What schools should I be looking at?

Applying to College
1

Hi, so I am a Junior in Philadelphia, PA and I was wondering if you guys could give me some advice on schools I should be looking to apply to (reaches, matches, and safeties).

In terms of restrictions, I am pretty flexible:

  • I would prefer a school on the northeast, mid-atlantic, west coast, or Michigan/Illinois, but I would be open to other options.
  • Size of the school is not too important - I wouldn't mind being at a small LAC or a big public university.
  • I am interested in studying business but if I go to college without a undergraduate business school I would probably study economics (I am not 100% set on business though)
  • Financial aid is not a major factor - my parents can afford to pay

And here is some background about me:

Arab Male
GPA: 3.88 (unweighted) at a top 20 private high school in the US
SAT: 2150 (I’ve only taken it once but I am deciding whether it is worth it to take it again)

EC’s:

  • Have played hand drums since I 6, violin since I was 10, and classical percussion since I was 12 (and I have played in multiple orchestras in and out of school)
  • Soccer, Indoor and Outdoor track throughout high school
  • Volunteer with non-profit culture and arts organization for over 5 years
  • Summer internship with urban development and consulting business
  • Month long internship with a news station in Lebanon
  • I am going to do a business program at Cornell this summer

Any help is appreciated!

2

Do you want to/have the ability to play soccer or run track in college?
What type of student body interests you (more for small schools): preppy, outdoorsy, artsy, sporty, etc.?
How do you feel about greek life?
Rural, urban, type of location?

3
  • For sports, I am most likely good enough for D3 track but it depends on how I do the rest of this year and next year
  • In terms of student body, I would prefer a good mix of social and academic (not too uptight and solely focused on academics)
  • Greek life is not a requirement but I would be open to joining a frat
  • Urban or suburban location (definitely not rural)
4

If you retake the SAT and get like 2200+, and really play up your extracurricular activities, you might have a shot at the University of Pennsylvania.

5

Yeah my brother actually goes to Penn and he really likes it so that’s one I’m definitely considering (and wharton is obviously amazing for business). Plus, our school always sends over 10 kids to Penn every year with an acceptance rate of 52% so it might be a realistic option.

6

Ivies

7

@thegrant do you think I need to get my SAT over 2200 for the ivies?

8

@JakBlak If you’re a junior still, take it one more time and u might even get it to a 2300- if u were anything other than Asian i would say no u dont need to take it again, but cause ur cursed with the dreaded ORM label, then definitly yes just to increase ur prospects lol

Are u part black or full Arab?

9

@thegrant well I am half Lebanese and half Egyptian. Even though my dad is from Africa I am pretty sure that I would still be technically considered white (so I would be neither an URM or an ORM).

10

@JakBlak bro what, no. u are a URM lol omg bro u dont even need to take it twice, your a URM with a 2150, and a 3.88 UW GPA, ur set for ivies

11

@JakBlak people who are 1/16th black say they are black to try to gain an edge in admissions, your half black bro – Egypt is in Africa ur good

12

@thegrant I like the way you think. :slight_smile:
But yea, try to aim for some safeties obviously and some match schools. Try for the UC’s also.

13

@thegrant that’s what I thought at first too but a bunch of people told me north africans are considered white (which I think doesn’t make any sense at all) but does anyone else know if this is true?

14

@IBGuy101 :slight_smile:

@JakBlak trust me, some of the people that are applying as black look whiter than a girl at Starbucks-- Its ridiculous really. You have the right to say your black haha. (your going to Yale)

15

@JakBlak That absolutely preposterous. I am from east africa. Africa is Africa. We are African-american.

16

Whiter than a girl at Starbucks?! Excuse me?!

UPenn seems within reach if URM works, otherwise no. Maybe NYU Stern?

17

@IBGuy101 I 100% agree but if you look up the definition of caucasian it includes north africa…So I would technically have to put caucasian down on the application.

18

@JakBlak Ultimately, the only thing stopping you from gaining a possible advantage in college admission is you. Take it or leave it. (Not trying to be ignorant or anything.)

19

South Africa is in Africa too. That doesn’t make Oscar Pistorius black. OP’s background would contribute to diversity and he looks like a great applicant for many selective schools, but an Arab Lebanese-Egyptian is neither black nor URM. If he were Somali he’d be black, but not as an Egyptian Arab. C’mon.

FWIW I don’t care for the “Asian” label (which my son can check) because it’s stupidly unrepresentative of Asia, which happens to be a big place with many ethnicities (including, technically, Lebanese); I certainly don’t like what I’ve read about discrimination against “Asians;” and the notion that someone from the Middle East would somehow have to check the same box as a Swede is as ridiculous as the notion that there is one thing called “Asian.” So yeah, the categories are problematic. But that’s not a reason to look for loopholes and ways to manipulate admissions. Just be who you are.

20

@IBGuy101 Really? You’re encouraging him to lie about his race to gain a small advantage in college admissions. You do realize that is unethical, right? Don’t ruin it for people that actually are URMs.