<p>Hi all,
New here. Senior here just about done applying to colleges. I've applied to about 20 and I am wondering if I have good shot at my top choices. So Here are my stats:</p>
<p>GPA: prior to senior year is 3.79 weighted
SAT Score: 1920 if you combined my two tests that I took.
SAT Subject Test: Spanish with Listening 720
English Literature 500
Math Level 2C 570
Latino here, first to finish middle school and in a few months high school. I am multilingual. I was born speaking Spanish and Zapotec, an indigenous language from Mexico. I learned English when i came to the US and i am now taking French (3rd year currently because I took Spanish in my first year of HS). I also self taught myself a bit of Russian and I plan to take Italian in college. I admit that in my junior year I did not take any honors courses, just one AP class, Organic Chemistry and I got a B. I did join Cross Country and Track and Field. I got an award for Cross Country, most improved runner. I'm part of an organisation that helped me and some friends get into private high schools after going to one of the top 10 worse schools in California. I have had quite a background and I've told by my teachers that I should not be where I am today, not in a mean way. They say that with all that I've gone through I should have dropped out by now and maybe doing bad stuff. I get that my story can help but then again that alone should not decide if you get into a college or not. My belief is that someone should get into a college not just because they have a good story or connection, but also because they can actually do the work and have the mind-set. I haven't done much community service. The hours I did were on an eco-service trip with my school where we went near Death Valley and cleaned up some parts of pipes and invading plants. I took a mediation class to cover my school service hours. I do like to try new things and they've ranged from a singing class, figure drawing, to computer science. My school has an outdoor program and i have been on 6 trips so far, from hiking to snow shoeing and getting to be outdoors. I've been part of clubs like Flag, but not had a big role. My grades this year so far are 3 A's and 3 B's, all academic courses. </p>
<p>My question to all of you is, what are my chances at these schools?
Columbia University
Vassar College
Dartmouth College
Fordham University
Pace University
USC
Swarthmore
Amherst</p>
<p>These are my top choices. I have applied to all. I applied EA to Pace. I submitted my app to Columbia and Vassar the last day of 2011 since I could not submit for ED. As you may have noticed, 4 of them are in New York and 3 in New York City. I would really like to attend at one of these to be in the city. If not then one of the others like USC.
Thanks in advance to your responses and sorry for the long writing. I am wondering what else to say though if this is not enough info.</p>
<p>Sorry but what do you mean by hooked? And yeah I know am not the student that would get in right away but I did not think I’d get into a private high school and it happened. I’m just not sure though what will happen.</p>
<p>Being a hooked applicant means you’re essentially considered by slightly different standards; you receive a considerable admissions boost because of some (usually inherited) aspect (e.g., recruited athlete, first-generation college student, URM, low SES, legacy, etc.).</p>
<p>Since you’re a URM (underrepresented minority), you’re already hooked there. It sounds like you’re also hooked by being a first-generation college student and your various other difficult life circumstances.</p>
<p>Except in the case of recruited athletes and legacy applicants, hooks tend to be an attempt in admissions to correct for the disadvantages you overcame because of some aspect of your life circumstances. Thus, the grades expected of a rich white student with highly educated parents at an excellent high school in a wealthy area are considerably higher than those expected of a poor minority student with less-educated parents at a low-quality high school in a poor area. It’s just not reasonable to expect a student with so much working against him/her to do as well as someone with so many things working in his favor.</p>
<p>You are latino, which is an under represented minority, your chances increase with this fact. Sorry if “none” was a little too harsh…I meant very very little chance. The OP is asking for chances, and this is what I think, a chance thread is what other people think, not what is or actually will happen. This is not the end all be all, my words don’t have much weight if you do get accepted and I am not an expert or the person reading your app, so you can’t take my word as absolute, but Here is where I come up with my educated guesses:
-3.79 weighted doesn’t count, only unweighted matters, I assume your unweighted is noticeably lower, top schools require high GPA’s
-You are likely ranked lower, top 50% I assume?
-your subject tests are weak and many colleges don’t take into account too greatly the language SAT of the applicants first or spoken at home language, the only one you did good on Spanish.
-A 1920 is not enough for the colleges I said “none” to, but besides that, I can’t understand how much your combined scores mean if I don’t know the breakdowns of each section
-A Hook will only get you so far. There are many hispanics and AAs applying that have stats significantly better, maybe not as good as asians or whites, but much better than the ones you have shown, they have great chances. </p>
<p>Sorry for my honesty, but that is what these threads are for, no sugar coating. You have a bright future ahead of you with what has occurred in your life, nothing can hold you back but yourself from now on. You have a good chance at being accepted to a couple schools you mentioned, and can be very successful there and with life after attending them.</p>
<p>How does telling you I think you’re wrong not contribute to the discussion of what other people think about chances?</p>
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<p>No. They don’t require any GPA. You’re better off with a high GPA, but plenty of people are admitted for various reasons with GPAs that many would call “low.”</p>
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<p>Oh please. Have you looked at the 25th percentile scores? If not, go look. Guess how many admitted students have scores at or below those scores? Yep, that’s right. 25%. 1 in 4.</p>
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<p>OP is at least triple-hooked.</p>
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<p>I hope that’s not what you think I’m doing. If you look around, I’m generally pretty harsh. While you may have provided your honest opinion, that doesn’t mean you have any clue what you’re talking about.</p>
<p>My unweighted GPA is 3.69. Made mistake with weigted, it’s 3.77.
SAT Scores:
Test 1- Math 590
Reading 650
Writing 580</p>
<p>Test 2- Math 610
Reading 500
Writing 660</p>
<p>My school does not rank. I don’t know where i would stand though if it were ranked. However, those that applied EA got into schools like Cornell, Princeton, Yale, Dartmouth and Stanford and they are amazing candidates. I do realize I should have taken harder classes and more honors and AP. i instead took new classes and options just to try new things. I just hope to get into one of those above, I’d be very happy. I will find out soon from Pace, and I do have safety schools in case I don’t get in to these but I still aim for these regardless.</p>