Do I have a remote chance at any of the top schools?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>I have begun college apps and I'm getting very nervous browsing these forms and looking at other students qualifications - I feel like my academic record and EC record do not even come close to those applying to Ivies, the top LAC, and the top private universities.</p>

<p>In order of desire to be accepted, I've "narrowed" my list down to:
Yale
Dartmouth
Brown
Cornell
Williams
Amherst
Stanford</p>

<p>These are the other school I am thinking about but have no desire to attend (in order of preference):
Haverford
U of Chicago
U of Michigan
Swarthmore
Tufts</p>

<p>Back-up schools:
UC Berkeley
UCLA
UCI</p>

<p>Pacific Islander (Philippines) Male
Orange County, California
Upper-Middle Class in affluent neighborhood with good schools
Pre-med studies, major in chemistry
Weighted GPA: 4.0930
Unweighted GPA: 3.9070</p>

<p>Freshman(9th) record:
H English A-/A-
Latin 1a A-/A
Alg 1a CP A/A
H Coord Science A/A
Beg Photo A+/A+
Concert Band B/A
Marching Band A/A</p>

<p>Sophomore(10th) record:
World History A/A
H English 2 A-/A-
Latin 2a A/A
Geometry CP A-/A-
H Bio B/A
Psychology A/A
Concert Band B+/A
Marching Band A/A</p>

<p>Junior (11th) record:
H British Lit A/ B+
H Latin 3a A/A
Alg 2a A-/A
H Chem A-/A
AP US History A-/A-
Symphonic Band A/A
Marching Band A/A
Jazz Ensemble 2 B </p>

<p>Senior year is still a work in progress. </p>

<p>Test Scores:
SAT I : 2080 (790 writing is all i remember, math was low 600, reading high 600)
SAT Chem: 700
SAT Literature: 710
SAT US History: 730
ACT: yet to be taken
AP US History: 5</p>

<p>Extra-cirriculars:
Junior Classical League (JCL) (10-12th)
school JCL Certamen team (11th. Jeopardy style game involving greek and latin knowledge of myth,culture,language,etc..)
Marching Band 9-12th ( we are representing California in the first National Marching Band tournament on the White House lawn - is this significant at all? )
Jazz Ensemble (10-11th. Class has not started for 12th grade yet)
OCAD (Orange County Academic Decathalon) (12th grade)
Science Olympiad (12th grade)
Key Club Member
ERF Member
Treasurer of some club that aids villages in India (very small, club drive has not begun)
100+ hours of community service (tutoring, clubs, etc...)
Formerly did Mixed Martial Arts in 9th grade but had to discontinue to do school</p>

<p>Accomplishments:
Summa Cum Laude National Latin Exam (9th,10th)
Magna Cum Laude Nation Latin Exam (11th. 12th not taken yet)
National Latin Honors Society (9,10,11, 12th yet received)
3rd Place S.C.R.A.M (JCL related) Open Certamen Team
Most Improved Jazz Ensemble II (10th)
Alto Sax section leader concert band (10th)
Alto sax section leader jazz ensemble II (11th)</p>

<p>Work Experience:
Ran professional photography business in middle school and early highschool (self employed - did photoshoots of events and business card photos. Lost invoices but could contact employers for recommendation?)
DJ/Mixed for 1 small business event (payment received)
Filmed and edited video for several business events (payment received)</p>

<p>Even though I listed my "resume", I still feel that I am not even comparable to those applying for the same schools I am applying too.</p>

<p>Should I consider any other schools?
Do I have a shot at these schools?</p>

<p>Is it worth my time and effort to join more community service programs where I would be able to tutor underprivileged kids, etc...?</p>

<p>I know that I need to really narrow down my list. I know that I want to go over to the east coast for college, or possibly out of country but Oxford seems impossible and I don't know any other out-of-country reputable universities. The UC's are a last resort for me - I should have no problem getting to UCI. I think UCLA and UCB are within my reach but you never know.</p>

2

<p>Forgot some relevant information:</p>

<p>Senior Year (12th Schedule)-
AP Eng
Wind Ensemble
AP Latin
AP Gov/ AP Econ
Precalculus
AP Chem</p>

<p>Father was a Cornell University graduate in the Class of 1986</p>

3

<p>How many ap’s does your school offer? And what is your class rank? Regardless, your SAT is way too low for ivies. You need for matches. The top 7 schools you put down are all (most likely) going to reject you. I’m sorry, but I’m just being honest. And on a side note, I think(?) that Cornell only uses M+CR SAT score, so that really hurts you. Even a legacy can’t overcome that. Good Luck :)</p>

4

<p>My school offers about 11 APs and our district does not rank students for what ever reason. Should I retake SAT? - I’m over standardized testing. I am leaning towards the ACT instead. Or should I try for an early decision? How bout my chances for the other schools I’m thinking about?</p>

