Duke? Ivies? Eek I can't decide...chances, please!

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>So, as a rising senior, I'm definitely planning on applying early somewhere to boost my chances, and also bc I want to get it all over with ASAP :) My list of schools includes:
Duke (my fav. so far)
Dartmouth (also up there)
Columbia
U Penn
Stanford
Princeton</p>

<p>Yeah, I know they're all very different, blah blah blah, but I like each for a specific reason...don't worry, I didn't just randomly pick schools just b/c they're well-known and prestigious. Sooo with that in mind, can you guys take a look at my stats and let me know which school you think I should pick for ED/EA?
***I REALLY don't want to "waste" my early application on a school that I don't have very good chances of getting into...please be brutally honest.</p>

<p>-Western NY, female, Asian (yup, one of the worst combos ever when it comes to admissions...lucky me :p)
-Rank: 3/ about 250
-GPA (unweighted): 3.95
-have taken all APs/honors possible so far</p>

<p>Courseload for this year + grades for each quarter:
-APs... Bio: A, A, A+, A+
US: A, A, A, A+
Lang. and Comp.: B+, B+, A-, A
*I expect a 5, 4, and 5, respectively...Euro last year-4
-French through local college: A+, A+, A+, A+
-Honors: Physics (A, A, A, A), Pre-calc (A-, A, A, A+)
-Anatomy (no honors available): A-, A+ (half-year course)
*Yeah, I had a kinda rough first quarter, but hopefully the upward trend makes up for it...</p>

<p>Low Points in my Trascripts:
-B+'s in AP Lang. Junior year
-I got a B- (my lowest grade on my transcript, the next closest thing is a B+) on my Math final junior year. However, I did get a 99 on the Math B Regents exam (a State exam required in NY, usually taken by seniors) in January of my Junior year...hopefully this will balance it out. Any opinions? </p>

<p>Senior Year Schedule:
-AP Physics
-AP Calc
-AP Psych
-AP Literature
-French 4
-regular Gov. and Econ (I don't see the point of taking the APs when I have no interest in these subjects whatsoever...and I don't want to kill myself senior year with 6 APs. I know a lot of you CCers don't think that way, but hey)</p>

<p>ECs:
-Research Assistant this summer at a world-renowned cancer research/treatment center (working under a doctor who is researching androgen-independent prostate cancer)
-independent research project (during my junior year) on the effect of compounds found in household chemicals upon the development of Danio rerio (zebrafish) embryos
-Job @ public library (haha so dorky but it pays well), usually around 10 hrs. a week...working since May, will continue to do so until I graduate
-I help my neighbor clean/organize her house 1-2x a week...she has really bad rheumatoid arthritis and lives alone, so I would feel really bad if I didn't help her out.
-Tutor (ninth grade biology students), junior year...planning on doing it again this year
-300+ hours community service: nursing assistant in Intensive Care Unit of local hospital, skating instructor for Skating Assoc. for the Blind and Handicapped, errand/escort service at a local hospital
-Interact Club (community service-based school org.)
- Cheerleading: Football, Soccer, and Basketball Seasons...JV (1 year, captain), Varsity (3 years, captain this year), UCA All-star ('03, '04, '05, '06)
-JV Lacrosse (10)
-Violin: Seven years in nationally recognized school orch. (but couldn't fit it into my schedule junior and senior year :/ ), Area All-State Orch. member, Auditioned for All-State, private lessons since 5th grade (still continuing, even though I'm no longer in the school's orch.)
-Student Council VP (since soph. year)
-NHS (projected: Pres. or VP?)
-applying to be Youth Ambassador for my town's Chamber of Commerce this year...I'm thinking that I have pretty good chances of getting it</p>

<p>Awards/Other:
-all the standard academic ones (National Honor Roll, Who's Who, blah blah blah)...not many with meaning, which kind of worries me
-various academic awards in my school (ex. Academic Pin, Medal, and Letter in 9, 10, 11 for making high honor roll...just little things like that)
-completed a Mini-Medical School program at a local university (state school, not community college)
-Superlatives (yeah, I don't know if I"ll include these haha but anyways)- in my class: Most School Spirit (9), Most Likely to Make You Smile (10,11), in cheerleading- Sweetest Cheerleader (9, 10, 11)</p>

