Chances @ UPenn, Harvard, MIT, and Berkeley

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Hello everyone, I just finished my Junior year of high school and am trying to figure out where I stand among the mass that apply to Ivy Leagues every year. However, I have a slightly different situation when it comes to schooling.</p>

<p>By the time I graduate, I will have spent two years as a PSEO (Post-Secondary Enrollment Options) student at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. This means that I will graduate High School with 4 full time and on campus semesters at a college (around 48 credits!).</p>

<p>I'm also extremely successful in extracurricular activities:
Speech (forensics) - Since Freshman year, State Champion
FIRST Robotics - Since Freshman year, Team Captain & State Champion
Band - Played the Saxophone for 6 years, in the Jazz Band for 2</p>

<p>However, I am not the best at taking exams such as the ACT and SAT Subject tests (just the way I am!). My scores are as follows:</p>

<p>GPA - 3.522 (unweighted). Keep in mind that both Junior and Senior year have/will be spent at the University of Minnesota.
ACT - 30 (Plan on taking it once more, should be able to get 32 at least)
SAT Subject Tests - Have to take Math 2, Biology E: 610 (plan on taking again)</p>

<p>Obviously I will try to improve my ACT and Subject Test Scores in the coming months, but how do you see my chances? Attending a University for two years as a PSEO student clearly demonstrates that I push myself academically, and I have many accomplishments in extracurriculars.</p>

2

<p>Bump!</p>

3

<p>Hello: You mention that by the time you graduate you will have spent 2 years in the PSEO program. Does this mean you have already taken some college classes? If so what were your grades?</p>

<p>3.5 GPA doesn’t seem that great, its a mix of As and Bs. If you are getting Bs in college courses, this is really not much different than getting a B in an AP class. The Ivy league ad coms will appreciate that you took harder college classes, but not getting As in them will certainly not be looked upon favorably.</p>

<p>The rest of your ECs seem pretty average for Ivys. As you already guessed, the ACT/SAT scores need to rise considerably for you to be taken seriously. Hypothetically speaking, even if you were to raise your standardized test scores you don’t really have anything that jumps out. </p>