Weak GPA, Good test scores/ECs - Chances at Top Schools [Will Chance Back]

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>It's all in the title. I'm from a medium sized (1,600 kids total) competitive public NJ high school that offers 10 or so APs and sends a plethora of kids to HYPMS each year.</p>

<p>Here are my stats:</p>

<p>Academic
GPA: 3.75 unweighted, 4.1 weighted (mostly attributed to not taking honors classes freshmen year and getting Bs in regular French classes)
SAT Reasoning: 2260 (800 W, 740 M, 720 CR)
Class Rank: School does not rank
ACT: Taking in September
SAT IIs: US 760
APs (Predicting): US, Stat, Lang -> 5, Macro -> 4 (self-studied)</p>

<p>I'll be taking Lit, Gov/Comp Gov, Euro Gov and other honors classes next year.</p>

<p>Extracurriculars/Leadership
Jersey Boys State: Lieutenant Governor
Model United Nations Club: Vice President
Policy Debate Team: Varsity Captain
Mock Trial/Princeton Moot Court: Captain
Martial Arts: American Taekwando Association Songham 1BD Black Belt, 6th Midterm
Recycling Club: Secretary
Consumer Bowl Team: Captain</p>

<p>Internships and Volunteering
Internship with Mayor of town: Worked on $200 million dollar public renewal project for the town; published press releases on municipal website
Ongoing internship on Congressional candidate campaign: Meetings with state Republican party chairs and co-chairs; attended cocktail dinners, public policy seminars; registered voters at beaches, malls, parades
Recycling Club volunteer: Entirely student run organization that collects recyclable paper, bottles and cans throughout the school on a day-to-day basis. 100 or so hours.
Went to see the 2008 Olympics in China, ended up teaching kids English</p>

<p>Awards
MUN Best Delegate - Rutgers 2009<br>
MUN Best Delegate - Princeton 2009<br>
MUN Outstanding Delegate - George Washington 2008
MUN Honorable Mention - Georgetown 2009
MUN Honorable Mention - UPenn 2010
MUN Honorable Mention - Princeton 2008</p>

<p>NJ Debate CVC League - 2nd Place 2009/2010
NJ Debate CVC League - 9-time best speaker
Mock Trial - 10th Place in Princeton Moot Court (highest finish in school's history)</p>

<p>Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs Forum - 3 Year participant
Boy's State
National Honor Society
Math Honor Society</p>

<h2>NMSQT Commended Scholar</h2>

<p>I guess I'm looking at schools with good public policy/political science/political econ programs, as I think my application should illustrate. The schools that I am thinking about are (from reach to safety):</p>

<p>Duke
Brown
Dartmouth
Cornell
Georgetown
UNC
Chicago
JHU
GW
Rutgers</p>

<p>Thanks for the input! I'll be sure to chance back swiftly.</p>

2

<p>Bump sdsdfs</p>

3

<p>I think your background with poli sci makes you an attractive choice for the schools with a focus on public policy, like a Georgetown. Aside from your mock trial experience, the real-world experience you have with voter registration, etc. is germane to your interest, and you should capitalize on that when you apply. I would say you have a good shot with your credentials.</p>

4

<p>I think you need to take more satll and score high before you have a chance at all IVY’s
Chicago mid reach. EC/V not standing out. My honest opinion. Please chance back</p>

5

<p>Thanks guys; bump.</p>

6

<p>The internships are impressive… Can you throw in one more AP for next year? </p>

<p>Your SAT is good… are you planning on taking it again, though, to try and get above 2300? </p>

<p>If you did that, you’d probably have a better chance, but the rest looks good. :)</p>

7

<p>Thanks. Chanced back.</p>

8

<p>I know exactly who you are.</p>

<p>Not really, but its probably not smart to say stuff like:</p>

<p>

</p>

<p>because then I can look up your name (which I didn’t btw)</p>

<p>but chances?
you’re COULD be in almost anywhere</p>

<p>so:
Duke-low reach
Brown- low reach
Dartmouth- low reach
Cornell- low reach
Georgetown- low reach
UNC- low reach
Chicago- high target
JHU- high target
GW-in
Rutgers-in</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/953807-chance-2-3-between-junior-senior.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/953807-chance-2-3-between-junior-senior.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

9

<p>Thanks. But I guess it would have been even smarter to not have posted that for everyone to see, right? Haha.</p>

10

<p>Duke-low reach
Brown- low reach
Dartmouth- low reach
Cornell- low reach
Georgetown- low reach
UNC- low reach
Chicago- reach
JHU- match
GW-in
Rutgers-match</p>

11

<p>I can’t speak for duke or brown, but i’d say high match for dartmouth, cornell, GT, JHU, and U. Chicago. You’re in at rutgers and GW. GPA is fine, but you know you need two more SAT IIs, right? Gt requires 3, but other than that, you’re EC’s and grades are awesome. Chance back?
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/953769-chances-cornell-tufts-colgate.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/953769-chances-cornell-tufts-colgate.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

12

<p>Your ECs are good but not as great as everyone else makes them out to be. You have leadership roles, but colleges are looking for more than that. They want to see that you took those leadership roles and made an impact. So far, the only EC that gives me an indication of you doing such a thing is Jersey Boys State.</p>

<p>MUN and Debate are really very common ECs at the schools you are applying to. Same with Mock Trial. Recycling Club is alright and Consumer Bowl may be unique, but that is probably because I haven’t encountered it ever on CC before.</p>

<p>Your internships are good, and your awards are quite focused. I fail to understand one thing though. If you have won all those awards for MUN, and are so good at it, why aren’t you the President. Why are you only the Vice-President? I am not challenging the validity of your post. I am just not understanding whether Vice-President means that you share presidency with someone else like Co-President or if you are like an Assistant-President. </p>

