From a crappy high school to a good college: Can it be done?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Alright, I'm going to take another shot at this chancing business with more complete stats. :)</p>

<p>About Me:
- White Female
- Location: Ohio
- H.S. Class of 2010</p>

<p>School Info:
- Basically, your average public school.
- Rarely sends anyone to top schools (I think we've had maybe 3 kids go to top 25 schools in the past two years... most people attend in-state publics)</p>

<ul>
<li>GPA: 4.0 uw and we don't weight.</li>
<li>Rank: tied for 1/260 after 1st semester this year</li>
<li>Most Rigorous Curriculum -- however, my school only offers 2 AP classes (English and Calc AB) and both of them are offered 2nd semester of senior year, so I won't have any APs when I apply -- will that hurt?</li>
</ul>

<p>Test Info:
ACT: 34 composite (35 superscore, if it matters)
35 E, 32 M, 33 R, 35 S</p>

<p>SAT: 1490/2290
730 CR, 760 M, 800 W</p>

<p>PSAT: 236 -- will definitely be NMSF, and maybe NMF, I guess.</p>

<p>SAT IIs: will be taken in June or so (probably Math II, Lit, and French)</p>

<p>Extracurriculars:</p>

<ul>
<li><p>Debate (4 Years)
Definitely my biggest commitment. I spend a great deal of time prepping/practicing for debate, and my partner and I have done especially well this year. We've qualified to state twice and nationals once, in addition to tons of local tournament awards. Basically, this consumes my life for October through March. :)</p></li>
<li><p>Cross Country (4 Years)
I ran varsity in 9th and 10th grade, but was injured this year, so I ran JV. At my school, all seniors letter, so I'll end up a 3-year letterman, but that doesn't really mean much because our team is notoriously uncompetitive. This is basically how I spend my summers, though.</p></li>
<li><p>Quiz Bowl (2 Years)
Just joined this year, and it isn't that big of a commitment. I made the "varsity" team and we have competitions about once a week, but they don't start until January.</p></li>
<li><p>Guitar (3 Years)
This isn't really a club, obviously... but I taught myself to play guitar during my sophomore year and I definitely enjoy it, although I won't be winning awards for my playing anytime soon. :p</p></li>
</ul>

<p>In addition, I've been pretty involved in my school's art program, but there isn't an official club. We have an annual art show that I've always helped out with, and I've won a couple awards from the show, but nothing majorly impressive.</p>

<p>So, that's about it...</p>

<p>The Colleges:
- Northwestern
- USC
- Georgetown
- Tufts
- BC (w/ Legacy)
- Fordham
- Stanford (obviously it's a crapshoot, you don't have to chance me)
- UPenn (same as above.)</p>

<p>Can anyone give me an idea of my chances for the schools I'm considering? Or suggest other schools that I should look into? Thanks a lot! :)</p>

2

<p>You look great for all of those schools, GPA/Rank are perfect, SAT’s are great, just do well on your SAT II’s and you will have great chances at all of those schools. What do you want to study? It will help others in finding schools that are a good fit for you.</p>

3

<p>I’m really not sure what I want to study, but I’m leaning towards either journalism/communications or political science. I want to eventually work for a magazine or become a lawyer – two pretty different things, lol.</p>

<p>Thanks for the response, too! I probably should have put something about my intended major in my original post, but it’s too late now… :p</p>

4

<p>Yes, you will absolutely get into great colleges.</p>

5

<p>I’m not sure that “average public school” equals a “crappy school.” Average is average. You grades and stats are well above average. They would stand out evn more in a truly underachieving high school. As others have said, you should be competitive for admission to the schools you have listed.</p>

6

<p>I know my school isn’t that bad, but it sure seems lacking compared to some of the schools I see on here – offering 15 AP’s or tons of interesting clubs… and we’ve got 2 AP’s, speech, and sports, basically. :p</p>

7

<p>why does high school even matter that much? don’t colleges only care about the individual student’s qualifications?</p>

8

<p>Eh, well, I’m kind of worried about my lack of AP’s, so I’m hoping they’ll cut me a break since so few are offered. I might be able to self-study one or two but I don’t know if I have time to look over enough info to do well… Plus, my school doesn’t have many clubs, and those it does offer don’t really have officer positions, everyone is just kinda there, so it’s hard to demonstrate leadership… but we try our best lol :)</p>

9

<p>Shameless bump so I can get a couple more opinions?</p>

10

<p>Fearless10:
They will not penalize you for only 2 APs because your school doesn’t offer more. If you are concerned just make sure you explain that you took advantage of all that was offered to you. Your guidance counsellor can do that in his/her recommendation or by calling the colleges and explaining the situation to them. Or your school can do that by including a list of all their offerings with your transcript. Or you can do that in a short answer or essay. The point is make it known that you did all you could with what was offered to you!</p>

