<p>For safies
UPitt
UMaryland
Bowdoin</p>
<p>collegehopeful:</p>
<p>These should be safeties for you, but I am concerned that the schools on your list are so so different from one another. Bowdoin has 1,600 students, UMD is very large, ditto UPitt.<br>
Can you make a case for putting each school (including these 3) on your list? You will need to make that case on each application.</p>
<p>Check on cheaptickets.com and find out the cost of flying home from Bowdoin. </p>
<p>Why Bowdoin–just curious.</p>
<p>UMarlyand gives good scholarships to OOS kids?</p>
<p>“UMarlyand gives good scholarships to OOS kids?”</p>
<p>Actually, in a curious turn of events, yes. UMD has for years bought the best instate students to build up their stats, which they’ve done quite nicely. Until this year, when they suddenly implemented a plan to widen their geographic diversity by giving a bunch of those scholarships to oos students. Many many surprised MD students! I believe they will continue this trend and their intent is to go toe-to-toe with UVA.</p>
<p>^Agreed. UMD has basically given up on trying to draw in their best kids, besides the treadstone scholarship recipients (some of whom turn it down), most of the NMF and NAF go out of state and never look back.</p>
<p>I am much less optimistic regarding your chances than most folks on this thread. First, I don’t have access to BxS data, but from what I’ve heard, a 92is NOT in the top 10% of the class. That doesn’t mean your GPA will keep you out, especially if your average was down one semester due to your aunt’s cancer. But you REALLY need to get VERY high grades first semester.</p>
<p>Second, your ECs are WEAK. I don’t mean that in comparison to most high school kids. I mean it in comparison to kids who get into Princeton from BxS. Lets see…the last one I know who got into P’ton was a starting player on the girls basketball team, pres or vp of Arista, and an accomplished pianist…and had a higher average. You don’t seem to have any leadership positions other than the one with Key Club, which may be more impressive than it “sounds.” BTW, are you in Arista? </p>
<p>Are you doing an Intel? If not, your app will look weak compared to all of the BxS kids who will do them. Now maybe your research is more impressive than you’ve made it “sound,” but almost everyone at BxS does research and I’d be stunned if at least a few folks in your class don’t end up as Intel semifinalists. So, COMING FROM BxS, just having done research is not going to make you stand out. It will help if you get it published, of course.</p>
<p>i would recommend keeping Columbia on your list. Columbia does give a slight edge to NYC public school kids, especially low income ones. You might think about applying to SEAS rather than the College. I would make the effort to ask the person heading your lab to sit down with you to discuss your college plans. BE ASSERTIVE. Ask for a rec NOW. Even though you are working mostly with undergrads and grad students, you want him/her to TALK TO THEM NOW and find out what they think of your work. You also have at least a month to go…and if (s)he finds out you want a rec, (s)he may make more of an effort to get to know you. Applying to Columbia as a pre-med type having worked in a Columbia lab, WITHOUT submitting a rec will positively HURT you. </p>
<p>I second the rec to apply to Sophie Davis. I also would also rec that you apply to some lower tier schools with good merit $. One I would rec is the U of Pittsburgh. </p>
<p>Williams is a REACH for you. First, it’s a relatively small school–500 students in a class. Only X # of kids from NYC will be admitted. Williams’s NYC feeders are Regis and Stuy. You are not just competing with BxS kids for an admissions slot, you are competing with all NYC kids. Second, over half of Williams students played varsity sports in high school. You didn’t. It will hurt you a bit. Again, I’m not saying you won’t get in–just that it most definitely is NOT a “match” for you. </p>
<p>You look very one-dimensional. You like science and math and that’s about it. That too will hurt. Do you do anything outside of school that would help ? For example, if you belong to a religious youth group and have a position of leadership there, mention it. If you play a musical instrument, mention it. </p>
<p>Please understand that I’m not trying to rain on your parade just for the sake of raining on your parade. I just think you are in for a rude awakening if you go into this with the idea that Dartmouth and Williams are matches. That’s crazy!!! It really is.So, is this statement:
“My EC’s are probably amazing compared to the rest of the nerds with higher GPA’s.”
