My experience with "What Are My Chances" forums

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

Hey all!

I just wanted to share my stats, and hopefully help some of you who have asked for their chances on CC, and feel like they won’t get in based on those chances.

I am a senior in high school and have been admitted to quite a few colleges, and I’m still waiting on some (so I’ll update based on that), but I know that every time I read a chance post, or made a new account to ask for my chances, I was disappointed because most people said I did not have a chance. While it may seem like you don’t have a chance to a selective school based on your stats or ECs, you probably do, because there’s so much more that goes into getting an acceptance.

My stats:

ACT: 32 single sitting, 33 super scored
GPA: UW 3.93, W 4.95
Rank: Top 1%
Classes: All honors and AP classes. 1 AP in sophomore year, 4 in junior, and 6 APs senior year
No major awards, but I did add a couple of awards I have won from my school/from clubs in my apps

ECs:
This is where I lacked, which is why people assumed I wouldn’t get in anywhere
I have been a part of HOSA and Science Olympiad for 2.5 years (no leadership)
I am an after school tutor (for 3 years)
I help out with my church (almost every week)
NHS
There’s other smaller stuff that I added in my college apps, but nothing big, and I don’t do sports/music stuff

I did not have any hooks while applying: not an URM
I did write decent college essays (I’d say like a 9/10) and I think my teacher recs were prob a 10/10 (I sent a few to all colleges) but nothing amazing

Here are the colleges I applied to:

Ivies:
Yale (EA) —> I was deferred
Brown
Harvard
Columbia
Princeton
Penn

Other selective colleges:
JHU ----> accepted
Stanford
Northwestern —> waitlisted
UChicago ----> rejected
Duke

LACs:
Williams —> accepted
Swarthmore —> accepted
Oberlin ----> accepted
Pomona —> accepted
CMC —> accepted
Davidson —> accepted
Amherst —> accepted
Colgate —> accepted

All others are unknown, but I wasn’t expecting this many acceptances.

The only reason why I’m sharing this is because I think my essays really made the difference. There was nothing special about my life that would make these colleges want me, nor am I a good writer. I just wrote about what I am really passionate about, and I think if your passion shines through, you can get in! Even if you’re not at the top of the applicant pool.

If anyone has questions, please feel free to pm me or ask them here! I’ll keep you guys updated

2

there is definitely some correlation between your acceptances and the strength of application. Im not saying you should have been rejected, but Im saying that as the viewer, we don’t know something about your application that adcoms did and thats why everyone on CC said no and all the colleges said yes

3

@kjake2000 I definitely agree! All I wanted to share was that I guess even for all these schools, my scores and lack of leadership/amazing ECs didn’t stop me from getting in. I am as surprised as anyone would be, because I had applied to many colleges in the start thinking I’d only get in to a few, but I am being completely honest when I say I had no special hooks, even in my essays, which weren’t even the best I’ve ever written (especially for some schools like Williams). I guess my message is to not worry as much about your chances, but also make sure you have a good story to tell.
I wrote my essays on things I talk about with my friends, but they definitely showed my personality.

4

I would like to add that I was very passionate about my major (biology), and for many colleges I wrote about how I want to be a doctor or do research (I was very specific about what kinda research I’m into!)

5

Congratz on getting into so many colleges. But for every you…there are 10 kids with similar stats that didn’t get in all these schools. Count your blessings.

6

@gmfreedom Never said I wasn’t grateful for getting in, but I understand what you mean. I just want to help other high schoolers relax, because so many (like myself) believe that they’re not going to get in somewhere because of their chances given on CC, or because the other applicants on CC are so much better/extraordinary.

7

Winning a lottery is possible and just because you won…doesn’t mean others can recreate your achievement. There was a kid on California thread that was in panic because he didn’t get anywhere and he was assured by most people that his list of schools was solid, given his stats. Would you tell this kid to relax now?! College admission process is a complete lottery today. Kids need to know that and make sure they apply to plenty of safeties while taking a chance at some reaches.

8

I would never say that! I applied to safeties too (a couple state schools). I just wrote this for those people who were how I was back in junior year – thinking I had no chance at any of these schools.

9

Congrats!
What did you write your essay about?

10

^^common app essay

11

@wisteria100 My common app essay was about something that happened to me (nothing big) but just like a conversation that I had with a friend, which had been stuck in my head. The gist of it was basically me talking about how passionate I am about helping others, I guess, and it showed how I had a different way of thinking than others (at least my friend).

12

Well, you certainly have done very well. Congratulations. I am guessing you are male? What state?

13

@lindagaf Female, actually. Virginia! Thank you :slight_smile:

14

“I think my teacher recs were prob a 10/10 (I sent a few to all colleges) but nothing amazing”

10/10 is literally amazing. Nothing amazing would be like 5 or 6 lol

15

@MaizeScream I rated them a 10/10 because I sent optional recs (almost all of my schools offered 2 more) and I sent in like 3 teacher recs, so I believe the recommendations (while there were a lot) offered different perspectives on my application, and were all sent by people who I had known for 2+ years!
But, they weren’t out of the ordinary, because I didn’t have like the school principal, or a researcher or a teacher from one of those colleges write them.

16

Forgive my skepticism, but I am sensing we don’t know the whole story. You are a caucusian or Asian girl in VA with a 32 ACT, which is a very good score, but not stellar. I simply can’t buy that you got into the top LACs in the nation on the strength of essays and recs alone. If you are Asian, that might possibly explain the LAC acceptances a little more.

You paid about $2000 in college app fees. Here is what I am thinking: you created multiple accounts to avoid being recognized (against TOS, by the way), your parents are very wealthy, possibly well-known names (amongst people who know these things,) and perhaps in politics. Your family hired a very expensive and well-connected private college consultant. No need to confirm or deny anything, you have a right to privacy.

Or I am 100% wrong and you are the extremely, extremely rare individual that indeed achieved huge success on the strength of recs and essays. If so, your results are an anomaly and I would hope that anyone reading this would understand that what you achieved is almost impossible, unless you are Malia Obama or Malala. Anyway, I do wish you well, because you are spoiled for choice and the world is your oyster.

17

I do think that you had to have more hooks than you wrote about here, but congratulations!

18

@appcolleges7 Thank you!

19

@Lindagaf I can see how you may think all of that… but I would not need to come on CC to share this if that was the case. Again, my point was to help people who are like how I was when I was a junior in high school, believing I had no chance at any of my colleges, leading me to apply to many (I actually got a few fee waivers from school too so I didn’t pay for all of those). Almost all of what you stated is incorrect, and my parents are actually immigrants ( I was born here) and we’re not URMs, so I did not have most of those advantages. However, I do believe my essays and recs were pretty great.

Anyways, I do think I’ll get rejected at ivies and the other research unis I applied to so maybe that will make more sense for all of you guys.

20

@LilH2021 Congratulations to you!! Your story is a breath of fresh air this season. I do believe that at all of these LAC’s, the essay and recommendation letters makes all the difference. Most essays–however well written or well intentioned, just aren’t that great. Yours must have been provocative in just the right way to resonate with so many schools looking for this special quality.