Chance me/match me as a mid hs student [NY resident, 95/100 GPA, 28 ACT, <$10k, molecular biology]

Chance Me / Match Me
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hi guys!! im quite new here and im really nervous. i know this is a normal process for college admissions but i just can’t help the feeling of not being able to get into any school or even worse falling into debt. pls let me know if my college list is realistic or not or if i have a chance to get into these schools!!

Demographics

  • US citizen
  • State/Location of residency: NYC area
  • Type of high school: Large specialized high school (so very competitive school..)
  • Other special factors: First Gen

Cost Constraints / Budget
Looking to pay less than or equal to $10k a year if possible

Intended Major(s): Molecular Biology

GPA, Rank, and Test Scores

  • Weighted HS GPA: 95/100
  • Class Rank: school doesn’t do it
  • ACT Scores: 28 (planning to retake)

List your HS coursework

  • English: AP ELC (waiting for score)
  • Math: Precalculus (junior) and Calculus (senior)
  • Science: AP Biology (waiting), AP Computer Science Principles (4), AP Psychology
  • History and social studies: AP World History (4), AP Comparative Government (senior)
  • Language other than English: Spanish 3 (regents)

Awards:

National Honor Society Inductee

College Board National Recognition Program: First Generation & School Recognition

Extracurriculars
Chemical Engineering Summer Camp, Manhattan University

Attended a chemical engineering program at Manhattan University and learned chemistry with a lab experiments which included creating a water filter.

Summer Youth Employment Program, Center at Family Life at Sunset Park

Distributed meals at a food pantry and collaborated with other youth to make a project based learning assignment to document what service means to the community.

Big Sibs

Welcomed incoming freshmen at our high school and helped transition them into our school and create a friendly environment for them. Also volunteered at the annual freshmen orientation and served as student representatives.

Independent Seller, Depop

Sold second-hand vintage clothes and clothes for some extra money. Made ~$200

Event Coordinator, Club

Worked to create fundraiser events for this club to help children in need who do not have access to games.

Art Teacher

Volunteered as an art teacher for elementary students over the summer and created pieces of artwork for them to take home.

Sound+ Science

Learned about the production behind music making such as digital recording and Hip-Hop. Also learned valuable skills such as python coding and software (summer 2026 program)

Essays/LORs/Other
Personal statement about how growing up with a visible birthmark taught me that the first thing people notice about someone is rarely the thing that defines them, and how that realization changed how I see myself and others.

Schools

  • SUNY Binghamton University

  • Boston University

  • Brandeis University, EA

  • Case Western Reserve University, EA

  • Fordham University

  • Manhattan University

  • Northeastern University

  • Purdue University

  • Rutgers University

  • Syracuse University

  • Tufts University

  • Tulane University, EA

  • University of Miami

  • University of Pennsylvania

  • University of Southern California

  • University of Wisconsin-Madison, EA

Is my list too unrealistic for what I am?

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Have you run the net price calculators field the colleges? Budget may be your biggest issue.

Bringing your ACT score up will be important for admission to the schools on your list.

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yes i have the prices range from $7-20k a year which is honestly giving me a heart attack… i qualify for full aid from FAFSA as well

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Take schools off your list that are well over budget.

I do think the 28 ACT is low for many schools on your list. Check the stats online for each school.

You need some safetys (financial and academic).

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thank u :goat:

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Have you taken some level of chemistry and physics? If not, be sure you are taking them senior year.

I agree that some of these schools will not hit your budget. Run the NPCs and then cull from there.

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yes i have! i only included the ap classes i took and not the regular ones. i forgot to mention that next year im taking biochem and intro to neuroscience as well!

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So the good news is you are already much better than a “mid” candidate. If you can improve on your ACT, even better.

As others are explaining, though, your budget is low. And that’s fine, if some NPCs from your list are already coming in below budget, you almost surely can go to a very good and also affordable college.

As others also explained, you should not waste time and energy on colleges without a favorable NPC, unless perhaps realistic merit could make up the difference.

