What are my chances as a minority?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

Even though my test scores aren’t the best, I believe I possess other qualities that might allow me to stand out a little bit. Question is, are these qualities enough to get me accepted into an Ivy-League school (with financial aid)…Here’s some Background information about me:

I’m Haitian-American, first generation to be attending college.

Class rank: 2 out of 318
GPA: 3.9/4.0 (unweighted)
4.9 (weighted)

ACT: 23 (Retaking it this fall – aiming for 28 )
SAT Math: 510
SAT Reading: 570

Community Service: 300+ hours (at local soup kitchen, Key Club, tutoring farm workers English at night, and tutoring children from low income families Science and math)

Family income: $14,000 and less per year. (I qualify for free reduced lunch)

Awards: High Honor Roll
(Soon): Presidential Award
Completion of a Medical program at Florida State

Clubs:
International club (Vice President) (10th-12th)
Key Club (9th-12th)
Teen Trendsetters (10th-12th)
National Honor Society (10th-12th)
Girl Scouts (9th-12th)

Career Goal(s): Nurse Practitioner, Physician or Nurse Epidemiologist.

(P.S. Emory is at the top of my list because of its close connection with the CDC and it has one of the best Public Health programs in the nation ~~~ or so I heard)

Intended major: Biology or Nursing

Extra info: I grew up in a poverty stricken, rural, minority based area with my grandfather who has cancer and grandmother who’s a Pre-diabetic. As a result of me taking care of them (to an extent) for so long, I developed Depression and Anxiety over time.

Anywa, based off of the information I have provided, does my story seem kind of generic, or is my story/scores/Etc enough to get me accepted into an Ivy-League? If not, what am I missing? I have a couple of weeks before senior year starts to get a head start on improving myself.
Thank you to anyone who reads this and replies! I appreciate it very much :slight_smile:

Btdubs: I’m applying to Harvard, Yale, Emory, Columbia, PennState, UF, Stanford, Georgetown, and UCLA

p.s.s. I live in Florida! :slight_smile: & I’m also applying to some in-state schools such as UCF, FSU, and UF as I mentioned. But, I’m not too worried about those schools because I know some people who have been accepted into those schools with ACT scores of 19 and 21s. Essentially, I can always matriculate into a community college if no “upper” college accepts me. :slight_smile: as long as I am receiving an education; I am okay with life.

2

UCLA will not consider your race/ethnicity in admissions decisions. First generation may help.
Are you in-state for California? If not, then expect to pay minimum $23K/year + EFC up to $55K/year for UCLA. Little to no financial aid for OOS/International students.

GPA is competitive, SAT/ACT very low. You need to aim for a 2000+ SAT/ 31+ ACT if you are considering Biology or Nursing.

3

All looks wonderful. Would be better if those SATs were in the 600s and the ACT in high 20s. I would add a couple of lower-ranked universities that also give need-based aid or minority merit scholarships, because the ones your list are all so competitive. Thousands of perfectly qualified students are turned away from these universities every year because there just aren’t enough spaces. You’ve done well though, and you have a compelling story and clear focus on your direction. Good luck!

4

Test scores are far from Ivies level. They are not reasonable options for you right now.

5

If you want out of the Sacramento area, also consider Cal State Fullerton and Cal Poly Pomona. Both are not solid matches, but worth a look.

6

“I can always matriculate into a community college if no ‘upper’ college accepts me.”

You are missing out on an entire segment of great colleges that could potentially accept you with very substantial merit aid, especially if you can get your ACT up a bit. Consider looking at Rollins and New College in Florida, Denison, Wooster, Earlham, Beloit, St. Lawrence, Sewanee, Rhodes, Bryn Mawr, Agnes Scott, Furman, Centre, Hendrix, etc. They each provide an outstanding education and frequently, generous aid.

7

You are exactly the kind of student a selective college with a big endowment is looking for but you need to bump your ACT to 30 or above or SAT to 2000 or above. Your EC’s aren’t that strong but you have a lot going on at home and you are a very dedicated student so that’s not that big of a deal. Financially, your situation is interesting. What you will find is that the UC system is going to be more expensive than a private university with a big endowment. If you are not able to get your test scores up there are still a lot of schools that would want you. To build on MidwestDad3’s suggestions - Gettysburg, Grinnell, Smith and the list goes on. You need to spend time this summer preparing for standardized tests and you need to identify suitable, realistic colleges. If you achieve a 30 on the ACT or higher, the list of schools you can realistically consider is going to be different. If you haven’t used a Net Price Calculator you need to do so with some of the schools you are consider or that have been suggested above.

8

I agree with everything @wje9164be says, but would suggest that even getting your ACT up to 26 or 27 would begin to open a lot of doors for you.

9

You’re right even a few points makes a huge difference

10

Midwestdad3 had some excellent suggestions. List price for schools is irrelevant for you. You need to apply to multiple schools and see who gives you aid, and includes few non subsidized loans. You may ben more likely to succeed at the less well known teaching schools (smaller liberal arts) he listed and therefore be more likely to get into medical school or other graduate school. Those schools will also be less concerned about a point one way or another on a standardized test and instead look at your capabilities. Also if you have anxiety issues, consider if an ivy is the best place for your success and growth. Nothing wrong with community colleges, but it can be argued that you might even get a better education at a good liberal arts school than an ivy. At least visit some and talk to the councilors there, and talk to the biology/chemistry departments about their thoughts.