It’s just not true. Ir really isn’t and I DO know what I am talking about.</p>
<p>Yea I am doding Intel. I thnk it will be more impressive this year. Almost 1/2 of the people who were doing it dropped out. Its usually 60 kids. 25 dropped put. So only 35 left.</p>
<p>Also how high would my first term senior grades have to be in order to even be considered for Princeton?Dartmouth/Williams.</p>
<p>I never said I worked in a Columbia lab.</p>
<p>Jonri,
I think the OP’s list is pretty reachy, too. There is no big hook here, and the odds are long for even more highly qualified candidates. I haven’t seen the OP communicate a lot of passion about what he’s been doing the past four years, and maybe that’s part of what makes me hesitant. </p>
<p>There are some excellent schools out there that would give the OP merit money/good FA, but at the schools on his current list, there’s got to be a compelling reason to admit. My guess is that some of those other schools would be a much better fit for the OP, too. (I like the idea of pursuing Questbridge or POSSE – when are the deadlines to get into those programs?)</p>
<p>I have a rising senior with top scores, etc. in a major metro area with scads of hyperqualified students, and I would be seriously concerned if he had a list like the OP’s.</p>
<p>While my DH was able to get into an Ivy from BxSci with a 90 average (which was top 10% then) and without a Westinghouse (now Intel) project, it just doesn’t happen these days. Don’t know what kind of emphasis BxSci puts on student research now, but DH had done research the summer after junior year, did not enter Westinghouse, and apparently he really heard about it from his teachers. He was a big math/sci guy then and it was EXPECTED, if for no other reason than to bring honor and glory to BxSci.</p>
<p>How about</p>
<p>Princeton University
Columbia University
Dartmouth College
University of Pittsburgh
University of North Carolina Chapel Hill
CUNY Honors Hunter College
SUNY Binghampton
Bates College</p>
<p>UNC-CH out of state is going to comparitively competitive to Williams/UVA/etc.</p>
<p>Bates doesn’t take test scores and they’re going to admit you as a person, which, at least on paper, does not seem to be a process that would be beneficial to you.</p>
<p>UPittsburgh/The College of New Jersey are better safety type schools out of state.</p>
<p>Jonri–you didn’t read the whole thread–but thanks for adding your NYC perspective.</p>
<p>college realizes that Princeton is a holy-mary type of application. He knows that Princeton will take students with higher GPAs.</p>
<p>The GC at BS said he was a match for Dartmouth–so we can to assume that BS thinks it is a doable reach for college. since UPenn favors kids form PHilly, Stnaford favors kids from California and WUSTL favors kids from ST Louis–I kinda thought Columbia might give some advantage to NYC kids. Thanks for verifying–although Helimom disagress with you!</p>
<p>college, that list looks good although you have four reaches, two matches and three safeties. I would like to see you subtract one reach (UNC??) and add a merit match school. What happened to Vanderbilt? What about the six year med programs carolyn mentioned? What about Grinnell?</p>
<p>Tell us why you took Bates over Bowdoin?</p>
<p>I thought Bowdoin would be a reach.</p>
<p>That program at Columbia Med has had 20 Bronx Science and Stuy kids. 18 have gone to columbia, 1 harvard and 1 NYu. Not sure if this means anything.</p>
<p>Isn’t Vandy really white and rich? Would a low income Indian fit in? Reasons like this have also made me question applying to Princeton.</p>
<p>Cheers, I DID read the whole thread…The point I was trying to make is that the kids who got into Princeton had better ECs than the OP’s. It isn’t just about the #s. </p>
<p>And I also know what the situation is at BxS about GCs. I think the GC is just plain wrong in saying Dartmouth is a match…I stand by my statement that Dartmouth and Williams are both reaches. Yes, based on stats they are matches, but it’s not all about the stats. </p>
<p>And CH, I thought the program at Columbia Med was a research program. That’s why I assumed you had worked in a Columbia lab.</p>
<p>CH:</p>
<p>Bowdoin is highly selective; but it has been trying hard to recruit more minorities, which, in its case, includes Asians.<br>
