Ivy admissions and the like...

Applying to College
1

<p>Hey everyone :) I'm looking to apply to UPenn, Duke, and Rice. I just wanted an outisde opinion on my chances of getting in and the kinds of things I should do to improve them. </p>

<p>GPA: 4.0
Rank: 5/194
PSAT: 210-preliminary national merit qualifier
SAT: math-620 reading-600 writing-700 (i know they're miserable, i'm retaking)
SAT II: math I-670 bio m-710
ACT: 32</p>

<p>Highschool Courses:</p>

<p>Math-
Adv Alg. II 99%
Independent Study Advanced Geometry- 94%
Adv Alg III/Trig-100%
AP Calc AB- 109%</p>

<p>Science
Adv Bio- 97%
Adv Chem- 97%
Adv Physics- 99%
AP Biology- 106%</p>

<p>English-
World Lit- 97%
American Lit- 100%
Honors Lit- 100%</p>

<p>Soc Stud-
World Cultures- 99%
American History- 100%
AP US His- 109%</p>

<p>freshman rotation courses.. dumb highschool crap
Art- 98%
Computer Learning Systems- 100%
Manufacturing- 96%</p>

<p>Electives
Band- 3 yrs- 100%
Pep Band- 1 yr- 100%
Pyschology- 100%
Health/Drivers Ed/PE- 100%
Spanish I/II/III- 100%</p>

<p>Extracurriculars-
Students for Charity- 3 yr member/ next year's president
Spanish Club- 3 yr member
Marching Band- 3 yr member
Concert Band- 3 yr member
Green Team(Enviro Club)- 3 yr member
Academic Games- 8 year member, 8 yr regional qualifier, 3 yr national qualifier, 10th grade 3rd place team at nationals, 10th grade highschool MVP
Church Handbell Choir- 2 yr member
Church Musicals- 3 yrs</p>

<p>Leadership-
Students for Charity president
"Extreme Leadership" participant
national youth leadership forum on national security
presidential youth inaugural scholar</p>

<p>Community Service:
Vacation Bible School Preschool teacher, 5 yrs
Church Nursery worker, 5 yrs
Community Food Warehouse Volunteer
Prince of Peace Food Service Volunteer
Shenango Valley Mission work
West Virginia Mission work
Pittsburgh Project Mission work
Constructores Para Cristo Mission work (building a house in Mexico)</p>

<p>Don't know how to put this into a short phrase, but another student and I started a Club Fair at our school...
Employed at Sheetz (gas station) since june of 07
Summer Job at Dutch Isle Ice cream shop, summer 08</p>

<p>Sorry about the lengthiness, but I've never layed out all of my attributes for someone to evaluate before. I can't judge my chances like a stranger can and I'd really appreciate it :]</p>

2

<p>I really don't mean for this post to sound as pretentious as it looks. I know that I'm gonna be up against some of the best kids in the world to get into these schools and just want to know if I've got a shot... please reply? :/</p>

3

<p>Yes, I think you've got a great shot at Duke and Rice. I know several friends who got into those schools and they weren't so involved as you were.</p>

4

<p>Thanks for the reply! I really appreciate your input!</p>

5

<p>You have amazing extracuriculars, but study really hard for the SATs. They're pretty much your main weakness. A lot of colleges still mainly look at the reading and math sections and if you got those numbers up closer to the 700ish range I think you would have an amazing shot at all three of the schools.</p>

6

<p>How do you get grades above 100%?</p>

7

<p>My high school doesn't grade on a 4.0 scale but we add a 10% weight max to AP classes. I know my "weighted GPA" is probably higher than 4.0 but I have no idea how to distinguish weighted/unweighted. All I know is my GPA is over 100 so I'll just say it's 4.0.... I'm clueless in that scoring scale.</p>

8

<p>Where do the top kids at your school tend to go to college? And what would you say is your rank (est)? Have you taken any AP tests yet? What courses are on the agenda for senior year?</p>

<p>Also in terms of looking for college, have you discussed cost with parents? Will you need aid? Are you eligible for aid, or will you have to look for merit scholarships and lower sticker prices?</p>

<p>Your choices are fine as reaches, but you need some realistic safety/match schools that you can enjoy. It's all well and good to be picking the prime, and enjoying researching those schools as they are well known. The work is finding less selective, less known schools that can suit you. That safety school can be your most important choice. Once you have a great safety, you can pick all you want of the selective schools with wild abandon as you are already in a good fit school.</p>

9

<p>Almost no one from my high school goes to the top schools. The best college a senior even applied to this past year was Northeastern. One student went to Columbia two years back, but as a high school everyone tends to go for the run of the mill schools. </p>

<p>I'm fifth in a class of 194, so top 5%. I've taken three AP tests but the results won't come in until July. Next year I'll be taking 4 AP's (English, Gov, Calc BC, and Chem). I'll have completed every AP course offered to me except for physics; I had to choose between that and chem due to a scheduling issue.</p>

<p>One of the main reasons I've selected these colleges as my top three is their aid. They just started need blind admission with a no loan policy. I'm from a low income household and all three colleges pledged that anyone with an income of less than 60,000 (that'd be me..) will get 100% of their tuition covered. </p>

