Tufts University Chances

Colleges and Universities A-Z Tufts University
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*Pretty long post but if you could read all of it I would be really thankful!

So I’ve taken the SAT three times (1940 - 2050 - 2070) but my super score is 2100

CR: 710
W: 710
M: 680

I will also be taking the ACT April 2016 and have not taken any SAT II’s yet but I plan on taking Math I/II, Biology, and History

The high school I go to is a 2015 Blue Ribbon School (won this award several times in past years as well) that was ranked the #5 top high school in NJ and #47 top high school in the US in 2014. It was ranked #3 in NJ and #31 in the US in 2015. Getting into this school requires a test consisting of math, reading, and essay writing, as well as an interview with the school itself. Around 600-700 students in all four grades in the school, at least a thousand people apply to it each year and only around 150 are chosen.

The school doesn’t give out rankings or class positions of any students to any school.

UW GPA up to 2nd marking period of junior year: 3.366/4 (upward trend)

GPA will probably be the weakest part of my application next year although my counselor said that schools will know that our high school is very rigorous and top-ranked and judge the GPA accordingly.

Another thing our school does is when you apply you have to pick one of several programs they offer (fashion, law & justice, computer science, digital media, etc) and then take classes on it throughout your four years of high school like a college major, the program I chose and got accepted to was computer science.

We also have projects (kind of like electives: microcontrollers, 911 cooking, documentaries, SAT prep, etc) every Wednesday for 1.5 hours where you take a class on your chosen project and do activities focusing on it.

Freshman year schedule:

Algebra 1 Honors (93 average)
English 1 Honors (90 average)
Geometry Honors (85 average)
Intro to Object-Orientated Design (96 average)
Physical Education (99 average)
Physics Honors (89 average - all my marking period grades were A- or A, the final brought it down to 89)
Social Issues (93 average)
Spanish 1 (83 average)
World Cultures Honors (90 average)
Project School Climate (100 average)
Project Microcontrollers (98 average)

  • Our school offers no AP classes for freshmen

Sophomore year schedule:

Chemistry Honors (82 average)
Drivers Ed (93 average)
English II Honors (83 average - you need a 90 minimum in this class to take AP Lang junior year but my english teacher wrote me a recommendation to get into AP Lang since she believed I would be a good match for that class)
Intermediate Programming (94 average)
Math Analysis 1 Honors (basically pre-calc, 79 average)
Networking 1 (92 average)
Physical Education (99 average)
AP Physics 1 (79 average + 1 on the AP Exam)
Spanish II (77 average)
Project Spanish (95 average)
Project Cooking (95 average)

  • The only AP you could take sophomore year was AP Physics 1 if you postponed US History (which I did) and AP Government if you were in the Law & Justice program (I wasn't).
  • Sophomore year was my weakest year ever since I was required to take Spanish II (I can't do well in this class no matter how much I study) and all the time I spent studying for AP Physics 1 which ended up being a waste anyways. This year my GPA dropped to between 3.1 - 3.2 average for the two years and I've been using junior (and hopefully senior) year to bring it back up.

Junior year schedule (current year):

AP Lang (86 average so far)
US History 1 Honors (89 average so far)
AP Environmental Science (90 average so far)
Networking II (96 average so far)
Advanced Programming (97 average so far)
Math Analysis II Honors (88 average so far)
Biology Honors (92 average so far)
Physical Education (100 average so far)
First Aid (98 average)
Project Documentaries (95 average)
Project Documentaries 2 (95 average so far)

Senior year projected schedule:
AP Lit
AP US History
Cloud Computing
*Computer science class that hasn’t been determined yet
AP Calculus AB or AP Statistics
AP Biology
Physical Education
Family Planning
Entrepreneurship (easy boast to GPA) or Spanish III or Art (required to graduate)

  • Senior year we are also required to get an internship so I will be interning as well, on Wednesdays we go to our internships instead of school.

Extra Curriculars:
-JV Bowling (Varsity next year)
-Chemistry Club (10th grade)
-Physics Club (10,11)
-Computer Club (9,10,11)
-Turkish Cultural Center Tutor (6,7,8,9,10)
-Founding Member of Lemon Club (our schools chapter of the ALS Foundation)

Leadership Positions:
-Founder and President of C3 Club (11) - We’ve collected over 1000 books for students in low-income areas so far and over the summer we hope to turn it into a non-profit organization or open a chapter of it in another school.
-Founder of a neighborhood book club (10,11) - Weekly meetings with kids in the neighborhood where we read books together and I help them with their hw and classes
-Founder, Owner, and Editor of a book blog (9,10,11) - Started a book blog back in freshman year where I review books and interact with the book community, over 15,000 pageviews and thousands of followers in total over the blog and social media. I talk regularly with book publishers and get sent copies of books to read and review for them and I have attended multiple book events in three different states as well as BEA 2015.