11

<p>cman74 not all kids have the same opportunities at different high-schools which is why it is important to take it into account in the admissions process. Consider this, when two applicants have the exact same stats, but one went to a very underprivileged high-school that offers few rigorous classes and has a low average ACT score of like 15 (like my school lol) while the other goes to a prestigious college prep school that has an average ACT score of around 30-32. Imo the person who attends the less privileged high-school gets the edge because he/she rises above the limitations of his/her school and succeeds just as well as someone who has much more opportunities.</p>

<p>But back to the OP, you have excellent chances at all schools with you class rank and scores, but your ECs aren’t extraordinarily impressive or anything.</p>

<p>And trust me, they won’t hold the fact that you haven’t taken any AP classes against you. They’ll see that you’ve taken the most rigorous coursework possible and that is all that you can do. Because colleges do take the limitations of your high-school into account, your lack of APs won’t hurt you and you will still be considered on the same level as freaks on this site with 12+ AP classes.</p>

<p>Btw I got into WashU in St. Louis without taking any APs until my senior year if that helps at all. My school doesn’t really offer AP classes before then.</p>

12

<p>Thanks everyone for the kind words!</p>

<p>And congrats on WashU, guitarman! That gives me renewed hope, lol :)</p>

13

<p>Last bump. :p</p>

14

<p>In at USC, NWestern, and Fordham. A friend of mine got a full tuition scholarship from Fordham and he was a NMSF. You may want to look into that. Best of luck! :)</p>

15

<p>I’m really impressed with your Stats. Your standarized scores and GPA are among the top I have seen today. Your ECs may be routine, but they show significant 4-year achievements and dedication. As others have said, as long as you explain to colleges that you took the most challenging courses possible, they will not mind the 2 APs as much.

  • Northwestern- Match(High Match?)
  • USC- Match
  • Georgetown- Match (High Match?)
  • Tufts- Match
  • BC (w/ Legacy)- Match
  • Fordham- Match
  • Stanford (obviously it’s a crapshoot, you don’t have to chance me)- Reach
  • UPenn (same as above.)- Reach</p>

<p>I really like your chances</p>

16

<p>The Colleges:

  • Northwestern: Match
  • USC: Match
  • Georgetown: Low Reach
  • Tufts: Low Reach
  • BC (w/ Legacy): Match
  • Fordham: Match
  • Stanford (obviously it’s a crapshoot, you don’t have to chance me): Reach
  • UPenn (same as above.): Reach.</p>

<p>Even though the last two are really tough, you stand a good shot. Chance me here: <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/624201-chance-me-please.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/624201-chance-me-please.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

17

<p>I agree with essentially everyone’s chancing, but think that with great essays/interviews you’ll be in for sure at BC, Tufts, USC, Fordham (though I’m less familiar with Fordham), and probably Northwestern and Georgetown as well. </p>

<p>I mostly wanted to note that since you’re a junior now, you have plenty of time to self-study for APs that your school doesn’t offer. In fact, I’m surprised that no one has mentioned that yet—self-studying for AP exams (if you want to) shows initiative and commitment to breaking the barriers that your school may inflict. Even though my school offers ~10 APs, it doesn’t offer Psychology (one of my main interests), so I’m self-studying for that exam next May. Clearly, you test VERY well and could probably manage 5s on multiple AP exams this spring, depending on your areas of interest. I’m not too sure on which colleges don’t consider AP exam results in admissions, but I’m pretty sure most do and will admire your initiative if you choose to self-study.</p>

<p>For more information, especially on which exams are easiest to self-study for: <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/ap-tests-preparation/369861-self-studying-aps-improving-your-app.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/ap-tests-preparation/369861-self-studying-aps-improving-your-app.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>That being said, I don’t think most students have heard of self-studying, so if you choose not to (for financial or time commitment reasons), it wouldn’t be noted at all. Just an idea that I thought I’d pass along since it seems like your school’s lack of APs is one of your major concerns. Otherwise, you have fantastic stats and as long as your maintain your GPA, rank, and dedicated ECs I’m positive you will get into a great school. Good luck!</p>

<p>Edit: Sorry, I completely missed this before posting:</p>

<p>

But I do maintain what I said that you shouldn’t be concerned about your school’s limitations—I agree with guitarman that rising to and defeating the boundaries of your school will show much more initiative/be more impressive than students that kind of float on their excellent educations, test prep, abundant APs, etc. It’s clear you took advantage of everything your school offers, and colleges will recognize that.</p>

18

<p>Thanks for the chances and advice!</p>

<p>I’ve thought about self-studying for an AP test or two, but I don’t know where I would find the time to prepare properly… also, that kind of thing is generally not done at my school, and I’m not sure how cooperative my guidance office would be in arranging the taking of additional APs… I may end up giving it a shot though – thanks lovestoned for the link – so we’ll see… :)</p>