Thoughts about my chances for Penn, Georgetown, Notre Dame

Chance Me / Match Me
1

Hey guys, never thought I’d ever make an account but as the ED deadline is approaching and I’ve got most of my things all wrapped up I just wanted to ask some opinions about where you guys think I should apply.

First I’ll just start off by listing my academic record (my school isn’t exactly trying to gear its students to try and go to fancy schools, I live in a small southern town)
-4.0 GPA UW and a 4.92 GPA W
-ACT: 34 right now but waiting for results of a test
-SAT Subject tests: taking those on October 6th just in time for any ED deadline I have but I’m taking bio and math 2 which the first time I took I got a 760 and a 770 respectively
-AP Scores (kind of bad I know, but out of all the kids at my school I’ve taken the most APs): 4 APUSH, 4 AP Bio, 4 APES, 4 AP Stats, 3 AP Chem
-Class Rank: 17/400 (I know this is just an excuse but gpa weighting at my school favors honors classes heavily)
-Senior Course load: BC Calc, AP Physics C Mech (E&M isn’t offered), dual enrollment englishes, spanish, computer class required for graduating, and art credit just in case I have to stay in state.

Here are my EC’s:
-Varsity tennis for 6 years, number one player my 10th and 11th year, captain 11-12, 3 star tennis recruit, highest rank of 11th in SC, received awards like MVP, all region, all state, national recognition, tennis coach at clubs, taught an underprivileged youth how to play tennis
-Part of school’s NHS, Beta Club, Rotary Club, founded the Ping Pong club, tried things like Mock Trial but didn’t pursue, black belt in Tae Kwon Do, did Palmetto Boy’s State, volunteered something like 80 hours at my local hospital.
-Was a researcher’s assistant at a local university in the Material Science and Engineering Department where we tried to create different samples of concrete that would be sent to an airforce base in Florida

Hook (maybe):
First Gen American with parents from Republic of Georgia

So mainly I wanted to just get anyone’s opinion on whether or not it’s worth applying to Penn or if it’s too much of a long shot, I feel like Georgetown is a good choice as well. They both fit me well I believe, but I know Penn is a reach for everyone but I don’t want to apply if there is no hope because Georgetown would be a fantastic place to go as well

2

your “hook” isn’t a hook but everything else is good. You definitely have a shot. Good luck!

3

all help would be greatly appreciated :slight_smile:

4

I think you are competitive for these schools, but with acceptance rates as low as theirs, you should still treat them as reaches. Make sure your essays and teachers’ recs are great.

5

Make sure your science subject test is what the college is looking for. SEAS asks for physics but Chem would be OK.

You did not mention college, major or academic interests. They will be important to tie together for your ‘Why here essay’.

6

Yeah I was planning on taking the Chem one because I haven’t taken Physics until this year, and my intended college to apply to is indeed SEAS and probably major in bioengineering.

7

@KLSD So you’d say taking the chem one since I probably wouldn’t be good enough at physics to get a good enough score yet is the way to go? So it’s useless to take the bio one?

8

For SEAS, I would take the chem subject test since you are just taking physics this year. IMO your bio and math2 scores are very good and you do not need to retake them. Of course, you can retake them, but you must balance the required time investment to study for 3 tests, with no guarantees that your bio and/or math2 scores will increase and in fact, could decrease. It might be more beneficial to focus on essays, the rest of your apps and getting good grades this qtr/semester, rather than study for 2 tests with scores that are already competitive.

9

u need more extracurriculars, they are pretty generic, so you need great essays. u already have amazing scores. you definitely have a shot. Penn is a high reach and Georgetown & ND are low reaches

10

What do you want to study ?

Have you considered Williams College ? Your academics & athletics match.

You need a longer list of target schools.

Are you seeking financial aid ? If so, check on whether Georgetown is need blind or need aware.

11

@Publisher I want to study bioengineering and I have a pretty good list of schools those are my top choices, I don’t think Williams would take me for tennis because their team is mainly 4 star recruits and they have a filled team basically. I basically know I won’t get any sort of financial aid. Basically the main problem I have is since I did bad in chem and probably won’t get a very good score on my subject test which people have been saying I need math 2 and chem instead of bio which is my strong suit. I feel like if the bio is a deal breaker for penn in terms of the subject tests I’d rather apply to georgetown.

12

@sanjanagupta1 thank you, yeah I haven’t done anything outstanding in terms of EC’s so that’s tough, I think my essays are pretty good because I’m friends with professors and grad students because of the tennis thing so they give me some pointers and my recs are from teachers that I know outside of school and have done very well in their classes. It’s mainly the subject tests I’m worried about because if my math 2 is good but they don’t want bio for SEAS what’s the point then lol

13

@masterchief1337 I don’t necessarily think bio subject test is a deal breaker for SEAS, but they do say they prefer physics. Have you had a year of physics already (prior to AP Physics this year)? If so, maybe you can be ready to take physics subject test? Meanwhile, I suggest you reach out to your Penn AO and ask about subject test recommendations for SEAS, that is one sure way to get more definitive feedback then you will on CC.

Lastly, I wouldn’t let the specific set of subject tests you have/will have be such an important part of your decision re: where/when to apply to which schools, there are far more important criteria that should inform this decision. FWIW, for Georgetown you will need 3 subject tests, and must report scores from all the standardized tests you have taken.

14

@Mwfan1921 Ah I see what you are saying (no I haven’t taken regular physics yet, my school makes us take so many unnecessary classes and if I took regular Physics I would have had to drop and AP), thanks for the heads up about contacting the AO I honestly didn’t think about it. And I knew Georgetown strongly recommends 3 but I’d have more time to prep for a third since their regular deadline is Jan 10th. Mainly the reason I say that the subject tests are swaying me is because I figure since Penn is obviously a huge reach and if I was doing something that they’d frown upon I might as well look to Georgetown and start prepping for chem.

15

Consider Rice University in Houston, Texas.