Homeless to Princeton? Chance me + Chance back!

Chance Me / Match Me
1

Hey all!
Here’s another one of those baseless prediction feeders hoping that it’ll somehow calm me down until late March… I promise to chance you back to the best of my abilities as well.

Chance me!

-SAT: 1840 (630 R, 600 M, 610 W) on 7/2014
then 2080 (730 R, 700 M, 650 W) on 11/2014.
Will take again on 1/2015, can muster a 2150-2230 through superscore

-SAT Subject Tests: 800 Spanish, 710 Math 1, 700 Literature
-GPA: 3.97 unweighted
-Class Rank: 7/287 so top 2%
-AP: US History (5), English Lang (5), English Lit, Art Studio, Psychology, Statistics
-EC’s: National Honor Society (Treasurer), National Hispanic Honor Society (VP), Key Club (Secretary), National Art Honor Society (VP), Science Honor Society (Treasurer), Volunteered close to 1,000 hours to various organizations
-Job Experience: Worked at Brookstone wherein I outsold to the point where I was selling over $8,000 every week, got a “Certified Gold” status and worked closely with my district manager to train new recruits
-Essays: Common App was amazing, don’t mean to toot my own horn but most likely the best writing I’ve ever done and I was able to get a 5 on the AP Lang test. It talked about how being homeless shaped me, was read by a few people, made my sister cry, my counselor thought it was “phenomenal”
-Recommendations: Beyond amazing rec from my apush teacher who’s I thought would be just ok, but ended up saying that I will succeed in whichever I venture I pursue and any institution would be sincerely lucky to have me; very good rec from my AP lang teacher, not sure about my counselor’s rec

Other
State (if domestic applicant): WI
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Hispanic
Gender: Male
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM (Hispanic), was homeless for a while during my childhood (?)
Income: <35,000

I have been accepted to the following schools:
-Mississippi State University ($72,000 academic scholarship)
-University of Kentucky ($40,000 merit aid)
-School of the Art Institute of Chicago ($87,000 merit award)

Please Chance me on my dreams:
-Vanderbilt University
-Harvard
-Princeton
-Brown
-Georgetown
-Cornell
-USC
-Dartmouth
-UC Berkeley
-UCLA
-UChicago
-UPenn

Thanks! Please comment that you’d like a chance back for me to do it!

2

Wow your situation is quite remarkable and will heavily increase your chances for these schools.

Vanderbilt - High match/low reach
Harvard - Reach (reach for anyone)
Princeton - Reach
Brown - Low reach
Georgetown - Low reach
Cornell - Low reach
USC - High match
Dartmouth - Low reach
UCB - High match
UCLA - Match
UChicago - High match
UPenn - Low reach

I think if the adversity you’ve overcome really shone through in your applications then I wouldn’t be surprised if you got into a handful of these schools despite them being so competitive. Your GPA and SAT subject tests are stellar and your EC’s are generic but solid.You have a strong application and your hooks will definitely help you out

  • If you can improve a bit on your SAT score you may have a really good shot at Harvard.
    Good luck!
3

Your ECs are good. Your test scores are pretty good, and your story is great. If you rxpand on your story(like you said you did in your essay), youll have a great shot at some of these.

-Vanderbilt University: Reach(from what ive hear and seen all they want is scores)
-Harvard: Reach for everyone
-Princeton: Reach for everyone
-Brown: Low Reach/High Match
-Georgetown: High Match/ Match
-Cornell: Match
-USC Match
-Dartmouth: Low Reach
-UC Berkeley: instate: match out of state: low reach
-UCLA: match
-UChicago: Reach(mostly just wants test scores)
-UPenn: Low Reach/High Match

4

Your story is amazing and if you can make it shine in your essays, I think you will have a great shot at any of these schools.

-Vanderbilt University: Reach
-Harvard: Reach
-Princeton: Reach
-Brown: match
-Georgetown: match
-Cornell: match
-USC: match
-Dartmouth: match
-UC Berkeley: low reach
-UCLA: match
-UChicago: Reach
-UPenn: low reach

5

Improving your SAT score would help a lot. Regardless given your unique background and story, I think you have a decent chance at many of these colleges. I could see you potentially getting into all of them, as long as your essays are well written.

-Vanderbilt University - low reach/high match
-Harvard - reach
-Princeton - reach
-Brown -low reach
-Georgetown - low reach/high match
-Cornell - low reach/high match
-USC - high match
-Dartmouth - low reach/high match
-UC Berkeley - high match
-UCLA - high match
-UChicago - low reach/high match
-UPenn - low reach/high match

Good luck, and I hope you do well!

6

-Vanderbilt University: Low reach
-Harvard: Reach
-Princeton: Reach
-Brown: match
-Georgetown: match
-Cornell: match
-USC: match
-Dartmouth: match
-UC Berkeley: match
-UCLA: match
-UChicago: low reach
-UPenn: match

You are amazing. People like you make me afraid of the competition of applying to college. You’re so strong!

