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What my realistic chances are at these schools? I really dont think i even have a shot at any but bu but i am pessimistic person when it comes to college admissions.

Harvard, MIT, Duke, Penn, Cornell, Johns Hopkins, UVA, Boston U

Bio: White Male (WASP)
Rural Delaware
no alum, parents didnt go to college
Family income at Poverty level
mom terminally ill
sister: community college dropout..

Stats: (not a good test taker for some reason)
1230 (700M) (engineering major)
SATII low 600's
GPA: 4.14 Rank(1/210)
24 college credits while in HS (univ. of DE) on top of every AP/honors course offered at hs
(Calc A,B,C Differential Equations...)
Challenged school board and won, changing GPA system (very political)

EC's:
4 varsity sports (lettered in all since freshman year, doubled up in winter) (little league7rs)
Captain 2 sports (12)
48-6 record in Tennis
2nd in conference swimming
13th in state swimming
Captain quiz bowl team
News Editor(11,12) Sports ed. (10)of school paper
highest decorated hs journalist in state (11)
President(12) Treasurer (11) of Interact Club
Student Council (9-12)
Key Club (9-12)
academic all-American (12)
Boys Nation (11)
Eagle Scout at 14
Senior Patrol Leader of Del-Mar-Va Council at Jamboree as a freshmen
received 300,000 grant from feds for a city project..recognized by president bush.
1,010+ community service hours (clubs and BSA)
Piano (5 yrs, just private lessons)

Work as a Senior Life Guard on Weekends and Summer at YMCA

Thanks.

By Callofthewind (Callofthewind) on Tuesday, March 09, 2004 - 11:57 pm: Edit

Don't get ur hopes up, judging from your circumstances I think you may have a decent shot at some of the schools you listed, good luck.

By Dubsky08 (Dubsky08) on Tuesday, March 09, 2004 - 11:59 pm: Edit

Sorry for the long post..
Im just paranoid cuz i think im going to be screwed just b.c of my sat verbal score.

By Dhonch (Dhonch) on Wednesday, March 10, 2004 - 12:50 am: Edit

You're right, your SAT verbal score sucks...but otherwise you are qualified for those schools. You should get into a fair number. Good luck.

By Haruko (Haruko) on Wednesday, March 10, 2004 - 01:45 am: Edit

received 300,000 grant from feds for a city project..recognized by president bush.
this probably stands out the most when I saw it.

good luck.

By Cnn (Cnn) on Wednesday, March 10, 2004 - 09:45 am: Edit

hmmm..if possible bring up the sat2's atleast to the low 700's or high 600's like 690,680. That can help for the colleges u are applying.rest all is fine. Good Luck.

By Macadamiamin (Macadamiamin) on Wednesday, March 10, 2004 - 11:21 am: Edit

You might want to look at Tufts, too. For some reason that stands out to me as a school you'd be very compatable with. Though their sports aren't that great...

You have excellent stats. You are one of many that prove the SAT's wrong.

By Northstarmom (Northstarmom) on Wednesday, March 10, 2004 - 01:31 pm: Edit

I am sorry to hear about the very dificult situation that you and your family are experiencing.

In terms of college, you have a chance at all schools.

Do you, though, have a safety -- including a safety where you know that you can get in and that you also can afford? That is extremely important particularly since you need major financial aid plus your stats are, I think, at the lower levels of admitted students for the places you have listed.

Do you have any concerns about going so far away from home when your mother is so ill? I have known students in similar situations who chose to go to a college near home so that they could be around their families during such a difficult time, including the time after their parents passed away. It really is a time in which many families wish to be close emotionally and physically.

It also can be extremely expensive traveling back and forth between home and a distant college, especially if one has to do it on quick notice.

Also, have you considered taking a year off? Many colleges will grant you a year off between h.s. and college, and will agree to keep your seat open and to also give you the financial aid you originally were promised (assuming that your financial situation stays aobut the same).

By Dubsky08 (Dubsky08) on Wednesday, March 10, 2004 - 01:53 pm: Edit

Northstarmom,
Yes, I was accepted to my 2 safety schools, Tulane and Penn State. I was offered a 100,000+ scholarship for Tulane and have won several national all-purpose scholarships so im not worried about not getting into a good school and having $$; spending money is another problem... but I just want to get into the best school possible b.c education is the catalyst to get me out of my current situation.
My mother only has a few months left so she will not be here next fall.. Also, i applied to mostly northern schools which are at most a 8 hour drive. But thanks for your concerns! I am thrilled about going to college, its just i want to have the best research opportunities and the best teachers and peers so thats why i want im shooting for these schools. Its not that i want to make lots of $$ after college.. i want to make my mark on the world.. not just for financial gain. Like civil work or designing new drugs that will help people.. However, my main goal is to give my children the best education possible and raise them in a better environment than i have.

Though my purpose for this post was that I wanted others opinions on whether i had a shot at an Ivy League level education since i know of very few people that could give me a level-headed answer without feeling biased.

