Do I even stand a chance?

allenj5793
Sat, 17 Mar 2012 02:55:25 +0000

I’m hoping to transfer to Duke from UNC. I love UNC’s campus and that area of NC, but I hate how large it is–not just class wise, but in general. I’ve already filled out my application, I just want to know what y’all think.

I’m Caucasian, low-income, and from a small, rural town in NC. Most of our students don’t even go to college.

My first-semester GPA at UNC was a 3.462. My grades were: A, A, A-, B, and a C+. This semester will be about the same, but I’m in some of UNC’s most rigorous courses.

My high school GPA was: UW- 3.8, W- 4.7. I took a total of 4 APs, which was all that my school offered at that time. I was ranked around 7th in my class due to a terrible start my freshman year. In a matter of a year, I went from 19th place in my class, to 7th. I had, by far, one of the most rigorous schedules in my class.

ACT: 27C (Oct. 2010)
SAT: 1770 (Oct. 2010)
Math Level II: 670 (Dec. 2010)

Awards:
-NC Scholar
-President’s Scholar
-AP Scholar
-Mu Alpha Theta Medalist
-Academic Excellence in a variety of courses
-“A” Team
-many other awards.

Involvement:
-Vice President of Mu Alpha Theta
-Beta
-Various other service clubs
-I’ve participated in a variety of fundraisers and what-not
-Volunteer at a local nursing home
-Year-round job. I work when I am home for the weekend.

I’ve also participated in some research. In my particular county of NC, we had to complete a Graduation Project. I chose to do mine on Biotechnology, and I had one of the more demanding projects from my class. I couldn’t really find a way to integrate this into my application, though. I thought about sending them a copy of my portfolio, but we’ll see.

Assuming my essays were strong, and my recommendations end up being strong, do I even stand a chance?

Thanks for your input!