What are my chances at the Ivy league?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

Hello, I am curious on my chances at acceptance to the any of the 8 ivies. (Especially columbia.) thank you!

Background: White, Male, upcoming senior.

Unweighted GPA: 3.7 on a 4.0 scale
Weighted GPA: 4.2
Class Rank: Somewhere in the top 20% of 508 students in my year.
ACT: 32 composite, (34R, 34E, 32M, 28S.)

Classes: 7 AP courses, 10+ honors courses. I have never taken below an honors course, and I’ve never made below a B on a report card. Also, I have taken over the required amount of foreign language classes.

Extracurricular: I am a current member of National honor society, Key club, Spanish club, Student council, and Mu alpha theta. I have played varsity tennis 3 years in a row, and will play my senior year.

I am a state, southern, and nationally ranked tennis player, but have no big interest in playing in college.

Volunteer/Leadership: I volunteer at multiple shelters for the poor and homeless. I volunteer and work at many fundraisers for cancer awareness, as my mother passed from it in 2012. I am the leader of a youth group at my church for children ages 5-12. Also, I work in the nursery at my church for children ages 1-4.

I currently play over 10 variations of instruments, I fluently speak 2 languages, and am working on a third.

Thank you guys so much for your opinions!

2

Class rank, GPA and ACT are below the line, especially for Columbia.
You might have an outside shot at Cornell, but it’s still a reach.

3

As a white male, and comparable to other similar admitted students from the south, your chances are not especially high. Both your GPA and scores are on the lower end, unless you make a rather lucid and cogent statement on your essays, I would place the bulk of your energies on other schools.

4

After realizing that columbia is definitely one of the harder to get into. What are your thoughts on my chances for brown, Cornell, Upenn, Dartmouth, and Rice? Thank you!

5

@cjrob15

Let me play your GC for a moment. You are going into battle with no bullets.

If you don’t want to play tennis I respect that but a nationally ranked player is a major hook at a top school.

Your chances at some of the schools you mentioned are about 1 in 5 or 6 or worse without a hook.

If you don’t want to travel so much as a student athlete that is cool. Neither did my son.

There is a conference in New England that is very high D3 where a nationally ranked tennis player will certainly have a big advantage. It is called NESCAC, comprised of lots of top liberal arts colleges. It could be an option, as is the Ivy League.

Use all your skills to get admitted to where you want to go.

6

Based on academics alone, you’re not really competitive for the Ivy League. The previous poster is correct. If you’re that good in a sport, then that is a way for someone with less-than-stellar academic achievements to get into a highly select school.

7

So you think places such as Swarthmore and Amherst are better for me?

8

@cjrob15

Without a hook Swarthmore and Amherst will be tough too. They are hard for everyone. You need to apply to a variety of schools.

If these schools are what you want, then you must use all your talents.

I have no way of knowing if you are recruitable, but if you are, within reason, you will have choices.

It is up to you.

9

The problem is that your gpa is on the low side and you have weak EC’s besides tennis. No matter how accomplished you are in tennis, it will be treated as just another activity on you list unless you looking to be recruited. You should speak to you GC to get a list of schools that are more in line with you academics. Targeting the top national universities and LACs is not high probability endeavor for you. By all means, throw a few apps in if you are set on applying but don’t expect much. Good luck!