<p>As for safety schools, I have three that I think I can get into without much difficulty (Rochester, Gettysburg, and Boston University) and one that I know would accept me (Gannon U); I went to a camp there and I was offered a full ride if I applied. I'm not going to make the mistake of only going for the best. I know definitively where I'm going to apply and four of the seven are much more realistic.</p>

<p>thanks for the reply btw :]</p>

10

<p>I can see you getting into Duke and Rice :)</p>

11

<p>Wow, you sound like an amazing person :).</p>

12

<p>Ughhh just got my AP exam grades by phone.</p>

<p>history- 2
calc- 2
bio- 4</p>

<p>I know it's just the AP test but how much is it REALLY going to affect me?...</p>

13

<p>I think your reaches are fine as reaches as I said before. Wise to pick schools that meet need. A book that may help is the USN&WR Ultimate Guide. (you can buy into its premier web site service for $15 also). It will list the schools that give the best aid packages. You can then look up school that interest you from that list in the individual schools' descriptions later in the book. The financial aid policies of the schools is summarized. You can see then what % of need is met on average at the school and by what kind of aid package. How much of the aid is grants vs self help like loans. </p>

<p>Boston college has an explicit matrix on its website regarding financial aid. It has merit within aid, so that those with the higher academic scores will get more in terms of grants. It may not be a good choice for you unless you fare well in its schedule. Take a look also at MomfromTexas 's thread which tells how she got full rides for her boys.</p>

14

<p>Thanks again for replying. You seem to really know what you're talking about.. any chance you could give me some insight on how my low AP scores will impact my chances?</p>

15

<p>Are you considering the U. of Rochester a safety?</p>

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<p>I'm not sure that you have to submit them. Although given the not-great Math I score, the colleges might seriously consider the rigor of the curriculum in Calc and History if one of the top students gets a 2 on both.</p>

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<p>No, I didn't mean it as a safety. Just not a Upenn level of competitveness. I know it's hard to get in there too. I honestly only have one true sure thing, and that's Gannon University. They have the programs I want in an area I like and they offered me a full ride after I went to a camp there. If all else fails, I still have something I like to fall back on.</p>

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<p>Our calc teacher has only produced 5 scores higher than a 1 in his four years of teaching, my score included. Our AP history teacher was taken out of the position to fill an assistant principal job while the actual one was on maternity leave and we had a student teacher who taught so easily and gave so much bonus that no one in the class had less than a 105% for two straight grading periods.</p>

19

<p>Not good, I'm afraid, but I think you know that. I suggest you hunker down with a SAT book and start working on getting those scores up higher. You are taking as rigorous a load as you can at your school, which is good. The low score on the calc will somewhat be mitagated by the Calc BC. How do the kids at your school usually do on the AP tests?<br>
The drawback you have other than your SAT1s, is that you are not at a school that prepares kids for schools like your reaches. As a general rule, college tend to follow a bit of a pattern in taking kids from various schools. At your school, a kid has to be truly exceptionally stellar to get into the top schools. That puts you to a disadvantage as it appears that the courses do not have the rigor that selective schools seek. I say this because despite your high grades, you did not do well on two of your APs. </p>

<p>Duke tends to use a point system for admissions with SATs being a tipping point. Yours are not up at that point to tip you in. THe things that are assessed are the difficulty of courses/curriculum, class rank,ECs, recs, essays and then the SATs. They used to rate them on a 5 point scale. I would give you a 2.5/4/3/5/5/2.5. Doesn't make the cut, and I am being generous with the essay and recs, because I think you write well, and you seem to be a delight of a student that will get outstanding recs from her teachers. I would not report the AP results, which may up you to a 3 on curriculum. It really depends on what the school profile says about the AP results. If the kids in your school do not tend to do well on them, then it will be surmised that the courses are not taught in depth and that you may not be well prepared, as good as your intentions are to take the toughest courses offered. Your reach schools are very selective, so you may want to add another match school replacing BU since they are not likely to meet your need unless your test scores go way up. I do not know Rochesters policies, or Gannon's but I do know of some kids who did do very well there in terms of merit awards. If you are sure that you will get close to full aid from them, then well and good.<br>
From your likely EFC, you may get a bit in Pell (depending on assets) and subsidized staffords. If you are in PA, there is a state grant that will help as well. But not nearly enough to come up with even the state school costs. You have to get money from the schools, either through fin aid or merit money, maybe both, so it is critical that you pick schools that tend to give good grant money to meet aid, not just stack you with loans.</p>

<p>Some of the women's colleges are great admission deals these days. Agnes Scott, MtHolyoke, Simmons, Mills are all possibilities. Your best bet is to go for schools where your SATs are in the upper 5-10%. The money tends to go to such students.Good luck in your search.</p>

20

<p>Thank you sooooo much for the long reply. It really helps! I actually have a friend attending BU who is in nearly the same financial standing as myself and she's getting next to nothing in terms of aid.... that's always discouraged me a bit. </p>

<p>Thanks again for the advice!!!</p>