Should I just give up on ivys, I have a really bad class rank :-(

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>I go to a Very Competive High School, my Counselor said in her recommendation, at surrounding schools, I would have had a higher class rank. I live in Houston, Texas and am South Asian(Indian).</p>

<p>GPA
Unweighted - (3.8/4)<br>
Weighted - (7.4/8)--My school only does it on an 8 point scale.
93.8/100---Don't know if this is weighted or not..
Class Rank-- 89/450 kids (Exactly top 20 percent) :-(</p>

<p>Sat Scores (Super Score)
Math-720
Critical Reading-750
Writing-700
Total-2170
Reading and Math Total - 1470</p>

<p>2008 - Busido Karate-Black Belt
2008 -AP Scholar with Honor
2007 – Hosa Concepts of Health Care Area Competition- 2nd Place
2007- High School Science Fair -2nd Place Environmental Sciences
2006- County Science Fair- 1st Place Overall Ninth Grade Division
2006- County Science Fair –2nd Place Environmental Sciences
2006- High School Science Fair – 4th Place Ninth Grade Division</p>

<p>Extracurricular Activities
(2005 – 2009) – Karate (3 hours a week)--Got my black belt
(2005 – 2009) – Youth Group (6 Hours a week)
(2006 – 2009) – Pre-Medical Club in School ( 1 hour every 2 weeks)
(2007 – 2009) - National Technical Honor Society ( 1 hour every 2 weeks)
(2008 - 2009) – National Honor Society (1 hour every 2 weeks)</p>

<p>Community Service
2006- Memorial Hospital – 50 Hours
2008 and 2007- 203 Hours at Neurologist Office
2008- 83 Hours at Internal Medicine Office
2005-2009 - Youth Club Volunteer (5 Hours a week)
Total- 340+ Hours
^^^^^I have letters of verification/recommendations from all these places, and will send it in with my application.</p>

<p>Please be honest..................</p>

<p>THOUSANDS OF KIDS WITH BETTER EC'S, BETTER CLASS RANKS, BETTER SAT SCORES WILL BE APPLYING..........What are my chances? </p>

<p>I live in Houston, Texas, and am South Asian(Indian)</p>

<p>Schools I am looking at:
Columbia
UPenn
Cornell
Brown
Duke
Washington University St. Louis
Rice (E.D.)
Northwestern
Vanderbilt---Wants diversity
Emory---Does not use class rank in admissions process, but the grades in classes.</p>

<p>Safteys
University of Texas Austin---Might not get into?, because I am not top 10 percent...
Texas A & M----Guaranteed a spot..</p>

2

<p>Well it depends …a lot.You need a huge ''pack of luck ‘’ but still you still have a chance.2160 on the SAT is not that bad.</p>

3

<p>People define competitive school differently. There are highly, highly competitive schools with 2150 average SATs that sends 30% to ivies and there are competitive schools with average SAT 1750 and send a few each year to top colleges.</p>

<p>Depending where your school falls top 20% may still put you in the running.</p>

<p>I’d consider retaking the SAT’s. The higher your score the more it may offset a marginal rank. Have you considered adding some privates a little less competitive?</p>

4

<p>Unfortuntly I can’t retake my sats…, My gpa is decent, would they look at that and my Sat scores more than my class rank., There are kids that have better class ranks then me, but only 2090’s on the Sat in my school…</p>

<p>Last year, 10 kids got into Rice, and 2-3 went to ivys…A lot of kids here, don’t want to go out of state, so they apply to state schools. even though they have good sat scores, I know at least 35-42 kids in my grade out of 450, that have at least 2160s on the Sat…most are in the top 10 percent.</p>

5

<p>I think you have a shot, though some of those ivies may be a reach, but they’re usually a reach. Your SAT score is pretty good & you have a lot of EC’s that seem to showcase your interests so thats good. You might want to apply to some more safety schools? Less competitive privates? Don’t stress too much about the competition, it’s always gonna be there. Just give it a shot & see what happens, you never know. Best of luck!</p>

