Girl Interested in Physics, Chances?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

Hi There,

I’m a high school senior who just applied ED to Dartmouth (fingers crossed!) and am currently considering applying to the following schools for RD:

  • Williams College
  • Scripps College
  • Grinnell College
  • Cornell University
  • UoC
  • Maybe one other Ivy

Major of Interest: 1st Physics, maybe Lit/Korean
Hooks: Lower-Income African-American female interested in STEM? Significant family responsibility
EC: Lots of Volunteering, NHS, Student Gov., National Internship Winner (for a large education company).
SATs: I took once, 530 on Math, 720 on Reading
GPA: 4.57, 25th out of 529 (top 5th percentile)
Courses: My school offers very few APs, but I will take AP Psych and did well in Honors Physics.
Concerns: My SATs, whether or not race affect my chances negatively.

Note: I am in an online school.

Any other perspectives on my chances for some of these schools would be super-appreciated! Even suggestions for schools you think would be a good fit, or general advice. Thank you! :slight_smile:

2

Your low math SAT score will affect your applications, especially as a physics major. Do you have a great grade in Calculus to balance that out? Ivies want to see mid 600s for URMs, so colleges can be assured you can complete the coursework successfully.

Have you considered taking the ACT?

3

That’s what I’ve been thinking. :confused: Unfortunately, my school doesn’t offer anything higher than Pre-Calc, which I’m taking now, but I have a solid A in it thus far and all my previous math courses. And no, but I guess I should look into it? Thanks for the response!

4

You might consider some test optional schools. Your math is very low for a physics major, as mentioned above.

5

I’m not too familiar with any; suggestions would be great! I’ve also been considering re-taking it and re-applying to schools next year. :slight_smile: Thanks for responding!

6

Here is a link to a list:

http://www.fairtest.org/university/optional

How about Mount Holyoke or Dickinson?

7

Thanks! I recognize Bowdoin, and I’ll have to do some research on the other two.

8

You’ve only taken the SAT once so don’t get too worried yet. Think of this as a wakeup call. Since you already have a good SAT reading score, you might want to focus your energy on practicing for the SAT math with the intent of getting a great superscore. Although it wouldn’t be a bad idea to take an ACT practice test to see if you come out really strong on that too. The science section on the ACT might work to your advantage.

9

It looks like I can still take the December SAT and that might be my best bet for all the RD schools I’m applying to. I just need to actually study for it and focus on the math section. I’ll also look into the ACT. Thanks for the advice!