r/chanceme Jul 22 '19

How To Do A Chance Me And Improve Your Chances

566 Upvotes

The submission template for /r/ChanceMe contains a since-deleted post about how to do a ChanceMe, so I thought it would be good to cover this and replace that dead link.

Tips for a Good Chance Me Post:

1. Do Some Research. Start with the /r/ChanceMe wiki and the college's Common Data Set. If you can't find it in that link, just Google it. These contain a treasure trove of information about the college and how they handle admissions and financial aid. This is the best place to see how your GPA, test scores, and other components stack up. It even lists how important each component is to the school's admissions process. Another great resource is the college's admissions website. Often this will include some helpful hints about how the school evaluates certain things or what they're looking for in applicants. For example, Penn's site even has in-depth explanations of how interviews are evaluated including sample mock interviews. (See the links at the bottom of this post for more). As another example, Notre Dame has a great explanation of the specific coursework they want and how they evaluate extracurricular activities. Finally, you can search through /r/CollegeResults and /r/ApplyingToCollege for examples of admitted and rejected students. This can give you actual data points to consider for comparison. Keep in mind that students with high stats and poor essays/LORs are likely to be "inexplicably" rejected, so don't put too much stock into any single example.

2. Include enough information for us to chance you accurately, but don't write down every little activity or personal quality. If you have a lot of stats/info about yourself, do not put down everything; it makes it harder to read through your post. Include the ECs you've devoted the most time to/have leadership positions in. By only including stuff that moves the needle, you'll get more responses and better feedback.

3. Have a descriptive title. Writing "Chance me!" is a little obvious and unnecessary. Instead, include some of the schools you're applying to and your intended major. Example: "Chances for English Major: Ivies & Top Publics" -or- "Engineering Chances for GT, VT, and MIT." This makes it easier for those of us chancing you.

4. Make it organized. Please, try to format to the best of your ability. A wall of unformatted text makes it a lot more difficult to read. It would be great if you could break it up into bulleted sections and bold them. Here's a template:

Demographics: Gender, race/ethnicity, state, type of school, and hooks (URM, first generation, legacy, athlete, etc.)

Intended Major(s):

ACT/SAT/SAT II:

UW/W GPA and Rank:

Coursework: AP/IB/Dual Enrollment classes, AP/IB scores, etc

Awards:

Extracurriculars: Include leadership & summer activities

Essays/LORs/Other: Optionally, guess how strong these are and include any other relevant information or circumstances.

Schools: List of colleges, ED/EA/RD, etc

5. Remember that while /r/ChanceMe and other online forums can be helpful resources, they leave a lot to be desired. Usually they don't include review of every part of your application and they lack critical context about you and the rest of the applicant pool. On top of that, most respondents don't have much by way of real information or qualifications. Competitiveness along with online anonymity sometimes drive people to be downright toxic. You will be spending 4+ of the most formative and impactful years of your life and six figures of someone's money on college, so you need good information for making that decision. You want to make it count and do your best. Don't blindly trust random strangers on the internet or take their feedback as gospel truth. Be willing to respond to comments and have a productive conversation without taking criticism personally.

Tips For Responding To ChanceMe Posts

1. Try to evaluate the post in the context of each college listed. How does it stack up against the 25/75 percentiles for test scores?. Roughly, if it's in the 40th percentile or lower, it's a reach. If it's in the 40th-80th percentile it's a match. And if it's in the 80th+ it's a safety. But those percentiles should be tweaked for fit, risk tolerance, and applicant strength outside of stats. Finally, and this is the important part, assess their chances in the context of each school's overall acceptance rate. If the stats are at the 25th percentile, but the school admits ~95% of applicants, they're probably getting in even though they're on the low end. If they admit ~4% of applicants, it's going to be a long shot no matter how strong they are. If a school has an admit rate below 20% it's basically a reach for everyone. Yes, this means College of the Ozarks is a reach for you. Edward Fiske calls these "wildcards" because with rates that low, it's really hard to predict. If a school admits 95% of applicants (e.g. University of the Ozarks), then it's basically a safety for anyone who can academically qualify.

2. Understand what your evaluation means - and what it doesn't. Many students tend to either be cocky and overconfident or cynical and self-deprecating. One of the highest value outcomes of posting on /r/ChanceMe is that it will help students assess where they fall on this spectrum. Even when odds are low, it can be worth applying to a few targeted reaches. Every year there are students who get into a school they considered a massive reach. As long as applicants have some match and safety schools, it's ok and even encouraged to have some reaches on the list. At the same time, don't think that someone is a shoe-in for highly selective schools just because they have strong stats.

