Extremely nervous, please help me.

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Hi guys. I was just wondering what you thought my chances for Harvard, Princeton (Early Decision), UPenn (Wharton), Columbia (College), Duke (College).</p>

<p>Here are my stats:</p>

<p>SAT I - 1520. 790 V, 730 M. I will be re-taking in Decemeber to improve my Math score, since I hope to get at least a 770.</p>

<p>National Merit Semifinalist from PSAT.</p>

<p>SAT II - 800 Writing, 800 Physics, 800 Math IIC, 790 US History.</p>

<p>AP US History 5, AP Calculus AB 5, AP English Language 4, AP Computer Science A 4.</p>

<p>I go to the number 1 ranked public high school in NJ. I will have taken 10 AP classes by the end of senior year. I have a 4.0 unweighted, and so far in senior year, I'm maintaining a 4.0. The weighted GPA is much higher. </p>

<p>I have taken just about every honors and AP class available to me.</p>

<p>Yes, I do have three years of a language, Spanish, but I decided not to take it senior year in favor of AP Chemistry.</p>

<p>AP Classes (Senior year):</p>

<p>AP Chemistry
AP Biology
AP Calculus BC
AP English Literature
AP Government and Politics</p>

<p>AP Classes (Junior year):</p>

<p>AP English Language
AP Calculus AB
AP US History
AP Computer Science B</p>

<p>AP Classes (Sophomore year):</p>

<p>AP Computer Science A</p>

<p>Extracurriculars:</p>

<p>Piano - I've been playing for ten years, and I've won numerous scholarship and concerto awards. I'm sending in a recording (including a live performance with an orchestra), and I have a very very good reccomendation from my piano teacher. My main essay is about piano.</p>

<p>Cello - I've been playing for seven years, and I've won numerous scholarship and concerto awards. I'm sending in a recording (live performance with an orchestra)</p>

<p>I've performed in Princeton University's main auditorium as a soloist multiple times. Also, I've played in the Greater Princeton Youth Orchestra, and played solo with them.</p>

<p>In Science Club, I've won numerous plaques from the New Jersey Science League, and I've also participated in our science bowl team (which has done very well three years running in the state science bowl).</p>

<p>I have volunteered at a nursing home for two years, and I will be writing an essay that connects this with my other experience for Harvard. I also tutor.</p>

<p>I've done stuff over the summer, but it's not extremely impressive research stuff. Honestly, a great deal of my summer is spent on piano and cello and volunteering. I have taken courses, but nothing like RSI or Telluride.</p>

<p>My reccomendation from my AP Calculus teacher is truly excellent. He let me read it, and used glowing phrases like "Joe makes the class" and "Joe is the best of the best."</p>

<p>My reccomendations from my history teacher and guidance counselor will be very good as well.</p>

<p>My other essay is going to try to connect my experiences in a coherent fashion and give colleges a good idea of what I'd like to do if I go. I have academic interests in business and the stock market (I trade regularly, wrote my Wharton essay about it) and the sciences.</p>

<p>I could really use your help! Thank you so much.</p>

<p>Joey</p>

2

<p>Uhhhhh...... I would say you're a little paranoid. I think you're fine. Really though, be careful about the essays. There aren't a lot of talented, smart people out there that have worked as hard as you have, but when it comes down to it, there are a few you'll be running against. Your essay is your chance to make your work shine. So I would say great chances, with hope on the essay.</p>

3

<p>I wouldn't want to say I'm paranoid ... but I am certainly nervous, seeing the level of competition not only at my school, but at this site. It almost seems like every other test score mentioned is an 800. </p>

<p>And also, I see people with tremendous research experience in fields such as nanotechnology (people who it really seems could fit right in at most grad schools) ... so it's just a bit of concern, because sometimes, it seems like you need to be supernatural to get into some of these places.</p>

<p>Thank you very much for your reply. I am working very hard on the essays ... they're mostly about music, and my dreams in general. I would say my piano essay is very good, and my other ones are being worked on. But you're right, a bad essay can absolutely kill an application.</p>

<p>Joey</p>

4

<p>Every other score YOU mention is an 800. You have six scores and three of them are 800. Two of them are 790.</p>

<p>I'm not sure exactly what help you need. You already know that you have a good chance...</p>

5

<p>I just hare posts like the last one. This guy wants real feedback. He knows that at schools like his there are lots of kids with similar stats. They are his competition, along with all the other 1500 plus, high GPA, great EC candidates in affluent schools on the Eastern seaboard. The fact is, he's an average candidate at three of his schools, and will need amazing essays and recs to get in. UPenn, id not Wharton, I'd say good chance as I would for Duke.</p>

