I live in Chapel Hill. If I show direction in my essays do you think i could still get into cornell. I want to do molecular biology and genetics
@nickkraut, I gave geometry as an example of a subject that a student might need to brush up on, in response to your comments about the merits of studying for standardized testing. It was not a criticism of you or your scores.
GPA seems a bit low for JHU—generally how many people from your school get accepted to JHU or Cornell each year? You can compare your stats with theirs.
You will get into Pitt. Your parents are cool with paying full OOS tuition? Total costs will be near $42-45,000. You might qualify for 5-10K merit per year there–depending on how they view your GPA.
My parents wouldn’t be thrilled about 42,000-45,000. I wouldn’t consider the college if I didn’t get some form of grants, as my performance in high school is far too high above their averages for that.
I see that you tend to go around raining on people’s parades pretty heavily haha. I know my chances for Cornell are weak. Its just a reach
Is my GPA bad? I have high rigor and nearly a 5 GPA through junior year. I know I’m not top of the country but I view that as fairly strong. Also something to note is that I had a severe concussion sophomore year and my teachers largely ignored doctors notes and warnings that I shouldn’t be receiving so much homework. For that reason I ended the year with 4 As and 3 Bs
@nickkraut --me? I don’t go around raining on parades.
I let you know how much merit you were likely to get at Pitt. If you have some need, they do give a little need based aid to OOS students but I don’t know their formula for that.
EC’s are pretty bland and weak. Sports aren’t really a big Ec unless you are being recruited. It shows commitment, but it wouldn’t make you stand out. SAT/ACT is kinda low too. I had a similar SAT score and got rejected/waitlisted by the ivies. There are a lot of students who take really hard classes but have poor gpa due to course rigor (not saying your gpa is poor, since it isn’t), and there are many students taking the hardest classes who happen to maintain 3.9 UW or higher Gpa’s
Personally, I don’t see gpa as a problem. It’s more your EC’s. I’d say all are HIGH reaches (unless ur in state for UNC) besides Pitt and Utoronto
Reaches all around due to average/basic ECs. Do something more outstanding and you have a shot at some of theses schools. Maybe try to raise the UW GPA as much as you can. http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/discussion/comment/20608597#Comment_20608597 Chance me back?
You might get into Pitt, but I don’t think you’ll get accepted to Cornell. Like others have said, your EC’s are not strong enough to appeal to an Ivy.
I know that is a false statement. You can not tell me all of these colleges are a reach
I was not talking to you @carachel2. You would know if I was talking to you. I’m talking to someone who actually goes around telling people they have no shot
Youre a bit generic for ivies no offense. ECs seem cookie cutter and scores arent exceptional
@nickkraut LOL Everyone in yout thread seems a bit harsh; your scores are exceptional (top 1 %). However they are correct about your EC’s being a bit generic. If your essay can come alive in a way that promotes you’re star quality, wit, humor, grit etc. It might not matter as much. I will say that you have time over the summer to cultivate a few good EC’s, maybe start a free tennis tutoring club/ summer camp for underprivileged kids. Ask for your parents help on that one. Your GPA is a little low as well expand your search a bit to schools that care more ( a little more) about test scores than GPA (Vandy, WUSTL, UCB, UVA). For the schools you have listed I would say
Cornell- Reach
JHU- Reach(because of GPA)
Toronto- low reach( because of international0
UNC- CH- Match ( In State)
Pitt- Safety ( apply EA)
High school Junior
ACT:33
SAT:1500
taken both once. 780 math, 720 reading
9 APs by the end of high school
3.75 UW; 4.933 W GPA
ECs: JV tennis two years, varsity tennis two years
varsity football two years
quiz bowl clubs, volunteer work, summer job
Interest: Molecular biology and genetics / Clinical medicine