I am a current HS senior, and i was just rejected from Notre Dame REA. Because of this, i’m scared of my chances at these other reach schools (To be fair, i forgot to include my research in my activities). . My main issue is that i have a bad unweighted GPA but a high class rank. Do i have a shot despite getting rejection from Notre Dame ?
Academics:
GPA (Unweighted):Bad, 3.7 maybe lower ( F: 3.92 S:3.65 J:3.4(Got MAJOR eye correction surgery, eyes would occasionally bleed) Sr:3.82, no minuses, B+=3.4) downward trend freshman to junior, jump from junior to senior, but overall i got a LOT of B’s (maybe 22A’s, 12,13 B’s and B+'s)
GPA (weighted):4.205 (F: 4.13 S: 4.16 J: 4.4 Sr: 4.82)
ACT: 34, 35 superscored (2 tests)
Sat Subject Scores: Math II: 800, Chemistry: 690
Rank: 29/721 (Top 4%)
Senior Classes: Calc III, Linear Algebra, AP Economics, AP Comp Gov, Orgo/Bio Chemistry, PTE Class, Science Research
Extracurriculars:
part founder of Indian Cultural Nonprofit organization since 8 years old, helped run it for 9 years, donated over $5000 dollars to local hospitals.
As part of my nonprofit, i also participate in Voice of Specially abled people, where we help disabled people in india
President of Computer science committee: Tutor students, compete, and make apps using computer science.
Worked on Developing an ios game app, now on App Store (game name is Arö, check it out)
I teach java programming to students who want to take it but can’t, I have 7 students(Taught for Fun and Free)
Invest in Stocks outside of school(using money from summer job), one experience i bought DCTH stock, which went up over 100 percent in a day. Wrote my Personal essay about this experience
National CyberPatriot Competition - Captain of CyberPatriot team 2 years,CyberSecurity competition, eliminate vulnerabilities, Cyber Defense. Certificate Winner - State Platinum competition twice, 14th and 18th place in Northeast Competition (top 12 go to Nationals)
participated in a club where our school refurbished electronics and donated them.
Science Bowl (started this year, not sure if important)
Took STEM classes at George Mason University Junior and Senior Year
At GMU, I did University Research and Innovation Classes
Developed a Water proof Life Jacket that heats up to prevent Hypothermia using resistance wiring.
Junior Year Research: Researched and coded a bipedal leg implementation made from 3-D printed parts focused on cost efficiency
Finished an audio to text translating AR headset that will display translated text in field of vision, hope to get University funded patent
Currently Researching and developing an Infrared HUD display for firefighters. It will display sensor data in a field and it it has access to thermal imaging to facilitate firefighting
Hoping to qualify for ISEF 2018
Recommendations:
Counselor’s - Great
Calc II Teacher - Great
AP Economics - Good
Honestly, I think your stats are FANTASTIC. I’m shocked that you got deferred, and as a fellow senior, I’m scared too hearing that you got rejected with those stats, considering mine is nowhere as good. However, consider this: one school may value what you have more than others. I read a book called “The Overachievers” that featured a senior who got rejected from Swarthmore ED but got into Yale RD. These results are independent from one another, so please don’t fret over one decision. I guarantee that you have a more-than-great shot, so please don’t waste so much time worrying and pick yourself up. If you need to talk, you can always DM
My thoughts are the same as @TomSrOfBoston and @ucbalumnus, you need to have affordable safeties where you would be happy to attend. None of “Dartmouth, Duke, Cornell, Michigan, and USC” are safe, nor even matches. You might get into one of them, but I would guess that the chances of getting into at least one of them is no better than 50/50.
If you have good affordable safeties, when I wouldn’t worry about Dartmouth, Duke, Cornell, Michigan, and USC. If you have applied then you will hear back when you hear back. In the mean time relax and keep up with your high school classes.
If you don’t yet have affordable safeties, there is still time to apply but you need to get to it.
So OP did you apply to both Santa Clara EA and ND REA at the same time? Because according to the contracts you cannot do that and if you are accepted to any other school and an adcom finds out, you will be rescinded.
In the other thread you mentioned that you were deferred from Santa Clara EA.
@Hamurtle@DadTwoGirls I did apply to some safety schools, but I just wanted to see how I would do for these schools. Also, for Notre Dame REA, you can apply to other EA schools, but no ED.
You know your stats and app are just a flat, one-dimensional view of whatever of your information that you disclose, and don’t truly convey the essence of who you are as a person, right? So from seeing that flat view, I’d say that your grades are low but you have a good reason, and your ECs are interesting, but so are a lot of other kids. There is enough in here that a school might pick you out of the pile of applications, but it’s going to be a “oh, this kid is interesting, let’s take him” and not an “oh wow, we must have him”. You know that there are so, so many applications and the admit rates of the schools you are talking about are ridiculously low. So I say take a shot at those schools, but your odds are similar, if not a little below, that school’s admit rate (don’t forget the admit rate counts in all the kids with hooks). So take a chance, but know that it’s slim, and make sure you have great targets and safeties.
Denied. REA. 4.02 GPA, 33 ACT, Eagle Scout, State Champion sport captain, Captain debate team, regional champion as junior. Hundreds of volunteer hours. Top 10% highly regarded Jesuit school. Disappointed. Onward. Different paths up the mountain. This wasn’t it for me. Good luck to all.