5

<p>I think your chances are also poor for Chicago, Michigan, and Swarthmore if you don’t get better scores. :frowning:
Take the ACT; some people do a lot better in it.</p>

6

<p>So is this the generally accepted verdict?
Regardless, looks like I have to pick up SAT books again</p>

7

<p>Yale, Dartmouth, Brown, Cornell, Williams, Amherst, and Stanford are all extreme reaches for you, even with a legacy at Cornell. Your SAT score is far below competitive. For serious contention for any of these schools you will most likely need a 2200+. (writing is also beginning to play a less and less prominent role in the admission process as well, so work especially on your math and reading). Your other schools (Haverford, U of Chicago, U of Michigan, Swarthmore, Tufts) are also reaches for you (Michigan might be a low reach - a reach nonetheless). Even some of your “fall-backs” (UCB and UCLA) are somewhat competitive - even with in-state status, I would not consider those two for sure. Unless you raise your scores, your chances are EXTREMELY low for any of your schools other than UCI. I would suggest looking at a place like Santa Clara as a better fit. Also try the ACT - I bombed the SAT but did much better on my ACT, different people do better at different tests. Best of luck!</p>

8

<p>So lets say I retake the SAT and got 2150ish. Would that be good enough? I think I can raise my SAT M score because when I took the SAT I, i had not learned Alg2 or Precalc. I’m sure SAT CR is pretty much set at where its at</p>

9

<p>If you have no desire to attend, dont’ apply! Make your life simpler.</p>

10

<p>Yes, your SAT scores (CR & M) are low for the very top schools. Even people with higher scores have a low chance of getting into the schools on your list. If you still want those schools, you should definately consider taking a standardized test again. I agree the ACT could be a better choice- you won’t know until you try- you can get an ACT book and see how you score on a practice test. And/or look at the diagnostics that come with your SAT score and see which types of questions you scored best in and which you scored worse it, then you can work on those types of questions (for example, vocab)</p>

<p>Writing is new part of the SAT and is not yet incorporated into the admissions process for many schools.</p>

<p>You should also come up with a list of match and safety schools- you need to look down the list further.</p>

11

<p>I would say not to give up on your dream to get into an Ivy League school. Apply to 2 or 3 but the rest should be schools that you know are your fit. My mom is Filipino too and went to the “Harvard” of the Philippines…so she wanted me to go to Harvard or Cornell. I obviously didn’t get in because my GPA (even though it was high) wasn’t high enough…and my SAT/ACT scores. </p>

<p>She also made me apply to 2 of the Seven sister schools (Barnard and Vassar)…also obviously not getting in. To tell you the truth I knew I wouldn’t get in…but I wanted my mom to see that I wasn’t some genius.</p>

<p>I got into 4 out of the 8 schools I applied to (the 4 rejections listed above…were definitely not the schools I knew I would get in to). The top two schools I liked were SUNY Stony Brook and SUNY Binghamton. I got into both, but decided to go to Stony Brook at last minute.</p>

<p>I suggest for you that you apply to some state schools (I mean we are in the middle of a recession…so yeah). Don’t drop down for community college…but think of schools in your range.</p>

12

<p>what other schools are matches for me or reaches that I have a fair chance of getting accepted into (preferably East Coast)? I would like something prestigious/well-known with a small student-to-teacher ratio and a good science and/or pre-med program.</p>

<p>Several other questions:
My test scores are the only significant problem, correct?
What’s your personal opinion about my GPA, EC, awards, etc?
Is it too late to do community service?
Where one goes as an under-graduate significantly affects the chance to accepted into a graduate school?</p>

13

<p>Why do you have so little APs? Does your school offer them, and you didn’t take them? Or is it because your school barely offers any?
And you are like, 3 years behind in math.</p>

14

<p>For my class, only 2 AP’s are offered before senior year, and pre-calc is the regular track at my school. AP Calc is the highest level of math offered.</p>

15

<p>no offense, but i think you should be atleast in calculus AB by your senior year, it would help your sat math scores out a lot</p>

16

<p>Jimmys525 - I realized that sophomore year but our school districted enforces a policy that prevents students from taking classes over the summer at local colleges to jump into higher math levels - this is due to the recession and to prevent the school from losing money which I dont understand how letting some one jump ahead in school = losing funding. I’d take advanced math classes if I could - If I were to take Honors Pre-calc, I’d have to drop an AP so the class could fit in my schedule.</p>

<p>My mother made a very interesting point a few minutes ago : My father can claim me when I apply to colleges. Even though he is a Cornell graduate, his income is less than $15k per annum. Would this be a great hook?</p>

<p>Parents are divorced</p>

17

<p>I’d just like to point out that Filipinos are not Pacific Islanders, thanks.</p>

<p>(I’m half Filipino and half Chamorro aka Micronesian aka Pacific Islander)</p>