Please Give a brotha a chance!

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>I was hoping for chances to the following schools:</p>

<p>UNC-Chapel Hill (My dream school. I know how ridiculous they are w/ OOS)</p>

<p>Also wondering about my chances at Elon University/Carnegie Mellon/Winthrop/WVU</p>

<p>So I aman upcoming Senior and have the dream of getting into UNC-Chapel Hill. I have visited 3 times already and am going back again to visit this summer. I really believe I belong there. I know how ridiculous it is for out-of-staters to gain admission here, but I am in West Virginia, which is an under-represented state, so maybe that helps just a tad?</p>

<p>Sex: M
Ethnicity: White
State: WV
School: Public</p>

<p>Top 10% of class</p>

<p>UW GPA: 3.7
W GPA: 3.9
(Keep in mind my school doesn't offer a plethora of AP's. You cannot take any freshman year, may take 1 soph. year (AP Euro History), which I took, and a few more Jr. and Sr. years that I am taking and will load up on AP's next year. So Im pretty much taking the most rigorous classes I can. Also, my school doesn't weight honors courses if that matters because I know of some that do.) Upward trend as well.</p>

<p>AP's taken once I'm out of HS:
AP Euro
AP Language
AP US Government
AP Literature
AP US History
AP Physics
AP Psychology</p>

<p>SAT I:
CR-680
M-610
W-750
1360/2040</p>

<p>SAT II:
US History-720
Literature-710</p>

<p>EC's:
2 years of lacrosse(we didn't have a lacrosse team when I was an under-classman and we aren't even funded by the board so we hold fundraisers and raise money a lot. Thinking of writing an essay on how the team pulled together so we could be able to have a team.)
1st team all-state Lacrosse
2 years of JV basketball
2 years of Varsity Tennis
President of DECA
Treasurer of FCA
Founder of the school Dance Club
Involved with student Government
Young Democrats Club
Mountaineer Boys State attendee
HI-Y Club</p>

<p>Volunteering:
I'd say about 100+ Hours
Relay For Life
Very involved in my church (Have gone to Haiti and Jamaica and have had wonderful experiences there. Thinking of maybe writing an essay on this as well.)
Campaign work for senator
Literacy Volunteer</p>

<p>Awards:
National Honor Society
Rotary Youth Leadership Award
All-State in Lacrosse (Midfielder)
Boys State Supreme Court Justice</p>

<p>Recs:
Counselor:decent? I don't even know her
Teacher: Pretty solid
Lax Coach: Good</p>

<p>Hook: 5 year subscriber to Tar Heel Monthly, # of visits I've taken to Chapel Hill.</p>

<p>So what do you think my chances are OOS? What could I do that would really boost my chances? I know getting high scores on AP exams will be big. Would applying EA action boost my chances at all or re-assuring them that if admitted, I'm 100% binded to them? Maybe requesting an interview? Not sure how often at all UNC allows interviews? I'm thinking of writing them an extra-long essay on why I belong at UNC and that I want to be a part of the Carolina Family!</p>

<p>I appreciate any feedback!</p>

2

<p>One of my best friend’s sisters went to UNC and I don’t think her stats were much better (this was a few years ago though) and we’re from NY which is an overrepresented state. I would recommend retaking the SAT unless you think you won’t be able to bring it up. If you feel this strongly, definitely apply early. Colleges want to admit students who they know will come… With stats this solid, making such a commitment is definitely a bonus and will help you on the admissions front. Also, look into getting an interview. Being so enthusiastic about a school will really come through in your interview and even though it’s not a HUGE part of the admissions process, it will definitely help.</p>

