<p>Hi, I'm a soon-to-be senior who hopes to attend Harvard, Columbia, Princeton or Yale university: here are my stats:
GPA: 91.52/100 (Idk on the 4.0 scale); can improve
SAT: 2040, but I hope to get it up to a 2250+
SAT IIs: Will take Chem, French, and Math 2c
Previous APs: European History (4) and Spanish Language (5)
Senior Course Workload: AP Calc AB, AP English Lit, AP French, AP Chem, AP Physics B, and AP US (6 APs, yea I'm crazy)
E/Cs: Over 500 hours of volunteering at a local nursing home, plus 200 credits of helping in the foreign language office, unfrotunately could not join any teams or clubs due to circumstances but I also play the violin and piano (lessons + self-taught), have volunteered for two weeks in Latin America in soup kitchens and churches, and have taken Japanese and Latin classes outside of school, Habitat for Humanity (helped give lunches to workers)
Job: Hope to get a job, have been looking for one
Awards or Honors: School doesn't really give them, and haven't got national or regional in anything
Income Bracket: Low (<$30,000)
Race: Latino/Hispanic (South American)
High School: The Bronx High School of Science (super selective magnet school in NYC with an acceptance rate lower than most Ivies =])</p>
<p>So can you guys comment on my chances to getting into these four selective Ivies, also I'm very curious if its in my advtange to do early action/ descision to Columbia or Yale? I know the acceptance rate is much higher, but then again kids applying early are like super national musicians who played in carnagie hall or kids who worked towards researching cure for cancer lol. Please give me your prior experience in if I can make them, what I can do to improve, and yea like, if early is good/wise</p>
<p>essay...how I should express myself and really extend my topic and make an impact to the admissions office...</p>
<p>Thank you all so very very much I'm much obliged. I really appreciate you guys taking the time out to help a nervous senior =[</p>
<p>2) I would apply to Columbia University early decision. They will look at your application more seriously if you apply early, especially since you are from NYC and it will show demonstrated interest. I think your best shot is at Columbia.</p>
<p>Your gpa is good, your SAT and AP scores are low, and your EC’s are not particularly outstanding as well. However, you are Hispanic (a very good URM), and you are low income. Be sure to explain your background and circumstances, as this ought to help you. My guess is that the universities more likely to accept you are Columbia and Harvard over Princeton and Yale based on their reputations.</p>
<p>You have a very low - medium chance for the schools you named. However, if your annual income is ~60,000 -, I suggest applying through Questbridge, an application for selective colleges that is aimed at low income students. QB is quiet selective, but you won’t be in a pile of applicants who have money to spend on SAT prep and whatnot. </p>
<p>You seem to be very focused on volunteering. Take more initiative in your community. Not that you have to, but getting a leadership position will, generally, make you look very devoted to an activity. </p>
<p>Also, YOURE FROM NYC! Try to enter writing competitions. Community Service awards! NYC holds competitions in everything because there are so many nonprofits there willing to get high schoolers involved (art, research, music, science, writing, volunteering awards, etc.) Take advantage of the resources NYC has to offer you. </p>
<p>Also, I find it quiet suspicious that you could afford a volunteer gig in a Latin American country, guaranteed that the program that gave you that experience required a large tuition. Were you covered by a scholarship? If so, I would include that in any application form you fill out. It would look more impressive and will support the claim that you didn’t come from a very privileged background, in terms of financial support for academic endeavors, IMHO.</p>
<p>I don’t understand what you find “suspicious.” You yourself suggested that he might have received a scholarship/bursary. Surely you have considered other possibilities like fundraising, donations from relatives, or savings (he didn’t say he was destitute). </p>
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<p>The OP does not need to “support” the “claim” that he lives in a low-income household: admissions officers will see the occupations and education levels of his parents on his application. What’s more, the applicant does not have to demonstrate that what’s written on his application is true; it’s assumed to be so, barring any obvious contradiction.</p>
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<p>You do realize that he is a low-income Hispanic who has stellar grades at one of the most selective high schools in the country, right? Never mind the significant volunteer work he has done despite his economic hardship. I’d say you have a respectable chance, assuming great essays and teacher recs and a high SAT Subject Test scores. Your class rank will matter, too.</p>
<p>lol thanks to mustafa for making me feel more safe at Yale and the other colleges. In reponse to the thread two replies before this comment, I must say, living in NYC actually impedes me from being able to gain awards in community service and whatnot, its actually outer towns where more individual attention can be given to sucessful and well rounded kids that they get all these awards. I think for my income bracket, I do have good EC’s because I’m not one of those rich kids who blew thousands of dollars for debate and robotics, I did good volunteering, know five languages, and my gpa (although above average in my schooll which is about 89) is pretty medicore, but I am a URM
Umm yea, going to Colombia and volunteering at a local working class-neighborhood/ slum doesn’t require much money, and no I didn’t get a scholarship…lol
Umm if anyone knows if I could do anything to get some kind of award or honor for what I’ve done please let me know but I really can’t think of much I just don’t wanna leave that section of the college application empty
I’m now reading 100 successful college application essays lol…I need to get tips and ideas and techniques to express myself.
