Chances (Yale, Brown, Georgetown)

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>I want to know if I have any sort of chance at Brown, Yale, or Georgetown (my top 3 choices as of now). Please be honest.
I'm a junior at an extremely competitive private high school.</p>

<p>Citizenship: German (my first language is German, my second language is English)</p>

<p>GPA:
3.93 unweighted.
My school does not rank, but I would be in the top 10%.</p>

<p>Rigor of classes:
Toughest curriculum possible at my school. We have a minimal number of honors and AP classes offered (last year in my history class we got 3 hours of homework a night and that wasn't even honors). We also can't take APs before junior year. But regardless. Honors: Chemistry, Latin IV, American Literature. AP: US History, Calculus AB. PLanned courses for next year: AP Latin V, Honors World Literature, AP Biology, class at Princeton University in history (I need to apply, but usually all applicants from my school get in)</p>

<p>Test scores:
PSAT: 207 (69 critical reading, 68 math, 70 writing)
SAT II: 760 in German
I plan to take the SAT II in Writing, Math II, and US History.
I plan to take the ACT. I got a 30 on my first practice test, and the class is supposed to improve your score by 4 points, so I'm hoping for a 32-34.</p>

<p>Academic Honors:
New Jersey Governor's School nominee (haven't gotten results back yet)
National Latin Exam- 3 time gold-medalist
Red-Ribbon Certificate (akin to Honor Roll) received at end of the year- both 9th and 10th grade
Certificate of Outstanding Academic Achievement: Algebra II, Latin II, Biology, Latin III, English 10 (British Literature), Modern European History
Certificate of High Achievement for National Science Olympiad in Biology
Science Bowl- semifinalists in New Jersey in 2006 competition
We also get many more honors at the end of the year, as my school awards different university and subject awards, and I should get some of those.</p>

<p>Sports:
Tennis- 3 years on junior varsity team, including 2 as number 1 singles and doubles. "Most Improved Player Award" in 10th grade.
Tae Kwon Do- 1st Degree Black Belt.
Skiing- 13 years.</p>

<p>Music:
Clarinet- 6 years.</p>

<p>School Clubs:
Model UN
Red Cross Club (vice-president)
Science Bowl
Summer Reading Committee (co-chair)
Young Democrats</p>

<p>Academic Activities:
Academic Summer Associates Oxford Session (1)- 1 month program at Oxford, classes taken in Western Civilization and International Relations (got straight As and can get excellent recommendations from professors if needed)</p>

<p>Community Service:
Volunteer at Mercer County Geriatric Center- 2 summers (total of about 80 hours)
Volunteer at Summer Stars (outreach program that works with young children)- 2 summers (total of about 60 hours)
Volunteer at Loaves and Fishes (soup kitchen)
Volunteer at StuArts (program that works with young children)- 2 summers (total of about 50 hours)
Walked and raised money for New Jersey Alzheimer's Walk</p>

<p>Financial Aid:
Not planning to apply.</p>

2

<p>as it is now, they are all reaches.</p>

3

<p>Thank you for replying. Oh trust me I know. I would like to mention that my school is seriously insanely competitive- this year so far out of 40 girls in the graduating class (Catholic all-girls school) about 10 have gotten into Ivies or similar (2 to Yale, 2 to Penn, 1 to Cornell, 1 to Dartmouth, 1 to Georgetown, 1 to Williams, 1 to Johns Hopkins, and some more that I forget). The majority of these girls have worse records than me, at least academically, I don't know everything that they are involved in extracurricularly.</p>

4

<p>At this point its hard to gauge your app because your GPA is not complete (junior year is usually the toughest and the one that usually can bring down the GPA) and we only have your PSAT to work with. The fact those kids got in probably just means your school is recognized by universiites as being difficult so GPA they give some leniency. However, you have to do well on the SAT. For those schools (even gtown is considered a pseudo ivy now) u will want to shoot for a 2200-2250 to be competitive. Your exc are gerat in quantity but do something unique and interesting, something not alot of ppl can do like Internships because anyone can work in a soup kitchen.</p>

5

<p>First of all, thanks so much for the reply and advice. Now to my actual reply: True. Well, I've gotten only A-'s, A's, and A+'s in high school. But A+'s only count for a 4.0. So far my first trimester of junior year, I got an A in AP US, an A+ in Calculus, an A in Latin Honors, an A- in American Lit Honors, and an A- in Physics. And my grades have been steadily improving in physics (I think I have an A/A+ right now) and English (we've only gotten one test back, but I got an A+ on that) so maybe with some luck I could actually have straight A's at the end of the year. Well, if I do well enough on the ACT I don't really want to take the SAT because standardized testing is something I am truly bad at (that is in comparison to my grades) and I don't want to screw it up and have to send the score. I shall see. Well, I plan on working at the foreign relations bureau back home in Munich this summer in June, and then if I don't get into Governor's School for July, I want to do archaeology in Pompeii. Will that work?</p>

