Native American - Chance Me

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

Hooks:

  • Native American/black (has tribal number)
  • Low-income family (<$30,000/yr)

Gender-male
Activities- academic challenge, nhs, tennis jv and varsity also got most improved player for that last year, cross country varsity, stage crew for the musical and play, drama club, and scholar athletic for 11th and 12th grade
Gpa- out of 5 weighted 3.824
Class rank- 10th of 209
AP Courses: Gov, Physics 1
AP Scores: Physics 1 - 1
Act scores- 27 composite highest per subject math-28 science-32 reading-25 English-24 and writing score was 22 (retaking)
Subject tests: will take
Awards- honor roll through all of high school and principals honor roll once
LoRs: gov teacher (~6-7/10), English teacher (8/10), Counselor (4/10), college access counselor (7.5/10)

Schools:
Ohio State University
UMich
BGSU (safety)
Case Western Reserve University
(Where else for PoliSci?)

2

Really consider if it is worth applying to public schools outside your home state. I’m assuming you’re in Ohio because Case is on your list. If you’re in Michigan - don’t do Ohio State. It’s not worth applying because public schools have terrible financial aid towards out of state applicants. You don’t want to get in and not be able to afford it. A tragic situation many applicants don’t realize until after they have been accepted.

Now the good thing is many private schools offer wonderful financial aid. I would look into those schools simply by googling “schools that meet 100% of financial aid”. I don’t know how strong Case’s aid is but it is probably enough to meet you as you are low-income.

You have a great rank and if you can pull up your ACT, I’d look into Washington University St.Louis, Northwestern, Emory, and Vanderbilt. All have extremely good aid policies and highly ranked poli sci programs. I would try really hard for a 32 ACT but you will need at least a 30 to have a good shot at those schools.

The schools you have on your list are very reasonable and are low reach/match, except for UMich being a reach (due to your 27 ACT score). Please take into consideration what I said about financial aid. Good luck!

3

Also consider test optional schools. Wake Forest comes to mind and UChicago is now test optional as well.

I would not report the AP Physics score.

4

@MYOS1634 might know if being a low income Native American/African American with a tribal number is helpful and have suggestions for where to apply. Can you retake the ACT to try to push the 27 to a 30?

5

Yes, top 5% class rank+ ~top 10% test scores + Native American/Black + male applicant is super duper rare. Like, makes-an-adcom-eyes-pop rare.

It’s also clear you attend a lower performing school, where guidance might not be attuned to possibilities at the elite schools and where academic opportunities may be limited.

What classes are you taking this year?
Can you take dual enrollment (pseo, college in the schools…) classes at a nearby college in the Spring?
What AP classes does your school offer and have you taken all of them?
Curriculum rigor will matter a lot.

As a lower income student, you should apply to the most generous schools, especially meet need schools. They have a huge budget so that they can afford to cover your tuition, room& board, plus tickets to travel there, plus a small oncampus job to cover your personal expenses (likewise going out for pizza).

Those schools aren’t probably on your radar but are known (and recruited from) in circles of influence. And they are trying to attract lower income candidates, offering excellent support so not only do you get in, but feel welcome and become the best you can be.
So, fill out the ‘request info form’ at Vassar,
Grinnell, Macalester, Middlebury, Tufts, Hamilton, Colby, Bates.
You may want to consider applying to one ED2 - perhaps the one that shows the best financial aid package (run the Net price calculator on all colleges).
Georgetown?
From the above list (post #1), I’d remove Emory because they don’t meet need, WashU and Vanderbilt because they’re very test score focused.
Northwestern and UChicago have very distinct personalities, so that you need to read about each to pick which might fit you best.
I would also go as far as to apply to Yale as an RD reach, especially if you can bring your act to a 28 and if your curriculum is rigorous enough. (Use Erica melzer’s books to improve your scores in Reading and English - they’ve done wonders for bright kids who’ve used them.)
Subjects tests = English literature, foreign language, history are all good.
Drop me a pm so I can help you with essays and commonapp presentation.
Other readers here can help too.

