Will essays save me?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Okay, so imagine I have a 33 ACT, 3.8 gpa, and the hardest courseload at my high school, in addition to college courses that will let me skip my entire freshman year (not including APs):</p>

<p>According to CC, my chances at the most selective (brown/stanford/dartmouth) are slimmer than most people's chances at being rejected from DeVry University. My gpa is basically final (junior year is over). And I have little time to improve extra curriculars. </p>

<p>There are only two areas where I can save me-self (or attempt to): test scores and essays.
If I get a 33+ on the ACT, do I have any hope in acceptance to, say, Brown (with essays that contain a melted reduction of my heart mixed with soul and passion)?</p>

<p>Or should I just take a deep breath, come to reality, buy some Arnold Palmer, and finally start watching that show called Lost?</p>

2

<p>Essays are as important as test scores in my opinion. You need to do well in both areas to get into competitive schools.</p>

3

<p>I should have mentioned in my previous post to look at my EC’s in my past threads. </p>

<p>I want to know, despite all aspects of the application to be equally importat, if my EC’s are so weak for these schools that even with amazing essays, I will still have an extremely small chance.</p>

4

<p>*despite the fact that all aspects of the application are equally important</p>

5

<p>What is your class rank or estimated percentile?</p>

6

<p>

</p>

<p>As much as it sounds nice, it’s not true. There is a much higher chance that high test scores override a bad essay than a good essay overriding a bad test score. It’s well known that academics are the primary criteria for selective colleges. If the academics aren’t up there, an essay won’t save the app.</p>

<p>Back to the OP, the scores/academics certainly don’t look to be the strongest (a 3.8 w/o context looks to be a little weak). A 33 isn’t a bad score, it’s up to you whether it’s worth your time to re-take it. A school like Brown, though, seems to be a lot less concerned with academics and tends to value “fit” more than the other institutions. (As such, they don’t even report their SAT score ranges to college board!) You’ll kinda have to find what Brown is looking for, but they do care about their essays a little more it seems. The other couple care a little more about academics than Brown so essays may not play as much of a role, but they can still tip your app in your favor.</p>

<p>Oh, and all aspects of the app are NOT equally important. Academics first, then ECs, then Essays and Recs. The first two are the meat of admissions decisions while the latter play a relatively small but sometimes influential role.</p>

7

<p>Right, Academics get you in the door, essays recs and the rest get you through it.</p>

8

<p>Could you help me out? I’d really appreciate it if you could be gentle if you don’t think I could get in, and tell me why… don’t just say “Forget JHU, you’ll never get in there!” Lol.</p>

<p>I want to apply to:
Johns Hopkins University
University of Pennsylvania
Duke University
Carnegie Mellon University
George Washington University
University of Maryland, College Park (the main campus everyone knows about)
University of Maryland, Baltimore County (Meyerhoff Scholars Program)
Penn State University, University Park (main campus)
American University</p>

<p>Intended Majors:
Biomedical Engineering, Pre-Med <3 (I’m afraid my SAT I math score may hinder me though, especially at Hopkins. Hopefully a good SAT II math score and my 5 on AP Calc, which I worked REALLY hard for, balance it out. What do you think?)
Biology (Back-up)
Chemical Engineering (Back-up) </p>

<p>High school junior! (c/o '13, yeaaaaa!! )</p>

<p>I’m from Maryland and our transcripts include a regular cumulative GPA out of 4.0 and a weighted GPA (called a QPA, or quantitative point average) out of 6.0, depending on whether you’ve taken standard, honors, gifted and talented (G/T), AP/IB courses (listed in order of least to greatest weight. G/T and AP/IB are weighted the same. It is NOT possible to get a perfect 6.0 unless you’ve taken like G/T Physical Education and courses alike, which aren’t offered.)</p>

<p>Ethnicity/Race and gender(this shouldn’t matter, but I heard it could be a deciding factor): African-American female</p>

<p>Lower to Regular Middle Class</p>

<p>GPA: 3.9/4.0
QPA: 5.4/6.0
AP courses: Calculus AB- 5
Biology- 5
English Lang- 4
Chemistry (Senior year)
Calculus BC (Senior year)
English Lit (Senior year)</p>

<p>Never ever gotten a C as a quarter or final grade, and I pride myself in that </p>

<p>Other notable courses:
Pre- IB Physics
College level Physics (at community college)
Pre-IB Chemistry
Anatomy and Physiolocy Honors
AP US HIstory (no AP score; don’t really like history so I didn’t want to take the exam)
4 levels of G/T and IB Spanish
G/T Pre-Calculus
Honors Trigonometry with Analytical Geometry
Honors Application to Robotics and Principles
and others (mostly arts, history, english, and courses needed for graduation from a Maryland public high school)</p>

<p>Class Rank:
1 out of 202</p>

<p>SAT I:
1930
M- 640 CR-600 W-690 Essay- 10</p>

<p>SAT II:
Just took it last week (June 2012). Scores come out in 2 weeks, so I’ll update this post when its out.
Biology M
Math II
Physics (in October, after my college physics course)</p>