As far as being low income, my S’s friend at Harvard is on full ride and seems to fit in very well. He is part of some groups who regularly go out to eat together after practicing. He’s visited some roommates in CA (he’s from another state). I’d hope it would be the same at Vandy.</p>
<p>Vandy and Harvard are 10% asian and its 25% at MIt< Harvard and Satnford which is why they probably fit in more. Plus V and Princeton came in last for socioeconomic diversity. I am still in love with Princeton. Its like that dream girl you will never have but you can still dream.</p>
<p>Exactly, his GC said Dartmouth was a match but he’s revised it to a reach. Princeton is his holy mary reach app–a dream. Fair enough.</p>
<p>Good point about racial diversity, CH. What about BU for a match with merit money? It’s not just the racial diversity at H–it’s the feel of Boston and Cambridge that make those diverse groups feel comfortable.</p>
<p>I also liked UMd as a match. Why did you dump that? why have SUNY AND CUNY on the list? Maybe the NY mums can comment on that choice??</p>
<p>Do you like the feel of small LACs? Have you visited any? You could take a train to see a few from NYC.</p>
<p>Your list is getting there.</p>
<p>Next, you’ll have to concentrate on scholarships and essays.</p>
<p>There’s no reason not to dream. As I assume you know, Hargadon’s departure had the great side effect of drastically increasing the # of NYC public magnet kids at Princeton. Talk to Princeton. Find out if it will waive your father’s expected contribution. If it will–and fin aid will work with you on that question–you may want to apply ED. P’ton IS generous with fin aid. It’s just that I’m not so sure it will just ignore your father’s finances and you need to know that BEFORE you apply. If you’re really “in love” with P’ton, and you’re sure fin aid will be good, apply ED because if you don’t you may well be kicking yourself later wondering “what if?” I don’t know the exact # but P’ton takes a very large % of its class ED so if you don’t apply ED, it will hurt you as a “hookless” candidate. </p>
<p>But, that said…you need to realize that you can increase your chances of going to a top college if you don’t apply to the same ones that people just like you apply to. It may not be fair, but it’s simply true that the higher the percentage of Asians at a college, the worse your chances of getting in. The higher the percentage of pre-meds at a college, the worse your chances of getting in. The higher percentage of NYC kids at a college, the worse your chances of getting in. The more Intel winners a college has, the worse your chances of getting in. The higher ranked the math/science programs are, the worse the chances for someone interested in math and science. These are GENERAL rules. There are exceptions.</p>
<p>Also keep in mind that other people have “hooks.” You can’t just look at the scattergrams and think you can measure your chances by them. There was a BxS kid quite a number of years ago now who was ranked in the top 10 of male golfers under 18 in the US. He was ALSO ranked in the top 25 students in the nation in something very different. Now, most kids at BxS knew about the second activity because it was school related. But since BxS doesn’t even have a golf team, relatively few knew about that.</p>
<p>For several years after his graduation, kids would look at his stats and where he got in and way overestimate the odds they too would be admitted. (He was the best golfer on the team at the college where he enrolled as a freshman. Yes, the star of their varsity team.) </p>
<p>You may not know that your classmate’s dad went to P’ton or your classmate is a competitive ice dancer. (Princeton has an ice-dancing team and needs a certain # of ice dancers every year.) You may not know that Charles Smith checked the URM box because his mother is Hispanic. Just be aware that looking at scattergrams without knowing this data tends to give you an unduly optimistic sense of your chances. And that colleges that are less socioeconomically diverse are going to find you a more attractive candidate than those that are very diverse.</p>
<p>Great advice jonri. CH --email the Pton Fin Aid office and see if you can get them to waive your father’s contribution–try to get that waiiver in writing. You should also do the same at Dartmouth–and then choose the ED app strategically.</p>
<p>Havent you heard the news? Princeton and Harvard dropped early decision.</p>