Unfortunately, from your list, only UMichigan promises to meet need.
If you’re instate, TOsu is likely to offer you scholarships too (apply for everything you can, root through their financial aid page - Morrill, etc.)
For polisci, OU HTC and UCincinnati would be better safeties than BGSU (stronger academically). Hurry and apply, indicating interest in the honors college/programs, as the deadlines are Nov 15 I think. Both are on common app.
Possible matches would include Denison, Dickinson, St Lawrence, perhaps Skidmore.

6

@Chief134 @Hamurtle @austinmshauri @MYOS1634

I will answer due to the fact that this is a friend of mine and we attend the same school.

MODERATOR’S NOTE: Balance of post deleted. For privacy reasons, your friend needs to answer the questions.

7

Thanks for everyone replying and for the help.
I focused on dull enrollment in my high school so I will be graduating from high school with an associate degree, I think like 66 credits. My schedule is not the hardest with me being in only one ap class but I am taking 4 duels enrollment class each semester. I took the duel enrollment because I was planning on just going to bgsu or another state college so they would have completely accepted my credits and this would save me a lot of money since I would of have two years of college done.
I will retake the act in December and get tutoring so hopefully, my scores will improve, I never actually got a tutoring before this. I can the sat but I never took the it before so I don’t know how well I would do.

8

@boosims, Please pay close attention to myos1634’s post (#4). I think you’re a hooked applicant who would benefit from their advice. I’d print it and follow the recommendations. Pay close attention to deadlines. It looks like Nov. 15 is the first one.

Good luck, and please keep us updated. If you have questions, let us know.

9

Be sure to check the net price calculator on each college’s web site to get an idea of affordability.

10

Take a look at University of Minnesota Morris. It is a small public liberal arts college that grants automatic full tuition scholarships to Native Americans. They have quite a commitment to serving Native American students, and would probably be a safety for you.

It is on our daughter’s list, and we visited last summer. The only drawback for us was the very rural location. Take some time and explore their website and see if it appeals to you.

11

So OP, what’s the unweighted gpa? And at the college, are you taking courses related to your major or just courses that interest you? Do you have any ECs that relate to poli sci or local community advocacy?

Out of fairness, I don’t think we know enough to encourage “elite” colleges. OP seems to have selected schools where he feels he can thrive (or, I hope he has.) The 27 composite is low and the reading and English are lower. These are needed bullets for more competitive colleges and a humanities major.

The mid 50% Case composite, eg, is 30-33, and English 29-35, Reading 30-34.
For Ohio State’s admitted class, only 25% score lower than 28.

Yes, being Native American helps. But you want colleges where you can thrive, hit the ground running. And adcoms want that. You want to look into academic support, how good it is. Not all the large publics will make it easy to get the help you may need.

We should suggest colleges that actually match the present stats. I can’t emphasize enough that encouraging OP to over-reach is not a recipe for success. You want the right fit for you, where you can grow and be empowered.

12

I took mostly course that filled the requirements to get the associates of arts at my local community college. So most of them were rather basic introduction classes most colleges make you take such as public speaking, GSW, pre-cal, psych and soc, and some more like that. I am taking a political science class now it is an American government one but it is still pretty much an intro class. I can share you the whole list if you need it.

My school does not have an EC for political science and I haven’t really done any in my community. My unweighted GPA would only be slightly lower with me only taking 1 AP and getting A in both semesters.

13

I agree with all of the posts above. As a wildcard, consider Dartmouth. Strong history and program for Native American students. Your scores are a bit low for Dartmouth, but your class rank and dual enrollment looks pretty darn good.

14

Dual enrollment is as good as AP or even better if the AP class is suspected of being less rigorous.
However… What dual enrollment classes?
Good picks would matter much more than having enough credits for an AA.
Can you take the following classes through dual enrollment in the Spring?
Philosophy
Calculus for business or statistics
One more advanced (sophomore level) government/polisci class

What’s the highest level in foreign language you’ve taken?

I don’t think the colleges above are “over reach”.
Sure, they’re lottery schools, but this student has a shot that he should take (keeping in mind that it’s a shot, not a guarantee.)

You can use your sat fee waiver for the SAT. It’s not like you risk anything.
Pick up Erica Melzer’s English and Reading ACT and start doing the exercises.
You can also use Khan academy - it’s for the sat but it’s good practice.
Dedicate time -1/2-1hour a day, with practice tests on weekends, reviewing your mistakes specifically.

