Crossing My Fingers

Chance Me / Match Me
1

<p>I just sent off the rest of my apps today! Am I toast or am I in the clear?</p>

<p>Applying this year to: Harvard, Georgetown (EA for SFS), Swarthmore (ED), Tufts, Reed, Macalester, Boston University, and American.</p>

<p>Grades:
Straight A’s except for B’s in 5 semesters of math (mostly honors math), B in chem, C one semester of physics and B for another, and a D in AP calc for a semester (I changed over to regular senior Discrete math and got an A second semester in that class). Don’t know my unweighted, but 4.125 weighted, top tenth of class of 76 people, magna cum laude. Took the most challenging curriculum my school offers. Took post-secondary classes at local state school and got A’s.</p>

<p>School Profile:
Small, very highly ranked public school in Northwest Ohio. Everyone graduates and almost everyone goes to college, though few out-of-state. Usually yields one or two Ivy-or-similar admits a year.</p>

<p>Activities:
Currently taking a gap year, volunteering full-time for FLOC, a labor union and social advocacy group that works with migrant farmworkers and is led by a MacArthur “Genius” grant winner. Currently taking a Photojournalism class at the local state school. Captained a national-champion quiz bowl team last year and was on the team before that since sophomore year. Model UN since sophomore year, won awards Jr and Sr years, was co-president of the group senior year. Cared for my elderly grandmother since Freshman year, going over there to help her with feeding/clothing/sanitary needs average 10 hours a week, more early on, less now. Piano lessons for eleven years. Local student jazz group for four years. Congressional intern for a week during this week where my school stops classes for students to do experimental education, travel, and internships. Nacel Open Door Homestay program in France, 2005. Received Linking Individuals, Nations, and Cultures (LINC) State Dep’t Scholarship for travel and study in Egypt, summer 2006 (I was one of 16 Americans selected from an applicant pool of 600). Founding Member, school’s Young Democrats.</p>

<p>Awards: Various school awards for French (including AP), Spanish, AP Euro and U.S. history, intellectual curiosity, and English. Future Global Leader scholarship from Americans for Informed Democracy to attend international program at Washington & Lee to study globalization in summer 2007. American Legion awards for school-wide and my school’s class of 2009-wide high score on their civics test, senior year. One of select group of anatomy students picked to dissect a cadaver. </p>

<p>Tests:
SAT (First Testing): 700CR, 560M, 780W.
SAT (Second Testing): 760CR, 640M, 800W.
Didn’t report ACT, but took it.
Subject Tests: 800 U.S. History, 700 French (w/ listening), 600 Chemistry
APs: 5’s in Euro history, U.S. history, English Lit/Comp, U.S. gov; 4’s in English Lang/Comp, French Lang/Comp
Didn’t report Physics AP results</p>

<p>Misc:
Applied last year to Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Georgetown (SFS), Swarthmore, Brown, UC Berkeley, Dartmouth, U-Chicago, Tufts, Middlebury, Bowdoin, Colby, and Michigan. I was accepted at Berkeley and Michigan, Waitlisted at Harvard, Georgetown (SFS), Columbia, and Colby. Rejected at the others. My parents both went to Colby. I was really late in the game on the apps last year, turning them in in December and not with the best essays now that I think of it. I’ve met my admissions officer from Harvard and had a little interview with her when I got waitlisted last year. I had an interview for Georgetown this year that went all right and one last year that went great, and am still in touch with both interviewers. I know a couple Harvard area reps and am friendly with them, and stayed in contact with my interviewer. I’ve visited all of the schools I’m currently applying to except American, though some not recently. Got great recs from my teachers and counselor. Will have rec from FLOC leader. I’m a twin. Suburban white guy from Ohio.</p>

<p>Strengths:
My essays are pretty good and I’ve shown them around to people I trust. Schools can tell I’m an international relations geek and good at the stuff. Good recs. Lots of honors and AP classes with A’s. Contact with allies. My school’s reputation is good. My gap year is unique and I’m doing service with it. Known for taking on challenges, intellectual curiosity, and strong work ethic.</p>

