After reviewing admissions stats for the millionth time and looking at my own GPA I’m freaking out a bit on where I can get into. Here’s a list of where I am looking at applying to that I’m uncertain of my chances for with an asterisk beside any I am considering for early decision. Please lmk what you think my chances could be for these.
-Davidson*(top choice)
-Tulane*
-Pitzer*
-Wake Forest*
-Emory*
-UNC Chapel Hill
Demographics:
-US citizen
Gaston county, NC
I attend a highly ranked CTE-based magnet school
First generation and partial athlete
I’m undecided in major but within the ballpark of social sciences and humanities
-stats:
-Unweighted GPA: 3.5
Weighted GPA: 3.9
Class Rank: my school doesn’t use class ranks
ACT/SAT Scores: will be retaking the ACT and haven’t taken the SAT yet but my projected scores for each are in the early 30’s and 1300-1450 range
-Coursework
4 APs, a plethora of college level courses in CTE and 2 college classes
-Awards: a choir recognition award and while it isn’t official I’ve been ranked as a top writer in my graduating year
ECs: Football/Football management, FBLA, student choir, full household responsibilities, tons of community service within my neighborhood and I’ve started my own nonprofit for low income families in my county
-Supplements: I know my essays are strong and I’ve had multiple classes with each of my recommenders, I’ve also done my own research paper and will be submitting it as a supplement to whoever will count them
-Finances: I’m a VERY low income student but due to financial circumstances I will still be able to receive a bit of money from my mom as well as an external grant through her employer who’s amount will depend on where I attend. I’ve stressed the finances of the places I’m considering till it sent my hairline back another millimeter so everywhere I’m considering I know I can manage to afford.
Those are all huge reaches and I can see you getting into none.
You should look at App State (as an alternative to UNC) or UNC Wilimington, Elon instead of Wake or Tulane, U of SC or UTK (as opposed to UNC), Rhodes instead of Davidson. If you want to be in a city, you can try American (you must demonstrate interest).
You should apply to your set - but they are a huge reach for you - so you need to have targets as well. A school like Elon or App State will fit you better in that sense.
I should probably add as clarification that this isn’t all places I’ll be applying to. I know these are all reaches and I’m just trying to pick the ones that I’d have the best chances for. I’ve already been admitted to Wingate through immediate action with scholarships and will be applying to NC State, one additional NC public college and Wofford as well.
Inasmuch as you are an in-state applicant, I think that your chances for UNC-CH are decent, if you can get an ACT score of 30+; there have been some recent changes to admission policies at UNC-CH to increase the number of students from underrepresented counties in North Carolina, as well as the number of economically disadvantaged NC students. You might qualify for Carolina Covenant at UNC-CH, as far as funding goes. Look at the Common Data Set for UNC-CH and see how your GPA and test scores compare with recent freshman classes that have been admitted at UNC-CH. Be sure to apply EA at Carolina, which in the past has had an October 15 deadline.
I agree with @tsbna44 that you should also consider applying to Appalachian State and UNC-Wilmington; maybe also consider UNC-Asheville, which is the public liberal arts school within the UNC system. Elon and Rhodes are also excellent choices; perhaps Sewanee as well.
Unless you are a URM in addition to your other characteristics, I think that your chances of getting meaningful amounts of money from Davidson, Tulane, Wake, or Emory are pretty low (I don’t know anything about Pitzer), even assuming that you are admitted there. So if money is going to be an important factor, I wouldn’t get too attached to these particular schools.
Finally, there’s no need to “freak out” about your college admissions chances; you will be fine wherever you end up. Where you are admitted does not define you as a person.