<p>Extracurriculars (not in any particular order):
Current Student Member of the Maryland State Board of Education
President of the National Honor Society
Leader of the Robotics Team
DECA
Debate Team
It’s Academic! Team
Leader of a Christian teenage group that participates in community outreach programs
Mentoring Program
Pittsburgh Project: Rebuilding houses for the needy in the city of Pittsburgh, PA
A community walk to raise money for water wells in Africa and other developing countries and regions
Girls Track and Field
Girls Varsity Soccer
Bible Club
Cheerleading
Captain of JV Track team (10th grade only)</p>

<p>Jobs:
Founder of Infinite Pride Tutoring (Pretty cool, huh? I actually wrote a business plan and everything.)
Babysitting</p>

<p>Achievements:
DECA Marketing Mathematics Regional Champion 2012
DECA Marketing Management Regional Champion 2012
DECA Marketing Management State Champion 2012
Front page article of community newspaper acknowledging nomination for the student member position of the Maryland State Board of Education
MPSSAA Student-athlete Certificate (Grades 9, 10 and 11)
Academic Honor Roll since the sixth grade
County Champion in the 300m hurdles, runner-up (2nd place) in the 100m hurdles, 2nd place in the 4x200m relay, and 1st in the 4x100m relay
Regional Competitor (5th) in the 300m hurdles in the 10th grade</p>

<p>Strengths:
Although it may not show through my SAT’s, I think I’m a really strong math and science student. I’ve discovered in the past year that I am actually a strong writer, and leader if I may add.</p>

<p>NOTE: NONE OF THIS IS MADE UP!!!</p>

<p>Thanks so much!!</p>

9

<p>Your sat of 1910 will screw you over for top colleges </p>

<p>Sent from my Desire HD using CC</p>

10

<p>If you were referring to me, then I think you meant a 1930. Top colleges? Please be more specific. Which ones are shoe-ins, matches, and reaches.</p>

11

<p>But if u get a 33/34 act you will increase your chances greatly. As to what colleges need what SAT scores, go to collegeboard.com and it tells you exactly what range is needed on math, CR, and writing–for each college! </p>

<p>Sent from my Desire HD using CC</p>

12

<p>So if I worked really hard and bumped my ACT to above a 33, could I make up for my not so stellar EC’s? I think in my essays I can show that I’m the type of student that would fit in at at Brown (just my luck- one of the few schools that I have fallen in love with is an ivy league with a 9% admit rate).</p>

13

<p>Cortana- I’m in the top 10%. My school doesn’t rank.</p>

14

<p>Myraven, don’t hijack people’s threads, this is the second time I have seen you post on someone else’s thread. Make your own thread. With a 1930 SAT, your screwed your gpa doesn’t help much either. And your achievements aren’t that good for some of the colleges on your list. These rankings are if your essays and recs are good.</p>

<p>Johns Hopkins University- HIGH Reach
University of Pennsylvania- HIGH Reach
Duke University- HIGH Reach
Carnegie Mellon University- HIGH Reach
George Washington University-Reach
University of Maryland, College Park (the main campus everyone knows about)-High Match
University of Maryland, Baltimore County (Meyerhoff Scholars Program)- Match
Penn State University, University Park (main campus)-Match
American University- In</p>

15

<p>Unlike kiddo64, I’ll try to be semi-respectful about this.</p>

<p>Obviously you’ve limited yourself to a certain extent. Those schools, as you know, are incredibly selective. Most of those accepted have GPAs comparable to and typically higher than yours. That isn’t to say yours is anything to be disappointed in, but you must come to terms with the selectivity of the schools you’re interested in. </p>

<p>Essays are a crucial component at the most selective schools. Anyone who says otherwise is severely misguided. Those sample writings are a testament to the applicant’s character, creativity, writing ability, and ability to effectively communicate in an economic manner. Virtually every candidate will have great scores and grades, thus rendering the essay an opportunity for one to set him or herself apart from the others. </p>

<p>Now, will it save you? That’s a difficult question. If you’re expecting a 33, which is far off from a 1930 SAT, you’re a competitive applicant in that specific sense. Are your ECs superior to other competitive applicants? That is where I begin to question your odds. ECs are absolutely crucial to one’s chances at an elite institution. If you fail to demonstrate any passions or leadership, you really limit your application. You may be the best student on paper, but if you haven’t actively inserted yourself into the community via athletics or community service, you’re essentially preventing the possibility of being accepted at a top-20 school. </p>

<p>So, at this point, there are two areas of improvement that you can focus on: doing something “special” this summer that you can reflect on in an essay and the preparation for the ACT. If you do that, you have positioned yourself well.</p>

16

<p>Central, were you talking to me? I’m getting a little confused as to who is addressing who. </p>

<p>The more I research Brown, the more I feel like it’s the best fit for me. If I show that I have learned in Brown’s style my entire life, and have a type of ‘Brown mindset’, through my essays, will Brown give my essays a little more weight/give me a better chance?</p>

<p>My EC’s, although they show passion and leadership, are not brandished with awards and acheivements (you can check them out in my previous threads). I kind of feel like the only way I can make them seem purposeful is if I explain their effect on me and how I used music (my main EC) as a gateway to other things (mainly science). To me, it seems to fit Brown’s method of learning, so will I still be at a set back or will it actually turnout to be an advantage?</p>

17

<p>Who else would I be referring to? Whose thread is this?</p>

18

<p>Well you were speaking of a 1930 sat; seeing that I never took the sat, you could have been talking to the other guy who decided to use thus as a chance me thread.</p>