Do I Stand a Chance?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

I have already submitted my application for Harvard under REA, but I think that others looking over my stuff will help me.

My Info/Background:
I live in Nebraska in a town with about 30,000 people. My school has approx. 1,600 kids in it. I go to public school that has very few kids that get into any elite schools (maybe 5 in the past 4 years). My mother has an associate’s degree and my father has a bachelor’s.

My Scores and Academics:
Unweighted GPA: 4.00
Weighted GPA: 4.42
Class Rank: 1/323
ACT Composite: 35
ACT Math: 35
ACT Science: 32
ACT English: 35
ACT Reading: 36
SAT II Chemistry: 780
SAT II Math I: 740
SAT II Literature: 710
I have received all As in high schools
I have also taken a few classes for dual credit at the college in my town (Chemistry and Intro to American Politics)

Activities w/ Leadership:
President of my school’s speech team (I have state and district top 3 placements in my events)
Co-Captain of my school’s one-act team (competitive play production activity in my state)

Other Activities:
Mock Trial
Academic Competition (Quiz Bowl)
Academic Decathlon
Work (Barista)
National Honor’s Society

AP Courses Taken:
Human Geography, World History, US History, Literature and Comp., Language and Comp. Spanish, Statistics

I feel like my credentials are not as strong as many, but I know my Common App and supplemental essays are extremely strong and creative, and so are my letters of recommendation. I don’t have a ton of ECs, but the ones I do, I care about a lot (I have put 1,000+ hours into speech in my 4 years of high school). I also have not been contacted for an interview, and I’m not sure if that is because of my credentials (aka I’m already rejected) or my locations (I’m right in the center of Nebraska).

I was wondering if anyone knows my chances. I know I have decent credentials, but I feel like mine aren’t extravagant as some.

If I get denied, I plan on applying regular at Princeton, Columbia, Yale, Northwestern, and Stanford.

Thanks!

2

You have a shot but it’s a long shot for everyone. Do you have any safety schools that you haven’t mentioned?

3

Although your stats are excellent, i would suggest applying to a safety school or two. Northwestern is not a safety for anyone and it might be the easiest admissions wise on your list.

4

Oh, yes. Forgot to mention that. I have already applied and been accepted to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

5

Congratulations on your acceptance. Will you be happy to attend UNL? If not, you might consider adding some additional target schools to your list.

As others have said, even with all of your stats the above schools are reaches. With your stats you would qualify for merit awards at a number of good schools, if that is something of interest.

Lastly, please don’t wait to write your essays for your other applications, the most likely scenario is that Harvard defers or denies you, and you don’t want to be in a situation where you are rushed and can’t put in your best effort on other apps. Good luck.

6

Like other comments, I agree that you do have a chance. You have done very well up to now and the admissions staff at even top schools will see this. However, as others have said none of the schools that you listed in this thread are safeties.

As one example, Stanford has an acceptance rate just under 5%. My guess is that your chances are at least this high – high enough to be worth an application but not high enough for you to expect to get accepted.

If you do get accepted to any of the schools on this list then expect them to be academically very demanding and significantly more difficult than high school. If you don’t get accepted to schools on this list then you will want to work very hard at U.Nebraska (congratulations!), and be aware that you will have another chance at highly ranked schools if you want to go to graduate school.

Have you run the NPC on the schools on this list? They are all great schools, but I don’t think that they are worth taking any debt beyond the $28k (if I remember correctly) federal loan limit.

7

I’ll be fine attending UNL, and yes, I have started writing my other essays. For cost, I did forget to mention that my family makes approx 60K-70K a year.
Thanks for the advice everyone. Since I submitted my application, I’ve just felt very anxious because I feel like I don’t stack up to other applicants. Additionally, not being contacted for an interview yet has really freaked me out.

8

You have great stats. That should increase your chances to 4%. Chances are lousy for everyone, so it’s nothing to stress over. Make sure you have some good affordable options out there. Might I dare to suggest…a scholarship? :slight_smile: That’s a far better deal, in my opinion.