Can you chance me for JHU and Tufts?

ivyleaguewannabe · 06-30-2008, 11:29 PM

Hello everybody (again....)

So as college app time comes around (isn't everybody excited about the common App being available tomoroww), I have begun evaluating possible majors and possible schools. For those of you that have chanced me before, you may have seen my list. With continued research, I have decided to delete/add some new colleges to my list that I think would serve my career goals better. I have already asked many of you to chance me for ivies, but now I want your opinion on two other schools...Johns Hopkins and Tufts. ( I am hoping to major in international relations)

The Basics: 17 yr. old white male
Highschool: Tucson, Arizona: doesn't send many kids to ivies

UW GPA: 3.97
W GPA: 4.1
Class Rank: 12/600+
SAT I: 1940 (Will take again in November: shooting for 2150+)
SAT II: 770 USH, 750 Lit, 620 Math IIC (Will be taking Math IIC again in October for 700+)
ACT: Will take in September, hope for 30+

AP Tests will have taken/have taken:

AP Government (am awaiting scores from May2008)
AP Chemistry
AP Calculus
AP Micro/Macro Economics
AP Spanish
AP USH
AP English Lit
AP English

Should have really good teacher recs and amazing essays.

HS Activities:

National Honors Society Member (Junior Year Induction)
Academic Decathlon (Junior Year)
Ensemble Orchestra (Club)

Leadership positions:

Ensemble Orchestra Club President (maybe concertmaster, most likely second chair first stand, though)
Teen Court: Treasurer, 10th, President, 11th

EC's:

Teen Court Attorney, Attorney Trainee, Magistrate, Peer Justice Panel Member 300+ hours
County Attorney's office youth intern: 273 Hours
Ignite mentor to incoming freshmen
Will have 100+ tutoring hours by application time
Piano 12 yrs, Violin 9 yrs, Voice 2 yrs
Worked with a Bible Translation Team down in Mexico (a mountain village deep in Chihuahua)
Am preparing to publish a book of poetry Fall 2008/Spring 2009
Have applied for the Presidential Scholars Award for poetry
Am self-teaching myself Chinese
Am planning to found a political discussion club at my school this upcoming year.

Jobs held:

Teen Court Internship
Will start working at a music store this summer

Thanks again for chancing me on these places. Please be brutally honest with me. And for those that have already chanced me for other schools, thanks so much for chancing me for these schools.

silverchris9 · 06-30-2008, 11:46 PM

Your GPA fully qualifies you for both schools, and I would say, is a boost to your app at both as well. The weakest part of your app the SAT score, but I think at this tier, that shouldn't hold you back too much, since your GPA is great, your subject test scores are good, and your ECs are good.

I'd encourage you to email a sample of your writing to a teacher in the school's creative writing program, and some kind of music performance to the music department, if you're continuing in that area. Of course, for JHU, if you're applying to Peabody, you'll have an audition anyway.

In any case, you've got very strong stats, and I believe that the strong ECs will make up for the weak SAT score. That might prove a slight obstacle, but nevertheless, I see both of these schools as matches for you. 50-60% chances at both, and I would be slightly surprised if you didn't get into one or the other or both.

ivyleaguewannabe · 06-30-2008, 11:50 PM

Thank so much!! I have made chance threads with emphasis for ivies before, and it is so nice to have someone tell me I have a chance for other top schools!! You made my day..er night!!

I am planning to major in International Relations.

ivyleaguewannabe · 07-01-2008, 12:31 AM

anybody else?

ivyleaguewannabe · 07-01-2008, 09:07 AM

bump 10 char

sherlock1016 · 07-01-2008, 09:56 AM

I think you definitely have a good shot at both. I would be shocked if you didn't get into either. Your geographic location, great grades, great ECs and all that should definitely out weigh a mediocre SAT. And if you retake or do better on the ACT then it doesn't even matter! Your SATs are in the 2240 range as it is. I think you should be in at both schools. High Match for both, but if you brought up your SAT then a Match. They aren't going to completely weigh you down just for one test, even if it is the weakest part of you application.

Best of luck! (coming from a future IR major as well =D) Both are great schools!

sak09 · 07-01-2008, 10:03 AM

Interesting how I have the same exact SAT score as of now, and I'm also planning on applying to Tufts....haha. I'm most probably retaking in Oct though.

Anyway, you have great ECs so I think your chances will definitely be increased by that. Plus, your grades and class rank is also good. With that being said, both are probably slight reaches to high matches. Nothing impossible though.