Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Columbia, Stanford, Duke, Cornell CONCERN OVER SAT and VOLUNTEERING

Chance Me / Match Me!
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<p>@AnnieBeats - I agree - the one line “you’re a shoe in” and “no chance, don’t waste your time” answers from posters with no real knowledge benefit no one. There are a few qualified teenagers posting here but most of these chance threads come down to the blind leading the blind. The message that someone is an exceptional candidate, and as such has better chances than most who apply, should never be construed as assuming acceptance is automatic. The effort and care the student puts into the application will often make or break the application, and complacency is the best way to short-circuit what could otherwise be a successful application.</p>

<p>My goal is to encourage people to apply if they appear to be a strong candidate, or alert them if they are clearly overreaching. I know that my daughter (currently a freshman at Harvard) would have never applied there if I hadn’t convinced her she had a chance of being accepted. Although I never paid much attention to chance threads, the decision threads on the college-specific forums helped convince me (and her) that she had a chance. She never posted in this forum, perhaps because she didn’t want people telling her she had no chance because her ECs were ordinary, or lacked focus.</p>

<p>In her case, I was able to convince her to apply, but many students who post here do not have people in their lives who can realistically gauge their chances. Time and time again, I see chance threads started by highly qualified applicants here who seem unaware of how exceptional they are. Encouraging advice from experienced adults can convince them to take this chance.</p>

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<p>@polar926 - My advice would be to include all your APs on your Common App. It’s an impressive record even if they are not all fives. You can also send your AP score report to the colleges. Although they don’t ask for it, it will go into your file and it is more likely to be noticed than the self-reported AP scores on the Common App.</p>

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<p>I think your ECs are fine – provided they are backed by genuine passion and you are able to convey that. I definitely would not place you in the 6 to 7% range – my guess is it would be at least twice that. But it all depends on the quality of your essays and recommendations and how well you demonstrated your passion to your ECs. Did you submit a music supplement?</p>