What are my chances for Stanford, MIT, Caltech, etc.

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Hi Guys! I have been wondering how my application will compare to others this fall during college admissions. I will be applying through the QuestBridge National College Match program for lower income families, so if I get selected as a finalist I will be applying for the College Match Scholarship to four or five different schools. However, it is very difficult to get matched (only ~9% of finalists are matched) so more than likely I will be applying RD through QuestBridge to a bunch of different schools like Stanford, MIT, Caltech, Princeton, UC Berkeley, Cal Poly SLO and some others. Stanford is my #1 school because of all the personal attachments I have with the school. I know my standardized test scores aren't the greatest but I have read that most of these schools are more based on "holistic" reviews and I will be studying hard for the ACT this fall to try and get a 34+. I was wondering how you guys think I compare with others who will apply and what chances you think I will have of getting in?</p>

<p>I think (not exactly sure though, correct me if I am wrong) what separates me from a lot of my peers is my story and everything I have been through and all the adversity I have had to overcome to get to this point. For a little bit of context, when I was 5 my mother was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer and when I was 11 she passed away. Shortly after that my dad lost his job and struggled to find another one in his field for several years and during this time my sister became a drug addict and a high school dropout. We had a lot of family issues and after my mom’s passing everything got increasingly worse but we have slowly recovered from all of our problems.
Anyways, I have filled out the typical CC application profile below and I would like to have your honest opinions on where I am strong/weak and what I can do to improve. I would really appreciate to have some of your guy’s feedback!
Objective:
• SAT I (breakdown): 2080- 770 M, 730 WR (11 essay), 580 CR (haha…. I know.. ouch)
• ACT: Not yet taken, but 33 practice test (35M, 35S, 33E, 30R)
• SAT II: 780 Math 2, 770 Physics
• Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.90 UW, 4.71 Weighted
• Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/673
• AP (place score in parenthesis): Calculus AB (4), World History (3), Calulus BC, Physics B, US History, Lang and Comp all come out in July. I feel like I did well on all of my exams this year, mostly 4s and 5s.
• IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A.
• Senior Year Course Load: AP Physics C Mechanics and EM, AP Literature and Composition, AP US Government, AP Microeconomics, AP Psychology, AP Spanish, Multivariable Calculus, Linear Algebra.
• Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): 2014 QuestBridge National College Match Finalist (not awarded yet but very likely because I won the College Prep award), 2014 QuestBridge College Prep Scholar, Fein Fellow (Only 48 in the country selected), AP Scholar w/ Distinction, NHD (Physics Project) Regional Champion, NHD (Physics Project) State Finalist- 4th place, Eagle Pride Award, 2013 Swim MVP, 2014 Swim MVP, National Honor Society, Society of Male Scholars.</p>

<p>Subjective: </p>

<p>• Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Swimming 6 years (Varsity 4 years), Triathlete (4 years), Water Polo (2 years), Everyone Can Swim Program (teaching persons with disabilities how to swim and be safe around water), soon to be foundation once registered through IRS (Founder, Coordinator and Instructor), Academy of American Studies (9,10,11,12), NHS (10,11,12), Society of Male Scholars (11,12), Freshman Mentor (12) and my friend and I are planning on starting an SAT Prep Club this fall, so if that goes through I would be a co-founder and Math/WR Tutor.</p>

<p>• Job/Work Experience: Interning this fall at an engineering firm in downtown Phoenix.</p>

<p>• Volunteer/Community service: Relay For Life (9,10,11,12), Feed My Starving Children (10,11,12), Swimming (Timing, running meets, etc. 6 years). I am very involved in the swimming community and have participated in numerous events such as “Swim from Alcatraz” and “Golden Gate Swim” for the F.A.S.T. Foundation.</p>

<p>• Summer Activities: Organizing and running the Everyone Can Swim Program at SpoFit Center for Persons with Disabilities, 3 hours, 3 days a week for 6 weeks, training and competing for swimming, water polo and triathlons, and this summer I attended the QuestBridge National Admissions Conference at Stanford.</p>

<p>• Essays (rating 1-10, details): I think my essays will be very good because I have been given college counseling and a lot of help on how to write admissions essays as part of my QuestBridge award this year. Also my sister is a creative writing major and is very good at editing essays. I plan on writing my essays on my passion for swimming and math/physics and how both of those helped me find myself when I was young. For a little bit of context, when I was 11 my mother died of stage 4 breast cancer and shortly after that my dad lost his job and my sister became a drug addict and a high school dropout so I plan on writing about an experience I had during this time that sparked my intellectual curiosity in physics along with how swimming was my way of getting away from everything. With all the information I have been given and all of my teachers and family members that will help me, I am sure they will turn out pretty good and display my voice and story really well. Because I will be applying through QuestBridge, the admissions officers will also be able to read all of my essays for that application which will help get across who I am better.</p>

<p>• Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): </p>

<p>• Teacher Rec #1: My AP Calculus teacher really likes me and I have had her for two years so I am sure it will be good.
• Teacher Rec #2: My second teacher rec will be from my physics teacher who I also had for two years and he really liked me as well and thought of me as really mature and a hard worker.
• Counselor Rec: My counselor absolutely loves me and has known me and what kind of person I am for over four years now so I think this will be very good.
• Additional Rec: I will ask for a rec from my long time swim coach who has been with me through all of the ups and downs of my adolescent years and has always liked me and my work ethic so I think this will be a very personal and helpful rec.
• Interview: Not applicable.</p>

<p>Other </p>

<p>• State (if domestic applicant): Arizona
• Country (if international applicant):
• School Type: Public, 2,500 +
• Ethnicity: Caucasian
• Gender: Male
• Income Bracket: ~$32,000
• Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): First Generation</p>

