What are my chances for Duke, Cornell, Princeton, Stanford, etc.?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

Schools:
Duke, Cornell, Princeton, Stanford (EA possibly), Harvard (EA possibly), Yale, Johns Hopkins, UC Berkeley, UCLA, Carnegie Melon, MIT, Caltech.

Major: Biochemistry or Molecular Biology, possibly a minor in Economics.
Race/Ethnicity: Asian
Graduating Year: 2017

GPA (UW): 3.97
GPA (W): 4.9
SAT I: 2310 (730 CR, 780 M, 800 W)
ACT: N/A
SAT II: 800 Math 2, 800 Biology M, 770 Chemistry

AP/IB: Both not offered at my school. I attend an school where I take dual-enrollment classes for the entirety of my junior and senior years, and I graduate with an Associate in Science degree after 4 years of high school.

Courseload:

Junior: Trigonometry, Honors English IV, Writing and Seminar, Psychology, General Biology I, Statistics I, Calculus I.

Senior: Calculus II, Calculus III, General Biology II, General Chemistry I, General Chemistry II, American History I/II (equiv. of APUSH).

Extracurricular Activities:

Science Olympiad:
-A whole bunch of medals at regional/state competitions.
-Vice President (11th grade)
-President (12th grade)

Key Club:
-250+ hours.
-Vice President (11th grade)

HOSA (Health Occupations Students of America):
-National finalist (10th grade)
-State finalist, National Qualifier (11th grade)

National Honors Society:
-100+ hours.
-Vice President (12th grade)

NIH Research:
-Doing biomedical research this summer, going to compete in Siemens and Intel competitions this fall.
-Will be presenting a poster summarizing research, possible publication.

Essays:

Haven’t started. Advice please? *See below.

Recommendations (predictions):

Biology professor: 10/10 (known me for the past three years)
Counselor: 9/10 (knows me quite well)
NIH Mentor: 8-10/10 (will see)

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I have done my best to describe my academic profile as accurately as possible, and I realize that the majority of the schools I have posted above are reaches for everyone. However, I would appreciate some advice about how to portray myself during the college admissions process, general tips on what I can do now to strengthen my applications for these schools, etc.

**Also, which school should I apply EA for? I can’t decide between Stanford and Harvard; both are schools that I would want to attend at the blink of an eye.

I really appreciate your help. Thank you.

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Your stats are good. It depends on your essays and stuff cuz I think ur academics are fine.

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@Asaltb
Thanks for the feedback!

4

I think you have a good chance of getting into these schools. You may want to include some safeties while you are applying, if you haven’t already thought of that.
You can apply to as many early action schools as you want, but it’s early decision that you need to choose one school for. I think that Harvard and Stanford both have good programs for your intended major/minor, so I would try to look at the kind of environment you want. Stanford has more spirit for their sports, more involvement in Greek life. Harvard is in a colder climate, etc. Also, I suggest you look at info about their new rule about single-gender club members:
http://freebeacon.com/issues/harvard-bar-members-single-gender-clubs-leadership-positions/
If you are in any single-gender clubs, this would give you a huge disadvantage through your undergraduate career, and you may want to stay away from Harvard. Then again, if you don’t participate in these clubs, it may make your chances of admission here greater because less people will want to apply and ultimately be barred from developing a good resume for grad schools.

Also, you may want to consider the fact that your credits may not transfer to Harvard or Stanford. Note that the “not eligible” for transfer credits say that they “could not also go toward a high school diploma”:
https://college.harvard.edu/admissions/application-process/transferring-harvard-college/transfer-credits
It looks as if Stanford will except them, though:
http://admission.stanford.edu/application/transfer/credit.html
You may want to run NPCs on both schools as well to see which might be more affordable for you and your family.

I hope this helps!

5

@Ashdew77

Thank you for your advice!