By Robert456 (Robert456) on Wednesday, March 10, 2004 - 02:16 pm: Edit

I think that you really should be proud- Tulane and PSU are excellent schools. Even if you were not accepted anywhere else, that is AWESOME. I think that your SAT hurts your Harvard chances, but you never know. Your EC's and GPA couldn't be much better. I just can't say, because your SAT is not strong for those schools, but your other stats are amazing. My bet is that you will get into BU, and UVA and JHU are 50/50 chances. I would bet you get into 2 of those schools, (but the ivies are a stretch). Maybe I am wrong, but I just think that you will get into JHU or UVA, but those are really hard to get into. Best of luck.

By Ohio_Mom (Ohio_Mom) on Wednesday, March 10, 2004 - 02:25 pm: Edit

Dubsky,
you know, you've already made quite a mark on this world, and the only question now is where you will continue to do so. I tend to agree with Robert456 with your chances, although if you get a first read with an admissions officer who really sees what you have done, who knows? Please convey my best to your mom, and tell her that I think she has raised a very fine son.

By Dubsky08 (Dubsky08) on Wednesday, March 10, 2004 - 09:35 pm: Edit

You are right about psu and tulane.. anything more is just 'icing on the cake'. Thanks for the comments!

By Dubsky08 (Dubsky08) on Wednesday, March 10, 2004 - 11:36 pm: Edit

bump

By Dubsky08 (Dubsky08) on Friday, March 12, 2004 - 12:18 pm: Edit

bump

By Ariesathena (Ariesathena) on Friday, March 12, 2004 - 12:51 pm: Edit

SAT scores do correlate with your parents income and educational level. With that perspective, yours are quite strong. My guesses (and they are just that) are that you will most likely get into BU (though maybe not with merit money - the school is so huge that they might not read the apps thoroughly enough to appreciate your achievements)... MIT, Cornell, and JHU are so rigorous in their admissions (and in academia) that they would probably be very intrigued by you, but the academics are so rough that they might have reservations - I'm not sure how eager they are to take on a different, but promising and talented, student. It is just my guess. Your math scores are strong though, so that might help you out. UVA - the only thing is that it is a state school, and you are from Deleware... which won't help as you probably need a ton of financial aid. Penn and Harvard - H is always a long shot, but you will stand out during their admissions reads... Penn is a maybe.

I'll second Macadamiamin's mention of Tufts - they would give excellent financial aid for people who have very low incomes, they love seeing community service (the largest student organization is LCS, the community service umbrella group), athletics, extracurriculars, and the "personal qualities." Consider it as a possible transfer option later on... they are also great for pre-med (and med school), with a huge focus on undergrad research.

Best of luck to you. My regards to your mother and your entire family during this time. Please let us know how things work out for you.

By Ariesathena (Ariesathena) on Friday, March 12, 2004 - 12:51 pm: Edit

P.S. You have given your mother a lot to be proud of. She must have raised quite a son.

By Northstarmom (Northstarmom) on Friday, March 12, 2004 - 01:06 pm: Edit

Dubsky,

Emphasizing that yes, I think you have a decent shot at all of the schools that you applied to. I anticipate you'll get into at least some on your list. A large factor in your favor is how you've achieved at such a high level despite your mom's illness and your being very low income and having parents who aren't college educated.

Congratulations on the scholarships and acceptances that you've gotten so far. I am sure that it means a lot to your mother to know that after she is gone, you still will have the acceptances and financial support to achieve your dreams.

WHen I taught college, a star student had a mother who was terminally ill. Even though the college was 1,000 miles from the student's home, the mother insisted that the student stay in school. Sadly, the mom passed away shortly before the student graduated, but I am sure that the mom felt proud to know that her daughter was on track to graduate with high honors.

It must be so difficult for you to see your mom suffering and to know that you can not stop the progression of her illness. I hope it helps for you to know that whether or not you get more acceptances, what you have done so far is helping to ease her mind that even though she won't be able to remain with you, you will be capable of staying on a good path without her.

By Dubsky08 (Dubsky08) on Sunday, March 14, 2004 - 05:58 pm: Edit

thanks for the comments.. I just received a letter in the mail yesterday. Accepted to Delaware Honors Chemical Engineering program (the 8th best program in country). But the big MIT letter comes tomorrow im excited but not expecting anything more than a 'thanks for applying but.....' Either way this whole college admissions process is really worth while no matter where you end up. It has really changed the way I look at myself.

By Robert456 (Robert456) on Sunday, March 14, 2004 - 06:10 pm: Edit

I hope to hear from you and I will keep my fingers crossed. I think you have a shot, but if you are turned down, there are tons of other schools that haven't yet. MIT might not have read your circumstances, but if they did, I feel like you might have a small chance. I am so nervous for you.

By Dubsky08 (Dubsky08) on Friday, April 02, 2004 - 09:17 pm: Edit

well to give you all a final rundown...

Rejected: Harvard, MIT, Penn, Cornell, Johns Hopkins

Waitlisted: Duke, UVA

Accepted: Boston University 126,000 scholarship

Ill be attending Boston's BioMedical Engineering program this fall. Thanks for the feedback. Its been quite a ride these past few years. I was a bit dissapointed about the rejections but i just got to roll with the punches and im sure ill work hard enough to get into one of their grad schools. Well i hope you all got into the colleges you wanted too!