What are my chances?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Gender: M
Location: Florida
College Class Year: 2012
High School: Public
High School Type: rarely sends grads to top schools
Will apply for financial aid: Yes</p>

<p>Academics:</p>

<p>GPA - Unweighted: 3.90
GPA - Weighted: 4.60
Class Rank: 5th of 500ish</p>

<p>Scores:</p>

<p>SAT I Math: 760
SAT I Critical Reading: 650
SAT I Writing: 550, Essay 11 (No I'm not joking...I just suck at the MC)
Retaking it in June, October and maybe November</p>

<p>SAT II U.S. History: 760
SAT II Math Level 2 (IIC): 720 - Retaking again...spent too much time double checking
SAT II Chemistry: 780</p>

<p>AP
10th
Euro - 4
11th (All predictions)
Calculus BC - 5
AB subscore - 5
Chemistry - 5 possibly 4
Psychology - 4,5
Environmental Science - 5
US History - 4,5
Art History - Passed, can't guess
English Language - 3...maybe 4
12th (Planned)
Biology
Physics B
Macro/Microeconomics
American Government
English Literature
Statistics - Possibly...</p>

<p>Significant Extracurriculars:
Academic Team - 10,11- Team Captain, 12
Envirothon - 10,11 - Team Captain, 12: 10&11 Won First place in Regionals
Mock Trial - 9, 10
Chemistry Club- 10,11- President
Mu Alpha Theta - 10,11-Vice President, 12-President</p>

<p>Volunteer/Service Work: School Plays, Acting total of 85 hours (Will do more after it starts again..)</p>

<p>College Summer programs:
FLVS(Online) Classes and Dual Enrollment at local community college</p>

<p>Ranked by preference. Each tier will contain only 2-3 schools before I actually apply. Eh, if they don't belong in the right tier please tell me or if they all belong in the same one because I suffer from some sort of delusion of grandeur please tell me. Oh, if you know of any other colleges I should consider please tell me...Thinking of being some sort engineering, one of the physical sciences or psychology(social or evolutionary) major...</p>

<p>Tier 1:
1. MIT
2. CalTech
3. Cornell
3. Stanford
3. Olin</p>

<p>Tier 2
6. Cooper
6. UC- Berkley
6 Georgia Tech
6. Carnegie Mellon </p>

<p>Tier 3
10. Rollins
11. UF
12. FSU
13. UCF</p>

<p>Edit: Um..for some reason people have been adding your race...I'm Chinese...(if it'll hurt my chances should I just leave that box unchecked?)</p>

2

<p>since when is cal tier 2?</p>

3

<p>Dunno..almost random guessing...<em>bump</em></p>

<p>(I can handle soul crushing reality....)</p>

4

<p>Tier 1:
1. MIT - high reach
2. CalTech - high reach
3. Cornell - reach
3. Stanford - high reach
3. Olin - reach</p>

<p>Tier 2
6. Cooper - reach
6. UC- Berkley - reach
6 Georgia Tech - match
6. Carnegie Mellon - match/reach-ish</p>

5

<p>The weakest part of your app is that SAT MATH IIC.</p>

6

<p>Thanks, I'll spend more time studying for that...How much damage is my Critical Reading score doing?</p>

7

<p>Elite technical colleges like MIT take many applicants in your critical reading score range. It won't be too bad there. However, it will probably hurt you at Berkeley, Stanford, and Cornell.</p>

8

<p>Thanks...Feel like predicting anything?</p>

<p>Anybody else? (I'm a bit weary to trust predictions from a new member,HaveWhatitTakes)</p>

9

<p>I'll give it a shot:
Tier 1:
1. MIT-Reach
2. CalTech-Reach
3. Cornell-Great Reach
3. Stanford-Great Reach
3. Olin- Light Reach</p>

<p>Tier 2
6. Cooper-Match
6. UC- Berkley-Reach
6 Georgia Tech-Easy Match
6. Carnegie Mellon-Tough Match </p>