I’ve thought about adding safeties, but I’m not sure exactly what type of college would be considered a safety with my profile (I don’t think my state flagship is a safety, at least for me). The single-gender club thing shouldn’t be a problem for me, but I will have to look into that. I am also aware of the fact that the majority of my credits will probably not transfer to these schools, but hopefully I can get at least a few transferred. Thank you again for your helpful post.

Also by EA I meant SCEA, as I have read that applying SCEA to Harvard/Stanford/insert top school* improves your chances of admission significantly. I’m still not sure which one I should apply SCEA to, any advice? Also, I am completely fine with the environment/spirit of both, I like colder weather (I know, strange) but I wouldn’t mind living in California either.

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I would suggest that you get in contact with Harvard about your transfer credits. If they say they will not transfer, I would do REA at Stanford, because their website said they should transfer. That’s what I would do, personally.

I’m thinking that a lot of your schools are matches, while the Ivies are reaches for everyone. Look for a school that you are completely sure you could get into and would be okay going to, and add it to your list. Nobody thinks they’re going to need their safeties, but at the same time, nobody wants to end up without a college to go to.

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@Ashdew77

I will definitely ask about transfer credits. As for safety schools, would UNC-Chapel Hill be considered a safety? I am an in-state applicant and this school is my go-to option in case I get completely shut out of the aforementioned schools.

Thanks for your advice.

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Are you looking to be a transfer student?

9

UNC should be a safe school based on your stats

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Wow, as others said, your stats are great.
To answer your question about Stanford vs Harvard for EA, it really depends what you’re looking for in a college.
Stanford and Harvard are both top-notch prestigious schools, so it comes down to personal preference.
Stanford is supposedly more laid back than Harvard’s cutthroat atmosphere. If you thrive surrounded by openly ambitious and competitive people, Harvard is your place.
Location should also be considered. Sunny California is a long stretch from Massachusetts. In the end, which environment would you feel more comfortable in? Which one is farther from home?
Start comparing non-academic factors.

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Yes, UNC would probably be an okay safety since you’re in state. I hope my advice helped you and I hope you get into whichever school you choose as your top school. Good luck!

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On the off chance that the UNC admin who looks at your app believed there’d be a low probability that you’d accept a UNC acceptance, and denied you because of it, you might want to add another – truer – safety. Make sure you wouldn’t mind attending and that you can absolutely afford it.

I also think you should add some additional private match-range schools, like Tulane, Lehigh, U of Rochester, Case Western, Boston U, Wake Forest, Brandeis, Northeastern. Applying to a couple of those (and their ilk) would likely result in more acceptances and options. They represent a level of protection between the reaches and the safeties, should – unlikely, but possible – all of your reach schools say no, or give you an unacceptable COA figure.

  • OOS at UCLA and Berkeley are matches or high matches, but why would you pay $20k+ more per year -- plus travel expenses -- to attend an OOS public school when your own flagship is so good? If money is not a consideration, that's your prerogative, but I (and many others on this site) generally believe that if you have a decent flagship, it probably isn't worth the extra cash to attend a public school elsewhere. Applying is no huge deal, but keep that advice in mind if you are accepted.

General advice: Put some time into making sure, as well as possible, whether you would actually like a school, and would fit well there (academic fit, social and environmental fit, etc.), before applying. Also run the NPC to see if you and your family could likely afford the cost.

If you like and can afford every school to which you apply, you’ll be left with only good options when your acceptances come rolling in.

Good luck!

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@ClarinetDad16

I will be applying as a freshman. I am aware that applying as a transfer student significantly reduces chances of admission so I’ve decided to not go that route.

@NCComputerNerd

Thanks for letting me know!

@stromake

I actually prefer Harvard’s environment (I thrive in competition, and I like colder weather), but again, I’d attend either one of these schools. Distance is not a factor for me, I am fine with going anywhere. Before making the decision I wish I would’ve had the time to visit both of these schools, but I have no time this summer or fall so I guess I will be applying SCEA based on whether or not the school in question will accept a number of my transfer credits.

@Ashdew77

Thank you! I really appreciate the advice you’ve given me.

