I'll Admit It

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>I've done this before. I do have updated choices and updated information, which is why I'm asking for re-chances.</p>

<p>Colleges
In order of interest, but almost certainly not applying ED unless it would be INCREDIBLY worth it, since I need full financial aid:</p>

<p>Washington University in St. Louis
George Washington University
American University
Boston University
University of Pittsburgh
University of Maryland, College Park (in-state - could this be an admissions safety? it's a financial safety, which is the only reason I'm applying, unless you have other ideas for financial safeties)</p>

<p>Stats
Me: African American, female, well-represented state
GPA: 3.84 unweighted, school doesn't weight or rank (9-11 cumulative)
Rigor: 10 honors, 8 APs
School: average to below average public / transfered out to distance learning
SAT: 1470 / 2250 one sitting (720 M / 750 CR / 780 W)
ACT: 31 (33 M, 33 R, 26 S, 32 E)
SAT Subject Tests: 670 Lit, 700 Math II, 730 USH (I only need these for Boston)</p>

<p>ECs
Work: 15-30 hours per week paying for my own private education (my school sucked) + supporting my family (I'm saying this because this is my "main" EC)</p>

<p>Volunteer: 550 hours per year (approx.) as my community organization's Junior President (two years junior / senior, elected, basic service stuff like free baby sitting, lawn-moving, grocery shopping for the elderly, hosting community events...) and 300 hours per year as a sophomore/junior as a member of the community junior organization</p>

<p>Academic: I go to a distance learning school, Keystone National High School, so my school related activities are weak. From my old school, I have:
Freshman Speaker on the Council (highest position in class, appointed)
Sophomore President (highest position in class, elected)
SGA Member 9/10</p>

<p>Other Stuff
I will be applying for financial aid AND I basically need a lot of grants and loans. My out of pocket contribution is exactly $0 per year. My EFC is an automatic zero and my CSS/PROFILE is unlikely to come back >$1000 (if so, it'd be based on my income).</p>

<p>I really like WashU. I can't really apply ED because of the financial aid situation / I do really like my other choices. They do, however, have a good financial aid program. How much would applying ED increase my chances?</p>

<p>Can you suggest any other financial/admission safeties?</p>

2

<p>I think you’re a good candidate for Boston University, you have good test scores, and good volunteering options. The fact that you dont have too many EC’s would be overlooked by a good admissions essay, especially to WU in ST.Louis. A good course load as well. How did those AP scores come out? University of Maryland is a good safety, but you can even aim higher I think. Pittsburgh and American I can’t speak to as much, but still. ED improves usually by about 15% you hear, but you seem at face value to be a match for them anyways. You have good material to do a real original admissions essay, so use it… but overall I’d say there’s a good chance of you getting into these schools, albeit the idea that admissions is a gamble.</p>

3

<p>Have you considered applying to Princeton, Yale, Harvard, Stanford, MIT, Columbia, UPenn, Duke, Brown, Dartmouth, Cornell?</p>

<p>Great Gpa + Fantastic Test Scores + Amazing EC’s + URM status = Harvard </p>

<p>Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Princeton, and MIT have GREAT financial aid, where they could cover almost all of your cost of attending…WashU’s aid is okay but most of it is merit aid, while Harvard, Yale, Princton, and Stanford have GREAT need-based aid…</p>

<p>I think Harvard, Yale, Stanford, and Princeton cover all the cost of attending if your family makes less than 60,000…Correct me if I am wrong…Look into Questbridge too, because you would be a great candiate for a Questbridge scholarship…</p>

4

<p>Agree with Colleges: Ivies gap 100% FA…definitely pick those you prefer and definitely look into Questbridge…I think you are selling yourself short…unless you don’t want Ivy which is fine too…</p>

5

<p>dude you could probably get into harvard since you have a great application and are a urm simultanously.</p>

6

<p>Okay, as for the first question, I’m still waiting on almost all of my AP scores.
Sophomore: AP Euro (4)
Junior: APUSH (expected 3/4)
Junior: AP English Lit (expecting 4/5)
Junior: AP Environmental Science (expecting 2/3)
Senior: AP Statistics (no idea… hopefully a 4)
Senior: AP Economics Macro & Micro (can’t begin to judge)
Senior: AP Biology (probably 2/3)
Senior: AP World History (probably 3/4)</p>

<p>Colleges00701 and Rodney: Here’s the thing about applying to the Ivies. I do NOT have money for applications. Even though I have four application fee waivers, I’m seriously strapped for cash. Applications are like $65 PLUS money to send SAT/ACT/SAT II scores PLUS $20 to get a full transcript sent to each school PLUS money to get the CSS PROFILE sent… etc. etc. Six applications is already going to cost me about $250. I can’t really afford many more - MAYBE one. I also… well, I don’t really like any of the Ivies. I only have a few requirements for a school: urban, medium to large, good financial aid, no “great books” or CORE. I might be able to like an Ivy, but the problem is the atmosphere. I’d can’t really imagine NOT being uncomfortable as a low-income student with no $$$ in a sea of rich WASPs. I also don’t want to totally drown in schoolwork (but I want a challenge). Those two factors are huge for me, so I’ve kind of ruled out any Ivies. But if you have any suggestions as to a particular school, I’m willing to hear you out, for sure.</p>

