Is it possible?

Chance Me / Match Me
1

<p>A little background: I was home schooled through sophomore year in highschool. Am now attending a public high school in Tucson Arizona, and will attend the same school for senior year. I am a white male.</p>

<p>Colleges I will be applying to:</p>

<p>Reaches:
Princeton
Stanford
Duke</p>

<p>Matches
University of Pittsburgh
Boston University</p>

<p>Safeties
University of Arizona
Indiana University of Pennsylvania</p>

<p>Unweighted GPA: 3.9697
Factored GPA: (including summer school class Drivers Ed this summer, which is pretty much a guaranteed A) 4.1</p>

<p>Senior Year Classes: AP Chem, AP Micro/Macro Economics, AP Calculus, Special Ed Tutoring, Ensemble Orchestra, Honors English/Writing (Dual Credit Class).</p>

<p>If I get all As on those classes, I should have a 4.16 on my applications.</p>

<p>SAT I: 1940 (Will be taking it in October again; My goal is 2250+; will be preparing all summer and fall!)</p>

<p>SAT II: Took US History, Math II, Literature June 7; awaiting scores. Approximate 700+ on US History and Math II, not sure about Lit)</p>

<p>AP Tests: Took AP Gov Test in May: Awaiting scores; most likely 3 or 4. Will take the AP tests for all my AP classes next year.</p>

<p>I am currently 12/600+ in class rank</p>

<p>Extracurricular Activities</p>

<p>300 Community Service Hours at Teen Court
1yr. with Teen Court as Treasurer
Currently President of the Teen Court Bar Association</p>

<p>Piano for 12 yrs.
Voice for 2 yrs.
Violin for 9 yrs.
President of Orchestra Ensemble Club at school
Should be first or second chair violinist next year.
Participated in University of Arizona Youth Strings program
Lead violinist at church worship team</p>

<p>Math tutor on and off throughout highschool.
Will tutor special ed kids as a class next year
Will be an Ignite Mentor to incoming freshmen next year</p>

<p>National Honors Society Member
National Society of High School Scholars Member</p>

<p>Will be self-publishing a book of poetry this summer.</p>

<p>Am taking a course in Mandarin Chinese this summer. </p>

<p>Have participated in a Bible translating Project in a rural village in Chihuahua Mexico translating from Spanish to the native Tarahumaran language.</p>

<p>Participated in Academic Decathlon Junior Year.</p>

<p>Awards:</p>

<p>Third Place Law Day Essay Contest
A Scholar of the Month (January 08)
High school “Points of Pride” for academic excellence
Academic Decathlon awards</p>

<p>Work Experience:</p>

<p>Pet-sitting business in my neighborhood.
Interned for Teen Court for 1 yr.
273 intern hours at state attorney’s office
Will begin job at a music store in July.</p>

<p>Will be applying for the Presidential Scholars Program arts component for writing. </p>

<p>I hope this isn’t too long and boring! Please be honest in critiquing this “resume.” I really want to know whether my reach schools are just pipe dreams are possible realities.</p>

2

<p>duke could be a match if you retake your SATs and get a 1420 or so</p>

3

<p>So is HYPS totally out of my league at this point? Or should I apply and see what happens? Also, how are my chances at the other schools on my list?</p>

4

<p>What exactly do you mean when you say you will self-publish a book? I think that your chances at the top schools are okay but not great. Assuming you get the SAT you are hoping for, that won’t really set you apart from the overall applicant pool. The internship with the attorney general will help, and depending on your level of involvement in the Mexico trip, that could look pretty good. I don’t know anything about Teen Court. Is it similar to mock trial? My main worry is that compared to many applicants at HYP, your EC’s seem pretty average, and the average applicant doesn’t get in. I think you have a good shot at Duke, but Princeton and Stanford are probably a little bit of a stretch. That being said, go ahead and apply if you’ve got money to burn because you really never know. Chances threads are notoriously unreliable, and honestly I wouldn’t bet on the accuracy of my own predictions. Best of luck to you.</p>

5

<p>You have a good array of choices.</p>

6

<p>i think you have great chances, if your SAT score does end up being 2250 +…otherwise, if it stays where it is, it will lower your chances. but lets say it does go up to 2250 +. then i would guess…
princeton: waitlist
stanford: deferred
duke: accepted
university of pittsburgh: accepted
boston university: waitlist
university of arizona: accepted
indiana university at pennsylvania: accepted</p>

<p>but like Weasel said, these threads are pretty unreliable, take peoples’ replies (including my own) with a grain of salt.
good luck</p>

7

<p>Teen Court is somewhat like mock trial, but without the “mock” part of it. Real teens that committed real crimes in Tucson have two choices: they can take their chances in juvenile court, or they can divert to Teen Court. From there, Teen Court attorneys (I am one) take their case and defend/prosecute them in a real court in front of real judges. While jail is not a sentence, community service and restorative classes are.</p>

8

<p>Wow that’s really cool. I think that could be a nice essay topic if you framed it well (no pun intended).</p>

9

<p>Weasel, lol! </p>

<p>This is to anybody; what would you think of emphasizing homeschooling as an extenuating circumstance. I loved homeschooling and it was one of the best things that ever happened to me. However, there weren’t any AP or honors classes available. If I had been in highschool from freshman year, I would have had a much higher GPA and a much higher class rank.</p>

<p>Also, do you think being from arizona would be a “hook” of sorts?</p>

10

<p>As I’m reading all these chance threads, I am noticing an interesting nuance. Here it is:</p>

<p>There are some people that have a 4.4+ weighted gpa but a 3.8 UW. Do the top colleges consider unweighted gpa as well.</p>

<p>I have a 3.96 UW but a low(er) weighted gpa (4.11). Will my 3.96 UW carry more weight with adcoms than another person’s 3.8 uw, even though they have a higher weighted gpa?</p>

<p>Does that make sense!</p>

11

<p>No one cares about weighted GPA because the method of computing it varies widely by school.</p>

12

<p>If you get your SATs up to where you’re aiming and all your SAT IIs are preferably 700+, then at that point it may really depend on how you make your application. Somehow you need to appeal to the colleges as a person. Also, what was your junior year courseload? Did you always take the most rigorous courses you could?</p>

<p>You have potential, but you really need to create some very strong applications. Express your passion and your identity through your applications: make sure nothing looks like a list or like you were just trying to get into college. Let them know why you love everything you do (which hopefully you do! :)). If something is important to you, it most likely belongs in your application.</p>

<p>It will be tough, but you do have a shot. Definitely go for it: what have you got to lose?</p>

<p>Best of luck!</p>