@prezbucky

I will most likely be adding NC State to the list, to really make sure that I do have an affordable option that I am very likely to get into. Applying to a couple match-range privates is definitely something I was considering. Probably going to apply to NE, BU, and WF since they’re all schools I have looked into and like. Cost is not that big of a deal but if it comes down to Berkeley vs. UNC, I’m obviously going to take the latter. I am applying to UCLA and UC Berkeley to expand my options in case I get shut out of the top-tier schools, but it makes no sense to attend these schools over UNC (if I get accepted, of course).

In the end, I will probably be making my decision based on non-academic factors. All of these schools are top-notch anyways; at this point, it definitely comes down to how well I fit in at a particular school. Will obviously look into the financial aspects of each school as well.

Thanks for your advice!

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You have a great shot at getting in imo. There’s good leadership, test scores, and clubs so all you need is a good essay!

15

Have you considered doing UNC or
NCstate undergrad in 2.5 years and then go where your passion lies for grad school?

you can start earning money earlier and save on college and still have the same outcome. All that factors into ROi

16

I think that you know this, but for HYPS, you can only apply Early Action to ONE school, as their Early Action plan are RESTRICTIVE (i.e., single choice). I believe that @Ashdew77 was incorrect when s/he said “You can apply to as many early action schools as you want, but it’s early decision that you need to choose one school for.” Yale and Princeton are also restrictive Early Action.

With the Restrictive/Single Choice Early Action at either Harvard or Stanford, you can simultaneously apply to in-state and out-of-state public schools and schools with rolling – but non-binding – admission, so you can apply to UNC, UCs, etc. (although given the cost differential, I’d stay instate if I were you!)

Cornell, Duke, Hopkins, etc. have early decision plans which are binding (i.e., if you get in you are going and must withdraw all of your other applications).

In terms of your credits being accepted at Stanford, they make no guarantees ("…The transferability of specific courses is ultimately determined by the Office of the University Registrar once students are admitted…). Not something I would bet the farm on.

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@ClarinetDad16
That is something I have considered for a long time. If I do end up at UNC/NC State due to financial reasons or just being shut out from top schools, that will most likely be the plan anyways. However, I want to pursue a top school for undergrad in order to open up my career options in case I don’t want to do the grad/med school path in the future.

@LoveTheBard
It’s still a tossup between Harvard/Stanford SCEA for me. I am comfortable with both schools’ environments. After seeing what you wrote about the Stanford transfer agreement, I am back to neutral.

What else is there to take into account to make the decision for SCEA? Both are prestigious schools with great programs for my intended major, I am completely fine with the weather and the location at both schools (yes, I love cold weather lol). I thrive in competition (so Harvard), but I wouldn’t mind a relatively relaxed student body either (so Stanford). Both are financially similar. Both have similar transfer agreements. I’m really stuck at this point.

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@LoveTheBard EA is different from SCEA or REA, I was unsure of which of the three OP was trying to refer to when they said early action. I personally had not looked into applying early to either Harvard or Stanford, so I was unaware they only offered restrictive early action.

19

Regarding your essay question (since that’s the only area you seem to be unsure of), write about anything you want, as long as you don’t shape it around “changing the world,” which seems to be a cliche topic for many applying to the Ivies. I was able to access some of my school’s essays via my English teacher, and one of them apparently was declared one of the best essays UC Berkeley had received in an entire year’s worth of applicant essays. The writer was Indian, and he centered the essay on his sandwich (with some kind of Indian food). Another essay caught my eye, and the subject was on taking apart a highlighter.
Both essays were written eloquently, with references to the field they wanted to study (the first one included a joke about Newton’s third law between him and the sandwich, and the second mentioned that she was interested in seeing how things worked.) Basically, writing about anything will work - as long as it’s something you’re passionate about or something that holds deep meaning to you.

20

Thank you for the essay advice. I am thinking about writing my essays based on my experience with STEM, and I will try to come up with a creative way to convey my passion for the sciences through my essays during this summer. Thanks again!