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Can anyone tell me what the chances are for an unexceptional student like myself (15th percentile- will try and bring up to 10th) with 3.6 gpa and 1400s sat score and great recs and great ecs to get into a school like dartmouth and cornell? I would apply ED but my last years grades suck and im really gonna bring em up this year (while taking hard as heck classes) to show the adcoms that i can do the work.

I had a tough last year and will go ahead and explain that to the schools. If last year went better i would def. be in 10% and maybe even be in 5%.
Should i even apply? If i do what kinda chances do i have?

thanks all.

By Giovanni (Giovanni) on Monday, October 13, 2003 - 04:47 pm: Edit

You're very hard on yourself.

Applying ED still might be a good choice...

And you can explain in your essay why your grades slipped last year? Maybe?

By Sidis (Sidis) on Monday, October 13, 2003 - 05:48 pm: Edit

How good can it be to justify grades? What is the best excuse? I go for "I wasn't motivated,but I improved my senior grades with self motivation"

By Jamimom (Jamimom) on Monday, October 13, 2003 - 05:55 pm: Edit

Fiza, these colleges are a longshot even for those with excellent stats. So noone should be banking on an acceptance. Everyone who applies to colleges these days should apply to a variety of colleges with varying selectivity. There is nothing wrong with including a a few stretch/dream schools in your list as long as you have some colleges that your credentials match and exceed. I often have told kids that you have not gone for the best if you have not failed. Kids who apply to 15 college all matches have picked too many most of the time. It's always good to give a top school a try, particularly if you can come up with a good reason for it. You just never know. I have seen some surprises both ways on the admissions circuit.
Good luck.

By Fiza (Fiza) on Monday, October 13, 2003 - 08:46 pm: Edit

Thanks everyone for their help. I know nothing is definite, but I want to be fair to myself also.

For anyone that was wondering, I had a plethora of problems last year. If you have the time and interest, read on.

I took a really hard course load and one especially hard class in which i worked SOO hard in but the teacher still wouldnt let me get a B. The time i put into this class took away from the time i could devote to other classes. I had three of the toughest courses at my school on one day (2 maths, and chem which might as well be another math for all i care).

I also had major family problems. And i worked part-time (like 15 hours a week).

All of this led to me having depression throughout the year- it was sometimes so bad that i was suicidal. The depression led to severe apathy which caused more grades to drop which caused more depression.

Its the domino affect!

Anyway, i wanted to show adcoms that i have worked through my problems and can still handle a tough course load. I think only about 3 people are taking tougher coarse loads than me (out of a student body of about 400).

By Sidis (Sidis) on Monday, October 13, 2003 - 08:51 pm: Edit

Hey! Interesting question:

What are the most representative scores for SAT ranges?

1600-1500
1490-1400
1390-1300
1290-1200

and so on

I suposse harvard, caltech and mit would fit the first range...

By Rubenizm (Rubenizm) on Monday, October 13, 2003 - 09:42 pm: Edit

you mean "what are the most representative schools for SAT ranges" right?

there is no school with the 25 percentile in the 1500's, Harvard is 1440 i think. MIT is 1450 or something.

By Sidis (Sidis) on Monday, October 13, 2003 - 09:56 pm: Edit

thanks for the correction.

well then 1500-1400 (ivy league)
1400-1300 ??
1300-1200 ??

Those 2 and 3 levels are for the rest of us that are no geniuses... but i;m still curious

By Lefty9ak (Lefty9ak) on Monday, October 13, 2003 - 10:08 pm: Edit

Generally the IQR (25-75 percentile) for schools is more like 200 points, so I'd break it down like this:

1400-1600
1350-1550
1300-1500
etc.

Only CalTech, MIT, and Harvard are around the first bunch. Princeton, Yale, and Stanford fall into the second. The third includes Duke, Northwestern, Chicago, Johns Hopkins, Rice, and the rest of the Ivies.

Basically, 1450 puts you in definite contention anywhere.

By Stanfordhopeful (Stanfordhopeful) on Monday, October 13, 2003 - 10:19 pm: Edit

"there is no school with the 25 percentile in the 1500's, Harvard is 1440 i think. MIT is 1450 or something."

Although Caltech is getting closer every year...


Average SAT: 1510
SAT I - Verbal Range (25-75%): 710-780
SAT I - Math Range (25-75%): 760-800

By Sidis (Sidis) on Monday, October 13, 2003 - 10:40 pm: Edit

Damn! and what makes Caltech so much exclusive - even more than harvard and mit ??

Another thing.. what about the best schools for 1350- 1450 and 1250-1350 SAT??

By Stanfordhopeful (Stanfordhopeful) on Monday, October 13, 2003 - 10:59 pm: Edit

It is has the most intense student body in the world. It attracts all the Math/Physics Olympiad champions and why not? Internships at NASA, best college food in the nation, excellent weather, most Nobel Prizes of any college in America (on Faculty) and the best Physics facilities in the world.

Caltech is amazing.

By Sidis (Sidis) on Monday, October 13, 2003 - 11:16 pm: Edit

WOW...

Why haven't I heard of it here? (Ecuador) . Maybe it's because of publicity... here it's all Harvard Princeton Yale and MIT

By Lefty9ak (Lefty9ak) on Monday, October 13, 2003 - 11:49 pm: Edit

Here's how it can be so selective: just 250 incoming freshmen each year. The people there are freak genius. Nuff said.

By Boxmaker1917 (Boxmaker1917) on Tuesday, October 14, 2003 - 12:34 am: Edit

My dd's advisor told her that half of the student body at Stanford were valedictorians. Of course, that means that the other half were not. The point being that a school like (fill in the blank) could have all straight "A" students who also are recognized as world-class in their extra-curriculars. But top schools do not want homogeneous student bodies -- they want diversity. You may never know why someone (including YOU) was accepted or rejected by a school -- it could be the year they wanted someone from a different part of the country, different size home town and different gender. If you want to go someplace, you should apply. Let them tell you "no" -- you might get accepted (with scholarship)! If you don't apply, you already know your chances of getting in....

By Sidis (Sidis) on Tuesday, October 14, 2003 - 10:26 pm: Edit

yeah, thats the interesting thing of applying to reaches... you never know.... Thing is you actually lose 50 $ so it might be wiser to think well on where to apply to.

By Fiza (Fiza) on Saturday, October 18, 2003 - 07:28 pm: Edit

Well everyone should apply to atleast three reaches. Its a good way to spend $150. Chances are, you'll spend more just one the one night known as prom!

By Giovanni (Giovanni) on Saturday, October 18, 2003 - 08:01 pm: Edit

I had a nervous breakdown spring of junior year, kind of like you FIZA.

I was catatonic and I didn't do my homework, then was put on antidepressants that were a speed deriative that made me extremely agitated, hyper, I lost 10 pounds in a week, and after a couple of days I crashed and fell asleep in class, basically sleeping all the time. I made a couple of "C's". I don't really care. C'est le vie, right?

My parents didn't make a big deal about it... they thought I was "on the edge". So they don't bother me about school. I'm self-motivated, but not to the EXTREME.

By Fiza (Fiza) on Saturday, October 18, 2003 - 09:57 pm: Edit

thanks for sharing ur story. yeah my parents kinda didnt notice it...well they were one of the factors that led to it so i guess it makes sense. so are u senior now? how are things now?

By Fiza (Fiza) on Sunday, November 02, 2003 - 12:24 pm: Edit

as long as i get in somewhere ill be fine...