Bad Grades, Good Test Scores

Chance Me / Match Me
1

<p>General Comments: I was rejected from Penn ED. I’m applying to New York University, Boston University, George Washington University, Swarthmore College, Drexel University, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, and University of Minnesota–Twin Cities</p>

<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown): 2110: 780 Math, 670 Writing (8 essay), 660 Critical Reading
[</em>] ACT: 30: 34 Math, 32 Science, 30 English (6 essay), 24 Reading
[<em>] SAT II: 800 Math Level II, 780 Math Level I
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.0
[<em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): approx. 40/120
[</em>] AP (place score in parenthesis): Calculus BC 4 (AB 5), Spanish Language 4. Enrolled in United States History, English Literature, United States Government, Statistics
[<em>] IB (place score in parenthesis): None
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load: Tutor AP Spanish Language, Tutor AP Calculus AB, AP United States History, Local History, AP English Literature, AP US Government, Statistics (AP independent study)
[li] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Achievement Scholarship Semi-Finalist</p>[/li]
<p>[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[<em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Lincoln-Douglas Debate (Letter, Captain), Secular Student Alliance (Founder, President, Student Congress Club Rep), Business Professionals of America (Secretary)
[</em>] Job/Work Experience: Mexican Restaurant, Grocery Store, McDonald’s (40 summer, 20-35 school year)
[<em>] Teacher Recommendation: excellent
[</em>] Counselor Rec: excellent</p>

<p>[/ul]Other[ul]
[<em>] Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
[</em>] Intended Major: Economics
[<em>] State (if domestic applicant): Montana
[</em>] Country (if international applicant): United States
[<em>] School Type: Public
[</em>] Ethnicity: White, African American, Native American
[<em>] Gender: Male
[</em>] Income Bracket: $20,000
[li] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM, first generation, under-represented state</p>[/li]
<p>[/ul]Reflection[ul]
[<em>] Strengths: Test scores
[</em>] Weaknesses: GPA/rank[/ul]</p>

2

<p>NYU: Reach (NYU is likely out of your budget)
BU: Match (BU is likely out of your budget)
UNC: Reach (under-representated state is not a hook at UNC, and it’s like applying at Swarthmore in your situation)
GWU: Reach
Swarthmore: High match
Drexel: Safety
UMN: Low match/Match (depending on how much bearing URM and under-represented state is at UMN)</p>

<p>Are you sure U Montana or Montana State is not a good idea?</p>

3

<p>Your grades and class rank show that you spent too much time working at McDonald’s. With your decent SAT I’s and II’s showing strong math, you should be trying privates where math is very important like Lehigh and Case Western instead of BU and GWU. You were at much better fit at Penn than you are at Swarthmore. </p>

<p>BTW Native American is a hugh hook at Dartmouth. Of course, your grades are a big problem anywhere. You have to tell the story of how you worked during your time in school.</p>