What Do You Think of My Chances are at these Universities?

Chance Me / Match Me!
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ED University of Pennsylvania College of Arts and Sciences (Philosophy, Politics, and Economics Major and Double Minor in Ancient History and Legal Studies and History) (For those who can chance me particularly on UPenn, please remember the legacy and let me know how much that impacts the rest of my application, thanks):

Low Reach/Reach, you definitely have a shot. Although my friend was rejected with double legacy from her parents and she had a 2250 SAT/800 SAT IIs/5s on all 8 APs and a 4.0 Unweighted GPA with unique extracurriculars. It’s honestly a crapshoot but I think you are qualified for an acceptance through ED.

EA University of Chicago (Double Major Philosophy and Allied Fields and Law, Letters, and Society): Reach

RD Columbia University (Columbia College) (Economics - Philosophy Major): Reach

RD Boston University (Kilichand Honors College): Match

RD Northwestern University (Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences): Reach

RD Tufts Unviersity (College of Arts and Sciences): Low Reach

RD New York University (College of Arts and Sciences): Match

RD Northeastern University (College of Arts and Sciences) - Low Match (for EA)

I don’t necessarily agree with you that Northeastern is a safety. Northeastern tends to waitlist or offer the Northeastern IN Program (begin northeastern in the spring semester instead of the fall) to those who apply to Northeastern as a safety. If you’re going to apply to Northeastern, apply Early Action so you won’t be surprised to find out you were waitlisted or only accepted for the spring semester.

RD University of Massachusetts Amherst (Commonwealth Honors College) - Safety

RD Boston College (College of Arts and Sciences): Match

RD Washington University in St. Louis (College of Arts and Sciences): Reach

Overall Comment: I would definitely try to find some more safeties on your list. I think every applicant needs at least 2/3 safeties.

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@isl4ndsurf3r Thanks for responding! I am very curious about what you said about your friend at UPenn (I sent you a PM about it). As for the other schools, I definitely agree with you on what you said for many of them. As for Northeastern, people seem to really think that I am underestimating it, so I guess that is my mistake, but I don’t think I want to apply Early Action because of the schools on my list, it’s actually the one I want to go to the least (the programs offered there are not really mesching with my interests as well as the others, but if they were to potentially offer me some merit aid (doubt it), I guess I would reconsider), so I think I’m still going to apply RD for that reason and because I don’t really want to pay the fee in case I get into my top school. As for your comment about the safeties, alas, it is my own pride that is holding me back. I have an insistence on going to a university that will provide at least a level of education that satisfies me, and I have identified UMass Amherst as that base I am willing to go (I’m going to get ripped for this I know, but I firmly believe in this). I agree wholeheartedly with your comment about safeties, and in any other circumstance I would change it, but in this lifetime, I won’t bring myself to do that. But it’s good advice nonetheless. Perhaps I could add George Washington University back on the list, but I know that isn’t a safety but rather a low match. Thank you for the help.

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You have a good chance at getting into these schools but honestly your best chance that is not a safety is UPenn because of the legacy. However I don’t believe that the legacy at Penn will help you at any of the other schools so keep that in mind because I believe some of the other schools are reaches for you since you don’t have a legacy to those. Keep up good spirits and stay positive this whole process is scary! (If you have time please go to my thread and chance me!)

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@turbosloth Thanks for responding! I know that Penn legacy won’t help me at other schools as a hook. I was just saying that it would be a hook for UPenn.

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Bump.

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Bump again.

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You have a great shot at a decent amount of these schools. Not the parrot the other people but yeah schools like Columbia and Chicago will be hard to get into. Thanks for chancing me earlier today. You are a great applicant for those schools, and you should get into most.

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@Jensen41 Thanks for responding! Yeah, I see what you mean. I know theoretically in my head that I have probably less than a 5% chance at either Columbia or UChicago. I just fell in love with them when I visited, and I would never forgive myself if I didn’t go for them (unless of course I get into Penn :wink: ).

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Bump.

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http://thepenngazette.com/five-is-four-cs-
and-the-right-road-to-college/ This should be helpful to you- I’m a Penn legacy as well, applying ED to CAS. ED admit rate for legacy applicants is around 40 percent, luckily and almost unfairly, but I have also read that legacy status is not given any consideration in the regular round. I feel like it would almost count against you RD because it indicates that you’re not really that invested in the school in light of the fact that your parent’s affiliation should make you more committed…

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Apply to Penn ED – that’s your best shot.

