in Ambassadors after submitting my app, and I also helped organize a blood drive and breast cancer awareness campaign (however I included both of these campaigns in descriptions for one of my ECs). I was also recently named a President’s Scholar at the college I go to for dual enrollment (didn’t get it till December, after I submitted). I’m also working on finishing my first lyrical album, and I’m now on track to graduate Summa Cum Laude. I acted as Homecoming Chair this year and basically put together the dance. I don’t really know what else I could do. Any suggestions?

17

Brown-reach
Columbia- reach
UPenn-reacg
USC-slight match
Rice- slight reach
UChicago- slight reach.
A good essay should get you into all of your top choice schools

18

Thank all of you for chancing me. It helps a lot with anxiety even if it doesn’t really mean much! I’ll definitely update this thread with my final decisions.

19

Generally, the kinds of things that stick out are when you compete in something and advance beyond your school to State or even National recognition. It appears that you are from a small school. Are you also from a small town or rural area or is it small because it’s a charter school in a bigger city?

And, do you know where the #1 person in your class is applying?

20

I’m from a smallish town - the Val of my class is going to TAMU so no worries there.