Take a Chance (Make a Change, and Breeeeeak Aaaawaaay)

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2390 (790M, 800R, 800W - 10E) [single sitting]
SAT II: 790 Chem, 790 USH, 740 Spanish (without listening)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): no idea; probably 3.75 or better
Weighted GPA ~4.25
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
AP (place score in parenthesis): Biology (5), waiting on Chemistry, U.S. History, and English Lang. & Comp.
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Semifinalist (230 PSAT), Brandeis Book Award</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars: Music - Have played classical upright bass since 4th grade; jazz since 6th. Participated in audition-based regional orchestra both 10th and 11th grade. Also played piano from 5th-10th grades. Will probably submit supplementary tape of me playing bass (perhaps 1 classical piece, 1 jazz piece). Obviously it's difficult for you guys to evaluate this stuff without having heard me play, but whatever.</p>

<p>Debate - Co-founded and co-captained school's debate team with a classmate; placed 3rd (novice) at our first tournament, and then 48th (varsity) at our second haha.</p>

<p>Literary magazine - Basically revived school's litmag, which had gone unpublished for four or five years. It's fairly informal, but I end up with a lot of executive power because I show up to most of the meetings lol. </p>

<p>random other meaningless things (NHS, Tri-M, etc.)</p>

<p>Job/Work Experience: Banquet staff at a local hotel (not a franchise); basically I set and clear tables, bring out food, attend to customers, etc. Like a waiter but with better pay and less work.
Volunteer/Community service: None. Oh well, too late now haha.
Summer Activities: Used to attend summer camp (until two summers ago). Last summer I took Algebra II and travelled. This summer I plan on working, hanging out with friends, doing some college apps, reading, etc. A "normal" summer.</p>

<p>Applied for Financial Aid?: yes
Intended Major: undecided
School Type: public
Ethnicity: white, Jewish (anti-hook?)
Gender: male
income level: not sure. Middle-middle class. That awkward point where I need significant financial aid but might not get it unless I get into a school with a large endowment.
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none, really. Music supplement, I guess. I'm also a competent writer, so hopefully my essays will make up for my general lack of extracurriculars.</p>

<p>Schools: </p>

<p>Safeties: UConn (in-state)
Skidmore
McGill (probably faculty of arts, maybe arts & sciences)</p>

<p>Reaches: Columbia (1st or 2nd choice)
UChicago (1st or 2nd choice)
Amherst
Yale
Harvard
Brown (maybe, haven't visited yet)</p>

<p>Basically, I have this strategy planned out, where I try to show colleges (via my essays) that I'm a normal person who enjoys all things in moderation. I haven't done groundbreaking oncological research at Sloan-Kettering, I didn't start a non-profit and raise $50,000 for starving Haitian orphans, and I haven't played at Carnegie Hall. But I am a nice guy and fairly smart. If that's not what the Ivies/top 20 are looking for, so be it.</p>

2

<p>Bump/Will chance back, I suppose/PLEASE RESPOND TO MY DESPERATE PLEAS FOR ATTENTION</p>

3

<p>Do/make/participate in something spectacular. I say that in most of my posts haha. It’s not to late for volunteer/comm service.</p>

<p>ECs are your weak point.</p>

<p>McGill is one of the top schools in the world, I wouldn’t call it a safety.</p>

<p>You’re a strong candidate except maybe for your ECs, but definitely apply at all those places. Your GPA/Scores are great.</p>

4

<p>I think that you certainly have a decent chance at Columbia, especially if you apply ED. Harvard and Yale might be hard, but I think that Brown and Amherst are doable.</p>

<p>Now me: <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1158525-chance-me-brown-ed.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1158525-chance-me-brown-ed.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

5

<p>Bahahah i love the thread title. I also play the piano, do debate, and started up a lit mag. cool.
<em>chance me back</em>
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1158539-chance-class-2016er-gt-princeton-stanford-public-ivys.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1158539-chance-class-2016er-gt-princeton-stanford-public-ivys.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>I think you have it pretty well laid out for your reaches and safeties, however, I wouldn’t consider McGill to be a safety, perhaps a match. What about some more matches though? </p>

<p>Yale and Harvard=roulette schools, you never know. Other than that, add some more match schools and work on your GPA a little bit.</p>

6

<p>you seem to have a pretty neat personality–make sure this comes through in your essays. your SAT scores will make any school notice you.</p>

<p>chance me back? <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1156390-chance-senior.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1156390-chance-senior.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

7

<p>Thanks for contributing, guys. I guess I considered McGill a “safety” mostly because admissions seems almost entirely based on numbers (SAT, SAT2, GPA, etc.), and I believe I have the numbers down.</p>

<p>The problem I kept encountering when looking for match schools is that, according to College Board’s search tools, the Ivies are match schools. The Ivies are, of course, not match schools for anyone haha.</p>