According to the Academic Index (AI), I am a 5 (almost a 6) with a score of 215 (34 ACT/50 out of 650 in my class/mid-700s on SAT 2s). This is, apparently, average for Ivy admissions (a 6 would be above-average). I have a strong upward trend, though (all B’s and a few C’s in high-school coursework taken in 8th and 9th grades and now mainly A’s with a few B’s in APs). I have taken the most demanding courseload at my school with 9 APs and 6 dual-enrollment courses. I am also half Hispanic but do not speak fluent Spanish and have a non-Hispanic last name.
I have strong and focused extracurriculars (summer research, president of club related to that research, Church counselor, licensed preschool teacher and others (for a full list see another post)).
I think I would be a borderline applicant to Ivies if it weren’t for my status as half-Hispanic and for the upward trend. Do these things tip the scales?
And regarding the “half-Hispanic” – I very much identify with this part of my culture, but I admit it seems wrong to use it as a “tag” to help me in college admissions given that I am upper-middle income and live in a predominately Hispanic area where I do not feel like a minority at all. Still, I do derive a lot of pride from my culture and it would also be wrong to deny this part of myself.
Ivies are not monolithic. Each will have a different view of your app. But based solely on admission %age they are all reaches. Being hispanic might be a small tip for them. Frankly it’s your grades more than anything which make it worse, though the upward trend seems good. Have you asked your parents how much they can pay for school?
My parents won’t really have a problem paying, although less is better.
Thanks for that insight. I also had three deaths in the family (grandparents) during my slump in grades, which my counselor will include in her letter, though they are not entirely to blame.
Honestly, without the hispanic I do not think you would have a chance at an Ivy, with it, I think better than average. Also 8th grade does not really count and Stanford I think only counts 10 and 11 (or may that is just UCs). Try to get rid of the Bs for this year and make sure what you send next year is all As. I go to a much smaller school, have never gotten a B+ and did not get into an ivy, got into some excellent schools but no ivies. Also every school I got into there was a reason. Either I was way above their stats, my school had a really good relationship with them, I was a legacy or I had an EC that would translate well to their culture and emphasied that in the essay.
BTW I am not a URM. People with my stats that I know who were URMs (wealthy URMs,not wealthy URMs did not matter) did better than I did in terms of Ivies and near ivies (eg Vandy and Duke). It also really depends what you are studying and where. Female STEM is a boost, male liberal arts, especially at LAC, way more women apply to LAC.
Good info. Thanks. I was considering those very near-ivies along with Emory, Davidson and a few others as my reaches. I am a female looking at neuroscience. I’m guessing that is somewhat evenly split between male/female even though it is STEM?
If you are “half-Hispanic” you are Hispanic. My nephews are Hispanic, but they don’t know a word of Spanish they didn’t learn in school (and they didn’t even take HS Spanish, just whatever they had earlier) and their last name is not Hispanic. I have no problem with them identifying themselves as Hispanic and getting any “benefits” associated with that.
It really doesn’t matter - if you would identify yourself as Hispanic if someone asked you, put it on your college app. If you wouldn’t, then don’t. I am brown-skinned and multiracial, and if I have one choice of race, I usually put “Other” because I am multiracial. If I can put more than one, I list more than one.
I think your best bet is to focus on the research and any presentations, prizes, or articles associated with it. That was a huge differentiator for my son’s friends who got into HYP.
I would carefully look at what each school needs. For example there are certain majors at Penn that seemed to get likely letters and others did not (I think the information is in a thread I did 2 months ago when I was panicked by all the talk of likely letters and did not have one, feel free to search, no idea how accurate). This is because they want more people for those majors. However most schools (other than Cornell) have a lot of flexibility on moving majors.
If you read above, that is not my intention. I understand that I am privileged in many ways and I personally believe that if a boost is given in admissions, it should more often be to those that are economically disadvantaged (which, unfortunately, would include mainly minority populations).
If, however, a college believes that I would add something to the school culture as the daughter of a Hispanic immigrant who did grow up economically disadvantaged, and who was made to feel “other” because of her heritage and who – as a result – raised me to be proud of that heritage and to be compassionate towards those who are marginalized in society, then it is their prerogative. I am not going to keep secret an essential part of myself from admissions officers.
I was previously wrestling a little with whether I believed that my applications should get a boost or not due to my URM status, but you have made clear precisely why they should: students at elite colleges need to be exposed to highly successful and competent representatives of other cultures so that they can better appreciate the vibrancy that different cultures contribute to society.
By the way, I wouldn’t consider a 34 ACT and a top 7% ranking as “shortcomings.” I understand that my chances at the tippity-top schools are not high, but I have accomplished a lot in my 17 years and I have done it with dignity.
Then why did u not soley focus on the upward trend in your thread, which in itself is sufficiently important. Why even bring up the half-hispanic business at all? It only gives the impression that you are using it as a crutch. Be careful of that in your essay.
OP, I think you have done great. There is nothing wrong with reporting your ethnicity as you choose. I thought your response was great but really you do not have to justify this to anyone.