3. Remember the human. These are real people posting their life-to-date achievements on an anonymous forum and asking for feedback. Don't bluster, pontificate, or overstate your knowledge and expertise. Don't denigrate, harass, or disrespect people, even if they rub you the wrong way. Be nice and follow the rules and Reddiquette.

How To Improve Your Chances

Ok, now that you have a list of safety, match, and reach schools, what can you do to maximize your chances? There's a lot that goes into a quality application, so you need to address every component.

1. Find Resources. Check out the /r/ApplyingToCollege community. You'll learn a lot and there are several really knowledgeable people who are happy to help and answer questions. Take a look at the Khan Academy courses on the SAT and college admissions (these are free). Go talk to your guidance counselor about your plans for life, course schedule, and college admissions.

2. Explore your passions. Don't just let the status quo of organizations in your high school limit you. You won't stand out by participating in the same activities as every other student. Instead, look for ways to pursue your passions that go above and beyond the ordinary. As an example, you can check out this advice I gave a student who was asking if he should continue piano despite not winning major awards in it:

"Do you love it?

If it's a passion of yours, then never quit no matter how many people are better than you. The point is to show that you pursue things you love, not to be better at piano than everyone else.

If it's a grind and you hate it, then try to find something else that inspires you.

If it's really a passion, then you can continue to pursue it confidently because you don't have to be the best pianist in the world to love piano. If it's not, then you're probably better off focusing on what you truly love. Take a look at what Notre Dame's admissions site says about activities:

"Extracurricular activities? More like passions.

World-class pianists. Well-rounded senior class leaders. Dedicated artists. Our most competitive applicants are more than just students—they are creative intellectuals, passionate people with multiple interests. Above all else, they are involved—in the classroom, in the community, and in the relentless pursuit of truth."

The point isn't that you're the best. The point is that you're involved and engaged. If you continue with piano and hate it and plod along reluctantly, you won't fit this description at all. But if you love it and fling yourself into it, then you don't need an award to prove your love.

Consider other ways you could explore piano and deepen your love for it. Could you start a YouTube channel or blog? Play at local bars/restaurants/hotels? Do wedding gigs or perform pro bono at nursing homes/hospitals? Start a piano club at school or in the community (or join an existing one)? Start composing or recording your own music? Form a band or group to play with? Teach piano to others? Write and publish an ebook? Learn to tune, repair, or build pianos? Play at a church or community event venue? Combine your passion for piano with some other passion in your life?

The point is that all of that stuff could show that piano is important to you and that you're a "creative intellectual with a passionate interest". But none of it requires that you be the best according to some soulless judge."

3. Focus on getting strong grades in a challenging courseload. You should take the most challenging set of courses you are capable of excelling in and ideally the most challenging courses your school offers. To get in to top colleges you will need both strong classes and strong grades. Most schools come right out and say that the high school transcript is the single most important component of their review. If a student doesn't show an ability to handle top level academics, they just aren't a good fit for their school. If you are facing a quandary about what class to take or what classes to focus your efforts on, prioritize core classes. These include English, math, science, social science, and foreign language. Load up on honors/AP/IB/Dual Enrollment courses in these disciplines and your transcript will shine.

4. For standardized tests, you should start with the PSAT. If you are a top student and rising junior, it is absolutely worth studying like crazy to become a National Merit Finalist. This is awarded to the top ~1% of scorers by state and confers many benefits including a laundry list of full ride scholarship options. Even if you are not at that level, it will help prepare you for the ACT or SAT. I highly recommend that you take a practice test of both the ACT and SAT. Some students do better on one than the other or find one to more naturally align with their style of thinking. Once you discover which is better for you, focus in on it. You will likely want to take a course (if you're undisciplined) or get a book (if you have the self-control and motivation to complete it on your own). If you're looking for good prep books I recommend Princeton Review because they are both comprehensive and approachable. Which ever test you decide to focus on, you should plan to take it at least twice since most students improve their score on a second sitting. If you can't afford a test prep book, your local library or guidance counselor may have one you can use for free. There are other resources available at Khan Academy, /r/ACT, and /r/SAT.

5. Letters of Recommendation. Intentionally consider your letters of recommendation. You want to choose a teacher who knows you well and likes you a lot, but will also work hard on it and make it unique, detailed, specific, and glowing. You don't want to pick the lazy teacher who just shows videos once a week for class. They're quite likely to just copy and paste their LOR template and that won't really help you. If you don't have a teacher that you feel close to, don't wait too late to start developing a deeper relationship with one. Pick one and stay after class or arrive early to talk about your future. Ask for advice, inquire about their experience, etc. This will show your maturity and deepen your relationship with them quickly. Focus on actually building a relationship rather than flattering them or manipulating them into giving you a good recommendation because that's unlikely to work and will be pretty transparent.