7

-Vanderbilt University: Low reach
-Harvard: Reach
-Princeton: Reach
-Brown: match
-Georgetown: match
-Cornell: match
-USC: match
-Dartmouth: match
-UC Berkeley: match
-UCLA: match
-UChicago: low reach
-UPenn: match

8

Overcoming those circumstances must have taken a lot of hard work; much respect. These are all unpredictable universities, but I’m rooting for you. ASSUMING you get your superscore into the 2150-2230 range, I would say:

-Vanderbilt University - high match
-Harvard - reach
-Princeton - reach
-Brown - low reach
-Georgetown - high match to low reach
-Cornell - high match to low reach
-USC - high match
-Dartmouth - low reach
-UC Berkeley - high match
-UCLA - high match
-UChicago - high match to low reach
-UPenn - low reach

Good luck! Chance me back?: http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1726127-chance-me-at-top-schools-for-a-chance-back.html

9

Vandy-high match
Harvard-reach
Princeton-reach
Brown-reach
Georgetown-low reach
Cornell-high match
USC-high match
Dartmouth-low reach
UCB-match
UCLA-high match
UChicago-high match
UPenn-reach
Thanks for the chance

10

Everything is great besides your test scores, but I’m sure colleges will take your income in account, which should definitely be beneficial to you.

Vanderbilt- low reach
Harvard- reach
Princeton- reach
Brown- low reach
Georgetown- high match
Cornell- match/high match (i dont think cornell cares that much about test scores)
USC- high match
Dartmouth- low reach
Berkley- high match
UCLA- high match
U Chicago- high match/ low reach (they care a lot about essays, but they also have a 4% rd acceptance rate)
U Penn- low reach (I was deferred from here ed with a 34, a 3.955 UW GPA, and legacy status… Sigh)

Good Luck! :smile:

11

-Vanderbilt University: Low reach
-Harvard: Reach
-Princeton: Reach
-Brown: Reach
-Georgetown: match
-Cornell: match
-USC: match
-Dartmouth: match
-UC Berkeley: match
-UCLA: match
-UChicago: low reach
-UPenn: low reach

Dude I think ur in a good shape! :slight_smile:

12

I love your chances at almost every one of these – and your attitude. You are what every highly selective school is looking for when they say they want a well-rounded student. You’re clearly a go-getter. I would love to see you get your test scores up too, but I’m thinking you not only get in to most of these but you get a good FA package. Best wishes!

13

Wow, talk about a strong application! I wouldn’t be surprised if over half admitted you. You have a variety of different interests and talents, as well as some fine “hooks” that any college is looking for. Combine that with your personal story, personality, and AP test scores, colleges are going to want you.
Good luck, and honestly, don’t be worried about it. (thanks for the chance)

14

As others are pointing out, your unique background and circumstances really put you in the front seat for all these extremely selective schools.

That being said, please keep us updated on your results as soon as the decisions start coming out! I’m very interested to know where you end up and I’m sure everyone else commenting here is as well.

Good luck!

15

i think you have an excellent chance of getting into many of these schools since your application is stellar (minus the SATs but your unique background should balance it out). colleges look for unique instances like these and they know that people who have endured extenuating circumstances are likely to be motivated to succeed in both college and society. the one thing that strikes my eye is that it sounded like you didnt waive your right to read your recommendations (from what you said about the apush rec). im not exactly sure how big of a deal it is but my counselor told me its always best to waive it because some colleges wont even consider your recs if you retain the righ to look over them. if you waived it, then youre fine and i look forward to finding out if you got in to the school of your dreams! good luck and chance me back? http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1718582-chances-of-getting-into-upenn-p1.html

16

@Homeless2Harvard‌

First of all,thank you for chancing me…

  • Ok your story is really compelling and the fact that you have still taken initiative instead of deciding to throw your life away is really amazing! That being said I feel these are your chances if you can pul off your desired superscore.

-Vanderbilt University: Low reach
-Harvard: Reach(Yea for anyone)
-Princeton: Reach(2400 Kid got rejected from my school with perfect GPA but he was Indian =/)
-Brown: match
-Georgetown: match
-Cornell: match
-USC: match
-Dartmouth: match
-UC Berkeley: match
-UCLA: match
-UChicago: low reach
-UPenn: match

*Finally, given the fact that a URM which does help(a lot), I think you have a actually Really good chance at being accepted at even Harvard… Keep on working and get that SAT score!! My mom’s friend daughter who is a URM got accepted into U Penn with a 1740 but she had a perfect GPA and was team captain or something.(If you can break that 2150 barrier you have a good shot, if you break the 2200 barrier you have a great shot!) Let us know how it turns out… Also, for other people, post why type of major you want to go into…
:stuck_out_tongue:

17

Amazing. We are all rooting for you!

18

Being Hispanic of course helps a lot, coming from a tough background also of course helps a lot. But these schools are not going to overlook everything because of that. You need to get that SAT up, you’ve only taken 2 APs, your work experience is a big plus depending on how long that lasted, but your ECs are pretty standard and no real leadership positions.

Unless you cured cancer, Ivies are a reach.

-Vanderbilt University - low match
-Harvard - reach
-Princeton - reach
-Brown -reach (over 50% of incoming class are valedictorians or salutatorians)
-Georgetown - low match
-Cornell - reach
-USC - very high match
-Dartmouth - reach
-UC Berkeley - low reach (they don’t take race into account)
-UCLA - high match
-UChicago - low reach (they put a lot of emphasis on test scores but do take chances on students with good stories)
-UPenn - reach

19

I think that your stats are decent for most of these but ivies are always reaches so you can never know.
-Vanderbilt University: Reach
-Harvard: Reach
-Princeton: Reach
-Brown: Reach
-Georgetown: Low Reach/Match
-Cornell: Reach
-USC: Low Reach/Match
-Dartmouth: Reach
-UC Berkeley: Low Reach
-UCLA: Match
-UChicago: Reach
-UPenn: Reach
Good luck! :slight_smile:

20

wow you are really competitive… I bet you’ll get into all of them…