Duke, UPenn, Stanford for Engineering?

Chance Me / Match Me!
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1

Reposting because I saw another thread with advice when asking for chances.

Please chance me! Top choices are: Duke, UPenn, Stanford, Georgia Tech
Most likely applying engineering

UWGPA: 4.0 (all As)
WGPA: 4.62
Rank: approximately 13/790 - I go to a very large school, prob around 2500 kids if not more
11 AP Classes by junior years end, 16 by the end of senior year.

SAT: 1560
ACT: 35
Math II Subject Test: 790
Haven’t had the chance to take another subject test due to COVID

ECs:
-coaching kids for sports
-some small roles in schools clubs such as key club
-approx. 200 volunteering hours
-captain of school scioly team (for two years - junior and senior)
-job at local ice cream store since summer 2019, getting promoted to a “shift manager” type position

  • many years playing an uncommon sport

Awards/Honors:
-a couple regional scioly awards & a couple state awards (a few firsts)
-regional, state, and district awards for my sport
-college board awards for ap scores
-NHS member
-got into a prestigious summer camp at local high school - canceled due to COVID but still some online stuff

Essays/Recs
-Recs should be pretty good. I asked my AP Physics 1 teacher and my AP English teacher, both A+ in their classes. Plus, I work closely with my physics teacher for scioly - hopefully this will shine for engineering
-Essays: obviously not sharing details, but I’m getting good feedback so far. My AP English scores were always very good and teachers have always complimented my writing so I expect my essays to only boost my application not bring it down. I truly do not mean this in a condescending way, just trying to give a full picture for accurate feedback :slight_smile:

I am likely EDing Duke, that being said, I am an NC resident which means my chances are higher for that bc they have some policy/advantage for NC kids. Im also a multiple time Stanford legacy (ik, annoying, just trying to give a full picture though)

Let me know if there is any more info that will help! Advice appreciated :slight_smile:

2

You are in the group that is often called “average excellent” on this site. Do you have a chance, yes. That group is the one that looks most like a random draw. Therefore it is very important to have a good match/safety list.

3

with a legacy tip, I’d EA to Stanford, unless you wanted BioMed engineering, then Duke ED.

4

Agree - go with SCEA for Stanford, good luck. Even if biomed, Stanford is better in every engineering discipline. good luck!

5

I believe that the common understanding of legacy at Stanford is that it gives you two readers not a “bump”.

6

What is your state of residence?

7

All reaches; go to the one that accepts you.

8

You have good academics, but your extracurriculars are very lacking. I think Stanford would be a crapshoot, and if I were you, I would do my restrictive early-action on a school that would actually give me a higher shot. Your chance for Stanford is too low (by too low I mean only above average but not eye-catching) for SCEA to even give you a noticeable boost.

9

Stanford would seem to be the logical choice, especially with multiple legacy. The NC bump at Duke is not as big as you would think.

10

There are two hurdles to overcome with reach schools. First, you have to beat the odds and get accepted. Then you have to beat the odds and be able to afford it. Before you apply to any school, find out first if you can afford it. Make sure you have a good list of in-state schools you can afford that are ABET accredited.