Hi Guys!
So basically I’m just going a short summary of my objective stats not doing a long list right now.
3.88 UW ( screwed up freshmen year B student)
If freshmen year overlooked (3.98 UW)
Still in top 10% at a competitive public high school
33 ACT April (36M, 34R, 32S, 30E)
2140 SAT June (710M, 710 CR, 720 WR)
My junior year I took 6 AP classes along with varsity swimming(managed all As except for APUSH second semester)
Holistic wise… My ECS are in my opinion much more incredible. I did community service(250 hours) as camp counselor’s, research(internship), job as lifeguard/swim instructor in my local community. 4X Varsity Swimmer for my school team and president of 3 clubs at my schools.
I’m just disappointed. I wished school was just as important to me freshmen year. So do I stand a chance against the insanely competitive applicant pool? If so how much? I’m Indian male by the way.
What do I describe in my essays that will make me stand out. I have a passion for BME, but if that’s too hard to get into ill do pre med in general? How do my chances look?
Thanks guy. I would really appreciate some feedback. Also my ACT June score comes soon , Definetely did a lot better on that one!
don’t be too worried about freshman year! yes, it counts, but it’s much better to see improvement through the years which you obviously did! you have a very solidly high gpa. your standardized test scores are pretty solid too, but it might be better to up those a little bit - hopefully your june score will be better! and don’t forget that if you’re still not sure if you’re using your ACT score to take your subject tests.
you’re obviously a student who is high-achieving, with your 6 AP classes and good grades. keep up the course load for senior year (i’m not saying take 50 AP classes, but don’t just drop to one AP if your school offers more than that)
you’re also very obviously a well-rounded student and i’m not saying anything is typical, but with your demographic as well as the fact that you’re looking to go into pre-med, i think it goes without saying that you’re in a very competitive pool. this is where your essays will really boost you. make them genuine. and your ECs might be incredible, but it is all so diverse - they’d like to see that you’re passionate about something in particular, not just scattered all over the place.
while i personally do not believe in all these “chance me” threads, because you’ll seriously find the college that’s right for you and the colleges will seriously find the students that are right for them, i just thought i’d help out a future dukie. your chances are good, but of course it all depends on the applicant pool. don’t worry so much about what people like me say, though. all this time spent reading these posts and comments could be time well spent on much more valuable things. keep in mind that your application is exactly that - it’s YOURS, not anyone else’s.
hope that helped! if you have any other questions, feel free to shoot me a message, and good luck
@dukeblue2019 Thanks so so much for the advice and feedback!!! Congrats on your acceptance to Duke!!!
June 2015 ACT: (34E, 36M, 35R, 36 S)!!! 35.25!! @dukeblue2019
I think you have a great shot if you manage to get a 35 or above on the ACT. Good luck!
Edit: I see that you managed to pull it off! Well done! You have earned your username
An increase in your ACT result is necessary to move your from the 20,000+ “distinguished pack” of applicants to the “solid shot” group.
@nevergiveupp congrats on your stellar scores
Let me start by congratulating you on your stellar ACT score. I doubt that your GPA will be too big of a problem, especially with your increasing trend and still a pretty fine GPA, (Impressiveness of top 10% would vary according to your school; maybe you can start by where your school’s last year’s top 10% got accepted?)
As for your ECs, I am less sure; they seem rather diverse but scattered, and unrelated to your major (except the research, but not sure how impressive that is/if its related to medicine). You have to remember the medicine is the subject that attracts the best of students, and that a lot of them are Asian. Your essays/recommendations have to be good in order to set you apart. As you seem like an extremely talented swimmer, maybe you should write about them in your essays, and connect it (somehow) to your passion for medicine? That seems like something that not many other applicants will have.
Overall, you are a very competitive candidate overall with high scores and a fine GPA (check top 10% of last year’s graduating class; if some of them went to schools such as Duke, I wouldn’t sweat about your GPA. Even if they didn’t, your increasing trend should be more than enough to cover up your bad 9th GPA) Applying ED seems like a great idea if you are sure that Duke is your first choice, and I’d say that Duke is a Low Reach/High Match for you, depending on your essays. Even if you get rejected (Let’s hope not!), always remember that application at a school such as Duke is too random to be too sad about it.
Good luck, and thanks for chancing me!
@Hiiamint Thanks so much for the thoughts and feedback you gave. I really appreciate it! Just one question though: Why did you see my extracurriculars as scattered? Let me describe in more detail.
My extracurriculars are all revolved around the health field and the love of really giving back to my community. Honestly, yes varsity swimming for my school team is an extremely big commitment and is unrelated to my major. But from there, I pursued American Red Cross Lifeguard Certifications and Administering Emergency Oxygen certification and swim instructor. Volunteering wise I served as a camp counselor for camps that worked with disabled or disadvantaged kids in my local community. And the research is in the biology related field.
Do you see a theme emerging now perhaps?
Thanks so much again for the thoughtful post you made earlier. I really hope you get into some of the schools you are applying to!
Hmmm, I didn’t think it that way, but now there definitely is a theme, I see. I think you should probably write about them in your essays to really make it stand out for an admissions officer!