2

<p>Sorry for being so late! :slight_smile: Thanks so much for helping me earlier!</p>

<p>And oh my god, your ECs are very impressive. It’s almost intimidating, haha :wink: I think you are very likely to be admitted to Princeton or Stanford or MIT or any Ivy League school, considering that your APs, awards, and ECs are impressive enough to catch their attention. You’re academically strong, and your story is very powerful. What makes you a very strong candidate is that you’ve made JAW DROPPING achievements despite all the difficulties you’ve faced. Your hook (First Generation) will also help your chance of being admitted. Also, I’m so glad that you’ve managed to recover from all the issues that put your family into struggles. Honestly, I’m so impressed. Great job!!! I hope you all the best! :)</p>

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<p>Your SAT is low for these schools. Your GPA is also a little low. First generation, however is a good hook to have! The ACT practice score seemed more impressive than the SAT score. Try taking that. You have a chance, but these schools are very selective. Have other students from your high school been accepted to these schools?</p>

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<p>I think you have a good chance, especially with that great story</p>

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<p>allforthebest, I have two friends who were accepted to Princeton this past year and one who was accepted to UC Berkeley but those are the only to go to really prestigious schools. My school has only been opened for 12 years though</p>

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<p>Thanks so much peanutbutterlol!</p>

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<p>You have a decent GPA, but your test scores are not on par. A 2080 is decent, but a 580 is nowhere near the ballpark for the schools that you are applying too. At this moment, I see all the schools being reaches. However, if you do get a 33 on your ACT, then you should be able to get into at least 2 of the schools you listed. Cal Poly is the only match based on your scores at the moment. I don’t want to give any names because schools at that tier can become quite unpredictable. </p>

<p>Chance back?
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1657477-cornell-ed-chances-will-chance-back.html#latest”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1657477-cornell-ed-chances-will-chance-back.html#latest&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>Get sat to 2200 or 33-34 act and I think yju will get into most of the top schools. As it stands, you will get into a few. Strong achievements despite your circumstances, very Compelling and the best of luck for you.</p>

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<p>Hey guys I have a quick question… My intended major is going to be engineering (not sure which specifically yet) but I am a little curious if I need to have any EC’s based around engineering to be considered? My entire high school career swimming and my other EC’s have taken up a lot of my time outside of school and so I haven’t had many opportunities to pursue engineering EC’s, other than the internship I will be doing this fall. My passions have been swimming and trying to change my community through the sport but will that not mean anything if I plan on majoring in engineering? It seems like the majority of others I find on here that plan on engineering have a ton of academic EC’s and activities based around their major but I never was exactly sure of what I wanted to do until about six months ago…I am just a little curious about that!</p>

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<p>First of all, anyone who has said your GPA is a little low is a little WHACKO. I shall be competing with you for these schools, my friend ;)… I’d say you have a similar shot as I do, but who even knows nowadays!? </p>

<p>On a second note, a 4 on your AP calc… SHAME SHAME SHAME haha jk</p>

12

<p>bump…</p>

13

<p>omg I’d kill for ECs like yours haha.</p>

<p>Anyways, you really have a good shot at all those schools considering your ECs and hooks. If I were you, I’ll redo my SAT, haha.
Also, have you tried contacting swimming/triathlon/water polo coaches at these schools? I’d definitely try that.</p>

<p>btw, if you have time, can you please chance me?
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1662197-senior-next-year-please-chance-will-chance-back.html#latest”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1662197-senior-next-year-please-chance-will-chance-back.html#latest&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>bump…</p>

15

<p>hey guys, I just got my AP scores today. Calc BC (4, AB Subscore 5), Lang and Comp (5), Physics B (4) and APUSH (4). I know this probably doesn’t do much but I thought I would just update my scores.</p>

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<p>I definitely feel like, at the least, you are very competitive for these schools You have great EC’s and your courses seem to be rigorous. In comparison to others, your application is complete, however your SAT score might be lacking. Nonetheless, you have a very good chance (compared to others) to get accepted into those schools, however, top-tier schools like Stanford and MIT are always unpredictable. Good Luck! </p>

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<p>Your ACT score can make a big difference. Your SAT is too low for Stanford, MIT, Princeton. …not sure about Berkeley. You should get into Cal Poly though. Dont forget, those top schools turn away thousands of people each year with perfect gpas and near perfect test scores; there just isn’t enough space for all these high achieving students. First generation and state of residence may help along with the hardships you have endured. Can you add a few more schools to your list that have at least double-digit acceptance rates? </p>

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<p>hmm, you have a 3.9 gpa but you are ranked first out of 673 students? that doesnt seem right. also ur sat is quite low. do you go to a really low performing school, cause i cant imagine a 3.9 being the top of 673 students. i think all the schools are a low-mid reach. u seem like u came from a poor performing school which gives a competitive edge, but ur stats arent too good. </p>

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<p>@toesockshoe‌ actually my school bases rank on core classes not overall GPA. I have all A’s in the core English, math, science and social studies classes so that gives me my number one rank. Also, I have the highest weighted GPA in my school because I have taken double honors/AP sciences and I am in my sixth year of math so I have more weighted credits than the normal high-ranked student. The only class I didn’t get an A in was a class I tested out of the week before my freshman year, so the grades I got on the test out exam for each semester are the grades that went on my transcript. Thanks for your input!</p>

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<p>@Renomamma‌ thanks for your input! I have a lot of other schools I am applying to that I left out of the thread because I just wanted thoughts on my chances to the reach schools. And I took my ACT last weekend so I get my score back in a couple of days and I am hoping it is a 33+.</p>