Volunteering:
-At least 200-300 hours of volunteering already
-Volunteered at two relief foundations (9,10,11)
-Traveled to Haiti as a Relief Volunteer (10)
-Volunteered at local library (10,11)
-Volunteered in several cities in Turkey with a relief foundation

Work Experience:
-Working at Kumon since October 2015 (11) - tutoring and grading
-Possibly going to work at MEK starting in April

Other:
-Accepted to Harvard Summer School for the summer of 2016

Awards:
-Got my essays published in Creative Communications’ essay contests two times
-Lots of awards in middle school but only a couple of minor ones in high school

*My family is Turkish (mom and dad graduated from Turkish universities for mining engineering and chemical engineering and came to America in 1998)
*I speak two languages: English and Turkish although I can read Arabic as well
*Dual citizenship (America and Turkey)
*Religion (Islam)
*Income: Between $60,000 and $95,000 yearly (not sure of exact number)

Recommendations:

  • Guidance Counselor (expecting a really good one, I’ve been constantly talking with him since freshman year and I feel like he has gotten to know me pretty well and has helped me a lot)
  • AP Environmental Science teacher (Bachelors at Swarthmore College and Masters at Columbia University)
  • AP Lang teacher (not sure about what school she went to but she’s been pretty involved in the club I made)

Next Year Goals:

By the time I apply to schools my UW GPA will be up to 3.4-3.5/4, I will hopefully have a higher ACT than my 2100 SAT, get into National Honor Society, possibly turn my school club into a non-profit organization (already working on this with several people who said they can help)/start chapters of it in other schools, and travel to at least one more country for volunteering (South America most likely). Additionally, I have the option of going to Rutgers/NYU and taking a Turkish course there for school credits - as I already know Turkish this would be easy enough to pass but would it add anything to my application?

Thank you so much for reading guys! Please tell me what you think my chances are, things I should improve/focus on, my strengths/weaknesses, etc

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I am not sure i get the correlation between your GPA, which is on the 4.0 scale, and the individual grades you list, which are on the 100 point scale. Also you list grades in courses like Phys Ed, Networking, Design, different “projects,” drivers ed, cooking, and first aid. Are these calculated as part of your GPA?
Stronger test scores would help. I don’t think that the SAT Writing score will count for much, so basically you’re talking a math + CR of 1390, which is solid, but unexceptional, especially by Tufts standards.
Some of your ECs are interesting, as is your background.
Are you applying to A&S or engineering?

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I think the only part of your application which could possibly raise a red flag is your GPA. That said, Tufts places a LOT of emphasis on their supplements. A golden essay could be the difference between an “admit” and a “reject.” I’ve known people who had average GPA’s but great essays and they ended up getting accepted. Good Luck with your decision!

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Hey I am kinda In the same boat you were in last year! I was just wondering if you got into tufts? Thanks!

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I have followed this thread for a lot of years. My kid graduated this year from Tufts with a 3.5 in science. To give you some friendly advice, all the posting of stats and achievements will do nothing for you except give you a false sense of if you are capable of getting in. Everyone I have ever seen say “chance” me over the years meets the numeric threshold to get in - believe me - EVERYONE. Tufts does take some kids with 27 ACT and TOTAL SAT of 1700 - every year. And no they are not any different than anyone else if you looked at them. They want a diverse group of students with potential. From what I can tell, geography matters as does your unique EC or activities. Are you the first in your family to go to college, overcome some unique situation, escaped a war zone (seriously - some kids have crazy stories), etc? But you don’t need to be an astronaut either - normal people can get in. Its not all about how PC you are or trying to fit in. There is no magic formula. They want leaders, people who dare to be great in their own way (IMO). Unfortunately, many fully qualified applicants, just like you, don’t get in. It is simple math - 20,000 for 1,400 spots. Read past articles - they reject perfectly qualified candidates - they talk about it every year with great compassion. Don’t listen to anyone about your chances - unless they are an admission officer. You are unique, as is your school, grades and story. Tufts is looking for potential for success (IMO) not a perfect GPA or SAT. And, like all these schools you are looking at, they are much different after you actually go there than the picture you may have in your mind. I’d apply to many schools and you will find a home. Be prepared, Tufts is not an “easy” school, it is challenging. Grade inflation is a myth from what I saw.

There was a very interesting article when we did college searches years ago. Wish I could site it but don’t have it. They studied a group of students who were accepted to several ivys who actually enrolled in traditional state schools. Down the road, they found that these people had very similar salaries and positions, some even higher (subjective titles) in companies/careers than their ivy counterparts. The point made was that the school doesn’t always guarantee your level of success. It is the capability of the student that does. Never lose sight of the fact that you determine your success - not a school. And, when you get there, don’t spend your whole time in a book - explore opportunities and make friends. Unfortunately at Tufts, there is a significant workload so be prepared that college may be more work than play in comparison to other places, but you can find time to learn about yourself outside of the classroom. I think those are the type of kids Tufts looks for - those who can hang with coursework but start demonstrating leadership and success outside of school while a student. That quality carries on throughout life. It is true that everyone is unique so don’t try to cookie cutter it - Best of luck. I know it is stressful. You are not stupid if you don’t get in nor are you a genius if you do. Be confident in yourself as you get nowhere by asking random strangers your chances and can build false hope or lack thereof. We found Tufts to be much different than we thought, but so glad with the experience there - it is a special place. If it is yours, great. If not, grow where planted!

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@kwnstandina I applied RD so I won’t know for a few more months.

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I am in a similar situation. How did everything work out?