3

<p>Hmm, tough to say. Take the following thoughts with a grain of salt, as I’m hardly an expert. But I was accepted to UNC-Chapel Hill, (turned it down in favor of Davidson) but I’m in state, so I don’t know if I could feel the pain that you OOS peeps feel.
Anyway, regarding your standardized test scores, they’re not bad, but nothing thrilling either. I had a friend (in state) with similar scores (slightly lower) who was rejected. So if I could, I’d look in to taking the SAT over again. Sign up for it at the earliest possible date, then study like a fiend for it. You can probably bump up your math scores the easiest. They don’t throw you anything above Precal level on the SAT, so you should know it all already. Also, you could look into taking the ACT as well. I’m partial to the ACT, it’s easier, but the time constraints are killer if you let them get you. Look into it, ask around. You just want to make sure you have the best possible standardized testing scores possible, because UNC-CH places a heavy weight on them.
As for your essay, I advise starting early. Write something, have friends, parents, and “smart” adults you look up to critique it and tear it up. Make sure you take all the criticism you can get. You’ll probably end up changing topics a few times. Don’t be afraid to start over if something isn’t working. Just make sure that the long essay you have it the best that you can possibly write. And when choosing a topic, make sure it’s something you really have a lot of interesting stuff to say about. One other note, the UNC-CH app gives you a few different essay choices, but ignore them and chose the “free response” one and give them your best.
On the topic of interest shown (your visits to campus, etc.) I don’t really think UNC-CH puts a lot of weight, if any, into demonstrated interest. I remember seeing indications of it on their site. Think of how tough it would be for a school that gets 20,000 applications a year to keep track of things like that. (I could be wrong, it might be important for OOS applicants). Further anecdotal evidence is a friend of mine (in state, again) who was accepted once, turned them down for another school, then applied again when she got sick of the school and got in (she’s turning them down yet again I believe). So I don’t think they put too much weight behind likelihood of enrollment. Still, it seems like you really want to attend here. So definitely apply Early Action. At the very least you’ll get your decision back sooner.
Extracurriculars look good as far as I can tell. Oh! If you think you can handle it, and it won’t detract from your studying for the SAT, study up for another SAT II you think you’ll do well on. They never hurt.</p>

<p>As far as chances go, I can’t really say. Face it, we’re just a bunch of random people floating around on the internet. I mean, you look like a cool kid to me, I’d say it’s a slight reach, but I know very little about the minds of college admission folks. Do your best, work hard, apply, and see what happens. Apply to a bunch of different schools too, so that you’ll have selection (just in case). And let me just take a moment to make a shameless plug for Davidson College (not too far from UNC-CH actually). Wonderful little liberal arts school. They really care about you as a person, and not your SAT scores. Since you obviously aren’t unfamiliar with NC, why not drop by when you’re in the neighborhood and see what you think? :wink: Anyway, I wish you luck with your college search!</p>

4

<p>UNC - Unlikely (but you know that). Sorry but they could care less about your “hook”, but if you get to know your admission rep I could see them fighting for you. Apply anyhow… </p>

<p>Davidson - (my favorite school) Is wonderful but I think they care a lot about SAT and every other thing academic. But always worth a visit. Great School</p>

<p>Elon - My S favorite school is all about fit. As far as I can tell they care that every single student they accept succeeds not only a Elon but in life. I think you would be a good fit from the combo of academics / EC’s. - Great School (and maybe even becoming my favorite school as I learn more about the way they think).</p>

5

<p>Thanks bobdylan. I just registered for the SAT October 10 test. (It’s the next one.) The earlier test was my first try and I bought the SAT Online Course on collegeboard.com and am really going to study hard. However, I do not think UNC does interviews.</p>

<p>Cesium, congrats on getting into Davidson. I hear it’s really tough. But yeah, I know UNC has a holistic approach to admissions and the essay counts for them so I’ll be sure to write the best one I’ve written in my entire life. Thanks for the kind words all.</p>

<p>I don’t even want to go to college if I don’t get into Carolina. Yes, that is extreme but there is nowhere else I want to be. Someone even told me to apply to Brown because even that my stats don’t come that close for them, the state residency will help a great deal. Doubt that.</p>

6

<p>I don’t even want to go to college if I don’t get into Carolina.</p>

<p>Change your mind (I hope you choose to expand your thought process), or move to NC, pay taxes for a year, then apply.</p>

7

<p>ncmentor, their website says the purpose for moving to NC cannot be for tuition purposes.</p>

<p>Can anyone else suggest what I can do to improve my shot?</p>