Low rank; CHANCE ME for top schools?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Hey everyone! I'm looking at a bunch of top schools, but I'm worried about my ability to get in! Here are my stats:</p>

<p>Sex : Male
State: Texas</p>

<p>School: Competitive, 98% go to 4 year colleges</p>

<p>ACT: 34 C (36 English 33 Math 33 Reading 35 Science)</p>

<p>Rank 17/140 (Top 12%)</p>

<p>AP: World 5, US 4, English Lang 4, Chem 3</p>

<p>I will have taken 11 APs by the end of this year. My schedule this year:</p>

<p>Wind Ensemble
AP Spanish IV
AP Calculus
AP English
AP Physics
AP Econ/Government
AP Statistics</p>

<p>ECs:</p>

<ul>
<li>Concert and Marching Band for 4 years</li>
<li>Principal Clarinetist at Region (11th)</li>
<li>All-State Clarinetist, Concert (top) Band (11th)</li>
<li><p>Selected to be Marching Technician (Officer, 12th)</p></li>
<li><p>Head of Community Service Committee for Student Council (11th)</p></li>
<li><p>Elected Treasurer of Student Council (12th) </p></li>
<li><p>Co-founder and Vice President of my school's chapter of Students Against Destructive Decisions (12th)</p></li>
<li><p>~80 hours of community service</p></li>
</ul>

<p>Also Consider:</p>

<p>Strong upward grade trend. 2 Bs freshman year, 1 B sophomore year, All A's junior year. Some difficulties I will be listing on my application are that my step-mother died when I was in 5th grade. My father became addicted to drugs and alcohol and lost his job. I had to move in with my grandparents in 6th grade. My father was arrested for drug possession sophomore year and sentenced to 6 months jail, 5 months rehab. I didn't speak to him for almost a year. </p>

<p>Now considering all that, please chance me for:</p>

<p>Rice
Notre Dame (grandfather, great great uncle, many cousins attended. My grandfather has donated +100k. I would be 4th generation to attend)</p>

<p>Northwestern
Brown
Columbia
Georgetown
University of Texas - Austin
Boston College</p>

<p>Sorry for the long post, thanks ahead of time!</p>

2

<p>you will get into all of them except for ivies</p>

<p>as for your low CS hrs, don't mention it on your college app</p>

3

<p>FINALLY, someone else who is stuck in marching band AND makes allstate!!! (I played oboe in the FLorida Allstate 9-10 grade band) Anyway, I think you have a pretty good shot at most of the schools on your list. For Brown, you may want to put your family situation in your essays so as to inform them of the reason for your (somewhat) lower class rank. Good luck!!</p>

4

<p>Thanks you two for replying! Brown is actually my top choice, I want to go there really bad. I'm hoping I can write a really good essay and have excellent teacher recs to help me get there.</p>

5

<p>Bump :)</p>

<p>10char</p>

6

<p>Bump again</p>

7

<p>you have a great shot at all of them, including brown and columbia.</p>

8

<p>Wow thank you :) I'm trying to make my essays really good for Brown and Columbia. I'm reading a few memoirs right now specifically to use them in my supplements lol. Kinda lame :P</p>

9

<p>Take a look at the data for each school's current freshmen class, that info was most helpful for my children and their peers. If a school takes 90 plus percent who were in the top 10% of their class, think about what it would take to be in the 10% that were not. An impact athlete, top minority candidate, rich and famous? The numbers tell the story. At Dartmouth this year, 40% were top 2 (not 2%) in their class. The competition is brutal asnd schools have to draw lines.</p>

10

<p>Yes, I know the statistics. I'm banking on my test scores to make up for my low class rank, but I'm REALLY working hard to get into the top 10% too. I'm making really high A's right now in the toughest classes; I hope it will be enough.</p>

11

<p>I feel with you brother, I'm ranked about the same. I have the ~same amount of APs by graduation, around same ACT (converted from SAT), same upward grade trend, and also had a dysfunctional family (though not as extreme as yours). My school though doesn't take senior year first semester grades into the midyear rank so I'm screwed for that, but hopefully some colleges will see that I will move into the top 10% by graduation so their USNEWS percentages wont be affected.</p>

<p>Hmom's comment is quite depressing, but dont feel down. Dartmouth is a weird school. At most ivies around its rank (such as Brown, which has 15% of its students in the top 2), its less crazy. Besides, you're not even applying to Dartmouth, though I still find it unlikely that 40% of Dartmouth students were top 2, considering that schools like Brown which are equal to or better than Dartmouth have only 15%. </p>

<p>Good chances at all except prob. Columbia. In at Notre Dame, you're very close to being a development case.</p>