<p>SATs: 2290 (740 M, 750 CR, 800 W)</p>

<p>-planning to take SAT IIs in October (def. Bio and Math IIC, not sure what else...I'm expecting an 800 in Bio (not to be cocky, but I'm studying really hard for it). I'm also striving to do well in Math, since I did the worst on the Math section of the SAT I.)</p>

<ul>
<li>I will have pretty kick-ass essays/recs from my AP Bio and Us teachers (I talk to both pretty regularly outside of class)</li>
</ul>

<p>-as of now, I want to major in biology (pre-med)</p>

<p>Thanks so much for any help you guys can give me! :)</p>

2

<p>If Duke is your favorite, go for it!! I think you should defintely apply there ED</p>

3

<p>You have an excellent shot at Duke or Dartmouth ED. All the schools on your list are great choices and you have a shot at all of them.</p>

4

<p>You're a strong applicant for Duke, Dartmouth, and UPenn. Stanford, Columbia, and Princeton are reaches, not because your stats don't justify applying, but because their acceptance rates (all under 10%) are so low. Make sure you add some matches, low matches and safeties to your list. Also, if you want to add a top school to your list that's just a little less selective than Duke or Dartmouth, check out Washington University in St. Louis: Great school, caring facilty and adminstration, great facilities, smart and friendly kids.</p>

5

<p>Duke ED, in
Penn ED, in</p>

6

<p>Thanks for the responses, guys.</p>

<p>amptron2x- I have a list of safeties/matches, but I'm concentrating on reach schools for ED</p>

<p>Any other comments/suggestions on how to improve?</p>

7

<p>bump (ugh, sorry) :)</p>

8

<p>If you have any concerns about financial aid at all, don't go ED anywhere. EA at least gives you a chance to compare offers.</p>

9

<p>You're amazing. Don't go ED and get some money to go along with acceptance.</p>

10

<p>Schools like Stanford and Princeton look more at non-academic stuff than grades/test scores. They already expect everybody to be smart. I seriously believe the decision is in your essay...if you can make something stand out.</p>

11

<p>Western NY, female, Asian (yup, one of the worst combos ever when it comes to admissions...lucky me )</p>

<p>Why do you say that? I'd think being female is an advantage (I am hoping for that). Asian may be a disadvantage, just as 'white' is for me!
You have great stats to get into Duke. Good luck.</p>

12

<p>You have a great shot. What you don't have is a safety school.</p>

<p>Yes, you have great chances, but honestly, you could have a 2400, 4.0, and all those EC's, and still not get in, because what matters the most at all of those schools is the essay. Normally, on this board, I don't see flattery like this going on, so I'm surprised people are forgetting this.</p>

<p>Schools do a thing called class-building; they want certain types of people from a variety of backgrounds. You are female and Asian, which will make it a challenge. But, don't rule yourself out, because with class building they also look at one key factor: PERSONALITY! So, you need to show who you are in your essays and interviews, and not rat off on sidenotes or talk about things already explained clearly in your application. It would be much more effective to write an essay about growing up the oldest child in your family or living in the suburbs than to talk about cheerleading (for example, I don't know if either of those things are true about you, but yeah). They may seem like more generic topics, but they do indicate who you are. It would probably be best to think of something unique about you, that defines who you are, and go with that.</p>

<p>That being said...apply to a safety school. NYU would do it, if you like it. If not, find some other place that could be a safety...perhaps Case Western Reserve? I'm trying to think of possible safety schools that are Duke-like. Wake Forest is a maybe. You should look around and see what other schools there are that aren't as prestigious as Duke, but still are similar.</p>

13

<p>I wouldn't worry about Eding an ivy that meets full need, you'll get the saqme package as you would RD. Not sure about Duke, but their RD package for me was very similar to Dartmouth and Princeton.</p>

14

<p>No, you won't necessarily get the same package. You also won't get the same package at all Ivies, even though they all meet need. They can, and some do, meet need with loans. We had 15 schools to choose from, 6 Ivies, and offers were all over the place.</p>

15

<p>Hmm...I'm not too concerned about fin aid. Obviously, I will take everything I can get, but my parents have told me that they will pay for everything if they have to.</p>

<p>Thanks for the great responses, guys. Keep them coming- your advice is appreciated!</p>