Should I totally lose hope for these schools? (BAD ACT)

<p>Finally got my ACT score...not too good</p>

<p>First Generation
I'm an african american male from atlanta from a family that makes less than $20k
Father was abducted while i was a child, havent seen father (my essay topic)
Upward Trend (2 Deaths in family Freshman/Sophomore year)
Overall GPA: 3.42</p>

<p>1st semester Junior year: 3.75
2nd semester Junior year: 4.0
1st Semester Senior Year: 4.5</p>

<p>Rank: 24%
ACT: 26 (28 Math, 27 English)
SAT II: MATH IIC - 700
MATH IC - 710
Great Recs</p>

<p>EC's:
Part time worker for 4 years
FBLA Secretary
French Club Treasurer
Psychology Book Club President
Cultural Diversity Club
100 hour's of community service
Volunteer at Local Hospital & Dentist Office</p>

<p>Senior Classes:
AP World
AP Govt
AP Econ
AP Statistics
AP Calculus
Honors Lit
Honors chemistry</p>

<p>Essays: Excellent
Recs: Excellent, Including 1 from a world-renowned Georgetown Professor.
Took 2 classes at UCLA (2 B's)</p>

<p>Boston U
NYU CAS
Cornell CALS
Carnegie Melon H&SS
Georgetown SFS (Cousin is one of the top professors + part of the adcom a few years ago)
Washington U St Louis
Oxford College @ Emory
Dartmouth</p>

<p>bump...........</p>

<p>anyone........?</p>

<p>bump..............</p>

<p>A lot of those are slight to high reaches for you, but I'm pretty sure Oxford at Emory will accept you. The others are gambles because of your ACT, true - but your upward trend looks good and you are a URM. Who knows?</p>

<p>
[quote]
A lot of those are slight to high reaches for you, but I'm pretty sure Oxford at Emory will accept you. The others are gambles because of your ACT, true - but your upward trend looks good and you are a URM. Who knows?

[/quote]

I agree with this. If your essays are a home-run I don't think you should consider yourself out of it for any of those schools. Strong essays can make up for a lot, and your course load and GPA in your senior year are solid. A long history of work experience is something most applicants don't have either.</p>

<p>BU is a reach as well?...</p>

<p>I have to admit, the remarks that my essay received were superb!
I got it looked at by a Cornell student as well as current Columbia student.
Also revised by a georgetown grad. student.</p>

<p>BU is probably a match. I definitely think Oxford College is a safety, but I guess they're getting more and more selective all the time. I have no idea what to say about Georgetown because I don't know how your connections will benefit you. NYU is always iffy because so many people apply, and the rest are reaches.</p>

<p>Your SAT II scores are solid. You never considered the SAT I?</p>

<p>In a prior thread bashi said the ACT was 30. So if that is true the highest score will be used. If it's not true you dont deserve to get in anywhere.</p>

<p>He doesn't deserve to get in anywhere? Give the kid a break, he comes from a poor family and he doesn't have a dad, with 2 recent deaths in the family. I'm sure some adcoms would understand that.</p>

<p>Hrm...That's a little extreme.</p>

<p>Well, I have no idea, but I'd let you in anywhere with an essay about that, and such an extreme upward GPA trend! :D</p>

<p>If only you were part of admissions...</p>