Dartmouth 2025 ED chance me? Or any other colleges I should ED to?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

I’m from a competitive Specialized HS in NYC, I am trying to figure out which college I should ED too, I’ve set my sights on Dartmouth, but I don’t think my application has too many hooks and my stats and EC are mediocre. Looking for advice on how to orient my application strongly and if I have a chance.

GPA: 4.0 UW/95.26
Have only taken 5 aps so far, but am Taking 4 for my senior year.

AP Scores:
AP World: 4
AP Environmental Science: 5
APUSH: 5
AP Psych: 4
AP Bio: 3

AP’s I’m Taking Senior year: Calc BC, Chem, Macroeconomics, United States Government and Politics

SAT:
1460

SAT II:
I wasn’t able to sign up because of COVID.

Rank:
N/A my school doesn’t rank (Note: My school is highly competitive and a bunch of kids are smarter than me but almost none apply ED to Dartmouth.

ECs:

  • Founded and Build a Chicken Coop (30 egg-laying chickens) in my backyard in the middle of Queens, NYC (Spent a lot of time running and maintaining it every week) Provides fresh eggs that I have sold to local restaurants and distributed in my local community during Corona Virus Pandemic (Lots of eggs, on a good week, produces 25-30 eggs a day)
  • Founded a voice to text Note taking app that can help students turn lectures into transcripts and app would summarize the main points, Has yet to be released (Do I like show it to them by including a download like or something?)
  • Director of Muslim Student Association(Raised 300$ for Yemen through Purehands) Organized, Fundraising events, participated in MIST competitions, Volunteer in the community
  • Secretary/ Doctors Assistant at Brooklyn Select Physicians once every week for 5 hrs for the last 2 years
  • Member of National Honors Society, volunteered and tutored to get in.

-Coordinator of Young Muslims Flushing- 3hrs a week on Friday nights, coming together discussing issues in our community and playing sports, (Last 5 Years), Coordinator for last 2. Raised 1000$ for the Kashmir Crisis with Helping Hand.

  • Key Club- 2 Hrs a week during the school year on weekends days vary. Last 3 Years. Going on marches, helping organize events.
  • Participated in the SYEP summer program that earned me 1 500$ tutoring students over the summer

-For-Last 3 years volunteered as a Boys Swimming instructed at the Fajr Memorial Foundation, Biweekly taught kids ages 6-13 swimming four two hours on Saturday mornings.

  • Member of Swim team, past three years, couldn't this year because of Pandemic

Major: I’m thinking of Premed, But honestly I’m interested in anything Sciency or interesting to like physics or computers.

I want to stand out, I know my stats and GPA are in the lower percentage of Dartmouth ED accepted students, But I want to know if I do my Essays and Phrase My extracurriculars well do I have a chance? Do you know any other top colleges if I ED to I can have a good chance of getting into?? Most students have like one focus that their ECs reflect, like interest in robotics, or interest in public speaking, I don’t know exactly the thematic and academic focuses of my Application yet.

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Also forgot to put AWARDS : AP scholar with distinction, 3 semesters principles honor roll, and Questbridge National College Match Finalist.

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Hey @TDREE, Dartmouth sophomore here. Just took a look at what you have here, and I think your stats, while not the highest, should be enough to qualify you for a chance at Dartmouth this year.

However, the main issue is that you seem very well rounded but without displaying much of a spike. That means you seem to do a bit of everything but don’t have a lot of accomplishments in any one thing except perhaps your religious involvement which is unrelated to your field of interest.

However, you can still have a shot if you fashion your application towards highlighting an aspect of your profile that fits your field. I would suggests saying you want to do premed majoring in biological sciences. Then, you highlight your time working with a physician and your time raising chickens, because both can fit in there. And the best thing is, few of your classmates would have raised chickens so it really showcases your uniqueness.

But beyond that, whether or not you have a shot at Dartmouth depends on showing the admissions team that you really want Dartmouth. In your why dartmouth essay and interview, get very Dartmouth-specific reasons together. What is it at Dartmouth that makes it your first choice? What sets it apart from its peer institutions (like the rest of the ivies) for you? If you can’t do that satisfactorily, your chances are low.