6

<p>The only slight weak point I see in your app is your SAT- you really need to aim for 2100+ (and atleast 1400 on maths + verbal).</p>

7

<p>I know. As said, standardized testing has always been my weak point. I know I can improve though, I already improved by 14 points from my sophmore psat. Now that one was truly pathetic. However, a question: is it necessary to take both the ACT and SAT? We are required by my school to take the ACT. I already got a 30 on the first practice one, and the Princeton Review course that I'm taking is supposed to improve your score by about 4 points. Even if it doesn't do that much, wouldn't a 32 still be better than a 2100 on the SAT? I know most colleges accept the ACT with writing instead of the SAT, but do they look unfavorably upon you if you don't take the SAT?</p>

8

<p>If your better at your ACT, take it instead. You'll still need to send in your SAT II scores though, and your SAT 1 is sent along with it.</p>

9

<p>I think I'm better at the ACT with more practice. Well, then perhaps it would be better not to take the SAT I at all unless I screw up the ACT really badly. And even then I can at least take that multiple times. It somehow just sounds like a much more positive option.</p>

10

<p>Trying to save this thread from dissappearing...I apologize for the pointless post but as soon as it leaves page 1 it's as good as gone.</p>

11

<p>if german is your native language how did you get 760 on the test??</p>

12

<p>As others have said, raise that SAT score. I think you stand a much better chance at Yale and Brown with a higher SAT. As for Gtown, I think it's a match.</p>

13

<p>^^I was sick on test day and made some very stupid mistakes. Also I am horrible at standardized testing compared to my grades, and I get very nervous. It's actually difficult when it's your first language because you don't really think about the grammar when speaking it, and then when it comes up, when you haven't learned grammar formally since 3rd grade, you make silly mistakes. I've lived in America for 8 years, so while I speak German at home every day perfectly, and read German, I haven't learned the grammar formally in school, so a few things I don't think about when speaking and are generally ignored in speaking come up. I'm thinking about submitting an essay in German to show that I can actually write it fluently, and will certainly explain my SAT II situation if it comes up.
^Thanks. I'm planning to take the ACT anyway (we're required to) and then based on that I'll decide whether to take the SAT. But if I do have to take the SAT, I'll certainly take a class beforehand, and do more practice problems. In my prep for the PSAT, I only really did math (as I'd only gotten a 58 on that in sophmore year) and ignored prepping for Critical Reading and Writing. Stupid now, as I could have brought up my score in those areas, but oh well.</p>

14

<p>Wait till you take the SAT's before you plan your college list.
The PSAT is much shorter than the SAT and has terrible curving.
I went up 160 points from the PSAT to SAT in just a year.. without any prep in between.</p>

<p>I'd say that if you get 2100+, you are in Georgetown.
Brown is a crapshoot unles you get your scores to 1550+ in M + V.. or 34+ on ACT.
Yale.. well, it's a reach for everyone, but good luck!</p>

15

<p>It's not my college list, just my dream colleges.
Alright. Thanks.
Well, on the collegeboard they say that the median scores for Brown on the SAT are:
670 - 770 M
660 - 760
And ACT:
27 - 33.
So if my ACT goes as planned, I probably won't even take the SAT.
Thank you. :)</p>

16

<p>Again: Trying to save this thread from dissappearing...I apologize for the pointless post but as soon as it leaves page 1 it's as good as gone.</p>

17

<p>Bump. I would really like to know my chances for Georgetown and Brown, Yale I know I have a .01% shot at. Please?</p>

18

<p>Bump. Please!!!!!
Oh, if it makes any difference for Georgetown, since it is Catholic, I go to a Sacred Heart (Catholic all-girls) school and I'm Catholic.</p>

19

<p>I like your chances at Georgetown, especially since you come from a catholic school. You seem well rounded enough, if I was a dean I'd definetly keep me eye on you. Just keep up the hard work and you can do anything, especially Brown, cause Brown kids rock. You have to believe in yourself as well. Why should a dean believe you are right for their school especially if you dont think you are? Best of luck!</p>

20

<p>Thanks!:)
I do believe in myself. But there are so many well-qualified applicants that I don't want to get my hopes up.</p>