Should I apply?

Colleges & Universities A-Z Emory University
1

<p>I know its not a good sign when Im CONSIDERING applying 10 days before the deadline... but this is nothing compared to the procrastination on my other apps. </p>

<p>Anywho this is a sort of Chances?/Should I apply? thread.</p>

<p>So I've always considered the idea of applying to Emory and my current list of applied or <em>currently applying</em> colleges are:</p>

<ul>
<li>Penn</li>
<li>Columbia</li>
<li>Rice</li>
<li>NYU</li>
<li>UTAustin</li>
<li>TCU (forced to apply here b/c its local, but I got accepted with a $40,000 scholarship)</li>
</ul>

<p>Now I'm toying with the idea of Emory, my primary interest is business with the secondary interest being law... the due date is on the 15th so that gives me plenty of time to edit an essay to their requirements and request rec's and transcripts. </p>

<p>Quick background on me:</p>

<p>3.75 uw GPA
55/501 (just outside top 10%, Emory seems tougher than Ivys when it comes to class rank, only 10% of those accepts aren't in the Top 10%)
1550 old SAT - 2200 new SAT
740 Math1 SATII and 740 US History SATII</p>

<p>WEAK EC's the first two years of High School, JV Tennis and some volunteer work, nothing much more.</p>

<p>Junior/Senior: Joined debate and plenty of success, now I'm the Varsity Captain of a nationally recognized debate team. (I have a chance to attend an Emory Invitational Tournament this Spring).</p>

<p>Junior/Senior EC's and Awards:
-NHS
-Interact
-Habitat for Humanity
-Attended an invitational Scholar's Lab for two weeks of debate training
Received some school awards and regional debate success, including the "Distrinction" Merit from the National Forensic's League in just one year of debate, personally ran an entire division of the 'Grapevine Classic', a Tournament of Champions Qualifier <em>national recognition</em>
-National Honor Society
-National Merit Commended Student
-Vice-President and Co-Founder of a new Amnesty International Chapter
-AP Scholar with Distinction, World History-4, Psychology-4, CompSciAB-4,US History-5, English Literature-4, Currently enrolled in 7 more AP classes.
-I also worked for my father at his small business, and even had to help run and manage it while training new employees after my father became seriously ill.
-And some other misc. volunteer work.</p>

<p>Should I start filling out the App now, or am I a lost cause?</p>

2

<p>you should get in, and I think you know that you should get in, you just want a confidence booster or to brag or something. You certainly have a better shot at Emory than you do at Penn.</p>

<p>If you like the college, and might want to go there, apply, if not, don't bother.</p>

3

<p>No, I'm really not looking for a flattering confidence boost here, if anything I've lost self-confidence while hanging around all the Ivy boards where people with stats better than mine are getting flat-out rejected from early-decision.</p>

<p>From the research I've done I put it on the same tier as Rice (which I've done FAR more research on) and to me Rice still feels like a reach.</p>

<p>With 10 days left though will a flat essay give me a respectable chance of getting in?
(Once in a blue moon I manage to write something good, but 99% of the comments on my previous college essays are that they are "flat" and will neither harm nor advance my chances of being admitted)</p>

<p>Edit: Applying to a school where only 10% of those accepted AREN'T in the top 10%... this is worse than any Ivy that I know of and is what worries me most about my chance at Emory along with my WEAK EC's the first two years of high school.</p>

4

<p>I'm surprised you're not in the top 10% with a 3.75 UW and so many AP's, is your school incredibly competitive? I'm a 3.6ish UW with a few less AP's and I'm in the top 7%if so they would take that into account.</p>

5

<p>
[quote]
Applying to a school where only 10% of those accepted AREN'T in the top 10%... this is worse than any Ivy that I know of and is what worries me most about my chance at Emory...

[/quote]
</p>

<p>According to Emory's most recent common data set, only 41% of first-time freshmen submitted class rank. Who knows where the other 59% fell? I do not believe Emory is fixated on rank and I also do not believe that Emory is looking for robot students with long laundry lists of EC's. If you are interested in going to Emory, you should apply. It's a wonderful school. </p>

<p>If you can't help but write "flat" essays, be sure they are sincere--especially the Why Emory essay. Don't make that essay read as though you decided to apply 10 days before the deadline and that you did "FAR" more research on Rice than Emory.</p>

6

<p>I go to Grapevine High School, and while it is a public school, it is most likely one of the most competitive schools in the nation. (It was on the top 100 high schools, meaning that taking an AP class at my school is NOTHING unique, though my 7 AP tests this year are obviously above average)</p>

<p>As far as AP's go, they actually hurt you... our ranking system is wierd, but it plays out that the COST of taking AP classes isn't worth the 2.5 points you get added on a 100 point scale. For example, I took Calculus AB among 6 others this year, but I'm scoring very low B's in that class and its known for devouring kid's GPAs. On Physics C and Calculus AB I'm sacrificing about 10-12 points on my grade with a 2.5 point compensation for taking AP classes.</p>

<p>Add the poor AP scaling and the fact that I took so many classes and it starts weighing me down big-time... it also seems like there is a huge discrepency between certain departments. Average Spanish III PAP grade last year was around 83 (only one teacher taught it and he was ROUGH on grading)... Average French/German/Latin III PAP grade was 92-96. Boy do I regret taking three years of Spanish.</p>

<p>Not only is my school competitive, but my particular class is the most academic in years and has scored more AP scholars and National Merit Semi-Finalists than ever before. Calculate debate into the picture (missing entire weekends including whole Fridays makes it hard to make up work) and you have a pretty academic student like myself struggling to get into the top 10%... also keep in mind while my EC list is ok for the last two years... they are going to see that my first two years at HS are relatively blank.</p>

7

<p>Doesn't RICE UNI require THREE SATIIs?</p>

8

<p>Nope, 2... its all over their pamphlets (I have waaay too many) and I heard it straight from a representatives mouth.</p>