Other special factors: Not sure if Sri Lankan/Gay is “diverse.” Also, I am a College Prep Scholar (CPS). Statistically, I’m more likely to match (5-6x).
Intended Major(s)
International Relations, Public Affairs, Poli Sci
ACT/SAT Scores: Test optional unless required (1330 PSAT, waiting on SAT and ACT)
Coursework (AP/IB/Dual Enrollment classes, AP/IB scores for high school; also include level of math and foreign language reached and any unusual academic electives; for transfers, describe your college courses and preparation for your intended major(s))
16 APs by graduation, 13 honors.
Right now: Human (4), Euro (3), World (5), Psych (5). I am taking 6 APs now (junior). 6 senior year.
Awards
(National) Ranked First Against 2x NSDA National Winner in Round
(National) National Qualifier in Original Oratory
(States) 4th Place Novice States Impromptu Speaking
(States) Quarterfinalist Novice States Original Oratory
(States) Qualifier in Original Oratory
(States) Qualifier in Impromptu Speaking
(National) AP Scholar with Distinction
Extracurriculars (Include leadership, summer activities, competitions, volunteering, and work experience)
2 paid jobs:
a legislative job at one of if not the largest nonprofits in its niche.
Bank of America student leaders (4% acceptance rate)
My 5 ECs:
Save Sri Lanka: Food Packet Initiative
Raised funds to address Sri Lanka’s food crisis, feeding 6,000+ people across 6 provinces with $8,000+ donations from 12+ countries.
Founder of [REDACTED]
Founded an LGBTQ+ rights social media brand reaching 3M+ people, amassing 5,000+ followers in 25+ countries, focusing on developing nations.
Speech and Debate Competitor
Projected top 15 and 40 national rankings in Original Oratory and Impromptu Speaking, respectively, by senior year-end; team captain, growing from 3 to 10 active members.
CIO
Spearheaded education-focused human rights campaigns; managed a 50-member team, expanded to 66 countries with 5,000+ members, and facilitated 6,500+ tutoring hours.
Essays/LORs/Other (Optionally, guess how strong these are and include any other relevant information or circumstances.)
LOR from APUSH teacher who got me into CPS. Will also get a LOR from my debate teacher. Both know a lot about my struggles, etc.
You don’t need to excuse a 3.8 - but watching your brother may make for a great essay. But don’t excuse anything and frankly there’s nothing wrong with a 3.8.
It doesn’t sound like you’ll be TO - you simply don’t have your score yet - if I’m reading right.
I don’t think Asian Sri Lankan and Gay matters - they can’t utilize race today unless you put it in another place - essays or club and gay is not a draw (or an inhibitor). So to answer your question, not it’s not diverse - and if anything, Asian is over represented at most schools although maybe not Sri Lankan.
I can’t chance you and more goes into this like your finances but you state you are 5-6 times more like to match than others - so I would imagine that your odds are solid then.
Either way, best of luck - and the reality is, given your majors, you can do well from many places - so if you don’t match, there are other meets need schools where you likely would.
Congratulations, that’s a truly impressive and humbling resume.
For your major JHU should be ranked higher and MIT shouldn’t be ranked at all.
Taking care of your little brother counts as an important activity that should appear in CommonApp.
Have you researched the strength of debate at each college and reached out to the teams/faculty advisers?
Students who only rank national universities and no national LAC tend to fare less well in QB match so you may be a bit too optimisric aboit your odds being 5 times higher, but your top 5-6 are all definitely within the realm of possibilities.
I can see Columbia and UChic if you like the idea of a core curriculum and an urban setting but wondering about Brown and Dartmouth, are they just on there because they’re Ivy+?
I agree that a 3.8 is nothing you need to excuse. The one “chancing” factor that IMHO dims your chances at some of the tippy-tops is class rank. If you look at the Common Data Set for each of your schools (search within the file/page for “class rank” to get to this quickly), you can view the stated importance of class rank to admissions decisions, and the percentage of first-year students who ranked in the top 10% of their class (and in the top 25%). At Stanford, for example, class rank is considered “Very Important”… and 96.2% of entering students were in the top 10% of their HS class. Stanford also has a lot of recruited athletes, and I’d guess that they account for most of the 3.8% who got in without being in the top 10%. At MIT, rank isn’t weighted as heavily (it’s categorized as “Considered”) but 97% of entering first-years are in the top 10% of their class.