Penn ED = mid/low reach depending on significance of legacy
UChicago = reach (hard essays!)
Columbia = reach (soo competitive)
BU = low match
Northwestern = low reach
Tufts = match
NYU = match
Northeastern = low match/high safety
UMass = safety
BC = match
WUSTL = very high match/low reach

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Have you thought about adding schools where you qualify for Merit Aid?

based on your desired major - why no Liberal Arts Colleges on your list?

Perhaps add some schools with the strongest programs in your major and subtract some schools that you list but wouldn’t attend

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@decidophobia Single best post I’ve read on this entire website. Thank you. Fantastic article. I sincerely hope we both make it. Everything you said is completely true. Mid to high 40% is both lucky and extremely unfair, and I know that, and I wish I could apologize to all of the people who may be more qualified than me and rejected because they don’t have legacy, but Penn is legitimately my number one choice (I would be doing it regardless of the legacy) because of their Philosophy, Politics, and Economics major is just a once-in-a-lifetime major that is not offered anywhere else, and also because they allow you to take graduate law classes and because when I stepped on campus, it just felt right. I was always planning on applying ED, but I should count myself very lucky to have this huge hook. And if I don’t make it, well, then I really didn’t deserve it.

@chopin1810 Thank you for responding! I agree with you. Penn ED is my best shot, and legacy is about a 15-25% boost in chances, so that is pretty significant in my opinion.

@ClarinetDad16 Thank you for responding! Yes, I have thought about schools where I could potentially qualify for merit aid (NYU (I know. It’s never going to happen.), GWU, BU (I’m applying for the Presidential Scholarship and Kilichand Honors College), Northeastern (I’m 100% sure I fall within the top 25% of applicants, so I will probably receive somewhere between $5,000-$25,000), and UMass Amherst (which is in-state anyways, so reduced tuition already).) I don’t technically need aid to attend any college. My parents have enough saved to pay for almost four years and I plan on getting a job and a loan (if necessary) to pay for the last fraction of the fourth. I have also decided to apply for financial aid because my family is going through a few job switches right now and that may impact my chances of getting some money. As for the liberal arts question, it’s a valid one. My answer is that I’ve visited them, and I’ve found that the small, very tight-knit community does not really work with me. I want a school with at least more than 5,000 people in it, and I like the variety and opportunity national universities present me. I want the opportunity to explore. I recognize that a few of my schools do not actually have the strongest programs in what I want, but of the 12 I currently have on my list, I would say about 8-9 do, including all of the top ones, most of the matches, and a few of my bottom 5. For that reason, I am very satisfied with my current list and will definitely not be changing it again. Thank you for the input, though.

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Well, I don’t know much about GPAs because I am from India, but I can see that you have a ton of good ecs and a good sat score.
But most of the schools you are applying to, are very competitive.
BU-match
BC-match
Northeastern-match
Tufts-match
NYU-match
Wash U-match
Uchicago-low reach
Upenn-low reach, even if you have a legacy
Umass Amherst-match

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@ZGMFX42SDestiny Thanks for responding! It’s true. Many of the schools that I am applying to are competitive, but based on my school’s history and acceptance rates, I expect to get into a good number of them.

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By the way, it is good that you are applying early to Upenn, and combined with your legacy and sat score, ecs and other factors, I would say that you have around 30-35% chance of getting according to their admissions data

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@ZGMFX42SDestiny Thanks. I think it’s about 10% higher than that though.

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I think you have a solid (albeit far from certain) shot at Penn, especially as a male applicant in Classics. You have a terrific resume and demonstrate serious intellectual curiosity.

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Nope, its accurate. One of my friends who got into Upenn last year also had a legacy and applied early. His sat score was 2280.

It will be helpful if someone chances me too here : http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/discussion/comment/18701114#Comment_18701114

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@woogzmama Thanks for responding! You know you’re the first person to reference the Classics. Do you think that will help me in any way stand out? I thought that a 17-year-old kid with a large background in philosophy, law, history, and business might make me a good fit for the Philosophy, Politics, and Economics major there and make me stand out (even if only a little among a very qualified group of applicants). My commonapp essay is about my passion in philosophy, so I’m hoping that combined with the legacy, solid ec’s and leadership, good enough test scores, good recs, and a great supplement might be enough to warrant an admission.

@ZGMFX42SDestiny Oh, okay. Earlier someone posted an article from Dean Furda that said otherwise, but in my opinion, it wouldn’t change my approach in that I am going to give it my all either way. If your friend was an international applicant (you do live in India I recall), then maybe that would explain his reduced chances.