<p>Questbridge is… well, unless I choose an Ivy I like, there’s not even a Questbridge school that I really like. That’s the only problem with Questbridge. But thanks everyone for the advice - keep it comin’!</p>

7

<p>Given that the Ivies are now inundated with LOTS of students who have taken advantage of their generous FA, I can’t imagine that you will be uncomfortablein a “sea of wasps”, but I do get your point…maybe someone else can give some feedback as to which you should concentrate on if you were to focus on one school…</p>

8

<p>You’re definitely selling yourself short. My friend is upper-middle-class black with mid-1900’s SAT and high B GPA and is going to UPenn with half of the money being paid for.</p>

<p>You’re black. I don’t think you realize how big of a deal that is, especially since that you’ve excelled so well in school while having to support your family.</p>

<p>Join the Panthers and get some BLACK PRIDE.</p>

<p>Just kidding.</p>

<p>Unless you want to.</p>

9

<p>LOL @ Black Panthers</p>

<p>Well, I have a fro - that counts for black pride, right? Actually, no, I guess I don’t know how big of a deal it is. I’ve pretty much discounted it. Black is not a part of my life (“I’m not gonna spend my life bein’ a color” - name that song), it’s just a part of my genetic make-up.</p>

<p>Maybe I’ll try one of the Ivies. I have read a little about Princeton, and it seems okay. Not urban, but it’s like, <1 hour from NYC… maybe an hour and a half. I’d definitely get all the money paid for, considering our income is $25,000 for five people… puts us way below the $60,000 or whatever.</p>

10

<p>At Harvard, you only have to pay 10% of your income for tuition. So my family would only pay $13K a year.</p>

11

<p>I agree with others. You should apply many top schools. I am sure that you can ask for fee waiver if you apply.</p>

<p>By the way, UPenn is downtown Phil, Columbia is in New York City. Harvard is inner suburb of Boston. All met your criteria of urban environment.</p>

<p>According to Harvard class of 2011,</p>

<p>“11 percent black, 20 percent Asian, 10 percent Latino, and 2 percent Native American – “record highs for minority groups” – and just under 20 percent are foreign/dual/etc citizens.”</p>

<p>Among White, another 15 to 18% are Jews. So racial is definitely diversity in Harvard. Of course, I am not sure about economic diversity.</p>

<p>Finally, Ivy Leagues and several other top schools are only schools that meet full financial need. It is probably cheaper for you to go to one of them than local public college.</p>

12

<p>Okay, so tonight I looked up UPenn, Harvard, and Princeton. Princeton has these weird “eating clubs” that are expensive and that definitely sound elitist. Plus they require rushing, which I’m not really into. So Princeton wasn’t really interesting anymore. Penn sounded alright, Harvard was iffy. It’s a good suggestion - I’ll really think about applying to one of those schools. Does that mean you think I have a good shot at the schools I listed?</p>

<p>Washington University in St. Louis
George Washington University
American University
Boston University
University of Pittsburgh
University of Maryland, College Park</p>

13

<p>OP: You’re an amazing applicant! I think you’ll get into any school you apply to, so stop worrying!</p>

14

<p>

</p>

<p>Thanks. I think it’s hard for all of us on this board to stop worrying. Application season (and decision season!) feels so far away. I’m ready to get it over with, find out where I’m going, and enjoy high school again!</p>

15

<p>Look into some ivy fee waivers… If you need money for applications try to get some scholarships (ask your counselor if there are any opportunites, theres so many scholarships for 250 to 500 dollars to help you cover the application costs)…</p>

16

<p>Washington University in St. Louis
George Washington University
American University
Boston University
University of Pittsburgh
University of Maryland, College Park </p>

<p>In at all of these, no question.</p>

<p>Check out Columbia University. It’s in New York City, which is the best city ever.</p>

17

<p>Try Dartmouth.</p>

18

<p>Columbia has a core which OP doesn’t want. Look at Brown.</p>

19

<p>You will easily easily get into all of those schools you listed as your choices. Even if you weren’t a URM, you would get into all of them except for maybe Wustl.</p>

<p>Penn, Harvard, and Yale meet your criteria - in a city, and no huge core. Though New Haven is supposed to be a lame city so maybe not Yale if that is important. At all of the ivies, there are many kids on need-based aid (like half the student body). Wustl actually has the least kids from poverty of any top school.</p>

<p>Others to consider:
Rice in Houston.
Northwestern near Chicago.
Hopkins in Baltimore.</p>

<p>Also financial aid covers the eating clubs at Princeton, and half of them do not require rushing. But it’s in the boring suburbs.</p>

20

<p>

</p>

<p>Those little scholarships are really a great idea. For some reason, it has never occurred to me to use that money for application fees.</p>

<p>Thanks everyone for the advice so far. I have actually never looked into Northwestern, so I’ll check that out. The south isn’t for me (Rice). I actually live pretty close to Hopkins, but that’s not a bad choice, either. Isn’t Brown in Providence? That’s a great idea.</p>