Oh Hell, Chance Me Already

Chance Me / Match Me
1

<p>Ahhh, I’m caving in to the pressure! Help me! Slam me down! Tell me I’m being unrealistic!</p>

<p>Afghan-Pakistani Female from Texas
3.875 UW GPA, Top 8% of HS, trying to improve that a bit
2100 SAT (700 CR, 640 M, 760 W)
Sub-par EC’s? Quiz Bowl Captain, Science Club President, Journalism Club, a one-year teaching stint at an elementary school, part-time job, lots of volunteering though
A good recommendation from a teacher who adores me, another one that’s probably more lukewarm
Need lots of financial aid (FAFSA EFC of ~600, Profile will substantially higher at about 3000-7000 according to my estimates) </p>

<p>Looking at:
Barnard
Washington University of St. Louis
Grinnell
Smith
Mount Holyoke
UT-Austin
Georgetown? Wesleyan? </p>

<p>School recommendations? I’m interested in Middle-Eastern/Islamic Studies, Arabic/Urdu language offerings, faculty/student interaction, an intellectual student body, and good financial aid. Am I reaching too high? Should I tweak my list?</p>

2

<p>looking pretty good for barnard, smith, UT-Austin</p>

<p>The rest will be tough, but you still stand a chance.</p>

3

<p>I think I’m adding Northwestern to the list.</p>

4

<p>Um, bump? Please comment? My future depends on this.</p>

5

<p>it’s a 50/50 from me</p>

6

<p>Hey, I’m a Pakistani female from TX as well. I’m considering transferring into Grinnell, Smith, UChicago, or UT-Austin, and I’m also interested in Islamic Studies and Urdu. Ha ha. My family is single-income and our EFC is also in the 600s! It’s random that I found someone so identical to me!</p>

<p>I think you lose very little by applying to all of these schools. You have solid stats, nothing that should eliminates you outright. Good luck!</p>

7

<p>I’m not interested in chancing you, but I wanted to mention something. As you mentioned, you are in need of a large amount of financial aid. This is going to be a huge deciding factor for you. Schools like NU are extremely expensive. NU does meet 100% of need, but they meet it with loans, work study, etc…not just need-based scholarships. I want to encourage you to look at schools of a lower caliber, but where you might be able to draw in large amounts of merit aid (as well as financial aid). I’m not familiar with local Texas schools, but definitely take a look. Also, make sure you apply for merit aid from independent scholarships. Even those $500 ones can help you out.</p>