Chances of getting into Georgetown, Brown, Johns Hopkins, Tufts, Northwestern, and/or Cornell?

Chance Me / Match Me
1

I’ve been doing a lot of research on these colleges and many more, but I cannot seem to determine my chances of getting into these schools. My major entering college will remain “undecided” because I am still unsure of whether I want to pursue the medical field through neuroscience or if I want to explore a career that would allow me to travel a lot through a major like international relations.

I am…
Female
First generation American with dual citizenship to Mexico
Volunteer at a well-known hospital in my area that may grant me a scholarship for my contributions
Attend a top private Jesuit college prep school in Chicago
Take all of the honors and AP classes available to me
-Soph year: AP US History, Honors Algebra 2
-Junior year: AP Chemistry, AP Comparative Government, Honors French 3, Honors Precalculus
-Senior year: AP Biology, AP Psychology, AB Calculus, AP French 4, Honors Journalism, Honors Film Study
Have a job as a lifeguard that I went to four times a week this summer
Went on a service immersion trip
Am in National Honor Society, and a few clubs at my school
Used to play volleyball and soccer for school, now I am on varsity bowling
I got a 30 ACT in June, but I plan on doing prep and raising my score by at least two points in September to a 32 and reaching a goal of 34 in the October one
I have a 3.8 GPA, but I’ve gotten a 4.0 sophomore and junior year, so a 3.5 from freshman year is weighing it down, but I show a good trend with my grades going up each year, and I plan on using my first semester senior year to raise my GPA.
The only school I have legacy at is Stanford when my dad applied as an international student from Mexico, so that wouldn’t really help me for these schools.
My letters of recommendation will be good because my teachers are aware of how important my schoolwork is to me and how strong my work ethic has been in their classes. Also, one of my letters may be from one of my dad’s friends who works at Northwestern.

I’m hoping to get another job during the school year and was invited to apply to the Johns Hopkins Overnight Multicultural Experience where I stay at JHU for a weekend to see what being a student there would be like.

I plan on applying to Georgetown early action and the rest regular decision since I don’t think early decision is right for me because I haven’t completely made up my mind.

Thanks in advance for replying, I am really nervous about the application process and hope I qualify to attend one of my top choices!

2

It looks like you have really good credentials, just work on the GPA, that’s all. I have to ask though because I am interested in JHU but wasn’t able to attend the overnight stay. How is it? Do you like the feeling on campus?

3

I haven’t gone yet, but I really hope I’m able to! It’s in September, and you can still apply up until August 31st. You should apply to it! It would really help you figure out if it’s the place you want to spend your next four years at.

4

What is your rank or the predicted rank?

5

Since my school is known for being one of the top in the state, it doesn’t provide a rank since many students are highly competitive for schools like these. We have different honor rolls, and I’m on the highest honor roll if that helps.

6

Definitely up your act score. Otherwise your credentials are good

7

You have very good chances at top colleges. You should try to get a 32 or higher on the ACT with Writing but 30 is not bad. Have you taken SAT Subject tests yet? Georgetown is not a good EA choice if you want better odds, I believe their EA admit rate is actually lower than their RD admit rate. What kind of financial aid will you need? Consider also applying to some LACs - Amherst, Williams, Swarthmore are all quite exceptional. You have demographics on your side

8

Yeah I’m really hoping my ACT will go up this September. I applied EA to Georgetown because they defer everyone they don’t accept so I figured it was worth a try. I’m applying for financial aid, but I don’t need a lot of it so if I’m not offered that much it’ll still work out. I’m taking subject tests this Sept or Oct I believe. Thank you so much!

9

There is a huge difference between a 30 and 34 on the ACT. A 30 is the 95th percentile and 34 is well within the 99th percentile. Strive for a 32 and build a diversified list of colleges. Expand your horizons beyond “elite” schools and seek out ones that are the best fit for you. It’s better to be in the top 25% of the enrolled class than barely being admitted.

10

You’re right. Thanks!