6. Essays. You should start thinking about your college admission essays your junior year. Many students, even top students and great academic writers, find it really challenging to write about themselves in a meaningful and compelling way. They end up writing the same platitudes, cliches, and tropes as every other top student. I've written several essay guides that I (obviously) highly recommend as a good starting place for learning how to write about yourself (linked below, but you can also find them in my profile). Other great resources include The College Essay Guy, ThisIBelieve, and Hack The College Essay. Read through these and start drafting some rough attempts at some of the common app prompts. These will probably be terrible and just get discarded, but practicing can really help you learn to be a better writer.

How To Start An Essay And Show, Don't Tell

Throw Away Everything You Learned In English Class

Conquering The "Why [School]" Essay

What Makes An Essay Outstanding?

What To Do When You're Over The Word Limit

What To Do When Your Essay Is Too Short

How To End An Essay Gracefully

Proofreading Tips

The 30 Most Common Essay Mistakes CAUTION - Don't read this last one before you have a topic settled, a working outline, or a rough draft completed. Lists of what not to do tend to stifle creativity.

Feel free to reach out via PM or find me at www.bettercollegeapps.com if you have questions. Good luck!


r/chanceme Apr 06 '24

Meta Crowdsourced extracurricular and opportunity list

76 Upvotes

Hey guys,

This is one of my EC lists from a few years back when I was applying to college. Lots of competitions/extracurriculars/scholarships/fly in programs linked in here. If ppl find this useful, I’ll organize the rest of my lists and pin them (let me know!)

https://docs.google.com/document/d/109ViGlfZi1clGGnf9H7WGbMhwr8NFKKXSN5YHtVEJg8/mobilebasic

Edit: stickying for a week due to high dm volume


r/chanceme 3h ago

Application Question 3.5 GPA, 1580 SAT, 36 ACT, with a hell of a story to tell, is foolish for aiming for T100s?

7 Upvotes

Race: Asian (specifically indian and singaporean) 2nd Gen immigrant, US Citizen

Gender: Transmale, but not transitioned. Biological Female.

Income: 100k-150k

HOOKS: Overcoming Health Adversity (im not really sure how hooks work)

Highschool: public highschool, i think we had like 2 ivy acceptances. Been here since 1980 something.

GPA: follows an upwardish trend? GPA I would apply with a cumulative of 3.5. 3.38 Freshman 3.23 Sophmore 4.00 Junior 4.00 Senior

SAT: 1580 first try ACT: 32 first try, 36 second try

Rank: somewhere in the top 20% i think?

Major I’m Going for: Biology

COURSELOAD: Honors/Etc.: - Algebra 1 Honors: got a C and a D - Algebra 2 Honors: Got a D and a B - Spanish Pre-AP 1: 2 Bs - Spanish Pre-AP 2: a B and a A - Spanish Pre-AP 3: both As - Spanish Pre-AP 4: both As - Biology Honors: a C and a B - Langlit 1 Honors: 2 Bs - Langlit 2 Honors: a B and a A - Chem Honors: a C and a B

AP: (5s on everything! Took 22 but self studied 8) 1. Psych (Self-studied) 2. AP Environmental Science 3. Bio AP 4. Pre-Calc AP 5. Stats AP 6. Lit/Comp AP 7. AP Us History 8. World History AP 9. Med Bio 10. Physics 1 AP 11. Chem AP 12. Calc BC AP 13. Human Geography AP 14. Lang AP 15. AP Art History (self studied) 16. AP Japanese (self studied) 17. AP Spanish Language and Culture 18. AP Microeconomics (self studied) 19. AP Computer Science Principles (self studied) 20. AP Physics 2 (self studied) 21. AP Music Theory (self studied) 22. AP 2-D Art and Design (self studied)

Community College Courses: (Had a 95+ in these) 1. Anatomy and Physiology 2. Medical Terminology