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You have significant hooks–lower income & Muslim.

Additionally, being a farmer in the middle of NYC may set you apart.

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Do you think focusing on me wanting to become a child psychiatrist and to help people who deal with speech impediments, something I faced as a kid(talked about in my personal statement), and how my work in a pediatric clinic also impacted my decision into wanting to do something in that field? I don’t want to sound too cliche and I’m not sure how to incorporate my chicken farm in all this

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If that is what you want to do, then I would definitley spend an essay on it, tying it in with your pedatric clinic experience. I would tie the chicken farm into a different essay, you have several to write.

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I would say use the pediatric thing in your common app essay, and maybe brush on the chicken farm including it as to why you want to major in biological sciences (just for when you’re applying to Dartmouth) and want to be premed, then maybe expand on it in a diff essay

However, the Dartmouth supplements are the Why Dartmouth essay and a second with many options. In this second one, you’d want to show the admission committee a new aspect of you that makes you unique, or a unique experience you’ve had. This means that while the chicken coop would work here, if there’s something you feel you really want to show them, go for it.

You will want to talk about the chicken coop at least briefly in an essay though, it is something most of your peers will not have done.

Also, make sure Dartmouth is the place you want to go when applying ED. They will review your app for fit, especially your Why Dartmouth essay and in your interview, especially so in the ED round.

Br clear on your reasons for applying. If you’re sure you really want to go to Dartmouth specifically, and know why, you should be fine.

8

Hey thanks for all your prompt replies so far. I think I’m near my final stages of the “Why Dartmouth” essay. I just started looking on some college confidential and reddit mega threads, and after seeing how many student with stats and ECs far better than mine, I’m beginning to think this is a pipe dream. Any advise? Do I honestly have a chance. I already requested to forward my questbridge finalist app to Dartmouth, with the intention of sending updated essays and supplements but right now after seeing the INSANELY high caliber of accepted and rejected students, I’m feeling a bit like I’m in over my head. Do you honestly believe I can really pull this off if I put in the elbow grease? Its my dream school, but at this point I need some real advice rn. I could just ED to school closer to my caliber.
TLDR: Is this possible with such poor stats and ECs?

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If you are considering Dartmouth ED, Williams is often an overlap with Dartmouth. The schools are very similar in terms of campus environment and traditions (winter carnival, small class size, athletics, etc.).

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@TDREE dude don’t second guess yourself at this stage. Your ED should go to your top choice. And your stats are enough to qualify you, and they don’t make or break your app. 60% of students applying to Dartmouth are academically qualified to get in. They could fill in entire classes of people with perfect stats. But they don’t, and choose not to, because they want to see an INTERESTING class. They want people who break the mold, take initiative, do interesting things.

My stats were higher than yours, but not by a whole lot. And there were people whose stats did not align with what you’d expect from a Dartmouth student but got in because they displayed other desirable characteristics and do things other higher scoring peers did not do.

And you have some neat ECs that many peers won’t have. Your chicken farm and religious involvement, for one. You also have a good story, dealing with an impediment all your life and with a humanitarian goal. Dartmouth more than a lot of other schools will likely care more about that than your stats.

That’s not to say you’re a shoo-in. There are very few people (like the 15 yr old genius in my class) who get in who are. For most people, applying to Dartmouth is a gamble. Those who are not crazy geniuses are, like myself, lucky to get in.

But if Dartmouth is your dream school, as it seems it is, this is a gamble you will always regret not taking if you don’t apply. You have as good a shot as any qualified applicant at least, if not slightly better given your uniqueness. Highlight that uniqueness in your application and you will have done your best. Dartmouth is a lovely quirky place, and the admissions committee knows this, so they LOVE people who may not fit the traditional ivy league mold but are just incredibly interesting in their own way.

You chose your dream school well. Just finish the job and apply. If you don’t get in, you’ll at least know that you tried. I wish you the best of luck.

P.S. I am a college counselor on the side as well, and honestly I think your application will interest my college more than anyone I’m currently coaching, despite your stats being kower than theirs.

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