First generation student, chance me?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Chance me? I'm considering Oberlin, Stanford, Grinnell, Ohio State, University of Illinois Urbana Champaign, University of Washington, UC Berkeley and Irvine, and Loyola Chicago. </p>

<p>Personal Background:
Latino/White female. First Generation College Student. Low Income(under the poverty line). Current Junior in High School. </p>

<p>School Background:
Public Magnet/Zoned School in a school district with an Average ACT score of 16. The average ACT of OUR school students is a 20. Offers no AP classes. All classes are "honors". Is a three or four year high school(you can choose to stay for three, or four). </p>

<p>Academic Background:
Took all the required classes to graduate(save for Chemistry and Gym) in Freshman and Sophomore year. Ended with a 3.4 GPA. </p>

<p>Began college at a local State University(through a type of dual enrollment) at the age of 15. Have taken, or will take, introductory and intermediate level classes in Psychology, Philosophy, Political Science, Environmental Science, English, Math, Italian. Will graduate from high school with 85 college credits(121 needed for Bachelors). Cumulative GPA at University so far: 4.0/4.0. </p>

<p>Cumulative GPA for high school by the end of this semester should be a 3.53. </p>

<p>Took the ACT in Sophomore year, got a 26(note the district, and school average above). Will retake next week. Should get 27-29. </p>

<p>Chief Extracurriculars:
Environmental Club President *
Environmental Remediation Intern for two summers, paid.
Chinese Club(at college) member. *
State Graduation Test in Social Studies Tutor*
English as a Second Language Tutor for Asian Students*
(about 3 hours a week, year round). </p>

<p>So, for Oberlin, Stanford, Grinnell? Thanks in advance! Also considering UC Irvine and Berkeley, University of Washington(Seattle) and Ohio State.</p>

2

<p>honestly, i don’t think a 3.5 gpa is going to cut it. your ec’s are also quite weak, nothing really stands out as extraordinary. if you have time, perhaps you could establish a club or charity. </p>

<p>if i were you, i’d definitely include information about your background, how you’ve risen above your situation, how your school doesn’t offer ap’s. also emphasize your college 4.0 gpa, how you’ve changed and worked harder. as a minority, you also have that going for you. i also recommend taking the sats and some subject tests. </p>

<p>nevertheless, i’d say selective colleges like stanford are a high reach. you should still apply, but i wouldn’t expect anything. however, it seems like you’re doing really great and keep up the good work! with how you’ve handled your disadvantages you will definitely get into a good college and go far in life.</p>

3

<p>At this point, I don’t think building up your EC would help. Particularly you have less than a year before application. The only thing you can improve drastically within the next 6 months or so would be your ACT (or SAT) score. Honestly, you may cross out about half of the schools on the list as they are high reach for you. Work hard this summer, and you may be able to go above 30 on ACT. Then, you will have a few matches on the list.</p>

4

<p>Okay, thanks you two for responding!</p>

5

<p>Oberlin- high match
Stanford- high reach
Grinnell- high match
Ohio st.- match
Illinois- match
Washington- match
Uc Berkeley- reach
Uc irvine- low match
Not sure about Loyola Chicago
Good upward trend of grades and overcoming adversity, pretty average ecs, but your standardized testing is a little low and your overall gpa is as well. Good range of schools, but you may want to consider an easier reach, because Stanford is probably in the top 5 of elite colleges in the US, and not to be mean but your chances are pretty low. Still apply just in case, but an easier reach may be something to add to your applications.</p>

6

<p>You never see encouragement in these threads, just degradation of confidence.</p>

7

<p>You need to bring up your GPA and ACT score to be competitive. What state are you in?</p>

<p>If I was an admissions official, I would wonder why you have a 4.0 college GPA (85 credits), and only a 3.5 HS GPA; something to consider.</p>

<p>You seem to have an interesting background. Spend a good amount of time on your essays. An extremely well written essay will impress the admissions official just as much as impressive stats.</p>

8

<p>I’m currently in Ohio, Northeast. </p>

<p>I would think that the reason why my grades were so lousy in my first two years of high school is because I really didn’t know how to study going into high school. I went to a Middle School where as long as you showed up to class, were courteous and cooperative, and didn’t try to start fights - you got an A(inner city school in very low income neighborhood). I spent a very large time of my time in Middle School reading nonfiction in the back of the class. And I was often too advanced for the material taught(college freshman reading level in 6th grade, math skills were like, 1.5 years advanced or something like that). I really never had to put in real work, so when I got to high school, it was a big shock. </p>

<p>I’m taking the ACT next week. My last practice test(legitimate practice test from the people who make the ACT) was a 28.25.</p>

9

<p>Considering your family’s income level, finaid will be a major issue. You will more than likely have to take out considerable loans for out-of-state public universities since you will not qualify for in-state grants; remember, you will also be paying OOS tuition rates. Try to add more in-state public colleges, if it’s an option, for financial reasons.</p>

<p>Do well on your ACT, but there’s no need to rush it. You have until the fall to submit applications; you can use the summer to prepare for the ACT. The goal is 30+, but 29 should offset your HS GPA a little.</p>

<p>And use the summer wisely to write your essays; leave it a lone for 2-3 days, revise; rinse-and-repeat until it’s polished. As stated above, a well written essay is usually the key to admissions.</p>

10

<p>Okay, thanks for the advice. I appreciate it!</p>