I'M AMAZING chance me :D (Top universities/intl student)

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Sorry for the title - I'm not that egotistical haha :D</p>

<p>The point of this thread is to get some opinions on whether I would probably get into one of the following colleges, to make me feel more self-assured, or more realistic. Also, chance threads are addictive :P</p>

<p>REA to Stanford (dream school)
RD to UChicago, Northwestern, Georgetown, Duke, Berkeley, Harvard+Princeton (haha just try), Columbia, Caltech, Dartmouth, Brown, Cornell, WUSTL, UPenn</p>

<p>I know I don’t have any safety school in my college list, but I do have safeties/matches in my country/other countries where the costs are lower.
Planning to double major in Econs and Psych; (Should I mention this? Or apply undecided?)</p>

<p>SAT 1: 2370 (one sitting; CR/M/WR- 790/800/780, 10E)
SAT 2: Chem, Math 2 – 800 each. (Should I take another test for Georgetown? I know I can do well but it’s expensive so I’m not sure if it’s worth the trouble)
School: Top private school in my region
GPA/rank: Top 5% or thereabout in terms of rank. I do the full IB from grades 11-12, so we don’t have GPA. Current semester: 40/42; 43/45 for IB course, subjects taken are considered difficult; Grades 9-10 grades were stellar.</p>

<p>I’m also an academic scholar (full school fees paid) in my school from grades 11,12</p>

<p>EC/volunteer/work/leadership/awards, etc.:
- Volunteer at library 100h+ (grades 9,10)
- Symphony Band (grades 9,10): secretary grades 9,10. Various public performances --> I changed school after grade 10 so did not continue with band
- Paid part-time tutor, 3-4h/week (grades 10,11,12) [trying to save up for college because it sucks to be a burden]
- Work part-time at a sub-govt sector (grades 10,11,12) (I get to understand how + help the committee promote community bonding, help the poor – very interesting)
- Volunteer at a government organization (where citizens report problems which I will type them down and submit to the member of parliament who will analyse the problems and provide solutions to the respective individuals) (grades 11,12)
- Interact Club (grades 11,12): treasurer
- Running club grade 11; dance club grade 12
- Other small activities (includes choir, an academic club , and some stuff I will not mention)
- Some math and science competition prizes like merit awards and runner-ups in grades 9,10 (in grade 11 my new school does not send people to competitions, which is a shame)
- Planned the itinerary (all by myself) for a service trip involving 10 students in total to Laos (grade 11)
- Commonwealth essay writing competition: Silver
- Completed a psychology course on Coursera (with certification)</p>

<p>Essays: I have rough essay plans which have decent ideas and my writing is decent. I’ll try to make these babies fantastic by November</p>

<p>Teacher rec’s: Tutor reference will mention all the stuff that I’m doing in and outside of school and how other teachers view me – decent but not spectacular 7-8/10; econ’s teacher: I’m her best student and I did my EE (basically a 4000 word thesis) under her supervision and I make pertinent comments in class, really show my passion for the subject, should be good 8-10/10; ToK (something like philosophy) teacher: probably very good because he interviewed me for my scholarship, knows I’m well-read and passionate about learning, likes my confidence and straightforwardness, so should be very good 9-10/10.</p>

<p>Finances: upper middle class, not applying financial aid</p>

<p>Hooks: sister graduated from Stanford (not considered legacy, but better than nothing)</p>

<p>Additional interesting information: I know 4 languages, am very fluent at 3; International applicant, Asian, female (unfortunate, in terms of college applications); I’m also a first generation immigrant in my country.</p>

<p>Thanks for reading! Any comments, advice will be much appreciated. :D
I apologise for any grammatical mistakes. </p>

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<p>Although nobody can be 100% certain to get into an ivy, I think 99% you will get into 1 of those schools because you look perfect.
Please chance me back <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1663073-chance-me-will-chance-back.html#latest”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1663073-chance-me-will-chance-back.html#latest&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>I refuse to chance you. There is no point in predicting your chances. Do you really need the ego boost that badly? You already said you are “amazing”.</p>

<p>What I will say is, why in the world do you want to go to these schools? I’m not saying there is anything wrong with them, but why do YOU want to go? A lot of the schools you listed are so different in so many ways. Aside from the name, why are they on your list? If you get the chace to do interviews, you can’t answer by saying “I want to go to a well known school”. You have to know what makes this school different. From the looks of it, you just picked every school at the top of the US News rankings and put it on your list. Ill tell you why there are several problems with that.</p>

