Chance me Ivys and Top LACs

Chance Me / Match Me
1

So I’m wondering if I have a shot at getting into these schools and if so how decent of a shot I have

UPenn (wharton)
Harvard
Dartmouth
Stanford
Williams
Amherst
Middlebury
Hamilton

Here are my stats:

Academic:
GPA: 3.82 (UW)
SAT I: 2160 (M:740, CR:690, W:730, E:10) retook this morning, hoping for 2300+
SAT II: Bio Ecology (740) *Taking Math 1, Math 2, and Chem in June
ACT: 35 (M:34, W:35, R:35, S:35)
AP: none taken yet; they start next week
Rank: unavailable at my school, probably top 10%
Class size: around 400
I attend a competitive public school, one of the top in the state
Senior Course load: Econ, Gov, BC Calc, Comp Sci, Physics, English (all AP)

Extracurricular:
Competitive swimmer: I spend between 17-40 hrs/wk swimming pretty much year round. I can swim at the DIII schools and some of the slower DI schools for recruiting, but not the top DI. I can post my times if that helps. For simple awards I am a state champion in the 200 Fly, a sectional qualifier in the 400 IM, and I have won the Distance High Point award at state championships. I’m a scholar athlete, CT top 16 swimmer since I was 9
FBLA: business club
Stock Market Club: active member, I’m really into investing
NHS
National Spanish Honor Society
Investing: Although not technically a school extracurricular, I spend a lot of time researching and investing in securities. I manage my own portfolio with my own real money.

Work:
Lifeguarding: I work on saturdays for 5 hrs during the school year and every day during the summer for up to 50 hours. I have multiple American Red Cross Certifications (AED/CPR and First Aid)

Volunteer:
I volunteer for CT swimming as a lifeguard when I’m needed
Participate in my town’s annual trash cleanup
Will most likely act as a NHS tutor next year
*I realize this category is pathetic

Personal Background:

ethnicity: caucasian
gender: male
income level: not sure but i’m guessing above $150,000

*My main activity is swimming, I’ve been doing it since I was 6 and it now takes up the majority of my time.I will stress my involvement through the essays.

Thanks so much for taking the time to read this, any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Also, pls be honest. Finally, of you have any questions that would help go ahead and ask, I will do my best to answer.

2

I forgot to mention Pomona as well

3

Your chances aren’t too good for the very top schools (GPA on the low end, SAT low, not a lot of high-level recognition) unless you plan to be recruited for swimming which you may have a chance at.

UPenn (wharton) - Mid Reach
Harvard - High Reach
Dartmouth - Mid Reach
Stanford - High Reach
Williams - Mid Reach
Amherst - Mid Reach
Middlebury - High Match
Hamilton - Match
Pomona - Low Reach

Tips:

  • I would only report the ACT score if I were you.
  • I would definitely look at getting recruited
4

@tooty44 I would probably only submit the ACT unless I do much better on the SAT second try. Also, I will likely get more leadership during my senior year and I am in fact in contact with all of the LAC and Dartmouth coaches. Hopefully that should help my chances.

5

@tooty44 thx for the response

6

Anyone else?

7

You only need math 2, math 1 is a waste of your time. search around this forum. Your ACT is great just submit that. Add a few more schools that are matches/safeties, to give you choices and to preserve your sanity. You seem like a really strong student. Good luck!

8

@TNE2011 thx for the advice, should I take English or history instead to have diverse SAT IIs?

9

You really only need 2 subject tests. If you really want to do a 3rd, pick the one you think you will do better on (history or English).

10

Ok thanks

11

Being someone who has been recruited by the Ivies for sports I would definitely suggest contacting the swim coaches at some of these schools. Your ACT and SAT II are very good. Only thing that might hold you back is your GPA. Having a coach support your application (and with those high marks I don’t see why they wouldn’t) will make a world of difference for you and your chances of being accepted.

With the swim team’s help, I’d say you’re a solid candidate for pretty much all those schools on your list. Stanford may be tougher, however, since you said you’re not top notch Division I-A quality

12

@cjrs123 so you think that even though I would be one of their worse swimmers (relatively) I should still contact the coaches? It may still help?

13

Definitely. I’m not sure if you’re familiar with Band System and Academic Indexes but you should be in Band 4 at all of the Ivies. If the coaches really are interested, they’ll encourage you to apply early decision and they’ll support your applications through admissions. Again, with your high marks, you shouldn’t have a problem passing through admissions if your application is supported through swimming.

14

@cjrs123 thanks a lot, I will definitely reach out to them.

15

@cjrs123 also, where can I find out more about the band system and academic index

16

No problem. Go to the team’s website and fill out a questionnaire. So for Harvard, go to http://gocrimson.com/sports/mswimdive/index . Under “recruiting info” select “Recruiting Questionnaire”. Fill that out. It puts your name in their database for recruits. That’s the first thing coaches will tell you to do when you contact them. Doing that before the coaches tell you shows initiative and shows your interest in the program.

Then, go to to http://gocrimson.com/sports/mswimdive/coaches/index . Find the email of the coach you’d like to contact and send them an email with your name, swimming experience, grades, ECs, etc.

Do the same for all the schools you’re interested in.

Good luck.

17

@cjrs123 sorry I have one more question… Is a band 4 the best or worst band

18

Band 4 is the best. With a 35 ACT and a 3.82 that should put you around a 234 Academic Index. To give you an idea, Band 4 starts around 208 for schools like Dartmouth and Brown and 213-214 for schools like Princeton and Yale. So you are in amazing shape academically.

I’m not sure how it is in swimming, but in football the Ivies can support 30 applications per year. They can support applications of however many players they want from the highest band because they are in the best academic standing. They can support maybe 10 in the 3rd band, maybe 7 in the 2nd band, and only 2 in the 1st band (only absolute STUDS are taken in this band).

Typically, Band 4 players are the ones who have a decent shot of getting in on their own. So you shouldn’t have a problem as long as a coach supports your application. If you’re a junior right now, I’d start making unofficial visits to the schools you’re most interested in. Attend junior day. Attend any camps they have this summer. Impress the coaches and you’ll wind up on their list of targets this fall.

19

Sounds good, thanks a lot this is really helpful

20

To everyone reading this: I’m still open to others’ opinions