6

<p>The fact remains that he can't get real feedback from random online teenagers that have absolutely no idea what they're talking about (me included). All we can say is if he's within the acceptable range for those schools, and just by his rank and SATs... he is.</p>

7

<p>But your response was "good Chance", not you're in the acceptable range. Any applicant that has a hope in hell knows whether he's in the acceptable range. Of course there are many on this board who want to stretch what that range is. I think the poster was asking an honest question, all in, considering where he comes from, who his competition is, his ECs, etc., what are his chances? There are people on this board that can give an educated answer. And then there are people who know little but answer these posts anyway. Why?</p>

8

<p>How do you know that he has a good chance at Duke and UPenn?</p>

9

<p>Well, I'd like to know how good of a chance I have ... and what I can do to improve my chances at this point. I just would like to set up realistic expectations, because these schools are very, very competitive.</p>

<p>Cornell, Brown, and Dartmouth are other top college choices, but I listed my top 5 in my initial post. Truth be told, I would be disappointed if I did not make it into at least one of my top 5 choices. I know, that probably sounds a bit ... snobbish. But I identify most strongly with my first 5 choices.</p>

<p>Do you think anyone could help me breakdown how I'd look for each of those schools individually?</p>

<p>Thank you very much for all of your help.</p>

<p>Joey</p>

10

<p>It doesn't make sense to break it down school by school. You are a solid, realistic candidate at all the ivies. Your stats are strong, you have good recs and ECs that show a depth of committment. However, you will be in good company in the applicant pools-all of the reasonable candidates will share your traits. So it comes down to your essay, how good the recs are compared to others', and what the school is looking for that year. Dartmouth could need a cello player and Cornell not. Your essay could catch the attention of the Yale adcom and not the ones at Princeton. So really focus on a fantastic essay to tell your story. Get lots of feedback and work it until it's amazing. If you can pull that off, you should absolutely make it into one or more of your top 5. Good luck!</p>

11

<p>Canuck:</p>

<p>Wow. I finally agree somewhat with your advice to a question. :o</p>

<p>3 SAT II 800 scores are impressive, as is the 1520 SAT, and 4.0 average.</p>

<p>The poster's chances, I believe, are:
Harvard...Iffy
Princeton (ED)...Okay
UPenn...Okay to Good (at the 75%ile)
Columbia...Good (towards the high end of the middle-50%ile)
Duke...Very Good (above the 75%ile)
Cornell...Very Good (above the 75%ile)</p>

<p>The assumtion is that essays and recs are very good to excellent. That is a part of the application that an applicant has control over also, don't assume they matter little--like some people do when they apply to a college, especially an Ivy or top LAC.</p>

12

<p>Jp:</p>

<p>You have a chance at some of your top schools. Good luck. And, stay focused.</p>

13

<p>I cannot possibly foresee a senario where you are denied acceptance to all four of the top-choice Ivy-League schools to which you are applying. Further, the only two that I think could possibly send a letter of rejection are Harvard and Princeton. Still, I am convinced that you are a very solid candidate, and I believe you will probably make it into at least one of the two. Let's use some quantitative data and say Princeton-60% chance and Harvard-50% chance. You have an 80 % chance of getting into at least one which is better than me, except I am from Tennessee, so I have the geography card playing in my favor, even though that does not hold much significance in the grand scale. Anyway, good luck to you!</p>

14

<p>Thanks, everyone. This is making me feel a lot better.</p>

<p>It's just I get tons of conflicting advice every day ... including "every Ivy is a reach for everyone."</p>

<p>There are a lot of truly amazing students out there, so it's kind of hard to know where you stand.</p>

<p>Joey</p>

15

<p>Any other suggestions, anyone?</p>

16

<p>Any other suggestions, anyone?</p>

17

<p>Dear Jprincipe,</p>

<p>Sorry to say this, but your chances at Harvard and the likes are EXTREMELY iffy. I have had many friends over the years going to HArvard, and let me tell you this as a fact: they are all standouts. As I read your profile, I've noticed that despite your good scores, that's ALL you have. It's simply not enough. Not NEARLY enough. Your extracurriculars, which seem good, are really bullsh%t for the HArvard admissions officers. if you have no MAJOR MAJOR competitions (or the likes), then there is really no point in listing them. They seem more like a laundry list of activities (like your fluffing up your resume). </p>

<p>Trust me, my friends that have been accepted to Harvard are all winners of major competitions, scholarships, or internships. Things such as RSI, NASA SHARP, or MITES are truly worthwhile. Unfortunately, you have precisely ZERO of these activities. That will kill you in the competition. </p>

<p>Plus, the fact that you are in the Number 1 ranked public school in NJ means that you are essentially outclassed by the competition. You may not realize it, but at number 1 schools, a very significant number of students have stats equal or better than you. In addition, a very significant number have these top-notch extracurriculars that you DON'T have.</p>

