Near impossible, but still. Help?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Hey CC.</p>

<p>My stats are NOWHERE NEAR the level of requirements of these colleges, but I want to apply to at least one or two out of these, just because, who knows. SAT 1970, ACT 29</p>

<p>Stanford.</p>

<p>Cornell.</p>

<p>Georgia Tech.</p>

<p>UPenn</p>

<p>CMU</p>

<p>NYU Polytechnic.</p>

<p>I know I have near-nil chances in all of these, but which one (or two) do you think I have the most chances at?</p>

<p>OF COURSE, I am applying to many colleges that I have a much better chance in. I wanted to do at least one "Stanford" just because.</p>

<p>Thanks so much for your time!</p>

2

<p>you have higher chances at NYU poly and Ga tech</p>

3

<p>What about Carnegie? And I’m not just talking about hard admission statistic facts; are any of these known to consider essays as a big part?</p>

4

<p>That depends on the school within CMU that you’re applying to. Based on the other colleges you listed, I’m assuming you’re going into engineering or comp sci? If so, then I’m afraid CMU is also out of reach for you, because even their engineering school is as competitive as Cornell (and their comp sci school is as competitive as Stanford). And I’d assume that they do look at essays; all the top schools tend to focus a lot on the “subjective” parts of the app, simply because the stats are so similar for most students. So I have to second the previous response. NYU and GA Tech are the most realistic ones for you, simply because the rest of the schools you listed are out of reach.</p>

5

<p>Definitely apply to PINYU. You never know. However they’ve got lousy financial aid.
For the rest, it’s a “what if”, right? So pick whatever school you’ll be proud to say “sure, I didn’t get in, but at least I applied”. Could be Stanford or Cornell. :)</p>

6

<p>@ivanov, definitely computer science. So yeah, you’re right - CMU will probably be as much of a reach as Stanford.</p>

<p>Thanks @MYOS. Do you think I should do GTech too? Of course the scores are much higher than mine, but it is 55% admittance compared to <10% of the others.</p>

7

<p>I don’t know what your GPA is, but a 29 ACT has never put someone out of the running to get into a top university. If you have good ECs and a high GPA, you could certainly get into Cornell, CMU, or Standford.</p>

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<p>I would apply to GT and NYU. Good luck! Please get me back.</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1581443-please-chance-me-these-schools-will-chance-back-asap.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1581443-please-chance-me-these-schools-will-chance-back-asap.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>@acetherocket, I can’t agree with that. A 29 maybe won’t automatically get you out of competition, but the rest of your app needs to be absolutely incredible. And by that, I mean cure cancer or create Facebook. Stanford and CMU comp sci are two of the most selective schools in the country, with an acceptance rate of below 7% each. People who get in, considering they don’t have URM, legacy, or athlete recruitment as a “hook,” need to have an amazing app overall. And that means highest possible grades, toughest courses offered, outstanding scores, unique ECs, and amazing essays. And I’m afraid that OP’s 29 on the ACT will rule him out of the competition for these schools, so saying that he can “certainly get in” is just way too optimistic.</p>

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<p>Thanks for the input, both of you! :)</p>

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<p>I agree on Ivanov on this one.
SahilC, choose one “just to see”, whichever one you can say with pride that you tried even if you didn’t get in. (Just the application for some of those is pretty daunting).</p>