Do I have a shot?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Emory University
1

<p>Ethnicity: White Female
An underachieving public school in Vancouver, WA. Only roughly 60% of our students passed the state required exam to graduate in the math, similar numbers for reading, etc.</p>

<p>GPA: 3.94/4.0
Rank:7/306
SAT I: 1790(very bad, but I didn't study) Am studying and retaking in Oct/Nov
-CR:580, M:600, W:610 (essay-8, mc-62)
Very bad AP scores Jr. Year: AP Lit.:3, AP Us history:2</p>

<p>Senior Year Schedule:
AP Comparitive Gov't
AP Calculus
AP Environmental Science
Intro. to visual art (req'd)
Aerobics (req'd)/Teachers Assistant(no other classes this period)
Ap English language
-currently considering an extra class at the local community college, but not sure since im getting a job</p>

<p>-I took/am taking most of the AP classes offered at my school, minus one or two</p>

<p>EC's:
-3years class council
-3 years mock trial (varsity last year and this coming)
-2 years NHS (officer last year and this coming)
-3 years legal magnet (officer last year and this coming)
-1 year math club (officer)
-1 year red cross club
-volunteer at various places (local library, local homeless shelter, etc.)</p>

<p>-Job at local burger place for 9months jr. year. (currently looking for another)</p>

<p>Summer Experience:
-Economics for Leaders sponsored by the Foundation for Teaching Economics
weeklong intensive camp at the university of washington in seattle.
-I also visit my family in alabama when i am able.</p>

<p>Hoping for really good recs and essay.</p>

<p>Economic disadvantige: I come from a really disadvantaged family. I live alone with my mom and she is disabled so we only get about 12,000 dollars a year.(hopefully will make me stand out)</p>

<p>Possible essay topics:
-the experience of living with my mom being in the hospital while she was fighting for her life. (why she is now disabled)
-visiting my dad in prison
-growing up in a family that is surrounded by drugs and realizing that i don't want that life.
-...among other topics im considering</p>

<p>Basically, I do not have a lot of opportunities available to me. I would love to do some of the stuff that i see on these sites, but i have no connections to get me in and i am clueless about how to try. </p>

<p>I really want to go to a top 20-25 school, but at my school my counselors are more aiming to get students into washington state or western washington, not vanderbilt, if you know what i mean.</p>

<p>I would greatly appreciate any and all input on all areas of my stats and how i can really stand out without having to aid in microbiology research or some of the things i see on these sites. Also any good websites you know for scholarships (fastweb hasn't really given me anything useful) would be appreciated.
So...do i have a shot? (I feel greatly inadequate)</p>

2

<p>ur third essay topic sounds great..i mean..it will be different from what other people usually write about..</p>

3

<p>Though your SAT scores could be better, coming from a very disadvantaged family makes it understandable (including the minimum amount of ECs and such you've done). You can't take a prep course or buy a book/study the book since I'm guessing... either you don't have the time since you're taking care of your mom/hectic life, or you just don't have the money. And as long as you push that, I'm hoping the adcoms will understand. I mean, you're obviously a hard worker if you can handle your life and still come out as #7 with some good ECs, so I think you have a shot.</p>

4

<p>Your class rank and GPA are both excellent. Your success in school is inspiring because most students who face such difficult circumstances don't fair nearly as well in school. So you've got a lot going.</p>

<p>The only real weakness is the SAT score. That alone really hurts your chances. I am willing to bet that the vast majority of applicants with a 1790 SAT score get rejected. If you are able to raise your SAT score by 140 points so that it is at the 25% for Emory students, then I think your chances are good. </p>

<p>Emory has really generous financial aid for those families in the income-bracket below 50,000$. Such aid makes financing an education a possibility for many families when it would not otherwise be.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.emory.edu/FINANCIAL_AID/news-and-events.php%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.emory.edu/FINANCIAL_AID/news-and-events.php&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>
[quote]
Under Emory's new Loan Replacement Grant, students whose families' assessed income is $50,000 or less will graduate with no need-based loans from their four undergraduate years.

[/quote]
</p>