3.87 GPA in High School (3.75 freshman, 3.73 sophomore, 4.0 junior and senior)
Took Calculus 3 at Temple as part of my senior year.
AP Scores:
3 AP US History
5 AP Computer Science
5 AP Calculus BC
4 AP English 3
5 AP Government
` 5 AP Physics
5 AP Computer Science Principles
4 AP English 4
5 AP Statistics
4 AP Spanish 4
AP SAT Subject Test Scores:
AP US History: 620
AP Math 1: 790
AP Math 2: 770
AP Physics: 790
SAT: 1570 (taken only once)
ACT: 35
Sports/Extracurriculars:
Captain wrestling team (senior) (freshman-senior), track/field/cross country member (freshman-senior)
State champion in javelin (senior)
State qualifier in wrestling (senior)
Penn Relays High School Javelin Champion (senior)
New Balance Nationals Javelin 3rd Place (senior)
Ranked #1 in my School’s Chess Club (sophomore-senior)
Nationally ranked and Nationally Competitive Chess Player (Member of the World Chess Federation)
Co-Founder of my school’s entrepreneur club
A+ in Calculus 1 at Penn (summer before junior year)
Worked at Immunology lab at Penn (summer before junior year)
A+ in Mechanics and Heat Physics at Stanford (summer before senior year)
A+ in Electricity, Magnetism, and Optics Physics at Stanford (summer before senior year)
The USH is an issue . Probably also that your only ECs are sports and stem. And I sincerely believe kids shouldn’t claim.they’re experts. It begs the question, “Then why college?”
With the understanding that Stanford’s admit rate is slightly below 5%, I think that you will be regarded as a strong candidate for admission based on your intellect & athletic ability/accomplishments.
Guys his EC are very strong. Just to clarify you won the state title(what state) and the Penn Relays in the javelin? Did you not use this to be recruited? How highly ranked are you in Chess? Honestly you are a shoo in at Williams and Amherst and many Ivies. How does your javelin compare to the Ivy guys? Stanford will be much tougher to be a recruit.
So you have sports, stem…and chess. That’s it? (Besides founding a club.) No internships or outside experiences? No school math-sci collaborative activities? No volunteer anything?
I don’t see the gap but nothing going on?
Do you understand what S likes to see?
JHere is my chance thread and the example I use had a similar profile.
The most important factors are 1. Are you academically qualified to go (depends on school (3.8+/32+ for most top schools, but the higher the GPA/scores the better) 2. Are you hooked (athlete/URM/FG/legacy in that order, multiples would be super hooked) 3. If not 2 then do you have anything that sets you apart (National competition placed/won, unique abilities/EC). If you don’t have 2 or 3 than forget about SCEA/REA at HYPS, give yourself the best shot by EDing somewhere.
I do know one person who didn’t have 2 or 3 above but made it in. She was deferred SCEA, admitted RD. Stats 35/4.0UW/4.5W/state champion in her sport although not a recruited athlete, plus numerous other ECs. You can see that just with this sample size of one how difficult it is to get in on the SCEA round.
No one said he was a shoo in at Stanford. But winning the Penn Relays is a very big deal and hardly a minor EC. But having said that it only helps if you use the sports hook at a school that wants him.
You did say a shoo in and named schools. I find that misleading.
OP has not said he’s got recruiting interest. Outside being recruited, he’s not showing depth and breadth. Plus there’s an issue with USH. Not his major area, but a core. The competition is fierce and he has to know the rest may not be enough. He’d be helped by learning more about what S wants.
lookingforward he never said anything either way about his recruit status. Have you ever attended the Penn Relays? Any champion is a shoo in at any LAC and many Ivies. That is a fact. But of course the applicant must use that EC. Not showing breadth and depth is total nonsense. He’s a great athlete and nationally ranked in chess. That is plenty to get into most elite schools.
No he didn’t say. My comment still holds: if not, he does not have the full pattern others will have.
It’s not as simple as you make it out to be. I’ve seen Olympic kids rejected. I see it first hand, no speculation needed. They look for a host of attributes and strengths. The competition is fierce and a misstep in his app is a risk.
My statement stands as true. Joe is a shoo in at most elite schools if he uses his athletic hook and probably Stanford as well though the javelin standards will be much higher than HPY or other Ivies. Few olympians with excellent stats get rejected anywhere. Joe we need more details to be of any help.
You present a strong app (what we can see, anyway) and will be a competitive candidate. But unless you have a big hook, Stanford is still a reach.
Which other schools are you considering?
What are some of the things that are important to you – things you like, would like to avoid, etc.?
Regarding your javelin skills, if Stanford recruits you, that would be an enormous hook. But if they (and other selective private D1 schools like Duke, Northwestern, Georgetown, Notre Dame, Vanderbilt, Rice…) don’t, would you consider schools, that aren’t D1, that might? I’m thinking Ivies, UChicago, MIT, Wash U, Emory, Tufts, and LACs.
D3 what are you talking about? Do you not know the Ivies are full D1. No such kid goes D3 unless they are giving up sports. This kid was third at the nationals. There probably isn’t a school that wouldn’t recruit with that level of performance and a 35ACT/3.87 UW. This kid is a shoo at all but Stanford unless he didn’t use the javelin as a hook. And even at Stanford his chance of admission is very high. There just aren’t many kids with his combination of athletics and academics.
MODERATOR’S NOTE:
Let’s move on from the debate please. You’ve expressed your opinions on the chance and defended it. No need to beat a dead horse. Most of the experienced responders here know that all D1 athletics are not created equal, so while Ivy League colleges are technically D1, nobody is going to confuse Crimson Tide with Crimson.
