Stanford, MIT, Caltech, Columbia, and UT Austin Chances?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

Ethnicity: African American/ Native American
Gpa:3.9/4.0 UW; no W
ACT: 34 (34 R/ 35 M/ 35 S/ 33 E)
SAT subject tests: Math II (790), Chem (780)
Awards: School department Awards, NMSF, national USNCO competitor
Rank:2/20
School Type: Tiny Religious Private
State: TN

APs: APUSH (5), AP Stats (5), AP Chem (4), Calc AB (4), AP Bio (5)

Intended Major: Electrical Engineering or Chemical Engineering

ECs:
Varsity Football Co-captain
Varsity Basketball Co-captain
Varsity Soccer Co-captain
Beta Club chapter President (at conventions I compete in Robotics and sometimes math)
Student Body Vice President
Summer Internship at a Venture Capital Firm
Quiz Bowl Team Captain
Shadowing Doctors at local hospital
Bio-med engineering course (idk about this one it was just something that was being offered after school for a semester and it sounded interesting, I got half a credit for it)
Summer engineering research at a university

Hooks: URM, maybe legacy (not really sure if it’s legacy but my sister went to Columbia so we’ll just say school affiliation)

Notes: Not really sure what to think about my stats tbh. I feel like my engineering ECs are weak/ too well rounded along with my class rank because 2 out of 20 is just barely top 10% and I worry that these colleges will question why I wasn’t able to come in first out of only 20 people. Also my school has never sent anyone to an Ivy. The most selective has been Vandy because a lot of people either want to stay close to home or continue religious education. I am not the best at any of the sports I play but I love playing them and put a lot of heart into it.

2

@ Your stats and URM status gives you a seat at the table easily.
MIT, Stanford- Reach
Caltech, Columbia- Low Reach, yes sister counts as legacy.
UT Austin- High Match/ Match, OOS is very difficult.
Why Caltech the culture there is peculiar?

3

I think that your chances are quite good at most of these. I don’t think that any count as a safety, but if you add a couple of matches and a couple of safeties, and keep up the good work, then I think that you will do well.

You need to figure out your budget and run the NPCs at all of these schools and make sure that they are likely to be affordable.

I wouldn’t worry about being number 2 versus number 1 in your school – that is pretty much just the luck of whoever else happened to be in your school that year.

4

Not gonna lie, Caltech is mainly just on the list for prestige reasons. However, there SURF program is of interest to me.

5

If everything works out then I shouldn’t need more than 30% of tuition covered by aid and/or scholarships but I will look into it.

6

For the exception of UT Austin, all of these schools have acceptance rates in the single digits. Those are terrible odds no matter how good your stats are. UT Austin also reserves 90% of their applicants for Texas residents. This means, if you live out of state, your admission chances are 10%. That’s not a safety school. Also, with UT, their engineering school is extremely selective and the chances of getting in is only 33%, even with high grades. You basically need to maintain a near 4.0 just to be considered. You’re going to need to find a safety school with your major in mind.

7

None of this people understand. you belong to Holiest grail of admission. Native Indian. Your scroes and GPA are superb. Plus athelete. You are getting into at least 3 of 5. I would not be surprised if you get 5 out 5. Good luck

8

@medmagic19 given your scores/stats and your ethnicity and relatively underrepresented state, I d venture as far as to say that Columbia and UT Austin are in the bag for you. Caltech is very peculiar and doesnt practice a lot of affirmative action i think so I wouldn’t say it is in the bag for you, but you have excellent chances there too. You have great chances at Stanford and MIT but they are not done deals.

9

I don’t think I’ve ever heard Caltech called a low reach. Keep in mind that being an URM isn’t a hook there.

10

I have some other schools in mind but this are my top choices. Also, most of the other school I have in mind don’t have the same type of job placement/opportunities as the above

11

I’ve been hearing that alot lately, but at schools with sub 10% admission rates idk about most of these being in the bag.

12

I didn’t know that state representation played a factor as well. That is interesting.

13

All are generally considered reach for everyone (UT is a safety for auto admit applicants, but reach for others).

14

You are a very competitive applicant. Your stats and ECs are great in addition to your hook which is also good