Moderate Student's Chances

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Major: Undecided
Brooklyn Resident
Ethnicity: Spanish/Columbian Male
Rank: School doesn't rank</p>

<p>I'm starting my senior year, and after looking through schools, UChicago (EA) is at the top of my list. I'm also interested in Bates, Earlham and Oberlin. That's all I really have at the moment.</p>

<p>SAT: 2010 (710 Reading, 720 writing, 580 math)
I realize my math score is really crappy atm. I'm gonna retake in oct, but I don't think I could get more than a 640. Also, I hear they don't look at the writing, so that leaves me with a 1290. Ouch.</p>

<p>My GPA has climbed from a 3.0 in Freshman, to a 3.5 in Sophmore, to a 3.8 in Junior. All UW. My highschool is a division of Bard College; we end up getting an associates degree upon graduation. There's no weighting because virtually all the classes are APs. We graduate with an associates degree (if this helps at all, because its hard as hell). </p>

<p>This year I'm taking:
Cal 1
Computer Science
Enviormental Geoscience
Novels of Tolstoy (we're reading War and Peace <em>gulp</em>)
Sophmore Seminar (we read Communist Manifesto, Descent of Man.. etc)</p>

<p>My EC's are fairly crappy. I've focused more on volunterring than on clubs and teams:</p>

<p>-Science Club
-Current Events Club</p>

<p>-Writing Tutor (Couple of hours a week in school, varies by week)
-Contributer to school's literary magazine (Several pieces)
-Volunteered to be the subject for a college course on Teen Psychology
(a wee bit creepy, but perhaps it demonstrates my stellar mental health :O?)</p>

<p>-South Street Seaport Museum Internship (125 hours+)
-Volunteered for a Sailing program for Blind Children (125 hours+)
-Archeology Volunteering on a Hopi worksite (250 hours+)
-Habitat for Humanity on a Lakota reservation (250 hours+)</p>

<p>My recommendations should be good. I have a Latin/Classics Professor who used to teach at Columbia writing me one, and my Physics professor writing the other. </p>

<p>My essay is weird, but hopefully good. I'm thinking about using the UChicago essay for all my schools.</p>

<p>I assume my chances are pretty poor with a mediocore GPA, lower than average SATs and iffy ECs. Can anyone chance me up or make other some school recomendations? Thanks!</p>

<p>Right now, as I see it:</p>

<p>UChicago (EA)- Reach</p>

<p>Oberlin- High Match</p>

<p>Bates- Match</p>

<p>Earlham- Saftey</p>

2

<p>Umm. Bates is not a match for anyone with the admissions stats that they have. It is a most selective college. Not to say you do not have a chance. It does look very good for you, and I believe they are a school that do not require submission of test scores. Their admissions process is personal enough that the low math score may not be an obstacle for you. Colby is a similar school with a higher accept rate that may interest you. Bard is an excellent school--I assume you have considered it. Though you are undecided about majors, what areas are of interest to you? Are you male or female?</p>

3

<p>Im a guy.</p>

<p>My HS is a divison of Bard College, so they basically guarentee admission to Bard. We've had people with like 1700 SAT scores and 2.5 GPAs get in before.</p>

<p>I've heard about Colby before, though I never really looked into it before you mentioned it. Thanks for bringing it to my attention. </p>

<p>In terms of majors, I'm thinking anywhere from Anthropology to Psychology, Philosophy, or maybe some kind of history or literature.</p>

<p>I appreciate your comments, they were very helpful.</p>

4

<p>Anyone else have any ideas of my chances w/ these schools or other good matches for me?</p>

5

<p>Some of these schools will be a bit tough for you to get into with your overall GPA--although if you get the AA from Bard as a graduate, and with the improving GPA, that should help--and you probably are a match for Bates and Colby. </p>

<p>Other colleges you might consider would be Trinity College (CT), Colgate (very tough to get into, though), Macalester (MN), and as another safety--maybe Beloit.</p>

<p>Another reach would be Bowdoin.</p>

<p>Good luck.</p>

6

<p>As you wrote, Chicago looks like a big reach. However, Chicago relies much less upon SAT scores (probably your weakest area) than upon essay/GPA. An upward trend and a great essay could do it.</p>