ECs: 1. Played violin for 9 years, my highschool orchestra played for a state event once 2. Played guitar for 3 years 3. Track state champ (girls) 4. HOSA treasurer 5. FBLA treasurer 6. Conrad Challenge club founder and president 7. 200+ hours volunteering at red cross, animal shelters, environmental health projects, and homelessness shelters. 8. Tutored kids on math. (A subject I myself have received 2 Ds and a C in with algebra honors classes.) 9. made 25k from my business to support my family’s financial issues 10. Wrote a book and received awards for it. (unfortunately cant say which because I’d like for people from irl to not recognize my acc) 11. Social media acc with 50k followers i make photo/cinemagraphy, art, and just general silly content with an occasional study vid. 12. Worked a parttime for 1.5 years and was put in a leadership position

Awards: (Seal of Biliteracy is a state seal I got after passing a test that confirmed I was biliterate) - Seal of Biliteracy Japanese - Seal of Biliteracy Telegu - Seal of Biliteracy Spanish - HOSA National Winner x1 - FBLA National Winner x 1 - Conrad Challenge National Winner x1 - Humanities Capstone Award - ISEF international finalist - Track State Award for Long Jump x1

LORs: - Counselor (8/10) Talked abt how my health affected my attendance and therefore my performance in school - Calc AB Teacher (9/10) talked about how i made a huge difference in his class and his recognizition for my growth and love for math when i used to fail it - Chem AP Teacher (10/10) i had the same teacher for chem honors and he also talked about my attendance, health, and improvment. Also mentioned my passion for chem. - Anatomy and Physiology Teacher (9/10) Same as chem teacher lol - my advisor for my conrad challenge project (11/10) Talked about my passion for innovation and helping others and my work and team ethics

My first two years of high school were probably the most horrendous I have ever been through. Since 8th grade, my mental and physical health declined for various reasons. In 8th grade, my parents argued often and I had struggled with body dysmorphia (UNDIAGNOSED DUE TO MY SITUATION WITH FAMILY I AM NOT TRANSITIONED) and the realization that i was trans. In 9th, i struggled with self-harm due to internalized transphobia and self hate, and my parents only got more involved, which led us to try to move to india, but they changed their mind last minute and we just moved to a different house in the same area, which heavily impacted our financial issues. In 10th, my grandfather who was extremely close to me had dealt with artery issues, which had left more stress on me and i later fell chronically ill from constant weight loss and starving myself. However by 11th and 12th, i was able to have enough experience struggling that I knew how to handle myself and the people around me, which led to the increase in my grades. My only problem? I dont know how to properly go about explaining this.

It feels like so much has happened and I dont know how to even talk about it. My poor health was a result of poor mental health and additional stress from my grandfathers health, my familys financial issues, and my parents relationship. It played a huge role on my grades, and I can definitely see it reflected on my transcript as i slowly got better. All of my awards were after the period that I was chronically ill, in 11th and 12th. I dont know how to go about my essay or my supplementals, no matter how much of a “good writer” people say i am. Any adivce?


r/chanceme 2h ago

Why do yall love doing this to urself

5 Upvotes

95% of you guys who go on chanceme create these posts as the replier is your AO. I was viewing year old chanceme's of people and looking at their updated collegeresults and it was unsurprising. Mostly rejections. Stop obsessing over your chances, obsess over what you do


r/chanceme 8h ago

chance a junior whose school hasn't had a hypsm kid since the 2000s...

13 Upvotes

demographics

  • gender: male
  • race/ethnicity: wasian
  • residence: socal
  • income bracket: lower middle class (will prob qualify for free tuition at some privates but not ucs)
  • type of school: title 1 underserved public school, ~2000 students, not competitive, one ivy league student every 4-5 years

intended Major(s): human bio / comp bio

academics

  • PSAT: 1500 (760r, 740m), SAT score kinda low and embarrassing so retaking LMFAOOO
  • UW/W gpa: 4.0uw, 4.72w
  • rank: valedictorian out of ~510 students
  • coursework: ap csp, ap world, ap psych, ap bio, ap calc ab, apush, ap lang, ap calc bc, (honors on everything else possible!), calc 3 over summer
  • senior year: ap chem, ap econ, ap gov, ap lit, + random extra honors classes :P

ECs:

  1. comp bio research @ local uni (9th-12th)
  2. executive director & founder of intl stem nonprofit (9th-12th)
  3. comp bio research @ hyspm (11th-12th) - summer before senior year
  4. wet lab bio research @ local uni (12th) - summer before senior year
  5. public health research @ hyspm (11th)
  6. independent microbiology research (8th-10th)
  7. president & founder of science fair club (9th-12th)
  8. co-president of youth against fascism club (11th-12th)
  9. co-president & founder of multicultural club (9th-12th)
  10. president & varsity captain of academic decathlon (9th-12th)
  11. vp of stuco (9th-12th)
  12. part time work, not family business but for bills/pay for independent research (8th-12th)
  13. physician shadowing (10th, 12th)