<p>Weaknesses:
I applied close to deadlines last year. B’s in most math classes. The D in Calc and transferring out of it. The C in Physics that one semester. Never been an athlete. One of my supplemental essays still had parts that had red text because I’m colorblind and couldn’t tell on the screen (I’d changed some colors to show new things I’d added during my drafting process). A bit worried about the personal statement essay I wrote for Georgetown (SFS).</p>

<p>Sorry about the long profile. I’m not trying to bash myself or toot my horn, but I wanted to be as complete as possible. Lay it on me. What are my chances? </p>

<p>Good luck to all of you who are applying this year!</p>

2

<p>wow i really love the way u took a gap year and committed urself with so many social works. :slight_smile: and photojournalism too!</p>

<p>well i dont really know much bout the high school grading system for US, but i think ur SAT1 has definitely improved a lot. i think ur ECs are very nice.</p>

<p>good luck with ur application. i can’t really chance u on ur schools coz i dont know much bout the process myself. x.x sorry man!</p>

3

<p>Hey All,</p>

<p>Just to let you know, I will chance if you chance me and give me your thread name. Sorry I didn’t list it in the title, I’m new on the site.</p>

<p>Thanks for the feedback.</p>

<p>Peace.</p>

4

<p>I think you have a really good shot especially with the gap year and all you are doing during it. You are definitely making me more nervous about my chances which is good for you :)</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

5

<p>Please keep the comments coming. I will chance yours if you chance mine, for sure. Thanks.</p>

6

<p>you know, i dont know much about chancing. ive never seen anyone take a gap year before, im kinda new to this process. but ur sats are good haha, thats about all i can say
good luck</p>

7

<p>seems to be pretty strong (sat scores and all, chemistry a little low) but the d in calc and c in physics may possible hurt your chances. although, you are overall, pretty well rounded. good luck (: please chance mine. P.S. i dont know how they will consider the gap year.</p>

8

<p>Any specifics? I know it’s hard to say, but if anyone has any more exact data (i.e. “I think you could easily make it into <strong><em>,” or “</em></strong>_ seems like a real reach to me”), that would be sweet. If you don’t, that’s cool, too. Thanks again for the replies! I’ll chance anyone who chances me as soon as I see them in there.</p>

9

<p>It’s sort of hard to chance you (and I’m not expert at chancing). It’s not just that you took the gap year. Your test scores are excellent (except for math), but you have some clinkers in the GPA including a C and a D.</p>

<p>The problem is that if I had just looked at your stats I would have said that last year Harvard would be almost impossible, yet you got waitlisted there as well as Columbia and some other high level schools, and accepted to Berkeley which also is extremely selective. Therefore, there must be something very attractive about your combination of stats and ECs that make you considerably more appealing to adcoms than the typical applicant, and they overlook those specific poor grades. Maybe it’s the National Quiz Bowl championship. And now you’ve got all those fancy activities from your GAP year as well. So probably the only thing resembling a reach on your list is Harvard.</p>

<p>Just my guess.</p>

10

<p>I’ve never changed anyone that has taken a gap year before, but after asking a friend in Harvard, it seems like they strongly encourage doing so.</p>

<p>Seeing that you got waitlisted in Harvard last year despite your grades (wow!), I would say you’d have a pretty good shot at Harvard, not to mention you have connections with the admission officers. I’m not really sure about the other schools, though.</p>

<p>Sorry on my limited abilities.</p>

11

<p>You definitely seemed to have made the most of your gap year, and since you said that you’ve done several interviews with various colleges that you got waitlisted at last year I’m fairly confident you’ll be accepted this year. Looking good.</p>

12

<p>Info, I def think taking the gap year was a fantastic idea, not to mention you really made the most of it. Besides those rough blocks, your GPA/ transcript seem to be Ivy material, EC’s are mind-blowing, SAT’s aren’t too bad (puts you at a loss with some of your top schools), and your repeated contact with interviewers from those schools/correspondents seems like an excellent idea; essays look solid; here’s my outlook:</p>

<p>Harvard: Reasonable Reach
Georgetown EA: Low-Reasonable Reach (you’re the type of exception they’d make in terms of those SAT’s, you seem to be a terrific student)
Swarthmore ED: Reasonable Reach (around 40-45% chance, I’d say)
Tufts: Match
Reed: Match
Macalester: Match
BU: In
American: In</p>

