<p>i respond to a lot of chance threads here, hopefully others will return the favor:</p>
<p>-SAT: 2220 Superscored (730 Math, 730 CR, 760 Writing)
-SAT II: Math II - 780; Physics - 750
-GPA: 3.5 UW, 4.2 W
-Rank: Top 10% (Out of ~350)
-11 APs taken in HS (including senior year)
-1st Gen. Black male (African)</p>
<p>ECs/Awards/Work:
-NHS
-Black Student Union Secretary
-National Achievement Semifinalist
-Vice-President of local student service initiative
-Black Council of Elders Excellence Award
-4 years Honor Roll
-3 years Outdoor Track (this spring would be the 4th year)
-2 years JV Football
-Worked at a medical practice (data entry) for 2 summers</p>
<p>This past summer, I went on a missions trip to Ghana and volunteered at a boarding school. I also volunteered at a hospital and set up/configured an internet network. I've done a lot with missions in Africa. </p>
<p>Coming up with this list, I realized that I had a lot more ECs than I thought, but I still look like an apathetic person compared to some of the posters on here and that worries me.</p>
<p>Probably not at Stanford though. With you rooting for them, I can see them losing a lot more often than usual. So they might just reject on the spot. :D</p>
<p>Stanford, Columbia and MIT should definitely be reaches for you, for they are reaches for everybody. You do seem competitive though.Your 3.5 UW GPA might impede your chances a bit. But being a 1st generation African American should boost your chances. Overall,
MIT - Reach
Stanford - Reach
Columbia - Reach (more likely than MIT or Stanford though)
Cornell - Low Reach (It's still an Ivy, you never know what could happen)
Illinois - In
Georgia Tech - In</p>
<p>First off, you indicate that you are a URM. This does boost your chances of admission at some of these schools, particularly MIT because they seem to like diversity alot, so I will try to take that into account when I eval you. </p>
<p>Your grades are probably the weakest part of your app, with a 3.5 UW GPA. If you have had any extenuating circumstances - say your parents filed for divorce or you had to undergo surgery - have your GC mention it in her rec and mention it in your Common App essay. You indicate that you have taken 11 APs -- that is quite impressive and is definitely above average for the applicant pools for all the schools you're applying to. In fact, it may help compensate for the fact that you have a lower GPA, but I'm not sure how much that could help. </p>
<p>Your SAT of 2220 is very good and you seem to be even across the board, which does come across well because it shows well-roundedness. Your SAT II Subjects are excellent and nothing to scoff at. </p>
<p>Most of your ECs are quite typical, but there are a few points that set you apart. I really like the fact that you've been to Ghana to help out, so because that is so unique, you should talk about how that experience was significant for you in your essays and talk about how it impacted your view of the world or something like that. Write from your heart. </p>
<p>Overall, you seem to be pretty talented but you've obviously run into some rough spots in school. By all means, you should apply to every single school you've listed, because no one can ever be called a reject (unless you've slacked off big time in school, but I seriously doubt that because you're here asking about your chances for college). </p>
<p>Chances:
Stanford: Reach (GPA can be quite higher)
MIT: Reach (ditto)
Cornell: Reach (ditto)
UIUC: Match
Ga Tech: Safety match </p>
<p>Idk about Stanford and MIT, just b/c those are so hard to predict, but i'd say in at the rest. hopefully we'll meet at illinois or georgia tech, that's like my number 1/2 haha. </p>
<p>btw two quick things: appreciate the post, and hopefully i just ended the unintentional argument on my thread, but i know where you're coming from, too. </p>
<p>and as a stanford fan, i love the thread title. i literally went out with friends and partied in front of the stadium for an hour, then headed to the dorms haha</p>