<p>Your 100 or so hours of community service are below the average amount of hours an applicant has for such schools, but you could mention in anyway if you feel it helps your application.</p>

<p>Your Olympics experience also seems like a meaningful essay topic, provided you do it right.</p>

<p>Now onto your objectives… your SATs are good for schools that consider M+CR+W, but slightly above average/average for schools that only consider M+CR (it depends on your race… what is your race for that matter?), such as Cornell and UChicago.</p>

<p>Your SAT IIs seem decent too. The real problem comes when we arrive at your GPA. Your unweighted GPA is quite far below the average at said schools, and your weighted GPA really should be 4.3 or above. It is really what is holding you back.</p>

<p>My assessment:</p>

<p>Duke - mid reach
Brown - mid reach
Dartmouth - mid reach
Cornell - low/mid reach
Georgetown - mid reach
UNC - low reach
Chicago - mid reach
JHU - low reach
GW - no idea?
Rutgers - no idea?</p>

13

<p>I think you’ll have a good shot at any one of those schools, so long as you avoid making yourself look like a list and instead make sure you’re a person to the admissions committee. I got in to a top 10 LAC with a 3.75 GPA (weighted heavily with IB and honors classes; I was probably a 3.3 unweighted), a 2200 SAT composite score, two SAT II scores less than 740, and few academic and volunteer extracurriculars (I had 62 volunteer hours) and awards.</p>

<p>The point I’m trying to get across is that you have what it takes to get in, and you shouldn’t start doubting what you’ve done. Just focus on representing who you are as much as you can, and the schools you’re a good fit for will catch on. With those credentials, a school from your list that rejects you is just saying that you’re not a match, not that you’re not good enough.</p>

14

<p>Or it is saying the accepted students were more qualified?</p>

15

<p>I don’t think it’s possible to accurately predict who is more qualified. The “more qualified” students can still drop out or fail. Yes, sometimes the committee will have to make tough decisions on who to accept, but they should be the ones splitting hairs, not the students.</p>

16

<p>Yup, that makes sense. Thanks.</p>

17

<p>You have a great list, and for the most part it seems well focused for what you’re looking to major in, so that’s a plus! From what I can tell, you’ve got a pretty good chance at GW and Rutgers, though the rest I’d say are pretty chancey. Apply and see! What else can you do?</p>

<p>Any suggestions for me? <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/brown-university/956328-help-optimistic-but-lacking-gpa.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/brown-university/956328-help-optimistic-but-lacking-gpa.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

18

<p>Academic
GPA: 3.75 unweighted, 4.1 weighted (mostly attributed to not taking honors classes freshmen year and getting Bs in regular French classes)- meh.
SAT Reasoning: 2260 (800 W, 740 M, 720 CR)- meh.
Class Rank: School does not rank- too bad.
ACT: Taking in September
SAT IIs: US 760- decent
APs (Predicting): US, Stat, Lang -> 5, Macro -> 4 (self-studied)- decent</p>

<p>I’ll be taking Lit, Gov/Comp Gov, Euro Gov and other honors classes next year.- decent</p>

<p>Extracurriculars/Leadership
Jersey Boys State: Lieutenant Governor- meh.
Model United Nations Club: Vice President- decent
Policy Debate Team: Varsity Captain- decent
Mock Trial/Princeton Moot Court: Captain- excellent
Martial Arts: American Taekwando Association Songham 1BD Black Belt, 6th Midterm- decent 1st Dan? Pretty average.
Recycling Club: Secretary- LOL
Consumer Bowl Team: Captain- decent.</p>

<p>Internships and Volunteering
Internship with Mayor of town: Worked on $200 million dollar public renewal project for the town; published press releases on municipal website- decent.
Ongoing internship on Congressional candidate campaign: Meetings with state Republican party chairs and co-chairs; attended cocktail dinners, public policy seminars; registered voters at beaches, malls, parades- decent.
Recycling Club volunteer: Entirely student run organization that collects recyclable paper, bottles and cans throughout the school on a day-to-day basis. 100 or so hours.
Went to see the 2008 Olympics in China, ended up teaching kids English- meh.</p>

<p>Awards
MUN Best Delegate - Rutgers 2009
MUN Best Delegate - Princeton 2009
MUN Outstanding Delegate - George Washington 2008
MUN Honorable Mention - Georgetown 2009
MUN Honorable Mention - UPenn 2010
MUN Honorable Mention - Princeton 2008
^Decent. Don’t list all. Compression is the key.</p>

<p>NJ Debate CVC League - 2nd Place 2009/2010 begin<em>of</em>the<em>skype</em>highlighting 2009/2010 end<em>of</em>the<em>skype</em>highlighting- decent
NJ Debate CVC League - 9-time best speaker
Mock Trial - 10th Place in Princeton Moot Court (highest finish in school’s history)</p>

<p>Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs Forum - 3 Year participant
Boy’s State
National Honor Society
Math Honor Society</p>

<h2>NMSQT Commended Scholar</h2>

<p>I guess I’m looking at schools with good public policy/political science/political econ programs, as I think my application should illustrate. The schools that I am thinking about are (from reach to safety):</p>

<p>Duke- decent
Brown- decent
Dartmouth- okay
Cornell- okay
Georgetown- okay~decent
UNC- good chance
Chicago- reach
JHU- reach
GW- good chance
Rutgers- should be in</p>

19

<p>^Thank you for the opinions, but necoposting is never that good of an idea.</p>

20

<p>There is amazing bad advice on this thread. We have a candidate from a highly overrepresented state with just median CR and math scores and a low GPA and kids are calling ivies matches? This is insane.</p>