6

<p>I think you need to take a hard look at common data sets for your schools before finalizing your list. At most including the ivies, less than 10% were not in the top 10% of their class. When you figure in that 40% are recruited athletes, URMs and legacies, it means that’s it’s a major uphill battle for anyone not in the top 10% who doesn’t have a hook. It happens, but clearly not statistically often.</p>

<p>There are many great schools that are less selective schools than those on your list that you might prefer to Texas A & M. Why not add some slightly less selective privates?</p>

7

<p>I looked at Cornell and Emory’s Data Set…For Cornell it said that class rank is important but not very important as some of the other factors. Emory doesn’t consider class rank. I think I am in range for Emory and Vanderbilt(want diversity on campus)…The other schools are huge reaches. My question is my gpa good enough?..I have would have taken 10 A.P. classes by the time I graduate, and an additional 8 honors classes. Is this good enough? My grades on my A.P. tests are average, nothing special :
A.P. Calculus AB -4 (Junior Year)
A.P. World History -4 (Sophmore Year)
A.P. U.S. History- 4 (Junior Year)
A.P. English Language - 3( Junior Year)</p>

<p>Senior Year Scheduale: A.P. Ecomonics - 90+ average, A.P. Calculus BC - 85+ average
A.P. Statistics - 90+ average, A.P. English Literature - 90+ average, A.P. Biology- 90+ average. AP Government - taking next semester…</p>

8

<p>Small chance at Cornell; good chance at Emory and Rice–no real chances at the rest of the schools on your list (except for Texas and Texas A&M) in my opinion.</p>

9

<p>Good chance at Emory and Rice but you would still have to consider them reaches, so the point is that unless you’ll be happy at A & M you’d be wise to add some schools. This will be the hardest year in history at those colleges. Applications look to be way up at the top schools. This is no year to count on reaches. And when you get to schools like Emory, are you sure it will be a financial safety? Can you pay full freight?</p>

10

<p>I can pay, its the only reason I am applying to really selective schools…What other schools that are private but are less selective you think I should look at?, Is Emory a good bet, Vanderbilt wants to add diversity to its campus, so I don’t know if its a good bet…Is Rice (Ed) a good shot?, (freaking out about this, because I find out in 12 days)</p>

<p>I have been working on my essays for the past 3-4 months, I have had a lot of people read them (english teachers, counselors, people with masters in english), they have told me the style and prose is really good…One of my essays about being a black belt, and how it has infulenced my personality, made me more determined, humble, and respectful.</p>

<p>My other essay, is about being a Indian and how it has made me more accepting and grateful about other peoples way of thinking, opionons and culuture…</p>

11

<p>I’d look at Vassar and Sarah Lawrence, great schools that need guys, Boston College, Brandeis.</p>

12

<p>just to let u know, the average SAT score for penn students last year was 2150. so you’re good in that realm.</p>

<p>i don’t know bout the rank though :(</p>

13

<p>Bump…Anyone?</p>

14

<p>You never give up applying to a school you love, ivy or not, just because of one weak factor :)</p>

15

<p>^^^^^ Thanks for the encourgement, but I am expecting massive rejection letters, trying to be realistic.
Thanks though…</p>

16

<p>ftx: you are correct that Emory does not care about class rank, only grades in class, so you are in good shape there, but I think Vanderbilt does…and I think they publish their class rank stats…</p>

17

<p>Since Vanderbilt is trying to add diversity, would I stand a chance…They don’t have as many minorities as a lot of other good schools…</p>

18

<p>Since Vanderbilt is trying to add diversity, would I stand a chance…They don’t have as many minorities as a lot of other good schools.</p>

19

<p>I would imagine that yes, you stand a chance…I was just commenting given our personal experience with both Emory and Vandy…also, Vandy will examine your school and it’s competitiveness…Emory has feeder schools that they tend to admit from…that may influence the admissions process as well…</p>

<p>IMO, a kid with a strong class rank in a grade deflated school has a better chance at Vandy.
A kid with a higher GPA, yet a lower class rank (grade inflated, possibly?) has a better chance at Emory.</p>

<p>and being from Texas, Emory is definitely a better shot…they are trying to increase their Southern population while Vandy is trying to increase it’s Northern.</p>

20

<p>bump…</p>