15

I have taken 4 years of Latin, my school only offers 4 years.
The list of the my duel enrollment classes Intro to Public Speaking, Intro Ethnic Studies, Exploring Music of the world, Intro to film, Intro to Academic writing, College Algebra II, Academic Writing, Pre-calculus Math, Black Pop. Culture, Environment of Life, intro to Geology, Black Families in American, Intro to International studies, American Government, Psych, sociology.

Most of them are just general course that were required for an associate degree. All these classes were done through Bgsu Firelands so I am not sure if any of these credits would even transfer.

16

Latin, great. But you know a chunk of those cc courses are general and not rigorous. It would be a big help for poli sci if you have any political volunteering or some sort of local advocacy efforts.

BG is a good school. Imo, the point isn’t to get into the most competitive colleges, but where you’re ready for the 4 years of classroom competition at your choice and can thrive. It’s not the college name or admit competition that makes your future.

17

^I disagree: this student has clearly well outperformed what their school expects and is likely to get both excellent financial aid and support at a top school. Lots of dual enrollment classes at a 4-year college, a top 5% class rank, being super-under represented, all of that matters.

4 years of Latin is very good.

No political volunteering is more of a problem, especially since there was an election in 2018 with plenty of opportunities in Ohio. Never too late to start though, so, get involved if you’re not. State Representative, Congressman/woman, Planned Parenthood, association for inner city gardening… possibilities run the gamut :slight_smile: so pick one and start. Not for college admissions but because it’ll help you with your major.
Only reason lack of involvement is acceptable is if @boosims was working at a job or supervising siblings/ederly relative. =? can you explain @boosims?

In the Spring, this is the BGSU Firelands schedule you should include:

  • Math 1340: Calculus with Analytical Geometry IA
  • PHIL 1010 or 1020 or 1250 or 2110 or 2120 or 2170: any one of these Philosophy courses. Obviously a 2000-level is considered more rigorous than a 1000 level.
  • POLS 1710: Intro to Comparative Government OR if you’re taking or have taken AP Comp Gov, POLS 1720 (International Relations)
  • POLS 1930Q: Inquiry in individuals and society/Political theory

4 dual enrollments + 1 AP would be considered maximum rigor and the above schedule would really show your ability to stretch intellectually.

18

The other courses will appear on the transcript.

MYOS, we do disagree and I think OP will sort this out. I think we agree the scores are a big issue for a tippy top or other highly competitive college. Especially the reading and English, for a humanities maor. There’s a 1 score in physics. The ECs are sports, stage crew/drama club. The local success is great. Admirable. But now we’re talking a different environment, the college leap.

The top colleges have excellent academic support. But where does OP want to put his efforts? Academic support or off and running? That’s a choice he needs to make. I wish him the best. But “best” isn’t always prestige.

19

Thanks for the help everyone. I will try to do some type of EC for political science, I think I know something I could do for one. For the classes you recommended I looked at some of them on the website where you can select classes a lot of them are either not online, while I can take not online classes it would be hard with my actual high school classes and EC activities, or they are already full. But I will take four maybe five duel enrollment classes but they may not be as or seem as rigorous.

For my some of my test scores I know they are semi low but hopefully they will increase when i take the Act again in December. For my physics class I know it seems low but I got an A in the class, like a 98% or so, but the teacher is actually horrible. Pretty much everyone is my class got a 1 besides two students who did a lot of studying out side of the class by themselves and who enjoyed the subject. They were the first students to not get 1s for the past couple of years. I want to force on academics I will most likely not do any sports in college besides maybe at a club level.

20

Pitzer College is test-optional and has a demonstrated commitment to recruiting Native American students and working with the Native American community on environmental and policy initiatives. I know you’re a senior and thus past the point of participating in a summer program like this one https://nativeyouth2college.org/ but the fact that it exists at Pitzer seems like a reason to have the school on your radar. It’s a full-need-met school, and in addition to its own strong offerings in the social sciences, it would give you full access to the considerable poli sci offerings of Pomona, Claremont McKenna, and Scripps. And the greater LA area would be a great venue for political involvement.