<p>you already chanced me, so no worries… and ps. I’m an MUN geek also =)</p>

13

<p>Did you reapply to Colby? I would think a good gap year might put you over the hump there with the legacy.</p>

<p>Waitlists don’t mean you almost got in. Schools waitlist students for all sorts of reasons other than they intend to accept them.</p>

14

<p>Hey hmom, does H stand for Harvard? If so, could I pick your brain a bit? Need all the advice I can get. :)</p>

<p>I didn’t reapply to Colby. To be honest, I didn’t really want to go there and everyone (parents, counselor, teachers, advisors, etc.) told me it was a safety school.</p>

<p>I couldn’t credibly write about seeing myself there. I probably sounded pretty insincere. On the other hand, I was writing in a hurry last year.</p>

<p>From what my contacts and admission officer at Harvard told me, the WL was really small last year and they barely took anyone off it at all, especially compared to 2008. On the other hand, they are really nice there and I’m sure that there is some softening of the blow involved in her rhetoric.</p>

15

<p>first of all, thank you for your great chance that you provided me. I rarely see such insightful and informational advice on cc (even though i am not that avid of a member). </p>

<p>You have an impressive resume. Your GPA is high (not eye-opening, but high), and your SAT’s are on par/better than the averages of any school your applying to… (except for Swarthmore and Harvard). </p>

<p>I like how you took a year off to focus on EC’s and important things to make yourself more well rounded. Harvard will LOVE that.</p>

<p>so here are your chances
Harvard - reach (its a reach for anyone). but i think you seem like a really well rounded student so although you may have a lower GPA and SAT than others applying to harvard, you stand a great chance.</p>

<p>Georgetown (EA for SFS) - i do not know much about georgetown except for that its a great school and that my friend applied with similar statistics but not as good of EC’s and was accepted. she is attending and loves it.</p>

<p>Swarthmore (ED) - great school, therefore a great choice of doing ED… as a liberal arts school, swarthmore looks at you as a whole student, not just your numbers. Because of this, and your ED, you stand a great chance. even though, like harvard, swarthmore is a reach for almost anyone, i would say it is a match/reach for you.</p>

<p>Tufts - do not know much about it but have read a bit… i think this will be a low reach for you.</p>

<p>Reed - do not know much but i think you are a match if not a safety.</p>

<p>Macalester - guaranteed in.</p>

<p>Boston University - im betting they offer you a scholarship.</p>

<p>American - safety.</p>

16

<p>

</p>

<p>It may not mean you almost got in, but there is no way you could possibly convince me it’s worse than being outright rejected.</p>

17

<p>you have a great chance at all of them. i know about american and i believe you’re in already. good luck.</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/811683-chance-oos-ucs-pleaseeeee.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/811683-chance-oos-ucs-pleaseeeee.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

18

<p>Thanks for the good comments, Infos33k3r. I say that are in for sure at all except Harvard. People with your stats and higher can consider Harvard a high reach. Keep voting and subscribing to the Democrats. Good luck, bro!</p>

19

<p>I agree, Bovertine. While schools WL for a number of reasons other than almost getting in, I’m glad I was WL’d rather than rejected. I applied to a lot of Ivies last year and got rejected by all except Harvard and Columbia, who WL’d me. The only Ivy I am reapplying to is Harvard because they WL’d me and also showed interest in me when I was on the WL, unlike Columbia. Harvard’s interest wasn’t like “we think you should have gotten in” interest, but more like “if you’re going to be in the Cambridge area, stop by my office for a little chat.” I would love to go to Harvard, but I recognize that my chances of getting in are, like everyone else’s, quite low. Doesn’t mean I can’t try, though.</p>

20

<p>Your activities and awards are insane (in the good way). I’m sure you have great essay topics… I pretty much agree with everyone else… Harvard is always iffy for everyone, but I feel like all you’ve done in your gap year will really make you stand out and I feel you may have enough to overshadow those few bad grades.
Question though: are you allowed to apply to EA for Georgetown if you’re applying ED to Swarthmore?
And I agree with shroomsm about Swarthmore. LACs do look at the scores/grades less intensively than research universities, which is a big plus for you. I think you’ve god a great shot there with ED.</p>