plz chance me?....

Colleges and Universities A-Z Johns Hopkins University
1

<p>After having my hopes obliterated in the early action rounds, I'd really like to apply to a few low-risk schools in Jan. What are my chances for JHU?</p>

<p>SAT I: M750 R760 W650 Total2160 (composite); retaking it in Jan</p>

<p>SAT II: took USH + Math II in Dec</p>

<p>GPA: abysmal (well, 3.83 for Gr 11, and the average from Gr9-11 is 3.4-3.5)</p>

<p>AP: (self-studied) USH 5, Calculus AB 4, Macroeconomics 4, Microeconomics 4; taking AP Chem this year</p>

<p>EC: president/leader of a bunch of clubs; personally hosted (thru my debate club) a debate in the local elections; 320+ hr volunteer work</p>

<p>University Courses: taking a few university/college courses this year:</p>

<p>1st year Philosophy (university)
2nd year International Political Economy (community college)
2nd year Globalization/Economics (university)</p>

<p>Recommendations: all great, incl one from uni professor</p>

<p>just one question: Would it be better to have my principal fill out a relatively good SSR or have my counselor fill out (below) average one? I know it says any school official can do it, but I'm just wondering if have someone other than the counselor doing it would have a negative impact on my application.</p>

<p>I'd really prefer specifics - i.e. "you're a good applicant" doesn't really tell me much</p>

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<p>So JHU is unarguably easier to get in than say Stanford or Yale. But its not exactly a "low risk" school. Your GPA sucks to be frank and your test scores are in the ball park. But there is nothing distinguishing about you that would make your chances good.</p>

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<p>Oh, I know my chances are not great, but what would realistically be my chances for JHU?</p>

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<p>do you have any sort of a hook? As in, what makes you different? Seems like you're just a bunch of numbers and not even especially high numbers.</p>

5

<p>I don't think I would go so far as to say the OP's GPA "sucks." I've said this elsewhere on CC, but I think the HS plays a role in that some don't give A's as readily as others. The average GPA at S's school is something like 3.23 and only a handful of 4.0's in the last 26 years. But I agree if your numbers aren't stellar, there ought to be something else that really makes you stand out. This said, one might wonder why your counselor would give you a below average recommendation.</p>

<p>This said, if your volunteer work is more than just hours and specific in nature (vs all over the place just for the hours), perhaps that would be something to expand on.</p>