Please chance a committed Jumbo...Fall 2013 ED 1

Colleges and Universities A-Z Tufts University
1

<p>Hey guys,</p>

<p>Tufts University is by far my first choice (clearly since I plan to apply ED1)- My junior year is almost over and I would appreciate it if you could chance me- The stats I am posting are how they will appear on my application...some of them are projected (since i'm not done with high school yet), but they are all accurate.</p>

<p>Here they are:</p>

<p>Male in a very competitive public school in MA.</p>

<p>Academics:</p>

<p>GPA- 3.75/4.00 UW and 4.12/5.00 W
-7 honors courses
-3 AP courses- (Chem, AB Calc, and Bio)
---Chem (4)
---Calc (5)
---Bio (5)
---Self-Studied US Government (5)</p>

<p>SAT Reasoning- Math 740. Critical Reading 750. Writing 760 (12 Essay)- Composite in single sitting= 2250.
SAT Subject Exams- Biology (720) Chemistry (760) Math 2 (780)</p>

<p>Extracurriculars:</p>

<p>Over 500+ Hours of hospital volunteering (I started at the end of 8th grade)
Job shadowing done in summer of 10th grade- Shadowed cardiologist and surgeon for approx. 50 hours.
Student Representative on the district school committee (10th, 11th, and 12th grade)
School Ambassador 11th Grade, and leader of the program 12th grade
School newspaper writer 11th Grade, and section editor and copy editor 12th grade
National Honor Society member- Inducted 11th grade and continued 12th grade
Mock Trial Group- 11th and 12th grade
Harvard Model Congress- 11th grade (no other grade is allowed from our school)
Spent 60 hours in a lab over the summer of 11th grade studying the Genetics of Disease</p>

<p>Awards:
National Competition POETRY OUT LOUD 2ND RUNNER UP-11th Grade
President's Award Winner- 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th grade- Over 600+ hours spent in volunteering
George Washington University award for Civic Engagement, Service, and Independent and Creative thought</p>

<p>Passions and Interests:
1) Politics, debating, and current events
2) Healthcare, service, and medicine.</p>

<p>Recommendations: will be great- the teachers know me very well and think I am a great student.</p>

<p>Why I love Tufts:</p>

<p>There is just so much - I love the people, the collaborative attitude, the passion that everyone has for something, the location, the intellectual curiosity, the offerings (I plan on pursuing psychology, and Tufts offers FOUR special concentrations- It's a great way to combine my interests). I want to be able to contribute to this great society of scholars, and also be exposed to new ideas. After coming down the Memorial Steps after my tour, I knew Tufts was for me.</p>

<p>I'd really appreciate your help and any advice you can offer! I also know that essays are key for Tufts, but how are my chances from grades/scores and extracurriculars?</p>

<p>Thanks again!</p>

2

<p>Bump! Please feel free to pitch in!</p>

3

<p>Look at the thread “Tufts 2016 RD results” in the Tufts forum- it may help-</p>

4

<p>Well here’s the thing- I have checked those threads out already (including the ED ones). I just wanted some chances for my profile.</p>

5

<p>I think you have as good a chance as any but it’s especially hard to chance someone for Tufts, because they put an enormous emphasis on your essays and your voice. GPA, test scores, and other quantitative measures are far less important relative to other universities than the essays (not to say that they aren’t important). So keep up the ECs, and take challenging courses your senior year, and all that, and as long as you can really show who you are in the essays, I’d say you have a good shot at it.</p>

6

<p>You’re clearly qualified. Possibly a little short on AP courses. (Are there more in your senior year schedule? If yes, you are fine.) But holistic admissions, and a 20%ish acceptance rate, means that no one here can give you your chances. Unless about 1 in 4 is what you want to hear.</p>

7

<p>@draekken, Thanks a lot! That’s exactly what I’ve heard- Tufts is very holistic. I really envision myself being there and I hope that this December will carry good news.</p>

<p>@mathmom, those courses represent all that I will have taken my 4 years in HS- I know the courses are a little short on APs, so I am self-studying that AP US Government and Politics. My senior year schedule currently looks like this:</p>

<p>1) AP AB Calc
2) AP Bio
3) H Physics (although this prepares you for the AP Exam, but it is not called an AP Course)
4) H International Relations
5) Bio/Physics Lab
6) Lunch
7) Unleveled English
8) Political Science/ Senior Seminar</p>

8

<p>^^I don’t understand - you said that you got 5s on AP Calc and Bio, but you haven’t taken them yet?</p>

9

<p>WCASParent- I have not taken them yet, but that is what I meant by saying that some of the statistics are projected (at the beginning of the post).</p>

<p>The reasoning behind why I project 5s is this:</p>

<p>For Bio:</p>

<p>1) After taking AP Biology, I will have 2 years of biology under my belt (Honors Bio and AP Bio). This is a great background.
2) I did really well in H Bio, and many kids in my school say that H Bio prepares you well for the AP and that the AP Course just supplements the preparation.
3) Most Kids from my school do really well on the AP Bio exam after the course, and I am determined to put in the effort into securing a 5.</p>

<p>For math:
I have taken the hardest math courses and I have always challenged myself- I feel that the strong background, combined with the AP course, will give me the base I need to get a 5.</p>

<p>I realize that these are just predictions, but I know that I can do it - For the sake of chancing however, I thought it expeditious to project those scores now.</p>

10

<p>Is BC Calc an option for you? AB is great, but BC is more impressive.</p>

<p>I think you will be a strong ED applicant.
Good luck.</p>

11

<p>For chancing (which I think is a pretty silly exercise anyway) it makes no difference what your scores are since they won’t be available to the admissions committee anyway. Taking the AP in government as a senior if you aren’t in the AP course probably won’t help you either.</p>

12

<p>WCASParent, BC was an option for me, but the course registration deadline has already passed, and my guidance counselor had advised me that the course load would be too rigorous if I took BC Calc. Thank you for the wishes!</p>

<p>mathmom, That makes sense…so I guess the most important thing will be to pull the highest grades possible and put all of my effort into the Tufts application. Thanks for your advice!</p>