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SAT I: 1450 (720 M) (730 V)
SAT II: 680 (writing) 700 (us history)
GPA: 3.8. unweighted
Class rank: top 4%
EC's: Dance, Quiz Bowl, hospital volunteer (3 years), tutor (2 years) part-time job (20 hours a week)
AP: 4 on us history, 3 on biology
Community college classes over the summer. (3.5. gpa)
Course load: all honors and ap's. 6 ap classes by the time i graduate.
Other factors: first-generation college, financially disadvantaged, my h.s. has never sent anyone to an ivy, girl, interested in sciences, from nc
applying to: carolina, duke, boston u., harvard, columbia

By Jeffrey on Wednesday, August 21, 2002 - 10:17 am: Edit

Are you URM? That is the key for harvard, duke and columbia.

By erika stallings on Thursday, August 22, 2002 - 08:40 pm: Edit

yeah i'm african american (black)

By Sally R. on Thursday, August 22, 2002 - 09:35 pm: Edit

Erika,

Have you considered Brown? As you may know, that school's president, Ruth Simmons, hails from a background not unlike yours. (She is African American and grew up in Texas, the daughter of a sharecropper.) While, of course, Ruth isn't an admission officer, she sets the tone at the institution, and--even before her presidency--Brown had been known among the Ivies as a place that courts diversity.

So, I'm just curious if you've looked into this school and rejected it for any particular reasons. It seems like it would offer much of what the other colleges on your list do, and I think your chances of admission would be especially strong there.

By erika stallings on Thursday, August 22, 2002 - 09:38 pm: Edit

actually I am applying to Brown. I got their application today

By Rhonda on Friday, August 23, 2002 - 09:18 am: Edit

I have to disagree with Sally R -- in fact, Brown's reputation for diversity attracts minority applicants, so they have a lot of qualified ones to choose from. Therefore, a minority applicant may actually have a better chance at a school like Duke which may not get as many minority applicants. I doubt Sally R has any numbers to back up her claim that your chances would be better at Brown. Erika -- if anything, you may want to re-take the Writing SAT II if you think you may be able to improve your score. Otherwise, you have a decent shot at all those schools, although Harvard, Columbia, and Brown will of course be more "reaches" than Duke, BU, and esp UNC since you're in-state. Good luck!

By Sally R. on Friday, August 23, 2002 - 05:20 pm: Edit

Rhonda--Keep in mind that at Brown, unlike at Duke, Erika will also have the advantage of geographic diversity. Her financially disadvantaged background, the fact that she comes from a high school that will be new to the Brown admission office, and her interest in science will set her apart from many other candidates as well.

While I think you make a good point that Brown's attention to diversity is no big secret, and the school does indeed attract "minority" candidates who are aware of that, "diversity" means more than skin color or ethnic background, and Erika will have several "hooks" in the admission process there.

By erika stallings on Sunday, August 25, 2002 - 12:07 pm: Edit

Does anyone here know the stats of minorities that have been accepted into Brown's PLME?

By Dave Berry on Monday, August 26, 2002 - 11:56 am: Edit

Check this page, Erika. It's not easy.