Improving my chances at Dartmouth

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Hello, my name is Bob. I just finished up my Junior year. I'm going to apply to Dartmouth soon. I'm going to list about every credential of mine that I can and I want you to consider it as objectively as possible. Then, I'd like your opinion on how I could improve my application. Thanks in advance.</p>

<p>White Italian Male
No Legacies
Poorer but not poverty level
Public school, not exceptionally competitive
First in family to attend college</p>

<p>3.2 GPA - Top 20% of my class
AP World: 3 (Challenge exam)
AP English: 3 (Challenge exam)
Didn't take PSAT
700v/600m/650w SAT, plan to retake (assuming it goes up 200 or so total following a tutor)
Plan to take ACT next year (estimating 30-32)
660, 730, 700 SATii exams</p>

<p>2 Years Academic Decathlon (Captain)
3 Years Chess Team (Co-Captain)
3 Years Math Team (Co-Captain)
2 Years Field Band (Colorguard Captain)
3 Years Winterguard (Captain)
3 Years Student Council (VP half year, President other half - didn't run for Senior year)</p>

<p>Various Chess Awards
Various AcDec Awards
Various Mathematics Awards</p>

<p>~1300 volunteer hours as a computer programmer for an MMORPG
~100 volunteer hours teaching the elderly about computers
~50 volunteer hours fundraising for my extracirriculars (does this even count?)</p>

<p>Run my own business: profiteer off of MMORPGs by trading in-game currency for real currency - have made about 15000 dollars this way over 3 years.</p>

<p>Predict an exceptional peer recommendation, exceptional essay, and a better-than-average teacher recommendation.</p>

<p>Senior Schedule:
AP Bio, AP Chem, AP English, AP Economics, AP Government; Challenging Calc BC, Compsci AB, Psych, Euro, Environmental and a ton of others I wasn't allowed to last year. Assuming I pass most with a few fives, probably in English and Calculus. My school typically produces 2-3 5s per class and only a handful of 4s. Oftentimes we seem to need to fight for 3s.</p>

<p>Sometimes I think I'm overqualified and totally a shoe in and other times I think I will never get in and I am donating 60 dollars. What is the case and how can I improve my chances? I guess I have half of a year to do it.</p>

2

<p>While your EC's seem strong (and unique w/ your business + programming), your GPA & SAT will make Dartmouth a huge reach. Certainly apply if it is your ultimate wish to go there, but make sure you have other schools a notch down (maybe a couple notches down) that you would be happy to go to.</p>

3

<p>i completely agree with stambliark EXCEPT that your the first person in your family to attend college. If you were a normal applicant, i'd basically tell you that you have no chance (SATs and class rank could definitely use some improving), but the fact that you were moderately poor and are the first person in your family to attend college can really be intriguing. I still say Dartmouth's a reach, but your chances are improved greatly because of your situation.</p>

4

<p>I would have to disagree that being a first to attend college is a big tilt factor if you're not a URM. </p>

<p>Dartmouth is probably not realistic. There are many good colleges that are.</p>

5

<p>I would say that if you can raise your SATs, you would improve your chances a lot. Your GPA's going to be a real killer, though, so it's all up to the crap shoot.</p>

6

<p>
[quote]
While your EC's seem strong (and unique w/ your business + programming), your GPA & SAT will make Dartmouth a huge reach. Certainly apply if it is your ultimate wish to go there, but make sure you have other schools a notch down (maybe a couple notches down) that you would be happy to go to.

[/quote]

I also applied to Case Western Reserve as a match and then Niagara and U of Northern Colorado as safeties; UNCo already accepted me early action, so I'm covered for at least one college. Again I would expect my SAT to improve such that I'd be in the 1400s and probably the 1500s.</p>

<p>
[quote]
i completely agree with stambliark EXCEPT that your the first person in your family to attend college. If you were a normal applicant, i'd basically tell you that you have no chance (SATs and class rank could definitely use some improving), but the fact that you were moderately poor and are the first person in your family to attend college can really be intriguing. I still say Dartmouth's a reach, but your chances are improved greatly because of your situation.

[/quote]

[quote]
I would have to disagree that being a first to attend college is a big tilt factor if you're not a URM.
Dartmouth is probably not realistic. There are many good colleges that are.

[/quote]

How does being a URM or poor or whatever actually figure in to college admissions? This is probably a really bad question to ask on these forums but my guidance counselor is an idiot and my parents have never done this.</p>

<p>
[quote]
I would say that if you can raise your SATs, you would improve your chances a lot. Your GPA's going to be a real killer, though, so it's all up to the crap shoot.