^^^ i might condense all the research into like one single activity (?)

awards:

  1. nsli-y scholar (11th) - might also list as an EC (?)
  2. 1st at regional science fair/went to state (10th)
  3. virtual nsli-y scholar (10th)
  4. first gen college board award (11th)
  5. 2 (hopefully 3) publications, handful of other preprints
  6. hopefully national merit semifinalist!! (12th)

essays/LORs: i’m not a horrible writer i hope (?) and should be able to get recs from one or two profs and others from my teachers!

note: got into SSP but might not go... if i don't go (likely for financial reasons), i think im gonna include that in my additional info section!

chance me for: stanford (rea), usc (ea w/ scholarship app), harvard, yale, princeton, brown plme, jhu, uc berk, ucla

^^ any recs on where i should apply ?? ty guys!!!!


r/chanceme 3h ago

chance me + advice for sophomore please

3 Upvotes

Currently a sophomore in HS

Really need advice on how to improve my application, thanks!

Demographics:

Female, Asian, east coast, large public school (pretty competitive), middle income

Academics

GPA: 3.8 unweighted, 4.7 weighted

PSAT: 1470/1520, 760 math, 710 reading

APs (have taken or am taking rn) : Ap Precalc (5), APSCP (4), Ap Chem, APUSH, Ap Lang, Ap Calc BC, Ap Stats, Ap Physics 1 (5)

APs (will take junior year): Ap Physics C, Ap Chinese, Ap Bio

APs (senior year): Ap Lit

Awards + Extracurriculars:

AIME 2 years, DHR 1 year

Grade #4 in local math league

BBO Gold (will take USABO next year)

Scholastic Regional Gold & Silvers Keys (writing and art)

Math Team (will be captain next year)

Science Team

State ARML Team (2 years)

Volunteer at local math circle

Orchestra (regionals)

Majors I'm interested in: Applied math or Bio related

Schools I'm interested in:

MIT

Caltech

UPenn

Princeton

Duke

Columbia

UMichigan

Amherst

NYU

UCLA

CWRU

USC

UMD

Would prefer schools that give scholarships unless another acceptance is significantly better...


r/chanceme 1h ago

hii chance me pls so i can be realistic..

Upvotes

for a t20 : - )

background info:
hispanic
low income, first generation
moved from an under resourced middle school to a competitive bay area hs (affects math pathway)

stats:
3.9 uw gpa
aiming for 1500+ sat

classes (asterisk is bc no honors offered)
freshman yr:
honors english
algebra 1*
global studies / health*
spanish 2*
biology*
gym

summer:
geometry*

honors english
algebra 2 (didnt let me take honors since i skipped)
ap world history
ap spanish 4
chemistry*
marketing class

summer:
ap stats (didnt let me take at school..)
ap micro (self-study, no class for it)

junior yr:
ap lang
honors pre-calc
ap spanish
ap bio
apush
business ownership

senior yr:
ap lit
ap govt / ap macro
ap psych/ ap comp sci
business class
ap calc bc
ap art history

extracurriculars:
track&field
officer of spanish club
officer of deca
officer of financial nonprofit
curl business owner
non profit founder for smth business related
internship
link crew
freshmen advocates
job
founder of entrepreneurs club


r/chanceme 3h ago

Am I cooked as a Junior for CS

2 Upvotes

Demographics: Male, Asian, Texas, Uncompetetive small school

Intended Major(s): CS

ACT/SAT/SAT II: 1430 rn but i didn't study much hopefully like 1520+ soon

UW/W GPA and Rank: 3.98 | 4.59 | Top 6%

Coursework: Most rigorous my school offers

Awards: Really none, few mid robotics things but that's it

Extracurriculars:

Machine Learning Intern @ Tech nonprofit (summer before 11th)

-Worked on a hackathon, 200k+ in prizes 1800+ participants

Research Internship @ Rice University (will do this summer)

-Haven't started on this but will do in the summer under some professor. will be cs/ai related

Islam AI Website/App (11th)

-Created a website and app that takes user questions and uses an AI to respond with Islamic hadith and/or quran verses.

  1. Speech AI Website/App (11th)

-Created a program that uses ai to give users feedback on their voice. Things like nerves, stutter, etc. (Personal to me so i think its pretty good, could connect this to my story)

  1. Sun Tracking Solar Panel (11th)

-Made this for the science fair but we didn't finish in time so its just laying somewhere

Kids Watch With Tracker (11th)

-Kids watch with tracker inside for parents, donated, inspired by amber alerts.