<ol>
<li><p>You have 15 reaches on your list. You should have no more than 15 colleges in TOTAL on your list. For every 2 reaches you have, you should have 3 matches, and 2 safeties. That means you are going to be applying to 50 colleges. That’s ridiculous. You need to eliminate at least 1/2 the schools on here.</p></li>
<li><p>You are upper middle class in your country. Are you also considered upper middle class in America? Because those can be two very different things. Concert your parents monthly income to American dollars and if it is $200,000+, then you are upper middle class. Even with that, it would be insanely difficult for your parents to sacrifice more that 1/4 of their yearly income. When you include traveling expenses, you are going to be paying almost $70,000 a year to go to any of these schools if you get in. Can your family do that? So a lot of these schools will put a financial strain on your family. So keep that in mind.</p></li>
<li><p>Admissions are going to be much harder as an international applicant and you probably won’t get into more than 2 if these schools, so apply wisely and save your money. </p></li>
<li><p>If you are complaining about the price for another subject test, you cannot afford to apply to all of these schools.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>Rethink your priorities, focus on what is best for your major. Look at how the campus is and how the students feel. Read up on Sexual Assault in the ivy leagues and read up on how Princeton University students develop mental health disorders AFTER being admitted to the school. Ivy isn’t everything. </p>

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<p>@anniebeats sorry if it came out wrong - I was only kidding. I don’t think my stats even match up to those on CC, or even my sister’s, who was admitted into Stanford. I really didn’t mean to come off as arrogant or anything - just thought it’d make a catchy title haha. I have no subject-specific awards, no strong leadership position, no extremely big initiative to start up an EC or anything. </p>

<p>I know I gave off the wrong impression but like everyone else, I’m just trying my best and being hopeful. </p>

<p>As mentioned, I’m not applying to safeties/matches in US because I think it’s a waste of money and I can study in my home country. </p>

<ol>
<li><p>My top choices are Stanford, NW, UChicago, Duke, Dartmouth. The others are only in consideration. I plan to narrow my list to 10 schools (probably applying to Georgetown, WUSTL and Berkeley). Application in my home country is much less complicated so I think I can afford to spend more time applying to the US. </p></li>
<li><p>I know my parents can afford it because I’m aware of my family’s finances. My parents make approx USD200,000 a year in total so I can’t apply for financial aid even if I wanted to. I’ve taken that into consideration so I’m considering staying in my country. But a kid gotta have dreams. I’m trying to make mine happen and reduce the burden on my parents by working 8h/week in 3 part-time jobs. I’m not making a lot but I aim to at least be able to pay for my living expenses. </p></li>
<li><p>“you probably won’t get into more than 2 if these schools” --> that’s what I was looking for. TBH, to even get into one of these schools is fantastic! Is there anything I need to improve? It’s a little late, but maybe I can do more.
And yeah, I’m cutting down my list to 10. </p></li>
<li><p>Taking another subject test isn’t worth it financially not because I can’t afford it but because I’d be doing it to aid my application to just one school. It’s USD100, which nobody in their right mind, no matter their wealth, thinks is cheap.
And I’d have to study for it. </p></li>
</ol>

<p>Why ivy you may say? For me, it’s less about the prestige (to show off) than most people would think. I like to be surrounded by impressive people who can motivate me to do better, and those people are mostly centred around ivy’s. Also, my country is elitist in general, so a degree from a brand name university would really really help me get a job. And that’s the most important, given the not-so-great economic situation worldwide right now. I’m taking whatever chances I can get. </p>

<p>“Sexual Assault in the ivy leagues and read up on how Princeton University students develop mental health disorders AFTER being admitted to the school. Ivy isn’t everything.”
I’m grateful for your concern but every school has some problem and sexual assaults happen to a small minority - not enough to worry. Other schools probably have the same/worse problems but because it’s ivy they make big publicity about it. It’s a small concern - these things can’t be prevented by going to another school. Ivy isn’t everything, but ivy can be better (for reasons I’ve mentioned above). </p>

<p>Thanks for your help. </p>

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<p>Why don’t you look at need blind schools that meet full need? Your family doesn’t seem to be in a position where they can afford full tuition. Harvard and Dartmouth will give you that. As will MIT, Amherst, and a 2 others.</p>

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<p>@AnnieBeats‌ I agree with most of what you are saying, but where did you get that bs rule about applying to 3 matches and a safety per reach? Acceptance rates have gotten so ridiculously low that there is nothing wrong with applying to 15 top schools. If she has good safeties on top of that, then there isn’t an issue…</p>

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<p>@anniebeats my parents make USD200,000 a year and we have quite a large value of assets; no school in their right mind will consider that a “need”. I’m certain I can’t get any $. The only needs I have is the need to feel less guilty taking my parents’ money and the need to be more financially independent, but nobody can help me there. WUSTL is a great school that provides merit scholarships so I’ll try for those.</p>

<p>@thebanshee I agree - I really want to spread out my chances. But maybe 15 schools is a bit too much, so I’m trying to cut it down (I have to take my finals during the deadline period, so it’s hectic to apply to too many schools). At the moment I chose those few schools based on the programs they have for my intended majors, but I’m going to remove some that may fit me less. Still doing my research :)</p>

