I hate "Chance Me" threads just as much as you do, but chance an African-American for top schools!

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>HI! First off, I hate chance me threads. I think everyone does, but I want to put one out there to really see how people feel about my prospects. I am a CC lurker so I am familiar with what a crapshoot college admissions are and the other common CC aphorisms, so spare me those.</p>

<p>About me:</p>

<p>African-American male from upstate NY
Middle class (~150K)
Intended major: Geology/Earth Science/Atmospheric Science/Physics (a "hard science" of some sort)</p>

<p>Stats:</p>

<p>34 ACT only take (31M/33E/34R/36S)
2290 SAT only take (770M/760R/760W)
Subject tests: 750 World History 760 Math II 730 Physics ( ik, prospective science major and low subject test score)
APs:
5 World History/English Lit sophomore year
5 APUSH, Physics B, Music Theory (self study) Environmental Science (self study), 4 Compsci A, Stats (self study) junior year, so National AP scholar w/ 3 exams self study</p>

<p>Grades:</p>

<p>my school weights 5% for honors and 10% for AP/dual enrollment
Weighted: 101.97
UW: 98.09
Rank: 1/365 at a relatively noncompetitive high school
Have taken most rigorous course load possible, supplemented with self study AP's
senior year courses:
AP Calc Ab (School doesnt offer BC)
Chorus
DE English
AP Chem
DE spanish V
DE gov/econ
swim
independent study of physics C and beginning Latin
my school does offer AP bio but I am not taking it... does that show lack of rigor?</p>

<p>extra curricular activities:</p>

<p>MUSIC:
-Professional musician- I have been an organist at a church since freshman year. I accompany the school choirsa and orchestra during the day and for concerts, and accompany soloists. I am paid (very generously) for my abilities
- went to all state for voice junior year
-NY solofest 100% level six (highest level) solos for voice, piano, and oboe
-select choir and jazz choir president
-lead role in school music junior year, have been part of 4 musicals while in high school
NON-music:
-lead scoring mathletics member
-boy scout (Will be eagle by college apps)
-Sunday school teacher
-honor society president</p>

<p>SUMMER:
-summer after sophomore year: Carnegie Mellon SAMS program
-currently at TASP@ Cornell for junior year summer</p>

<p>COLLEGE LIST:
Reaches:</p>

<p>-Princeton (possibly EA)
-Yale (possibly EA)
-Cornell (would be school of A&S or CALS)
-Columbia (maybe, am touring in August)
-Harvard
-Upenn
-MIT
-Vanderbilt
-Duke
-WUSTL</p>

<p>Matches/safeties:
-UPitt
-PSU University Park
-SUNY Buffalo, Stonybrook, Binghamton
-RPI
-U of R
- SUNY ESF</p>

<p>I'd love to have any input you have! Thanks for taking the time to read this. Should I take the ACT again or try to take the Physics subject test over again? Should I add/remove any colleges from this list, is there anything more I should be doing to prepare myself? Thank you once again!!</p>

2

<p>Also, I will be National Merit Commdnded/ National Achievement Finalist. </p>

3

<p>As a non hooked student, you would have a great chance of getting into any school. With a hook, you have an even better chance. Good luck! You probably shouldn’t apply to 6 ivy leagues though. Try narrow that list down to 4.</p>

4

<p>^^^^^^</p>

<p>Yep… and if you remove two Ivies, you could replace them with a couple of the following:</p>

<p>Stanford
U Chicago
Northwestern
Williams
Amherst
Swarthmore
Pomona</p>

<p>…etc.</p>

<p>You’d be increasing the variety of apps while keeping the same level of quality institutions.</p>

<p>Work your tail off and you’re very likely to have some excellent options when the acceptances start coming in.</p>

5

<p>Oh, I should have mentioned that. I am averse to leaving the eastern half of the US: the joke I tell my mom is that I don’t plan to go west of the Mississippi river, haha. That’s why Stanford and Pomona are not on the list, although I love all that the two have to offer, particularly Pomona. Schools like Hamilton and Colgate are too close to home for me to consider, though, if that gives you a good idea of my geographic area. I applied to the fly-ins at Macalaster and Amherst, as well as Williams. University of Chicago in my opinion seems like a place where fun goes to die, as awful is that is to say lol. Swarthmore should have been on that list, as well as Northwestern and Northeastern. </p>

6

<p>U Chicago is rigorous, but there’s a good side to that: you’ll learn an awful lot. But I’ve read on this site that the school has loosened its tie a bit, so to speak. Regardless, you have a strong list and a strong chance to get into at least a few of them.</p>

7

<p>chance back-<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1665744-accounting-chances.html#latest”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1665744-accounting-chances.html#latest&lt;/a&gt; while I chance you please.</p>

<p>-Cornell (would be school of A&S or CALS)- if ED then accpet
-Columbia (maybe, am touring in August)-reject
-Harvard-crapshoot
-Upenn-waitlist
-MIT-reject
-Vanderbilt-accept
-Duke-accept ED, reject RD
-WUSTL- accept
-Northwestern- accept
rest of the safety and matches are accepts
If I were you I would not apply to 2/3 safety/low matches because you are bound to get into at worse at least one reach. </p>