Coding Club (Founder) | Robotics Club (Coder) | NHS | GT (9-12th)

-nothing much didn't really do anything. competed a few times

Researcher @ Small tech startup (11th)

-Just did usual work, published few papers, did some surveys, collected data, research

Intern @ dads tech company (idk if i should put this bc obv nepo) (9-10th)

Essays/LORs/Other: I haven't started on any of these

Schools: I want to go to UT as its in state and really good for cs but I also want to aim higher but idk if I meet the qualifications.
Chance me for UT and other T10 CS programs.

Looking back at this I realize i didn't really do anything 9th-10th lmao


r/chanceme 4h ago

animal doctor head ahh

2 Upvotes

i go to mid competitive public school w/ good standardized scores. i wanna be a vet btw, hence uc davis, which has good vet school admissions after undergrad. Im rich af so no financial aid im guessing. Im armenian but considered white by the U.S., idk how they treat that, and im younger than 100% of my grade (flex).

schools

  • UCLA reach
  • UCSD target
  • UC Berkeley reach
  • UCSB target
  • UC davis target
  • Stanford reach
  • Yale reach
  • CSUN safety
  • cal poly Pomona safety + obispo target

GRADES:

  • 4.50 Weighted, 4.0 Unweighted (higher for the UCs cause they calculate it differently)
  • 5/600+ in class
  • College GPA is 4.0.
  • 1560 SAT (800 math 760 english)

ECs/RESEARCH:

  • 60+ hrs volunteering at hosptial (working directly with patients)
  • Research in biotech w/ marine bacteria
  • On science bowl team, specializing in chemistry
  • Play piano for 5+ years
  • Volunteer at animal shelters
  • Tutor peers in various subjects.
  • Shadowed veterinarian for some time after classes.
  • Interned at wildlife rescue facility. Veterinarian internship in recognized animal hospital and one at a zoo.

HS/COLLEGE CLASSES/INTERNSHIPS:

  • SCIENCES: H/AP BIO, H/AP CHEM, AP PHYSICS 1/C, H PHYSIO, APES.
  • HISTORY: H WORLD, APUSH, AP GOV/ECON
  • MATH: GEOMETRY, ALG 2, HONORS PRECALC, AP CALC BC
  • ENGLISH: H ENG 9/10, AP LANG, AP LIT
  • WORLD LANGUAGE: SPANISH 1, 2, 3
  • ELECTIVES: APCSP, AP MUSIC THEORY, APCSA
  • COLLEGE COURSES: 1 year biotech, biology, chem (bio and chem are both for college sophomores), microbiology, organic chem. i took these all 1 because i am really interested in especially chem but also bio and 2 i wanna spend less dinero on undergrad and its free when im in hs (W).

AP SCORES:

5 on all except AP Music theory because my voice cracked like a whip while singing ( i got a 4) and a 3 on APES cause i fell asleep during the exam (no joke)

CERTIFICATES/SCHOLARSHIPS:

  • CSF life Member
  • 20-unit certificate from CC.
  • 450-dollar Science bowl scholarship for 3rd place in regionals

total 26 classes, 13 APs in the end.


r/chanceme 57m ago

All alumni and Ivy League accepted, help!

Upvotes

Hi everyone! This is a call for all Ivy League alumns, people who just got into an Ivy (and Stanford too) or just general stem tips! For a bit of background I’m a sophomore (15 almost 16) and I want to go to Stanford for their pre medical track. Here is a general outline of everything I have/ plan and every single tip is appreciated, as I have a horrible college counseler and I feel like I’m running out of time.

Current: (all awards/ stats from high school) ~4.5 gpa weighted, 4.09 unweighted - founder and president of science Olympiad at my school (switching schools but I’ll hopefully be vice there, much better school) - accepted into Harvard secondary, will probs go bc of the good lab work I’ll get - working on research paper rn (very long process) dealing with a certain type of stem cells vs certain caffeinated drinks - accepted and attending BICC (Beijing in China college) for foreign exchange students in the summer (only 18 attending) - mock trial - 2 years (prosecuting lawyer this year) - worked a part time job for roughly two years now, don’t work much anymore - e sports for Fortnite - psychology club (I do media for this club) - featured in local art comp for photography - won schools math award freshman year - working on non profit for end of life care patients - planning to volunteer this summer at Cleveland clinic (local to me) - passed HSK 2 (standardized mandarin test) - 2 years varsity tennis - 1 year varsity track - ambassador for school (2 years) - APs (as a sophomore rn) - AP mandarin, APUSH - DEs (dual enrollments at local private college) - Biology and environmental

