Does being a WEALTHY African American change anything?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

Okay so i’m currently a junior in high school. My weighted GPA is a 4.5 i believe. My most recent semester grades are as follows:

AP Biology - A
AP Psychology - B :frowning:
Hon. English 11 - A
Hon. Government -A
Pre- Calc - B
and i added Hon Health to this semester which will probably be an A

I just took my SAT and i’m taking my ACT in two weeks. I don’t know either score yet.

Varsity Soccer, Varisty track

Club President of - Black Student Alliance, International Student Alliance, Political Activists, Furture Buiness Leaders

Some awards here and there, nothing serious

I plan on doing Model UN and Science Honors Society

But here’s the catch,

My sophomore year i spent my entire time living and schooling in Lagos Nigeria. I did not do it through one of those expensive Study Abroad programs. I literally got dropped off in a boarding school on the outskirts of the biggest city in Africa by myself. I experienced things such as
harsh discipline (getting caned/flogged for minor acts),
extreme pollution (smog, exhaust from many oil companies, trash burning, etc.),
terrible diseases ( typhoid, malaria, small pox, lacer fever, etc.),
strict education ( 10 hour school days),
wild animals/ insects ( i was bitten by stray dogs, cockroaches in my bed, rats in my room),
very little electricity (there was no electricity from the time we went to bed and when we woke up, extremely hot nights),
limited running water (there was no warm running water to shower with and the shower water was not drinkable, i had to trek
to get clean water sometimes, no electronics (even if there was internet which there wasnt, electronics were not allowed,
terrorism: My schools was actually threatened by Boko Haram and we had to up security
even “witch craft”: my teachers would curse students and weird stuff like that, messed up I know
and a totally different lifestyle all together
etc- there’s a lot more, i could go on forever

However, i did make friends, better my study habits, better my soccer skills haha and so much more. The fruits from such an experience are countless. I still have very good friends there and i really miss my roommates who helped me so much.

The reason i did this is because my parents are from Nigeria and are very successful (Mom is a Harvard Med School Grad, current surgeon and Dad is a business man/ owner with Phd)

I’m from a very competitive family, almost all my cousins older than me have gone to schools such as Vanderbilt, Princeton, Duke, Columbia, Harvard, etc.

The school I go to is the top school in my state. People always say that my chances of getting into colleges is better because i’m from a wealthy African family and I have international perspective.

My ideal goal is to get an MBA International Business (If that even makes sense) and a degree in Environmental Sciences and or Sustainability. The reason being so is because I want to go back to Nigeria and help my country. It is so sad that a country with such abundant resources is so corrupt, poor, polluted etc. The first few weeks there, i was legitimately sick from the smog in the air. Being surrounded by oil giants like Exxon really made me think. I want to increase the use of Renewable Energy in Nigeria, and help people there. I doubt oil will run out there but people should not continue living like that. Nigeria just has so many problems. I am very determined to bring sustainability to NIgeria and the rest of Africa. That’s why International business and environmental sciences fit me :slight_smile:

I know this all just sounds like bragging but i’m trying to be as descriptive as possible.

Let’s say i get at least a 2000 on the SAT and/or a 30 on the ACT

Do you think i have a chance at any of the following schools? Consider the fact that i’m an URM that can (probably) pay most of tuition. The reason i’d like to attend such high end schools is that it increases my chances of success. Trust me, I know how to study hard (I learned that from fellow students in a developing country, we were forced to study for at least 4 hours a day). I’m used to hard work. I’m ambitious. I’m also the first child with 3 younger siblings behind me. I must lead them towards the right direction. It is my duty as the first son to show the way for them.

Brown University

UPenn

UC Berkeley

Harvard U

Carnegie Mellon

Columbia

Boston College

UMD

Penn State

UCLA

Stanford? Yale?

NYU

I understand these are pretty much all reach schools. I am also looking into schools outside the US. Please give suggestions if you have any! I am very open to all opinions.

Thanks :slight_smile:

2

Not really.

3

I agree. In fact, I would venture to say, all things being equal, there is probably a higher priority to admit students from lower income levels. See–http://www.yalealumnimagazine.com/articles/3801/wanted-smart-students-from-poor-families

4

If the school is need blind, it will likely not make any difference. If the school is not need blind, it could help you. You can Google “need blind colleges” and find a list of which ones are need blind. I bet you can leverage that boarding school story into a great essay, though.

5

And for H, Y, S, and C, a score of 2150+ or 32-33, is going to be need just to be in lower 50th percentile admitted.

6

you have an excellent chance at all these schools, apply to all. ace your essays
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/discussion/comment/18030162#Comment_18030162

7

Being a parent of AA kids at some of the aforementioned schools (either graduated, presently attending and one about to enter) I’ll offer my insight, although certainly not definitive, it does provide some real time examples: your scores mentioned 2000/30 would be very low to admission for all of the Ivy schools mentioned and Stanford. By way of example, my 3 girls, (one currently in medical residency, another an undergraduate and youngest a senior in HS) had ACT scores between 32-34, and SAT scores that ranged from 2180- to the mid 2200s. These scores helped them obtain admission to CAL, UCLA, Dartmouth, Penn, Yale, Vandy, WashU, Rice…etc They were also denied at Harvard, Princeton, Stanford and MIT. I would say you are pretty competitive for the remaining schools mentioned…

8

“Going to a high-end school will increase my chances of success”

Not at all. Your local state college will give you the same type of education compared to schools like Harvard. Don’t fool yourself into saying you are more likely to suceed by going to a hyped up school such as Harvard. It may look good to employers when they look at your resume but only if you maintain good grades and GPA at the “high-end” school. Just my two cents.

9

Some state universities may be able to do that, but to say definitively, that is not true. That could be measured in institutional resources, faculty, depth and quality of student body, industry and business reputation, and research and academic opportunities. This does not even begin to mention less than 2 percent attrition, 98% graduation rate in four years, etc…so, don’t tell us a local state school like Ft. Lewis College ( with all due respect as it both has its place and fulfills it’s role) is the same as HYSP–they are not-period.

10

I’d like to resurface this because I found evidence that being a wealthy URM significantly increases ones chances… if anyone is interested.