How the frick am I supposed to get into college.

Applying to College
1

<p>I received my junior year grades this morning. I don't think I'll be able to get into my top choice schools, which are UPenn, UChicago, and Stanford. </p>

<p>Could you guys chance me please? Not only on the academic aspects, but also my personal life/what I have to contribute in terms of my background?? Anyways, here it is.</p>

<p>I am Asian-American. Yes, I know, it sucks. This greatly decreases my chances of getting into college as opposed to being an hispanic or African-American individual.</p>

<p>I was born in Memphis, TN, and then moved to Boston when I was a few years old. After that, I moved to Beijing, China when I was around 5. At age 6, my parents divorced and my mom left to the UK to get her master's degree. I ended up living with my dad for a few years, who was both mentally and physically abusive. One day, he crossed the line and my mother flew back to China that very day and picked me up. I brought nothing with me, and went to live with my mother and my new step father, who she had met in grad school (is that what it's called?) and happened to be Norwegian. I lived in Norway for two years, and then during my 9th grade year I applied for the Hotchkiss School in Lakeville, Connecticut and have been going there ever since my 10th grade year. Aside from this 'internationalism', I've also done lots of community service, such as teaching SAT vocab classes for free during the summer, and also participating in the China LifeLine Express, an organization that performs free cataract surgery in rural areas. I was also on the chinese organization team for the Fortune magazine funded Global Forum event last year in South Africa. I also brought to my school in Oslo an organization called Free The Children, and raised funds to fuel alternative income, better water sources, and also completely delete child exploitation. I also play piano and violin, and picked up singing/voice lessons during my junior year at Hotchkiss. I also started playing basketball in the 10th grade, at Hotchkiss, and despite having no previous experience at all made the J.V. team my junior year.</p>

<p>Phew. Now onto the academic part.</p>

<p>Last year, I pretty much failed everything. I had B's and C's, and the worst grade I'd ever received was an F on my Chemistry final, which brought down my average grade to a C+/B-. I completely f-d it up. I also took AP modern euro last year, and had a C in it too (FML). This year I took AP English and APUS, along with Pre-Calc, SAT level French, SAT level Physics, Voice lessons (outside of class) and Music Theory. I started off the year with mostly B's, the lowest being a B- and the highest an A-. Towards the end of the first semester, I had pretty much an A in all my classes. But towards the end the second semester, everything fell apart.</p>

<p>My grades dropped down. I've been left with B's in everything, the highest being a B+ and the lowest being a B-. I was planning on letting my English teacher, who is the resident poet, to write my rec but I messed up my relationship with her since I came to class late several times, usually oversleeping. I also asked for an extension on my final paper (this might be responsible for my low grade. Previously the lowest grade I had ever received in English was a B+, and that was only once or twice.) </p>

<p>Second year GPA is 8.0, that's a B.</p>

<p>Oh, as for SATs, I definitely F-d that up too. Big time. I have taken it twice, didn't really study for any of them. The first time I got 1860, the second time I got 1930. My math score remained at 670, and didn't change. However my Critical Reading did change, and English as well. </p>

<p>Oh, for my first ever AP (Euro) I got a 3. Horrible. Yes, I know.</p>

<p>I am still waiting for my SAT subject tests (Phys/French) and AP Eng/APUS grades to come out. (Will update if you want to see)</p>

<p>Guys, please be truthful with me. I know I completely destroyed my 10th grade year, but I thought that if I showed continuous improvement over the course of my time at Hotchkiss, it would all be good. But evidently my grades have dipped. Please be honest and feel free to harshly criticize me. What are my chances of getting into college/my top 3 schools? </p>

<p>Thank you</p>

2

<p>Your background story could make for a really great essay, but I don’t think it can excuse your grades. Sorry…</p>

3

<p>Where does the typical Hotchkiss student with your grades/scores go to college? I’d imagine it’s more like Boston College/GWU than Penn/Stanford. Just ask your GC or think about where this year’s batch of seniors went. Expect to see the same results that they did(don’t consider yourself exceptional for no reason).</p>

4

<p>You could always take the SATs again, but like mrlaurencenguyen said, your grades aren’t the greatest. And as you’d be competing with the nation’s best and brightest students for admission into colleges like Stanford and UPenn, I think those colleges might be too high of a reach for you.</p>

<p>But there are still plenty of other colleges who would gladly accept you, so it isn’t the end of the world. Retake your SATs, and try to get better grades next year and I’m sure things will work out in the end.</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

5

<p>You’ve set your heart on three selective schools where the average grades and test scores are simply higher than yours, in many cases MUCH higher. On top of that,while it’s true that you may have had some turmoil in your childhood, it’s also true that you’re at an elite school that offers unparalleled academic opportunities. Admission committees may very well conclude that your are either unable to perform at Hotchkiss level (and by extension also at their own demanding campuses) or are unwilling to do so. Either way, that’s not an encouraging picture. </p>

<p>So basically that leaves you two options:

  1. Raise your stats significantly in your junior and first half of senior year, apply to all three and keep your fingers crossed.
  2. Expand your college search to include less selective schools. </p>