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<p>With college admissions there are no for sure things especially with ivies but you’ve got as good a shot as any. But then again there’ll be people the applicant pool with equal or possibly better stats. Will you get into at least one of these schools? Heck yes. Which one will it be, I don’t know. It could be Princeton, it could be WUSTL. Good thing they’re all great schools, it’ll be like choosing your favorite ferrari when decisions come around. My one issue is, with the acception of Berkeley (maybe), there is no guarantee with any of these schools. You have no safety schools. There are very schools out there that I you are a for sure candidate.</p>

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<p>@thebanshee New Rules of College Admissions by Stephen Kramer and Michael London</p>

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<p>@alsa2000‌ haha Ferrari :slight_smile: thanks! what do you mean when you said there’s a guarantee with Berkeley? it’s a great school - I thought it’s a crapshoot like the rest</p>

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<p>Don’t even cut down your list. If you can manage to keep writing good essays, apply to 15 reaches. The worst that can happen is lose $75 upon rejection. You don’t need a ton of safeties or matches. Find 2 matches you are interested in and 2 safeties and then just apply to as many reaches as you want. You are a great applicant and will get accepted to some of your reaches. @anniebeats is coming down hard on you because you came off as arrogant but i understand why you chose the title - to get attention. I’ve done it myself and I don’t think I’m the best out there either. I empathize with you and I think you’re doing it right. I would say, check the aid boxes because I doubt anything bad will happen. I mean maybe it will hurt your chances, so i am not sure. You seem to have it down pretty well though.</p>

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<p>@Newkid1997 multiple $75 and 15. Oh, and Stanford is $90 to apply.</p>

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<p>OP, forget about AnnieBeats wrote. You are an international and there is no point for safety schools as you already mentioned in your opening post. Regarding financial aid, I don’t think you are going to get any with your family income. So I agree might as well bypassing all the trouble of filing the paper work.</p>

<p>Having said that, the competition for internationals is fierce. While you have very good scores, it’s difficult to say what your chance is since it also depends on what other international candidates do. All I can say is good luck.</p>

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<p>@econsftw‌ don’t let anyone tell you otherwise, apply to as many schools as you’d like. You never know where you’ll get in, so it never hurts to apply to any schools that you feel qualified for. My suggestion: apply to them all and see where you get in (on this list you will most likely get into one, probably several) Good luck!</p>

<p>Chance me back please:</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1662544-chances-at-harvard-yale-princeton-mit-brown-columbia-dartmouth-tufts-duke-amherst.html#latest”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1662544-chances-at-harvard-yale-princeton-mit-brown-columbia-dartmouth-tufts-duke-amherst.html#latest&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>@econsftw‌ Dont worry! Do you know why the International pool is like deadly battle? It is because most internationals need A LOT of money. Many Internationals come from oh-not-so-wealthy family (like me), so while they are not elligible for state money, they have to depend HEAVILY on the school’s budget. That’s why being an International student is a huge disadvantage as it comes down to money. If, however, you dont need any money from the school, then this drawback does not apply to you. Even for need-blind colleges like Harvard or Yale,… I think you are still a good candidate. In general, dont worry!!! Apply to wherever you want!
@AnnieBeats‌ honestly why do you need to insist that he cannot pay? Given that he’s so aware of HIS financial circumstance, if he says he can pay, then he can pay. No offense but I “feel” the hatred from your post…</p>

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<p>@newkid1997 thanks :slight_smile: I’m probably not going to check the aid boxes though. My sister did but she didn’t get any aid in the end so I reckon not checking the box would possibly increase my chances a little bit. </p>

<p>@pastwise thanks :slight_smile: I don’t really think grades will make my application, because a lot of other Asians get crazy grades haha. I’m more concerned whether my EC’s are good enough but I think they should be alright? :)</p>

<p>@235423 thanks! I chanced you back already. I’ll give most of the schools a shot :slight_smile: </p>

<p>@phongtheha oh really? OK that’s quite hopeful haha :smiley: I’ll still try for the merit aid scholarships but my family has discussed it and my parents are prepared to pay for the fees if need be. Agreed that @anniebeats is being redundant by talking about my finances and a little hurtful. But I’m grateful to anyone who takes the time to read my post and give advice.</p>

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<p>@econsftw‌ sr i didn’t notice u are a “she” lol</p>

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<p>I never meant to hurt you OP. I just want to make you more aware with the schools that could be best for your situation. That isn’t being mean, that’s being honest. I have no reason to hate you. Hearing something that you don’t want to hear doesn’t make it hate.</p>

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<p>@Phongtheha‌ no worries :slight_smile:
@AnnieBeats‌ It’s clear you dislike me (it’s possible to dislike people online) because of how I initially presented myself but I don’t blame you and I never said I thought you were mean or that you hate me -.- hate is a horribly strong word. There’s no need to be paranoid and explain yourself or insinuate me further.</p>

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<p>I do not dislike you at all. Why would I dislike you? All I am saying is that you should be a little more reasonable in your decisions. That’s all. I’m a grown woman. I have no business disliking a child.</p>