[/quote]

Assuming I get a 1450-1550 or so scaled SAT, wouldn't my application stand out versus everyone else who is 4.0 and 1500 (which seems to be about everyone on these forums.. it's quite intimidating), because I did something entirely different? Doesn't that have a tendency to be better for an applicant, or is it the type of thing that would get me in the wrong pile without consideration first?</p>

7

<p>Run my own business: profiteer off of MMORPGs by trading in-game currency for real currency - have made about 15000 dollars this way over 3 years.</p>

<p>I dunno...isn't that against the policies of the game manufacturer? usually they have a set a rules and it includes not selling game material for real money... and i wouldn't call it my own business. you're just playing a video game for a long long time and then making money off of it...</p>

8

<p>Bob, bottom line is that your class rank alone makes Dartmouth highly unlikely. I think you'd be hard pressed to find someone who is white, not an athlete or national level star or the offspring of the rich and famous, not in the top 10% at a normal high school.</p>

<p>Lot's of kids have started businesses. A kid from our school this year was rejected from all ivies having made over $300,000 in an internet business during high school. (He also got the rude surprise of finding out that he would get no financial aid because of his profits although his family would otherwise have qualified). If your's really interests them it will be a boost. However, GPA and rank, even if the SATs go way up, will still make Dartmouth a major stretch.</p>

<p>There are many fine schools.</p>

9

<p>Yeah,</p>

<p>I would say that its beyond a reach simply due to your GPA even if you do get a 14-1500. Good news is you can always transfer if you get a good GPA somewhere else. Dartmouth rejects top 10%, 1500, good EC applicants all the time, so a 3.2 is way below the radar.</p>

10

<p>If you already got into UNC BTW that is awesome...how did you do that so early?</p>

11

<p>Gee, TCamrhyne, I know this must be really tough for you. You are interested in going to Dartmouth and everyone here is basically telling you that you don't have a prayer. My stats are higher than yours in every area, and I don't think I have much hope of getting in, so while you have a chance, it is probably very, very slim indeed. So let me ask you instead, what is it about Dartmouth that appeals to you? if you could let us know what you like about Dartmouth, some of us might be able to suggest other schools that meet your requirements and preferences. In looking at schools I found that Colgate offers a lot of what I liked at Dartmouth. For me, the atmosphere at both schools felt very similar and very appealing. Anyone else have any Dartmouth-like suggestions?</p>

12

<p>has anyone taken into consideration that playing a video game and selling video game currency isn't really a substantiated business? there are disclaimers on video games that specifically state NOT to sell video game items or currency in exchange for USD.</p>

13

<p>
[quote]
Run my own business: profiteer off of MMORPGs by trading in-game currency for real currency - have made about 15000 dollars this way over 3 years.</p>

<p>I dunno...isn't that against the policies of the game manufacturer? usually they have a set a rules and it includes not selling game material for real money... and i wouldn't call it my own business. you're just playing a video game for a long long time and then making money off of it...

[/quote]

If I employ my friends and creatively word things, it's a legal business. Technicalities are great.</p>

<p>
[quote]
Bob, bottom line is that your class rank alone makes Dartmouth highly unlikely. I think you'd be hard pressed to find someone who is white, not an athlete or national level star or the offspring of the rich and famous, not in the top 10% at a normal high school.</p>

<p>Lot's of kids have started businesses. A kid from our school this year was rejected from all ivies having made over $300,000 in an internet business during high school. (He also got the rude surprise of finding out that he would get no financial aid because of his profits although his family would otherwise have qualified). If your's really interests them it will be a boost. However, GPA and rank, even if the SATs go way up, will still make Dartmouth a major stretch.</p>

<p>There are many fine schools.

[/quote]

Ouch. I doubt it's of any special interest, so oh well. If I don't get in I don't get in. It's not the ultimate definition of my life and I can just do well in college to to a nice grad school so forth.</p>

<p>
[quote]
Gee, TCamrhyne, I know this must be really tough for you. You are interested in going to Dartmouth and everyone here is basically telling you that you don't have a prayer. My stats are higher than yours in every area, and I don't think I have much hope of getting in, so while you have a chance, it is probably very, very slim indeed. So let me ask you instead, what is it about Dartmouth that appeals to you? if you could let us know what you like about Dartmouth, some of us might be able to suggest other schools that meet your requirements and preferences. In looking at schools I found that Colgate offers a lot of what I liked at Dartmouth. For me, the atmosphere at both schools felt very similar and very appealing. Anyone else have any Dartmouth-like suggestions?

[/quote]

I picked out a few others already but thanks</p>

<p>
[quote]
If you already got into UNC BTW that is awesome...how did you do that so early?

[/quote]

On their website it said I could do an online early action application, so I did. <em>shrug</em> <a href="http://www.unco.edu%5B/url%5D"&gt;www.unco.edu&lt;/a> if you are interested.</p>

14

<p>Oh, I thought it was UNC-CH. Unco is totally different!! I thought you made a misspelling...</p>

<p>Sorry man. Dartmouth isnt in the ballpark.</p>

15

<p>Oh, so you have employees and stuff. haha that's pretty cool actually. i suppose that works then, if it's an intricate enough system (business-like, not just profiting from sitting at the computer)</p>

16

<p>His rank and GPA are crippling. I mean, your SAT II scores are in range, but your SAT I could use some work (1980); it's not impossible to raise it. I also want to apply to Dartmouth, but I think I may need to retake my ACT, and take another SAT II in the fall.</p>