What are my chances for some Ivy League Schools? I'm looking at Penn, Brown, Cornell, and Dartmouth.

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

Homeschooled African American Female (rising senior) -Middle Class-Upstate NY-prospective chemistry major

31 ACT (First time; prepping hard and retesting in September and hoping for a 33+)
4.2 Weighted GPA (Unsure what my unweighted GPA is)
APs/Community College Classes: AP World History, AP Lang&Comp, AP USH, AP Latin, College Spanish I, College Calc I
Subject Tests: World History (720), Biology E (pending)

Main hook: Extensive Community Service (I know, lots of people do it, but I really do enjoy working with others and don’t do it just for resume building. 2/3 of my hours have come from working with children.)
Received 3 National Awards for earning nearly 500 volunteer hours that have been nationally certified. I’m planning to tie in my experiences working with others (such as representing teenagers in local court) in my essays.

Extra Curricular Activities and Awards:
Piano (10 Years)
National Winner annually for 9 years in National Piano Auditions
Has made National Roll for American College of Musicians USA for the past 9 years
Recevied Superior Ratings each year from judges for past 9 from National Federation of Music Teachers
Gives volunteer recitals at retirement and nursing homes on a bi-monthly basis

Latin:
Magna Cum Laude Awards for National Latin Exam Levels 1 and 2 in 9th and 10th grade

Gymnastics-
Nationally-ranked vaulter (Americas top 100, 2016)
Numerous Local and State Championship Titles
2017 Regional Qualifier, 3 Regional Titles out of about 200 gymnasts from Northeast)

National Homeschool Honor Society- (3 years)
Joined as sophomore, elected vp as junior, elected president for senior year
Served as Induction Ceremony Chair and has organized volunteer activities for Honor Society. Represents society to community and plans activities.

Part time job:
At a Frozen Yogurt Store near my home, during junior and upcoming sophomore year, for about 10 hours per week. I often work in the store by myself and am in charge of keeping it clean, preparing the toppings and serving customers.

Recommendations:
From my Latin III teacher, my biology teacher, and one of my volunteer supervisor. Also looking at a possible letters from my homeschool program coordinator or my honor society sponsor. Assuming all the letters are good (I know the teachers pretty well) which letters might be the most impactful?

Questions:
-Can homeschooling count as a hook? My high school education was pretty different from a “traditional” schoolers and I feel like this could make me unique…
-How much does being African American help my application? I’ve done research online but wanted to hear from you all :). I was advised to pick Common app essay prompt number 1, as well.
-Should I take the Math 2 Subject Test? I’m a pretty good (not exceptional) math student but heard that most people looking at Ivies take the Math 2…and my WH score isn’t super great.
-Is it bad that I haven’t taken any AP sciences? I have As in all my regular science classes. Because I am homeschooled, I have only been able to take humanities APs. I cannot place into community college sciences because I don’t have a regent’s diploma (or enough time). Should I tell this to the admissions?

Lastly, how can I make my application more competitive?

This was SUPER long- thank you so much for all of your help!

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You sound like an amazing young woman. I can’t answer most of your questions, but I wanted to let you know that there are some homeschool AP science classes online if you are interested. I’m not sure what you can fit in your schedule or what your state laws are regarding online distance learning.

AP Physics: https://debrabell.com/product-category/online-homeschool-classes/
AP Chemistry: http://cty.jhu.edu/ctyonline/courses/advanced_placement/ap_chemistry.html
AP Environmental Science: http://www.blissacademics.com/AP-online-courses/AP-Environmental-Science.html

Best of luck to you!

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With your stats and hooks, you can likely get into Cornell. I was a Chem major in Arts and Sciences. And truly enjoyed my time there. If you haven’t yet, make sure you take a look!

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Thanks so much HSGiners and preppedparent ! I will definitely look into the new online AP science (I take all my Aps via distance learning), but will probably end up taking a “regular” physics lab because I want to be able to have an “actual” class. :slight_smile: I really appreciate your time. Cornell is one of my top choices and I’d love to attend. #fingerscrossed

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Re: Common App prompt Q: Pick the prompt that feels best for you! Also, keep in mind that there are new and revised prompts for the 2017-18 cycle. Here they are:

  1. Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story. [No change]
  2. The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience? [Revised]
  3. Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome? [Revised]
  4. Describe a problem you’ve solved or a problem you’d like to solve. It can be an intellectual challenge, a research query, an ethical dilemma - anything that is of personal importance, no matter the scale. Explain its significance to you and what steps you took or could be taken to identify a solution. [No change]
  5. Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others. [Revised]
  6. Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more? [New]
  7. Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you’ve already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design. [New]
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There is no particular weakness in your profile which is very outstanding! I think, if anything, you should aim for a 34 when you retake the ACT. Besides that your profile looks pretty amazing and I think you have a decent shot at getting into Cornell, Dartmouth, and maybe even Brown! Good luck! I would appreciate it if you could chance me back here: http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1995754-chance-me-low-gpa-rank-cornell-rice-wash-u-ucla-etc-p1.html