I don’t think my chance for Yale is super low considering someone in my school got in with a 1930 on the sat (non minority) and another person made it with an 84 gpa (everyone else got in with a 93 gpa+ but hey, my gpa can improve.
PLease, comment comment comment =]</p>
<p>“I must say, living in NYC actually impedes me from being able to gain awards in community service and whatnot, its actually outer towns where more individual attention can be given to sucessful and well rounded kids that they get all these awards.”</p>
<p>If you need “individual attention” for your academic achievements in a city that offers many outreach programs and plenty of academic and non academic achievement awards, then you should reconsider going to a school as big as Harvard, Yale or Columbia because you sure as hell won’t be recognized there either. </p>
<p>“I did good volunteering, know five languages, and my gpa (although above average in my schooll which is about 89) is pretty medicore, but I am a URM”</p>
<p>I am half black and go to Thomas Jefferson in VA. (Google it.) In a single family household, we earn 35,000- 40,000 annually and I sure as hell don’t play the “I am a URM” card for any “mediocrity” on my transcript. What are you even implying by saying that? </p>
<p>And stop relying on comments by other CC-ers like Mustafah78 to make you more secure in the application process. There are a myriad of application officers that have different opinions on different applicants, just like I have and Mustafah78 has. Ultimately it is up to those AOs. I was giving my take on the application process. Whatever you do, however you do it have enough faith in where you’re coming from and your accomplishments to apply to a school that fits you. Your application would then speak for your passion and your determination.</p>
<p>If you need “individual attention” for your academic achievements in a city that offers many outreach programs and plenty of academic and non academic achievement awards, then you should reconsider going to a school as big as Harvard, Yale or Columbia because you sure as hell won’t be recognized there either.
-umm VA person, I truly would know what my city offers because I’d be busting my ass trying to get some award or earn it or do the application process. If you personally show me a plethora of sites and places where I can get these awards and I gain one or two awards, I will literally pay you 100 dollars lol. I’m that confident.
-Umm, I never said that I don’t like big institutions and I defenitley want to go to these Ivy Leagues. Size is not an issue for me, so stop making assumptions. I only meant to say that in looking at accepted students and stuff, I only see these honors and awards given to people in rurual areas or small cities. Plus, the high achieving kids in my school didn’t really win any non-writing contest awards ( I totally agree with you that there are writing contests), and the only other wards came from debate and robotics which cost a ton in my school to participate in.
-As or playing the race card, I am actually a bit embarrassed for you at your reaction because I don’t play the race card, It’s just a naturally established principle due to the the aa clause that being black or latino will alow you to get in with less impressive credentials.
Totally agree with you that the college admissions thing is pretty strange (seeing as my friend with an 88 gpa got into harvard), but that still is kinda wierd for you to start telling me not to thank mustafa lol. He’s giving his info, and I’m just thanking him for defending me from your critiques which I must say are a bit inerudite and based on just having spoken to a harvard admissions officer (that I had the privilege to contact), are reminiscent of a senior who will utilize aa to his/her advtange and is just tyring to be discoruaging to limit the competition.
Yea Thomas Jefferson is a decent school, yea I know youre gonna quote the US News report that it’s number but I must say I can’t really respect a high school ranked on the basis that it attracts low income kids or is ranked on a bunch of other watercolor gild factors. So yea…lol I hope you’re not offended it’s just Idk…IrDK…
lol
just took an SAT practice test and got a 2310 so that’s comforting lol…hope I score that on the official test…</p>
<p>I’m really sorry about my responses but I was in debate before high school lol so I’m very overanalytical</p>
<p>Like plinz345 suggested in his first post, have you looked at Questbridge? Your chances are quite good for all of those schools (especially considering you are a low-income URM), but are you actually sure you want to go to them? It’s just that whenever I see someone’s list have Harvard, Yale, AND Princeton I start to doubt that they genuinely have concerned themselves with fit.</p>
<p>I’m not sure whether Questbridge is really worthwhile. The applications nowadays give you ample opportunity to explain extenuating circumstances, and I think the three essays and 14 short answer questions required by the Questbridge stifle creativity. Plus, they give you more opportunities to say something off-putting/cliche.</p>
<p>It’s just a matter of which application you prefer. Doesn’t look like Questbridge gives you much of a competitive edge with the top-ranked universities (i.e., Princeton, Columbia, Stanford, Amherst, Williams): [2005-08</a> National College Match Program Results - Acceptance Rates](<a href=“http://www.questbridge.org/cmp/chances.html]2005-08”>http://www.questbridge.org/cmp/chances.html).</p>