Chances for white-upper-middle-class-er

Chance Me / Match Me
1

<p>So what are the chances for a white uppermiddleclass male with virtually no hook (I really wish I had discovered that cure for AIDS though), and no significant legacy-status?</p>

<p>High School Class of '09</p>

<p>My high school is a competitive public school in CT(usually with a decent amount of ivy acceptances…though Harvard and Princeton are rarities)</p>

<p>Class Rank–97th Percentile (about 500 kids in my class?)
GPA UW–3.84*
GPA W–4.29*</p>

<p>*GPA were taken as of the end of Sophomore year…I’d tentatively predict my unweighted gpa to fall to around 3.75 and weighted gpa to rise to about 4.75 by the end of senior year</p>

<p>PSAT sophomore year – 213
PSAT junior year – 214 (lol @ major improvement)</p>

<p>SAT – 800 M 750 R 750 WR
– 2300/2400 and 1550/1600</p>

<p>Courseload – basically taking the most difficult courseload available with the minor exception that I took geometry > alg2 > precal > cal as opposed to starting with alg2 freshman year.
7 total APs (have yet to take an AP exam…not until this May)
13.5 honors classes</p>

<p>Have not taken SAT subject tests</p>

<p>EC’s – Physics Olympiad hosted by UCONN - 9
Constitutional Debate Team - 12 (haven’t technically taken yet)
National Honor Society - 12
Cross Country - 9,10,11,12 (Captain 11, 12) (Varsity 9,10,11,12)
Indoor Track - 10,11,12 (Varsity 10,11,12)
Outdoor Track - 9,10,11,12 (Varsity 10,11,12)
School Newspaper - 11,12 (granted, I only write…)
Also volunteer regularly at local road races run by bio teacher</p>

<p>Top Reaches –

  1. Dartmouth (would most likely ED)
  2. UPENN-Wharton
  3. UVA
  4. Notre Dame
  5. Duke
  6. Wake Forest
  7. Georgetown
  8. Princeton (just for fun of course)
    Other possibilities include: Northwestern, UChicago (although its supposed to be no-fun), WashingtonandLee, UNC</p>

<p>Many thanks in advance…if you have any questions feel free to ask!</p>

2

<p>Your SAT score, GPA, and rank is great so I think you have that part down pretty well. The only thing I see as a slight downside are your ECs. Not that they are bad or anything, they’re actually much better than average, but they aren’t as strong as most Ivy applicants. Now with that being said, I think Dartmouth, UPenn, and Princeton are reaches. I think Duke, G-town, and Notre Dame might be slight reaches/high matches.</p>

3

<p>bump…</p>

4

<p>You need to build your list from the safeties on up. While your numbers are excellent, this year’s results have had far too many kids of your quality who are sorely disappointed with their results at reach, and even match, schools.</p>

5

<p>i’d say you’re probably in at dartmouth ED</p>

6

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<p>Yeah the schools listed are just schools that I have in a pool of Reach schools that I am interested in.</p>

7

<p>Decent shot at U.Va.</p>

8

<p>Get into something totally different, like theater or writing, and I think you’d have great chances.</p>

9

<p>If you’re from VA, I would say you’re in for UVa. If not, I think you still have a great chance, but can’t say for sure…</p>

10

<p>I think you have a decent chance at most of these schools – good hard stats and your extracurriculars are decent. Perhaps I would develop a passion or longer-term interest in one or two ECs (seems that running is your thing) and show that you can become invested in something.</p>

<p>“So what are the chances for a white uppermiddleclass male with virtually no hook”?</p>

<p>What is this “hook”? Do you think being of an ethnic minority or working class is a “hook”? That’s not the way it works. Universities are trying to give chances to students who are historically disadvantaged in the admissions process, not simply because they need warm bodies of color and/or with no money but because those students often lack resources that traditionally non-disadvantaged groups have (as a person of color, I will say that’s usually truer for working-class individuals than ethnic minorities) to prepare them to gain entry to elite colleges. The purpose, or the function, is not to keep out white middle-class students.</p>

11

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<p>My usage of ‘hook’ is similar to what you described as what my application/candidacy is lacking:

</p>

12

<p>bump…</p>

13

<p>With great essays and Junior year AP scores in keeping with your grades and SAT scores, I think you are in at Georgetown and Notre Dame. I would bet you will be accepted eagerly at Wake Forest, probably with some merit money. As for Duke and Dartmouth, if you add to your writing activities beyond just the school newspaper, perhaps the community newspaper or some contests, you have a great shot. Wharton may be a different story…and who knows about Princeton. I think that matching your service activities to your passion for running is wonderful. Do more of that. Perhaps start a drive to collect old running shoes to be turned into ground rubber for playground surfaces. Best to you!</p>

14

<p>[One</a> World Running](<a href=“http://oneworldrunning.blogspot.com/]One”>http://oneworldrunning.blogspot.com/)</p>

<p>Here’s another idea related to running.</p>