What are my chances of getting into Dartmouth RD?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Dartmouth College
1

<p>these are my statistics:</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): Sitting 1: CR=690, M=780, W=780 (E=10)
Sitting 2: CR=750, M=740, W=670 (E=11)
Superscore: CR=750, M=780, W=780 (2320)
ACT: none
SAT II:
Freshman yr: 690 Bio M
Soph yr: 740 chem, 740 world history
Junior yr: 800 Math II, 800 USH, 780 Bio M
Unweighted GPA: 95.8
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 3%; I go to a very competitive specialized high school in NY (bronx science)
AP (place score in parenthesis): world history (5)
also took English Composition, Biology, and US History this year
IB (place score in parenthesis): none
Senior Year Course Load: AP spanish, AP Comparative Government, AP Chem, AP Calculus AB, AP Lit, Post-AP Biology, Math and Bio Research
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Gold Medal at a Math fair, possible Intel semi-finalist</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Bio Journal (Editor), Lector and Alter Server at local church, Volunteer at Learn to Swim Program the last 6 years, Debate Team (1 yr)
Job/Work Experience: Intern at Memorial Sloan-Kettering the last 2 years.
Summer Activities: Internship, researching for intel project
Essays: working with a professional
Teacher Recommendation: English--should be very good
Bio Research--also has potential
Counselor Rec: I think it will be good.
Additional Rec: Probably from my Msgr in the church or my Intel Mentor</p>

<p>State (if domestic applicant): NY
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Large Public ~5800 students
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: 100-120k+, no FA is all i know really
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): First generation college (none of my parents went to school, they are immigrants to this country)</p>

<p>Please help me with
Reflection
Strengths:
Weaknesses:
Possible Schools I may get into and why:
Schools I should look into:</p>

<p>I am currently a junior who will likely choose a science (biology) major.</p>

<p>THANK YOU!!</p>

2

<p>I’m not too familiar with Bronx Science or the 100-point GPA system. Your rank and grades, however, seem a bit low for Dartmouth or Ivy Leagues in general. How many people from your school usually get into Ivy Leagues or equivalents each year? </p>

<p>Your extracurriculars beyond the research and internship also seem a bit meager. However, I think having Intel semifinalist will definitely augment your application. Make good grades during your senior year and focus on your research, and you’ll definitely be a very competitive applicant. You’re pretty competitive as it is. Don’t take any top fifteen college for granted though.</p>

3

<p>my schools gets a lot of ivies every year; maybe around 5-10 from each one except cornell (around 25 are accepted there). and the 100 pt scale is like the 4.0 GPA scale in that a 93 would be considered a 4.0. my gpa is also unweighed and is near the top of my school, which is very competitive.</p>

4

<p>Don’t worry, sodagood, Bronx Science is a VERY well known school, especially in academic circles. Your rank and GPA from a school as competitive as Bronx Science should give you a decent shot just about anywhere. It is true that what can potentially make you stand out is the quality of the research/internship you have engaged in. You need excellent recommendations, and one from your research mentor would definitely be a good idea. (I personally also like the fact that you have taken a writing/humanities-heavy schedule for someone at a STEM-oriented school. That will stand you in good stead at a school like D.)</p>

<p>I’m wondering about your finances. Your parents have a nice income, but it only goes so far in NYC. Have you had a money talk?</p>

5

<p>thanks, and yes at the moment money is not a concern. we would get a nice financial aid package.</p>

6

<p>Your rank and GPA are fine. There is no school in the country (no, not even Harvard or MIT) at which MOST students who are admitted are valedictorians or salutatorians.</p>

7

<p>

</p>

<p>Money needs to be a concern because your income is above the threshold for the current FA policy of free tuition and no loans in your FA package (your EFC is going to be ~ between 25-30k). I would defintely recommend that your parents run their numbers through Dartmouth’s financial aid calculator.</p>

<p>I hate chance threads.</p>

<p>Recommendations:</p>

<p>Preferably one from your english teacher andf one from your Bio/AP bio teacher. a supplemental recommendation from your mentor.</p>

<p>

</p>

<p>Actually he doesn’t have a heavy writing/ humanities based schedule as Global/US history/ Government/English required to graduate HS in NYS. Granted OP has taken AP courses in these subjects, but again, not unsusal for a student coming out of Bx Science (his peers from other Stuy, Tech, Hunter, and other selective high schools are probably carrying identical schedules). He already knows that the application pool is going to be fiece coming out of NYC. I remember in my D’s class there were only 2 students from Bx Science (one had been her friend since kindergarten). While a large portion of students in her class were from NYS (specifically from NYC, no one school had a lock as there were a wide range of schools represented).</p>

<p>Your best place to start is with your GC as s/he will be able to tell you where similar students with your stats from this year’s class ended up being admitted/attending. If your school has naviance (look up the trends there)</p>

<p>Cast a wide net, because although you have really good grades and scores, as you probably know from speaking with your classmates, it will not make you a lock.</p>

<p>I agree with iabass, that it is hard to tell who you are outside of school and research. This could be a challenge especially at a school like Dartmouth, who prides it self on building a diverse class and having students with varied interest outside of the classroom. </p>

<p>Your challenge is going to be how do you set your self apart from all of the other bio/intel/ research people?</p>

<p>If Dartmouth is truly your first choice, after having the money talk and getting buy-in from your parents, your best bet would be to apply ED (RD have a chance, however, you could be in for a waitlist or deny because again it is going to be how are you different from other apps and what are you bringing to Hanover?).</p>