<p>Tier 3
10. Rollins-Safety
11. UF-Safety
12. FSU-Safety
13. UCF-Ultra-Safety</p>

10

<p>Overall I'd say you look like a pretty good candidate for many of your schools. Your SAT I Math score is where it needs to be and your class rank and GPA are excellent. ECs are solidly good. I fully agree with your decision to retake the SATs for the Critical Reading and Writing Sections. The Critical Reading score is okay (but on the low end) for MIT; however, for several of the other schools on your list its rather low. As for the Writing Section, well, I'd definitely see if you could get it up at least 100 points if possible (it's definitely doable. In my experience, writing seems to be the score that goes up the most the second time you take your SATs). Basically, for your reaches, you'll have much better chances if you have Critical Reading and Writings subscores around the 700 mark (particularly for Cornell).</p>

<p>Chances on a scale of: high reach, reach, semi-reach, good fit, likely, safety.</p>

<p>Massacusetts Institute of Technology... HIGH REACH.
California Institute of Technology...HIGH REACH.
Cornell University... REACH.
Stanford University... HIGH REACH.
Franklin W. Olin College... REACH.
Cooper Union... SEMI-REACH.
University of California, Berkeley... SEMI-REACH. Your ethnicity and out-of-state residence makes things more challenging here so you'll want scores up around or beyond the 75% quartile to have a decent chance.
Georgia Institute of Technology... LIKELY.
Carnegie Mellon University... SEMI-REACH. GOOD FIT if you bring up your writing score.
Rollins College... SAFETY.
University of Florida... SAFETY.
Florida State University... SAFETY.
University of Central Florida... SAFETY.</p>

11

<p>Thanks...
Now what differentiates a
Semi Reach, Reach, and High Reach (Is it like likely, maybe, improbable but possible?)</p>

<p>Also, I just remembered some awards I got as a freshmen..
Intel Computer Science thing, not sure of the exact phrasing but its a Computer Science award at the region science fair
2nd place in regional science fair in Category</p>

<p>State Recognition for TIP, if that matters now...it was in 7th grade</p>

<p>Does it help any?</p>

12

<p>I'd say
Semi-Reach: Close to 50%, but by no means a sure thing
Reach: You have a chance, but less than 50%
High Reach: Only on an odd, outside random chance</p>

13

<p>You need to be able to write for any program or job, so I'd really work on that score. There is almost no one, and certainly no one without a hook, at CIT, MIT and Olin with your mathII score. Your CR is also considerably below average at your tier 1 schools. You say your HS rarely sends kids to top schools. Are you low income? That would help.</p>

14

<p>Yes, I can write...An 11 on my essay should at least show them that. I tend to second guess myself, which lead to my poor performance. It was my first taking...Well, when I visited MIT, part of the Junior Fly-in Program(They know of my existence :D ), one of the adviser said they have let in people with scores of 710 Math II, just saying not expecting it to happen for me. I'm going to retake it and I know I can do better, I spent too much time fighting with my calculator and didn't answer the last 15 questions.. I'm not really low income, combined parents are around the 60k area(Not sure on exact figures...), according to my knowledge I'm middle class...My school is a 'D' according to the state, and probably be a 'F' when I graduate...It isn't that great, but probably better then some really urban ones.</p>

15

<p>Anyone know of any other colleges I should be looking at?</p>

16

<p>Harvey Mudd, Rose Hullman, Rice, Johns Hopkins, would be good reach/matches and NCSU would be a better safety for you than your existing safeties</p>

17

<p>Better safety because I'm more likely to get in or better for my potential majors? (I'm pretty sure I can get into UF...I'm in-state..)</p>

18

<p>NC State is a strong second-tier engineering school with 18k tuition a year out-of-state, and I can't see you getting rejected from it.</p>

19

<p>Thanks, I looked and they all look quite good...although what I found and read about Harvey Mudd it sounds quite scarcely...</p>

20

<p>Anybody else? I'd like some more critique.. .</p>