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If you are a nationally ranked gymnast, you might qualify as an athletic recruit. http://www.flogymnastics.com/article/36768-how-do-i-get-recruited-to-an-ivy-league-college-gymnastics-team#.WUw4q1GQyUk

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I missed the nationally ranked vaulter. Fill out the recruited athlete form and or call the admissions office to be put in touch with the gymnastics coaches at Brown, Stanford, UCB, and Penn.

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Fill out the recruiting questionnaire for Brown, Yale, Cornell and U Penn (the four Ivies with gymnastics teams). Follow up with an email to each coach and include video. Keep in contact. You have two major hooks: URM and an athlete. You need to be proactive with the coaches. Don’t just fill out the recruit form and leave it at that. Message me if you have any questions or want any other advice (my daughter went through this process two years ago)…

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I forgot to ask: are you (or will you be by senior year) a level 10 in gymnastics?

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Typically, to be recruited for gymnastics, you need to be at level 10 (although some programs will take a talented level 9 that shows promise).

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@preppedparent @tdy123 @Emsmom1 I unfortunately will not be a 10 or even a 9 by senior year… I will be around a level 8 with maybe some 9 skills, as I do not have time to train the hours that my gym requires :(. Thus, I’m totally out of the running for college gymnastics. Thanks so much for your time, though!

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Your profile looks very strong overall and I think it’s good that you’ve found a connection between community service and piano by looking for volunteer work to do that involves piano. I think that being a high-achieving homeschooled student and having involvement within the homeschool honor society is something that colleges would be pleased to see. In terms of test scores, I wouldn’t stress too much, but try to put yourself in or above the middle 50 range for every school you’re considering and don’t take the Math II subject test just because you feel like you should. Truth be told, I don’t know the extent to which being African American is an advantage, but it’s definitely a positive.

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Get your ACT up to at least a 33 and calculate what your UW GPA is. You want your UW GPA to be at least a 3.8, preferably 3.9.

Homeschooling does not really count as a hook but your URM status will definitely help. Take the Math 2 Subject Test. Study first a lot. I used Barrons I think. You want to score at least a 750.

Yes, you should explain to admissions in your Common App additional information section the restrictions that homeschooling has placed on you, and how you have tried to take the hardest classes you can.

To be competitive you want to frame yourself well in the Common App. Do you want to list your volunteering ECs as first to put emphasis on all the hours you have put into it? Do you want to write your main essay perhaps on an experience you had while volunteering, or just volunteering in general? If you choose to position your application in this way, I think a strong recommendation letter from your volunteer supervisor would be best if it was well written and if he/she writes about a positive quality which you have. See what I mean? I think building a coherent thread tying together your ECs, essay, and recommendation letters is the best way to go. You also want to get those standardized test scores up and take the Math 2 subject test.

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@doorrealthe its too bad you can’t update these threads! I now have a 32 composite/33 superscore (not quite as high as I’d like, but oh well). My UW gpa should be at least 3.8.

I decided not to take SATII Math 2 because I didn’t think I’d do well (haven’t finished calculus) compared to others (many of whom have done past APCalcBC): I certainly wouldn’t get a 750. I did get a 740 on my SATII BioE exam, which is satisfactory. My parents and I were also finally able to figure out what to do for the homeschooling thing, after talking to several guidance counselors at the colleges I’m applying to. I agree homeschooling isn’t a hook, but I’m hoping the amount of extra space we get to talk about me might help.

I made sure to list all my volunteering ECs and National Awards in the common app. In my common app essay, I made sure to reference one of my favorite volunteering areas, and I mentioned the desire to join different volunteer groups in each supplement. I have LORs from my homeschool coordinator and honors biology teacher, and I’m hoping to get another level from my volunteer supervisor.

I’m thinking it’ll come down to my essays, fit, and a bit of luck…:slight_smile:

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@SuperGymnast_04 You seem to be a wonderful person and a great applicant. I think your scores are pretty competitive and your ECs are great.

My best advice to you is to talk about your circumstances in the Additional Information section of the Common App. Make sure the admissions officers know that it is expensive to take AP science courses as a homeschooled student. They will understand. Also, take some time to nail your essays, they can often swing a close decision.

Hope this helps, and best of luck to you!