Plans for following years (note: I’m going to a much better school on a 30k scholarship, there are a good handful of kids who go to ivys from this school but not from my previous one) - compete in ISEF, hopefully make it to regionals but willing to put in time for nationals (any tips for this PLEASE) - compete in other neuroscience comps - apply for Coca Cola scholarship (tips,again pls) - finish research paper and publish in pub med, hope to work with local t10 medical school - AP(s)/ classes (Junior)- AP Calc BC, AP gov, AP lang, AP chem, scientific research, and maybe another AP (Senior)- AP physics C (electrical), linear algebra or multivariable calc, AP computer science, AP psychology, marine biology, and depends what else my new school offers - continue playing varsity tennis - science Olympiad (trying to go for vice for junior, president for senior at new school) - create Red Cross club at new school - try and get local lab research at local college (maybe, and to help for ISEF and other comps) - continue E sports (may choose diff game) - Stanford neuroscience journaling club (applying rn) - NASA internship- grandpa works there, may do it this year or next year. But also gonna apply for YYGS, BOFA, SSP, RSI, MITES, etc - volunteering: Cleveland clinic and local non profit for sorting medical supplies (already have volunteered twice there) - NHS - NAHS

Super long message- subject to change. But please give thoughts guys Also for common APP essay, would it be a good unique experience if I could intertwine how I suffered from an eating disorder and other mental disorders growing up, causing me to be in like a completely different world and how I wanna be a neurosurgeon to save lives because I felt like I couldn’t even save my own?


r/chanceme 2h ago

Chance me Bay Area Indian Male Brawlstars fiend

1 Upvotes

Demographics: Bay Area indian male, currently a Junior, large public school 2k+

Intended Majors: CS/Data science, Cog sci, poly sci, some combination majors possibly 

Standardized tests: SAT 1510 on 2nd attempt, planning on doing ACT sometime this summer 

GPA: 3.94 UW/ 4.46 W

UC GPA: 3.96 UW/ 4.29 Capped W/ 4.74 Uncapped W

Coursework: Junior right now taking 4 APs (AP Stats, AP Lang, AP CSA, AP Calc AB). Took 3 in sophomore year and got 5s on all of them (AP Psych, AP World, AP CSP). Planning on doing 4 next year (AP Physics C, AP Calc BC, AP Lit, AP Gov). 5 total Honors courses on top of that from freshman to this year.

ECS and Awards: 

  • Conducted research and interned at a Naval Laboratory for 3 months, one of 10 out of 3000 applicants selected. Created datasets from data gathered by oceanic and atmospheric devices. Trained ML models to complete various tasks that assisted with day-to-day naval operations and strategic planning/forecasting.
  • School club president for Destination Imagination (STEM & performing arts competition). Two-time state champion and international qualifier. Recognition medal for artistic and performing quality at 2024 state tournament. Mentored 6 middle-school and elementary school level teams who all placed at regionals. 7 years of experience.
  • One of 7 council members for city youth council. Basically an extension of the city board that serves the youth community. Responsibilities include managing a tax-payer funded budget throughout the year, organizing an annual youth summer camp, facilitating monthly meetings, maintaining social media, and conducted community clean-ups and other volunteer oriented events. 5 years experience.
  • School DECA officer and director of a flagship middle school program with over 300 students. Organizer for mock competitions, grading for written reports, and recruitment for competition judges and middle school members. One the high school side of things, 2x ICDC for 2024 and 2025 qualifier winning 4/15 and 3/47 respectively at state conferences. 
  • Violinist for 8+ years. Currently in school Advanced Orchestra and a 2x county honor recipient
  • Some other things I might not focus on too much like VEX and FTC robotics member on teams that made worlds qualifiers this year, South Indian language teacher and volunteer, congressional campaign intern, intern at an SEO optimization company, etc.

My school is essentially a UC system feeder with like 30 ppl getting into Berkeley this year and 50+ in other campuses like Davis/Irvine/Riverside. Usually 1-2 HYPSM acceptances per year.

Leaning towards Datascience/analytics side more just because of how hostile CS is but might apply direct CS for some schools. I'm also considering poli sci or cog sci for some schools. 

Looking for any general advice for ECs/Essays/any recommendations in general. As I'm in the last stretch of my high school career before apps start this summer, I'm just looking for some help overall. Any comments are appreciated! 


r/chanceme 2h ago

Can you please guess what colleges I’ll get into. Please…

1 Upvotes

Hi, I am a junior in NoVa and go to a public decently competitive school. I am aiming high for schools next year and want to know if I have a chance.

