<p>I'm still a junior, but I wanted to know if I have any chance whatsoever. Freshman and sophomore years were very bad for me. My school is really bad in the sense that they care about sports and support subjects, and also that it's pretty poor so we barely have any APs. So I'll get to it now. This is projected by the end of the year and this is for RD next year, which will be my senior year.
-Asian American in a very rural part of Georgia. Attending a school that hasn't probably sent a student to an ivy in 40-50 years.
-very small town (2,000-4500 people.
- UW:3.7. W: 3.9ish
-SATs: 2180ish. 780W, 700 M. 700CR
-SAT2 Bio: 680-740
SAT2 Chemistry: 640-680</p>
<p>ECs
-2yrs varsity academic quiz bowl
-2yrs Spanish club
-2yrs beta club
-2yrs secretary/vice president student government
-2yrs academic decathlon
-2 yrs book club
-1yr science club
-2 years key club(1 year president)
-about 400 hrs of shadowing doctor / voluntary internship
-CDC summer camp dealing with biology (2weeks)
-Emory Preundergraduate program.</p>
<p>Also projected I will be taking about 5-6 AP classes next year if my school finds teachers that are qualified. Classes will be: AP Bio, AP Lit, AP World, AP calculus, AP Chemistry, Physics. In addition I will most likely receive Something in young Georgia authors.</p>
<p>Overall your app doesn’t look too bad, the only concerning part is the fact that your school hasn’t had any ivies in a long time. ED you’d have a good chance assuming your essays are good. You also want those SAT II’s in the 700+ range for sure.</p>
<p>Thank you very much. I really want to be one of the first from my school, but yet again those are approximations of what I hope to achieve by the given time. At this moment in time Cornell is the only school I’m really striving to get admission into.</p>
<p>If your school really hasn’t sent a kid to ivies for that long of a time, you really need to stand out. Valedictorian or salutorian is pretty necessary for this case.</p>
<p>Yeah. :(. Unfortunately I made some stupid mistakes freshman and a little of sophomore year, which cost me big time. I could have been a contender, but I lost my chance. Is there anything else at this point that I can do to increase my chances. (make me stand out?)</p>
<p>Well, scores and major awards are your best bet. I would tell you to aim for 750+s across the board especially because you are an ORM. Keep in mind that SAT Is are more important than SAT IIs though, but in this case your SAT IIs need the most improvement. Get your scores reasonably higher and you have a reasonable chance at ED.</p>
<p>Also, be sure you are in the top 10%. For a school with such a poor track record, if you aren’t top 1-2 in the school then your gpa won’t really help unless you fall under the top 10%, which would effectively eliminate any chances.</p>
<p>Thank you Colene. I’ll try my best to boost my scores. As for achievements, I’m not sure if I’ll be able to acquire a lot, but do you think Cornell and possible other ivies will take into consideration that my school offers very few APs, and also that I’ve had an upward transition from freshman year? Currently as a junior this year I have 4.0 UW and 4.42. I’m taking all academic classes with no electives. I’m trying my best to take as many sciences as I can, but math is where I fall short a bit. I’m considering taking AP Calc next year if it’s available. Say I get ED to Cornell, and next year I’m taking about 5 APs, will a B in AP Calc midway through senior year cause Cornell to reconsider giving me admission? Sorry for the questions haha. I’m quite curious.</p>
<p>If your school offers very few APs, it probably indicates to Cornell that it is not very rigorous, in which case you want the most rigorous courseload possible (you need to have taken several APs). If you do that, you should be alright - but you need to do well in them too, hence the class ranking “requirement”. Yes, upward trend helps. If you try hard this year and over summer, then ED next year I think you have a fair shot definitely. I really suggest getting those test scores higher if you can’t get your class ranking to go significantly up, however. It is painful but as an ORM from a school of poor reputation, it is necessary.</p>
<p>Cornell wants to see that you took the most rigorous courses offered at your school & will not hold it against you if few are offered. Your stats will get you in the conversation, your essays & letters of recommendation will likely be the deciding factor in your admission. Make sure you visit Cornell & attend the info session at the college you want to apply to. This will help you get ideas for your college-specif essay which must show “fit” with the philosophy of the college.</p>
<p>Thank you! Well my school is pretty bad, but there a few teachers that teach the curriculum like I’m trying to attain a masters degree. My AP psych and ap gov teachers make their classes very rigorous and I’ve been struggling somewhat to maintain A’s. Does Cornell actually look at the numerical grade, or will they consider an A an A?</p>
<p>I got in Early Decision this year. My SAT was 2080 (710 Math, 690 CR, 680 W) SATll (Physics 740, Math 2 680) GPA W:4.24 UW: 3.75. Not all that many extracurriculars (Robotics, High powered rocketry, football, come organizations) No one from my school has gotten into an ivy in 10 years. I think you have great chances. Esp. if you apply ED like I did.</p>
<p>Everything is well within range to give you decent chances. As said above, your school’s reputation does not help, but a really good guidance counselor recommendation could help with that. As long as you take the hardest work load possible and get good grades in those classes, I think you’re on your way to being accepted if not at Cornell, at least a couple top schools (assuming you apply to a few top 30 schools).</p>