Hi,
I’m a rising senior. I go to the Governor’s School for Science and Mathematics. I want to study either chemistry or econ/polisci in college
I just wanted to know my chances of getting into these schools based off ECs and scores not the essays.
School Background:
Selective school that selects 150 students from across the state (SC) to attend a STEM intensive public boarding school
Ranked top 20 in the nation by the Washington Post.
We don’t rank but i was 2 at my old school when i left at the end of my sophomore year
GPA: Unweighted 4.0 weighted 5.256
APs: World History, Statistics, Computer Science, US history, Lang, Lit, Physics C mech and E&M, Biology Micro/Macro, Chemistry, Calc BC. 4 or 5s on all of them hopefully. Didn’t take bio and have not taken Lit yet.
Schedule for senior year first semester:
Multivariate calculus
Analytical chemistry
Organic chemistry
AP lit
Research
Test scores: SAT 2290 (1600 M/CR) ACT 35 (36 E, 35 M, 34 R, 36 Sc)
ECs:
President of Youth In Government club at school. Committee Chair at november conference
Secretary of NHS
Student council
Founder of speech and debate team
Founder of community and service that goes to elementary schools in local community and does science experiments for kids.
~200 community service hours from being a physics, math, writing tutor
Red cross volunteer freshman and sophomore year
Natural Helper at school ( 10 guys and 10 girls selected as “role models” for incoming juniors to help them adjust. Selected by faculty and students)
Varsity Basketball and Soccer captain (played junior year and will play senior year)
Co-president of math team.
Researching this summer in Korea at KAIST. 3 kids from my school were selected to go as a part of a research program
Awards (Weaker area):
Eagle award for basketball (Coach’s leadership award)
National Merit semifinalist hopefully finalist
AP scholarship award
Most outstanding bill YIG 2014 conference
Black Belt
RPI medal winner
Varsity Letter Basketball
Varsity Letter Soccer
I was really into debate freshman and sophomore year but had to quit it when i left. Going to start it again senior year.
9th place in Public forum debate at George Mason national tournament and 2nd ranked debater in state as a sophomore.
What are my chances of making it into these schools based off of this information? Just want to see how I stack up. I know the essays are a big part but I am working hard on those. They should be well thought out and original.
Thanks!
@potato7166 Your chances are probably good, but ask yourself what is the numerical value of a good chance?
As a student, you are painfully aware that your peers will apply to a dozen or more schools, schools where the amount of available desks has not changed much over the past 10 years or so. When I applied to college in the early 1980s you applied to 4 or 5 schools mostly because you had to type the applications and physically mail everything. It was a real pain. Information about schools was limited to the big giant Barron’s book. Yes paper.
Today your chances of getting into a top school are no different than they were 20 years ago but it is harder to get in individual schools. The probability of acceptance is dispersed over a broader sample.
Your goal should be to get in a top school given your stats but not anyone in particular. If it happens that is great, but just don’t plan on it.
Duke and Vanderbilt are matches and I think you have a good chance. Yale is too unpredictable to give chances but you are in the ballpark.
I think you are a legitimate candidate for all three in varying degrees. Vandy and Duke match. With Yale being a slight reach. More crucial is how you articulate why these three schools, and what you would contribute to their different communities. Best–
Vanderbilt is a reach for everyone because Vanderbilt accepts just 12% of applicants.
Yale: 15%
Vanderbilt: 30%
Duke: 30%
Your stats look great! You have diverse ECs and attend an excellent high school. I’m wondering if you have legacy at any of the schools because that will influence your chances. If your school is a feeder school, I’d say you have a very good chance in getting into both Vanderbilt and Duke. Yale on the other hand is a lottery as all Ivy Leagues are. The only advice I would give you is to solidify your relationships with your teachers to further improve your impressive resume. Good luck with everything!
^ So Cornell is a lottery because it is an Ivy but Duke isn’t even though it is more selective? Does that logic seem sound to you?
You seem like a strong candidate with good grades, scores, ECs and coming from an excellent school. Obviously the three schools you mention have very low admit rates (per US News 2013, Yale is @ 6% and Duke and Vanderbilt are @ 12%). You probably want to add some schools to your list that are similar mid-sized research universities with higher admit rates – Rice, Johns Hopkins, Emory come to mind but there are others. You should also consult with your school’s college counselor and/or Naviance and see how students from your school have done at those schools either RD or some kind of early decision or early action.
Haha Vandy and Duke are matches? In what world?