<p>But I think you yourself know that unless you manage a dramatic academic turn-around your chances of getting into Stanford, Chicago and (to a somewhat lesser degree) Penn aren’t great. But chin up. There are over 3,000 colleges and universities in this country, many of them outstanding, and many of them sure to admit you.</p>

6

<p>B average won’t be boosted much, even with all As as a senior. No “dramatic turnaround” will make up for 3 years of B average. Top schools you’ve listed are out of reach, even with a superior SAT. Your counselor staff at Hotchkiss is very experienced however. </p>

<p>What you need to do is stop fetishizing those three schools, humble out, and listen to the suggestions of your counselor. You’re pretty foolish if you think that those 3 colleges are the only ones that you’ll be happy. It’s what you’ll make of it. No excuses. Time to grow up. Time to make decisions that maximize your future opportunities and happiness.</p>

7

<p>UPDATE:::::</p>

<p>Alright, I wasn’t expecting a positive response. I know that my chances are very slim, however I will be working my butt off for a “dramatic turnaround”. It’s the only chance I’ve got left.</p>

<p>What are my chances of getting into schools like NYU and Barnard College?</p>

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<p>Let’s put some of your math skills to work. You have 3 semesters of B average. If you get straight As your first semester as a Senior (remember, your last semester as a Senior won’t count) – you’ll have a B+ average by the time you apply. I’d say very doubtful NYU. You’d have to research what the avg stats are for Barnard.</p>

9

<p>But would the fact that Hotchkiss is one of the top ten high schools in the U.S. make any difference at all? </p>

<p>Oh and responding to an earlier question last year a student with straight B’s (not sure of SAT scores though) went to Vanderbilt. But then again she isn’t white or Asian.</p>

<p>I have received lots of letters from UPenn ever since my first SAT scores came out, lots of invites and stuff, however I believe that this ‘dip’ (<em>cough cough</em> that is such an understatement) has probably destroyed my chances of going there despite all their letters. Blegh.</p>

10

<p>Sorry to burst your bubble, but those “letters” which I assume are like emails and various tidbits you receive from UPenn is exactly that. Its junk, lots of people get it. They mean absolutely nothing. I’m going to have to agree that those three schools will be incredibly tough, even if you’re at good boarding school. Try looking into other schools, slightly lower tier, not going to one of those schools doesn’t mean the end of the world. I’ve always been told to go somewhere that you know you can do your best.</p>

<p>The three schools you listed at the beginning, like Stanford have rejected people, who I actually know, who had 2400s, 4.0s, stellar ECs, amazing recs and terrific essays to boot. Barnard and NYU might be much more reasonable, look into some other schools along those lines. Keep in mind though that that doesn’t guarantee you acceptance though.</p>

11

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<p>Uh, B’s and C’s aren’t failing grades.</p>

<p>You’re not a realistic candidate for top-tier schools. You’re a superb candidate for some very good schools, however. What do you want to study?</p>

12

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<p>Our school calls that “Asian failing.” Well at least the school I go to.
Kids will groan that they failed a test and they usually ended up getting Bs on the said test if they “failed”</p>

<p>Yeah that wasn’t really relevant, was it.</p>

13

<p>Very, very high reach for NYU, even for LSP. There are plenty of good schools that would let you in, just not the top 50. How about BU and Northeastern? Focus on these second 50 schools (you know, USNWR ratings) and you can get into one of them, especially if you perform better next semester.</p>

14

<p>Well you can definitely get into college, just not the ones you mentioned in your opening statement. It really depends on what your financial situation is though. If you’re not looking for a lot of aid, then BU and Northeastern would be good options. Also, make sure you apply to your state school (I believe you said Connecticut?) Uconn would be a great option.</p>

<p>So yeah, definitely not Stanford, but you’re getting into college.</p>

15

<p>airness -</p>

<p>The guidance office at Hotchkiss has detailed records about college admission for their graduates dating back to the day that school was founded. The people there can tell you with an accuracy that few outside that type of school would believe to be possible just exactly where you can be admitted. Pick up the phone and call them, or send them an email if you are in a time zone that would make a phone call difficult. They are the ones who can help you with this.</p>

16

<p>NYU is not a reach. They would probably take any Hotchkiss kid with above a 3.0 gpa. Second tier privates go incredibly easy on boarding schools(I know this from experience).</p>

17

<p>Sorry I just clicked her cause I liked the scrubs reference. :P</p>

18

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<p>Off-topic story. Ignore if you wish.</p>

<p>My (WASP) D struggled a lot when she went from our small, crappy, rural HS to her selective residential enrollment math and science school, where the enrollment is almost 40% Asian. Second semester sophomore year, she had three classes where going into the finals she had high Cs. When the semester grades were posted, she’d pulled all three up to Bs.</p>

<p>So she goes back to her residence hall, sees one of her friends, and starts jumping up and down, excited, “I got three Bs! I got three Bs!”</p>

<p>So happens that there was a party of parents of prospective students on a campus tour who observed this, most of them Asians. D says they looked at her as though she was from Mars.</p>