ChanceMe: Boston College, Barnard, Brown [3.7 UW GPA, 33 ACT, Poli Sci, average stats, strong ECs]

Chance Me / Match Me
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Demographics

  • US citizen
  • State/Location of residency: Suburban MA
  • Type of high school (or current college for transfers): Medium sized public HS
  • Other special factors: parent faculty legacy to Northeastern

Intended Major(s) Political Science, Government

GPA, Rank, and Test Scores

  • Unweighted HS GPA: 3.7/4.0 UW
  • Weighted HS GPA: 4.3/5.0W
  • Class Rank: not officially reported, still somehow confirmed top 10%
  • ACT/SAT Scores: 33 ACT (30M, 31S, 35R, 35E)

List your HS coursework
all honors, unless specified as AP, AP Scores being reported also listed

  • English: English 9, English 10, AP Lang (5), AP Lit
  • Math: Geometry, Algebra II, Precalc, AP Calc AB
  • Science: Freshman Biology, AP Bio (4), Chemistry, AP Physics
  • History and social studies: World History, US I, APUSH (4), AP Gov
  • Language other than English: French 2, 3, 4, and AP French
  • Other academic courses: AP Seminar, AP Research

Awards

  • Princeton Prize in Race Relations Finalist
  • President’s Volunteer Service Award Silver and Bronze
  • Rotary Scholar
  • Won $2,000+ in national french speaking competitions

Extracurriculars

Spike: using interest in political science/public policy to advocate for the eating disorder recover community using personal experience

  • National VP of Youth Political Organization with 11,000+ members, worked directly with DNC officials and campaigns to mobilize youth
  • Youth Advisory Board member of National Eating Disorder Advocacy Org, testifying my story at the state capitol to advocate for legislation
  • Eating disorder research @ Yale for 4 years
  • Board member of national body positive NPO, had work featured on Nickelodeon
  • Founder of eating disorder NPO connecting 7,000+ minority patients to eating disorder care
  • Smaller school work: NHS President, Speech and Debate Captain, TEDX Speaker

Essays/LORs/Other

  • Strong essays, supplementals highlighting niche spike. My story revolves around using background in public policy to support legislation helping eating disorder patients! Personal work involving personal story.
    *Yale Professor I did research with for 4 years wrote strong supplementary rec

Schools: Applying Regular Decision to

Not worried about getting rejected to reaches, got in early to a nice safety (note, rejected Yale REA)

Dartmouth
Brown
Cornell
UC Berkeley
UCLA
Boston College
Wellesley
Barnard
Northeastern
University of Rochester
and Harvard because you only live once…

Finances
Not worried about affordability, but middle class, will be seeking need based/merit based financial aid

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I hope you ran the NPCs because only a few of these offer merit. It’s stink to get in somewhere but not afford. The UCs will be $80kish. No merit coming.

It depends on how they see your math/science score.

Maybe Northeastern and Rochester but that you have a safety you love takes all the pressure off.

Not sure what you mean by faculty legacy. If you get Northeastern, it’s likely be an alternate campus.

Brandeis might make a nice addition as would Connecticut College.

Best of luck.

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I agree about checking NPCs. I also wonder if you looked seriously at what the UCs will cost you OOS. It can be prohibitive.

Given your academic interests, I also wonder if you considered any Greater DC colleges? They can be pretty cool for people with such interests.

Like George Washington actually has a decent merit aid program. Could be interesting to check out.

Since you mentioned a couple LACs, I would suggest looking at Gettysburg, which also has a pretty robust merit program and the very cool Eisenhower Institute:

https://www.gettysburg.edu/eisenhower-institute/undergraduate-programs/

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This. You’d be looking at around $80,000/year as an out of state student. No need based aid for out of state students and very little merit aid available. Can you family absorb this cost? If so, great. If not, then it may not be realistic, unfortunately.

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Also the cost of travel from MA is not cheap. A friend’s kid (MA) went to UCLA, the travel expenses was a lot.

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Obviously you are aware that most of the schools on your list are a bit reachy - i do think you have a better shot at BC, Rochester, Northeastern (with your parent faculty connection), and maybe Wellesley than the others. Good luck!

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