Duke, UNC Chapel Hill RD, so frustrated now. I will chance back!

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

Help to chance me for Duke RD and UNC Chapel Hill RD please, I’m in state I would chance you back.

I just come to America three years, permanent residence. My english is a huge barrier for me. As you see below, all the GPA and ACT drops as response to the english. I’m really worry about how much this low ACT grade would effects on me. Also, I’m from a low income family.

  1. Major: Biomedical Engineering. (Applied Duke Engineering)
  2. GPA 4.86 weighted (Language Barrier + Hard Class, so it's pretty low). (Our school doesn't offer unweighted)
  3. ACT: 27 (M- 35, R- 20, W- 20, S-31) Writing score- 8
  4. COURSE LOAD: Freshman: ESL, Algebra I, Geometry, Earth Science, Physics, Chemistry, World History, Health and Physics (All standard)

Sophomore:English I, Algerba II, Biology, Civics and Eco, English II, Discrete Math, Pre-Calculus, Anat&Physiology, Personal Finance (All Honors)

Junior: AP Biology, AP Calculus BC, AP Psychology, Immunology, English, General Chemistry, Advanced Math Problem Solving, Research Experience in Biology. (If not listed as AP, then honors)
(I have a C on english for one trimester due to my language)

Senior: AP Chemistry, Environmental Chemistry, Biomedical Engineering, Organic Chemistry, Research in Engineering, AP Statistics, English, Molecular and Cellular Biology, English Writing, English. (If not listed as AP, then honors)

(Junior and senior year is in one of the most competitive high schools, all class taken are the most challenging. Correspondingly, class are harder then other schools.)

  1. Research Conducted: I've conducted 6 different research / innovation product since 11th grade (3 out of this 6 are group research). And currently I'm still working on three. 3 of them are biomedical engineering related. Two biosensor and one biomechanics.
  2. Awards:
  3. For my two innovation products, one get to semi-finalist for international Conrad Spirit of Innovation Challenge, another one reach to the summit finalist for International Conrad Spirit of Innovation Challenge. (2015)
  • 1 research poster has been presented in International Evolution Conference. (2014)
  • National Economic Challenge 1st Place in State Competition (2014)
  • Top five for State Math Competition (10th grade)
  • 1st place in Mathematic Olympiad Competition (Out of 800, China) (9th Grade)
  1. EXTRACURRICULARS:
  2. Nonprofit manage a restaurant for 2 years. Recruit people, Deal with different issues between workers, Different Business Analysis. Under my direction, in 10 month restaurant's monthly profit increased 33%.
  • Organized a Chinese LGBT+ Counseling Group Online for 2 years.
  • Coordinator for aiding earthquake. (9th Grade) After a magnitude of 7.1Ms earth quake happened, I organized over 20 trucks with emergency supplies such as water, food, clothing and medical supplies for areas devastated. With all the efforts, the truck team arrived stricken area within a week. We became one of the fastest groups.
  • Biology TA. (12th Grade)
  • Seminar Leader (12th Grade) Teach students using psychology and economics view to review how decisions are made and discuss process of decision making from a biology perspective.
  • Math TA. (9, 10th Grade) Under my instruction, the class received 1st Place in the School for Annual Final Examinations
  • President of Culture Connection Club. (11th, 12th Grade)
  • Physics TA (9th Grade)
  • 70 Volunteer Hours (10) Volunteering in Children Library.
  • National Honor Society (10)

-JV Swim Team. (10)

  1. Essays: Hopefully great. I wrote about the opportunity for me is extremely important, and I always struggle from bottom to top. (When I was in China, after my family migrated to another city. I was the most bottom kid in the whole school, then I used two years and placed in top 0.5% of an entrance examine test in the whole providence. Then my family came to America about three years ago. In the beginning, my english is so poor that for the whole first week of class I can't understand any. With one year of effort, I got accepted to one of top 10 high school in America.)

I guess my situation it’s a little bit different then others? With an extremely low ACT scores, and a C for english during junior year, again, that is because I just came to America for three years. Would college take into consideration?
But other parts I’m doing okay. I have some unusual extracurricular (at least I think so).

Chance me please. Both UNC Chapel Hill and Duke regular decision.
Thanks in advance!

2

In addition, the GPA is junior year’s. Because our school GPA system is really messed up.
My freshmen and sophomore years are all A’s. But 11th grade weighted is 4.86, and then 12th grade weighted is 5.
I guess we don’t have overall GPA?

I got rejected from Washington University in St. Louis and wait listed from U Chicago. Honestly, this makes me really worried.

3

help please

4

If you were an immigrant from another country then I think it would be easier. But the honest truth is that most colleges have more people from Mainland China applying than they know what to do with. Plus most of these kids have top SAT scores.

Do you have any safety schools? If not why not consider applying to schools with rolling admission?

5

I really like your extracurriculars, they’re different from most applicants and will definitely impress admission officers. Also, please mention your unweighted GPA as that’s what most schools will judge on. Your test scores are definitely low for Duke, I understand your english is poor but still. Top universities would prefer a candidate whose english is just as good as the remaining subjects. However, you seem to be really hard-working academic and extra curricular wise, I think the admission officers will notice that. If you get good recommendations and write a stellar essay, I’m sure you’ll get into a great university. I think you should consider applying to schools like Wake Forest, UW Madison, and maybe NYU. They’re admissions are slightly less competitive than Duke and you would stand a better chance. Best of luck!
Chance me back please?
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1754467-chance-a-refugee-for-ed-dartmouth-ivies-ill-chance-you-back.html#latest

6

Yeah, I’ve got in some safety schools. So I’m just a little bit worry about those reaches.

7

I’ve applied to schools such that a little bit lower and getting in already. But I didn’t apply NYU, because I was thinking the admission there was extremely competitive, isn’t it?

8

Low score, but I would say reach UNC. High reach Duke

9

Duke probably a hug reach
Unc probably a low reach
Good luck though, you never know!

10

UNC is a low reach and Duke is a high reach. Good luck! Chance back:http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1753701-chance-me-ill-chance-back-p1.html

11

I can tell that your English is still awful from reading this post. However, I don’t think your major is really looking for a master at the English language. I would say Duke is a reach and UNC is a low reach. Good luck.

12

Nice awards and extra curriculars. UNC- low reach, Duke- reach. What were your match schools? Good luck! chance me back- http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1755573-junior-chance-me-for-ivies-nyu-bs-md-programs.html#latest

13

In all honesty, Duke engineering is a high reach for anyone. You have some really awesome extracurriculars and I’m sure that admissions officers will review holistically. Keep in mind though, a field like Engineering is “heavily” stat-driven. So unless you invented the thing before sliced bread, your stats have to be tip-top. In any case as I would say to probably anyone, Duke is a high reach for you.

UNC-Chapel Hill is an interesting school particularly because it is known as a public ivy and also the difference between acceptance rates for in-state students and out-of-state students. So if you’re in North Carolina, I think your stats have a solid chance of falling upon favorable eyes at Chapel Hill. Not sure how Chapel Hill is about lgtbq, but nevertheless you stand out and would make a great candidate for chapel hill to hold up as an example of diversity. I would say this school is a reach.

I hope you weren’t looking for different responses. UNC Chapel Hill and Duke are reaches for everyone, so you’ll probably only get low-reach, reach, and high-reach responses. Best of luck and congrats on your other acceptances!

14

English being a “huge barrier” for you will really hurt you at UNC. They do NOT offer any services for ESL and expect a really, really high score on the English tests. They expect you to be able to come in and do college level writing. They specifically address this on their Admissions website. I don’t know about Duke. Good luck!