MIT, in my opinion, is a waste of a match-ranking spot. Sure, it’s possible to major in Poli Sci there, but it’s not a standout school for IR, and your odds of matching there are exceedingly low. (Their QB Scholars are most likely going to be STEM-oriented students at the tippy-top of their HS classes, and with tippy-top test scores.)
I would also think hard about Notre Dame. Yes, they try to be inclusive and supportive, but the impacts of both Catholic conservatism and Midwest conservatism on your daily life there would still be significant. This article is just once example, but I think it gives a good snapshot of what LGBTQ+friendliness at ND looks like: Lessons from Notre Dame on ministering to L.G.B.T. students)
I’d be looking to fit schools like Tufts, Wesleyan, and Macalester into your match list. All are excellent for poli sci and IR. All are LGBTQ+friendly schools in progressive states. And having schools like these, where the share of students with class rank between 10% and 25% is 10% or greater, will increase your odds of a Match offer, which is quite financially advantageous compared to getting in under QB RD after failing to match.
You have an impressive record, and you have overcome a lot to achieve everything that you have. Any school on your list (or not on your list!) would be lucky to have you! I’d just tweak your list a little, as suggested above, and focus on crafting compelling essays and making sure that your recommenders include context about the challenges you’ve faced - not by way of excusing anything, but to highlight your character and resilience. Good luck!
Congratulations on all of your many accomplishments to date!
In thinking about your interest in international relations, I was a bit surprised by some of the schools that did (or did not) make it onto your list. How did you select the schools on your list?
To be honest, the schools that raised my eyebrows the most because of the (smaller) number of students with similar majors were:
MIT
Northwestern
Dartmouth
Cornell
WashU
Notre Dame
Of course, you may well have chosen the above schools for other reasons. But if you were to think about switching out any of the schools on your list, I would take a look at:
Okay, that makes sense. I’m at the stage of refining my list. I’m most likely going to drop Dartmouth, MIT, Notre Dame, and WashU for Tufts, Boston U, USC, and Hamilton. Thanks!
Okay that makes a lot of sense. I’m at the stage of refining my list so forgive me for my ignorance. I’m most likely going to drop Notre Dame for Tufts. Thanks!!!
I’m glad that you’re continuing to think about the schools you want to list, but make sure you look into the schools and their offerings for yourself to see whether you think they’d be a fit. Don’t just change a good chunk of your list because of a stranger!
No yeah, 100%. Thank you so much. I appreciate it. Do you think I have a good chance to my dream colleges? (Stanford, Princeton, Yale, UChicago, Columbia). I just want to know where I’m at and what to expect lol.
About the only people I think have a good chance at those schools have an Oscar on their shelves or an Olympic medal on their wall. I think you stand a legitimate chance at those schools, though. These schools have far more wonderful candidates than they can accept…usually many times over. So, virtually nobody has a good chance, but I would not be surprised if you get an acceptance.
But trying to give you a sense of what to expect…let’s say that you’re right and that your chances are 5x better than normal. If a school has an acceptance rate of 4% and your chances are 5x greater, that means you have a 20% chance of being accepted. That still means there’s an 80% chance of receiving a rejection/waitlist. So, odds are, you’re not going to get in to those schools. But by putting them on your list, you might get in. (If you don’t list them then it’s impossible to get in.)
So essentially I would say, give it your best shot, but also be thinking about backup plans and then be happy if you don’t need to use a backup plan.
@AustenNut@aquapt@MYOS1634@merc81
Thank you all for your help, how does this look as a refined list?
Stanford
Princeton
Columbia
Yale
JHU
UChicago
UPenn
Brown
UVA
Vanderbilt
Tufts
BostonU
USC
Hamilton
Middlebury
Vanderbilt
I have 3 main reasons why I these colleges in this order:
I believe you exceeded the QuestBridge limit for the number of schools that can be ranked. Edited to note that Vanderbilt appears twice.
When you research these schools thoroughly, you will learn of special programs. Hamilton, for example, although not in a city, offers semesters in D.C. and NYC, with associated internships.
You need an easier school - not that Mac is easier but it’s easier than those and strong in your majors, frankly stronger than some on your list.
You really have to read about TN and the legislature - from defunding the HBCU and dissolving the board after promising funding to all the anti lgbtq legislation. Not a good state to reside in if you’re not white, christian…that’s not Vandy…but the state…openly this way and while other states are trying but their legislatures are protecting the citiezens, our legislature is all in.
Oh, I know about TN. My “spike” (if you want to call it that) is political activism. I live in Florida, and most think that’s the “worst” state. I tell them to look at TN.
Also, I 100% agree with Mac. I’m adding it to my list right now!