<p>BOTTOM LINE: Sorry kid. Your application to HArvard will be based mostly on luck or fate. Same thing goes with Duke, Princeton, and all the other top schools. Some schools that I'd suggest that may be easier for you to get into are Case Western, Emory, or Washington University in St. Louis.</p>

18

<p>Do you goto Princeton High School? That's where I go...Also in regards to your answer, I would say that most of the applicant pool applying to the universities your looking at have similar stats as you. Your best bet would be to do EXTREMELY well on the essay, get mind blowing recommendations.</p>

<p>Have you visited the schools? Visiting the admissions office, getting a tour, and a group information session helps a LOT. It shows your interested in the school. </p>

<p>Also I don't see how the person above is saying Princeton 60% chance etc. Keep in mind, almost 90% of the applicant pool has the same scores as you. Many of them are Science olympiad champions, won national computer science contests, poetry awards, physics competitions. Also, right now I know of 5 people applyin to Pton from my school (Princeton high). 4 of them have legacies and their parents work there. 1 of them has a double legacy. They have the same stats as you.</p>

<p>Once again don't get discouraged...i'm not even close to applying to Ivy's, you've done a good job at high school stop stressing out (this won't help), just work hard on your essays and visit every school you can.</p>

19

<p>dear friend,</p>

<p>i consider myself pretty familiar with the college admissions process, and i'd just like to give you a few tips about which schools you should apply to, and the chances that you have at getting into those schools.</p>

<p>you noted that you applied early decision to princeton, and were looking at certain other schools, including harvard, upenn (wharton), columbia, and duke. while your standardized test scores are certainly commendable (your 1520 is far above the mean at columbia), a shoe-in application must contain more than the numbers. A shoe-in application must contain more than grades.</p>

<p>as prestigious colleges have all pointed out, they desire a "well-rounded" class rather than "well-rounded" students. Each accepted student stands out in some way or another; some have participated in prestigious competitions including the national Olympiads, others have been highly active in the community, working in political internships with local congressmen; still others take the initiative and devote hours upon hours into volunteering activities. These programs include Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity, etc. And finally, some people have legacy at schools, which you might not have. </p>

<p>as vancat mentioned, extracurriculars need to stand out. one of the most trite extracurricular activities today is the performance of a musical instrument; everyone seems to include this on their application, and to make this the primary focus of your essay is most likely detrimental to your cause. instruments such as the piano, violin, and cello do not stand out as much as instruments such as the clarinet or oboe or trumpet or bassoon.</p>

<p>furthermore, even outstanding academic achievement may override other factors, but it is not as amazing as you may think. there are numerous people who have similar stats, and in the competition pool for harvard and princeton, you can expect people with similar stats. and i don't really see what distinguishes you from the rest of the bunch; you seem pretty much like the "well-rounded" stereotyped applicant that the adcom is tired of seeing.</p>

<p>i think it is commendable that you were able to receive excellent recommendations from your teachers, but i think aside from the weaknesses in your resume, one of the major flaws in your application and the theme you are trying to develop is that of your essay. do not talk about music in your essay; you are only hurting yourself.</p>

<p>i wish you the best of luck.</p>

20

<p>Thanks mountaindew87, you captured what I was trying to say PERFECTLY.</p>

<p>I felt it was necessary to repost this message to JPrencipe.</p>

<p>
[quote]
Sorry to say this, but your chances at Harvard and the likes are EXTREMELY iffy. I have had many friends over the years going to HArvard, and let me tell you this as a fact: they are all standouts. As I read your profile, I've noticed that despite your good scores, that's ALL you have. It's simply not enough. Not NEARLY enough. Your extracurriculars, which seem good, are really bullsh%t for the HArvard admissions officers. if you have no MAJOR MAJOR competitions (or the likes), then there is really no point in listing them. They seem more like a laundry list of activities (like your fluffing up your resume). </p>

<p>Trust me, my friends that have been accepted to Harvard are all winners of major competitions, scholarships, or internships. Things such as RSI, NASA SHARP, or MITES are truly worthwhile. Unfortunately, you have precisely ZERO of these activities. That will kill you in the competition. </p>

<p>Plus, the fact that you are in the Number 1 ranked public school in NJ means that you are essentially outclassed by the competition. You may not realize it, but at number 1 schools, a very significant number of students have stats equal or better than you. In addition, a very significant number have these top-notch extracurriculars that you DON'T have.</p>

<p>BOTTOM LINE: Sorry kid. Your application to HArvard will be based mostly on luck or fate. Same thing goes with Duke, Princeton, and all the other top schools. Some schools that I'd suggest that may be easier for you to get into are Case Western, Emory, or Washington University in St. Louis.

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