Under-qualified Student with Big Dreams. Can I make it?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>To begin, I'm not like the other dozens of people on this site applying to the top schools and listing their achievements like christmas decorations (If you're one of those people please don't take offense, you're really very accomplished). I'm just NOT the founder of ten organizations, the president of twenty clubs, and I don't have all 800 SATs. Honestly, I wonder how many accepted applicants actually have those same stats. </p>

<p>My dream university is Stanford, but I'm also very interested in Columbia, Cornell, UChicago, Berkeley, Dartmouth, and Brown. I suppose I just want an honest opinion from you guys at what you really think my chances are with what I have.</p>

<p>This is what I am:</p>

<p>ACT: 33
SAT total: 2130</p>

<p>Weighted GPA: 4.55
Unweighted: 3.9
Top 3% of class out of 520 students</p>

<p>I've taken 5 AP tests so far, and gotten 4s and 5s. I'm taking 7 AP classes this year.</p>

<p>Extra currics:
Editor of Yearbook 3 years
President FBLA (a big club in my school) 2 years
National Honor Society
Tennis </p>

<p>Volunteering:
I've been a sunday school teacher at my church for 3 years
I also volunteer at a therapeutic horseback riding center for disabled children and veterans
Lately I've volunteered with my city's Teen Court program as a Panel Member</p>

<p>I know my stats aren't on par with the rest of the posters interested in these same colleges, but I've also had hardly any time to do as much as I've wanted. I've spent most of my high school years taking care of my single mother (who's dying of cancer and hardly works) half of the time. It's been frustrating but I'm not giving up on my higher aspirations. </p>

<p>Also, I have a heavy interest in fine arts. I believe I'm an adequate artist, have been featured in a few shows, and was going to submit an arts supplement to all these schools in hopes that it would give me an edge. Is it worth it? Do they value the arts at all?</p>

<p>I'd absolutely cherish any and all truthful responses :)</p>

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<p>You are kidding, right? Underqualified? Perhaps Mother Theresa and Jonas Salk are more qualified than you, but they are dead :)</p>

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<p>@jym626</p>

<p>In comparison to the other posts I’ve read on here, with the applicants having 35 ACTs and ten prestigious awards on top of many leadership positions and hundreds of hours of volunteer work, I feel very inadequate…</p>

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<p>Ethnicity? State?</p>

<p>Your numbers are great but they would be around the median for the schools that you are looking at. Your extracurriculars unfortunately seem wholly unimpressive; perhaps if you were to capitalize on your achievements in Fine Arts this perception could change. As it stands, all the schools you listed will be reaches, but I would not go so far as discount you as a competitive applicant.</p>

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<p>I’m sorry about your mother, I wish your family the best of luck. On the college note though, you need to explain that you spent time taking care of her, and that is most certainly a noticeable extracurricular. Unfortunately your SAT does not seem sufficient for some of these Ivies, though I still think you have a fair shot (Cornell, Dartmouth and Brown are probably low reaches). Good luck!</p>

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<p>I wish your family the best of luck. Colleges understand rough conditions. A good essay could get a couple acceptances from the schools you’ve listed.</p>

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<p>@billabongboy, I’m Korean and from Colorado. My mother was a Korean immigrant but she recently got a degree so I can’t claim first-gen college student. </p>

<p>So do you think a good art portfolio might sway their decision a fraction? I don’t know how much weight colleges such as Stanford would put on artistic talent. A lot of my counselors think of art as a joke, so I haven’t had the best information. </p>

<p>(I really appreciate all your responses btw. It’s been driving me nuts wondering and worrying)</p>