If you cut the unaffordable ones and list just the affordable ones, we might then be able to give you some suggestions about others to consider. But really, it would be good to know your final ACT before trying to refine things too much.

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hoping for at least a 31 for september..! the ela section for the act really nerfed me and math carried me overall (34) so im hoping for a 30 for both english and reading tbh

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The timing is intentionally very hard to master, but usually people who identify and then practice strategies that work for them can improve.

And again, you’re already doing well, but if you can expand your options a bit, why not?

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The problem with your list is that I don’t see a safety. You need a school that you can afford where you are assured admission (or has such a high admission rate that you can assume that you’d get in with your stats. We’re talking over 80%]. Start with SUNY schools and see if they will work. Once you find your safety, you can then start figuring out if any of your others on the list are affordable.

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thank u!! im considering a few CUNY schools as well

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You’re list is likely overly ambitious given your budget and test score. But many of your schools meet need - so you need to run the net price calculator - they’ll tell you their cost up front. If your family makes less than $65K a year, you might look at questbridge.org.

You might look at SUNY low income programs - I believe one is called TAP. That might be your best path - assuming you are low income - and there will be SUNYs you can get into.

Some schools on your list are need aware meaning they might use the amount of need you have in the admission decision.

But any school over budget is an easy removal. The flip side to that is any school within budget is highly unlikely, even with a 31 ACT.

So make sure you have SUNYs. And not just Bing, Stony Brook, etc. The issue though may be it might cover tuition - but not living costs - which will be over $10K.

Is there a school where you can live home and attend (public)?

Good luck.

Excelsior Scholarship - SUNYCUNY and SUNY Free Tuition · NYC311

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You don’t sound like a “mid” student! Bring that ACT up, as others have suggested, but otherwise I think you’re doing fine academically. Unfortunately, your budget, not your stats, will be your biggest challenge.

I suggest taking out-of-state public schools off your list, as they won’t meet your budget. I like the SUNY suggestion.

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OP- congrats on all your hard work.

Have you had a sitdown with a college counselor yet? He/She will be able to give you a sense of where students with profiles like yours have gotten in to. That will be helpful perspective.

Which CUNY’s are you researching? And the plan would be to live at home and commute, yes???

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def. im looking at BMCC rn since i have a friend there whos doing a paramedic program there!!

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Identify schools that are test optional.

Are you close enough to commute to a CUNY?

Have you checked into the Excelsior state scholarship? Tuition free at SUNY and CUNY if your family’s taxable income is less than $125,000. Chek the fees at each school to find a match. “Tuition Free” can sound better than it is if the fees are high. I think that Binghamton is one of those where the fees are almost equal to tuition. Excelsior won’t cover the fees, which is why you need to check each school as tuition and fees even from one state and city school to another. You also still have to cover the cost of room & board or commute. Community college for the first 2 years is another cheap way to go.

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I believe you could benefit from considering some purely undergraduate-focused colleges with strong programs in the biological sciences and excellent science facilities. Bates, for example, could make a good reach.

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From an admissions perspective, we would need to understand how your weighted 95 is calculated to know if unrealistic… or just share your unweighted. I anticipate that in a test optional environment, you might be ok - but let’s see. The $10k is giving me pause, as your income matters here. Again, we do not have all the info needed to guide.

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Do you qualify for EOP/HEOP?
If you don’t know, ask your GC.

A 95 from an “entrance exam NYC school” will carry you about anywhere except the obvious, even if it’s weighted.
Your test score is dragging you down- spend some time with Erica Melzer’s books this summer (Your 34/Math is topnotch so working on reading/grammar questions will automatically raise your score and those books are very methodical in how to do exactly that.)

Remove the OOS publics (Purdue, WI, Rutgers) - If you really want to go out of state to a big public university, look into Western Michigan University, or Temple University since they offer scholarships but I doubt it’d be as within budget as a SUNY.

You need to expand to more SUNYs:
Bing, SB, Buffalo are all excellent.
+City College perhaps?

See if you’d qualify for Questbridge.

I second the Bates suggestion. They’ve been test optional for almost 60 years and know how to select excellent students without test scores.

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