Intended Major: Marketing or Finance

Stats: - 4.33 Weighted GPA - 1350 SAT - 6 APs so far (will be 10 in total after Senior year) 2 DE

EC: -4 year baseball (2 year on Varsity) - 1 Year Varsity Golf - Deca for 2 years with states and national competition - Finance Internship Unpaid 9-5 for 2 weeks where I learned about ins and outs of investment banking and wealth management - National Honor Society - 100+ Volunteer Hours - Pianist - Finance Club President

Colleges I’m applying to: - Virginia Tech - University of Virginia - James Madison - William and Mary - University of Charleston - University of Maryland - USC Columbia - University of Florida - University of Miami

Please let me know what you think and if I’m aiming to high. Thank you.


r/chanceme 12h ago

Anyone interested in chancing each other?

7 Upvotes

I don’t feel comfortable posting my stats publicly, but if you'd like to chance each other, feel free to DM me, and I'll do the same for you! Let's help each other out with some honest feedback.


r/chanceme 6h ago

Application Question Chance a Junior!

2 Upvotes

Demographics + Hooks
US Valid Visa Holder - not sure if we will get green card this year
Large public school in Indiana - ~1,300 kids in grade, sends ~20 kids to Ivys and T20s
Indian Female
Hooks - lived in 3 countries growing up, been in the US since 2021
Intended Major - AI/Information Systems

Stats
GPA - 3.8UW/4.38W (as of first semester)
SAT - 1450 superscore (planning on retaking during the summer)
ACT - 29 (planning on retaking during the summer)
Class Rank - school doesn't do rank but pretty sure in top 10% or 15%

APs + IB + Honors
9: WH (5), Bio Honors
10: Seminar (4), Chemistry (self-studied, not submitting - 3), Chem Honors
11: CSA (self-studying), Research, Pre-Calc, Physics 1, IB US History
12: Calc AB, Stats, Macro, Gov

Awards
Regional Poetry Contest 2nd and 3rd place
NCWIT AiC Affiliate Rising Star
Scholastic Regional Silver Key
AP Scholar
IU Computer Science Challenge HM
CyberPatriot Semifinalist

ECs

  1. Publication staff member - will be editor-in-chief next year
  2. Research Intern at Ivy League lab - student mentor upcoming summer
  3. Tech Intern at startup
  4. AI Fellowship at [program] - one of 50 selected
  5. Local AI Bootcamp Student Ambassador
  6. Clubs: Choir, CyberPatriot, HOSA, Math Club, Mu Alpha Theta, NHS

Schools
Dream
- Carnegie Mellon: specifically Information Systems
- UW Seattle

Reach
- Harvard
- Princeton
- UC Berkeley
- UPenn

Target
- Georgia Tech
- Northwestern
- Purdue
- University of Chicago
- National University of Singapore
- National Tech University (SG)

Safety
- IU Bloomington
- UCincy

Goals
- Submit to Congressional App Challenge, BioGenius Challenge, National STEM Festival and STS
- Increase SAT and ACT scores before CA opens

Notes
I am fully aware that I am not as cracked as the other kids on this sub, but please be as honest as possible!


r/chanceme 3h ago

UNC Transfer

1 Upvotes

What are my chances of getting in as a transfer student to Chapel if I got waitlisted this year in state?


r/chanceme 5h ago

What school should I apply ED for?

1 Upvotes

Hello I feel like I have good extracirculars but very mid grades and sat score I am currently a junior so there is a chance for me to increase my SAT score. I am struggling to pick which school I should apply ED for some options are: Emory UNC NYU USC(They are going to have one when I apply for the business program) or Boston college If I am missing any please lmk below are my stats:

Major: Business admin or Entrepreneurship(Planning to switch to finance after admission)

GPA: UW 3.65-3.7 Weighted 4.0

My GPA is low because of jr year first semester when I had to spend a lot of time on my business and did not have much time for school due to my having to drive to our office almost everyday to ship orders.

APs:

AP CALC AP CSA AP CSP APES AP PYSCH AP PHYSICS College Business class (Planning to take around 4 more as a senior)

SAT: 1370 (Math 730 English 640)

ECs:
Business generating 150k(probably will make more) in revenue (dont want to go into deep lol but want to base my entire application around this)

Founder and President of the School E-Commerce Club (helping small businesses create websites for their brands, boosting their revenue significantly; have helped 8+ businesses so far). Big impact driving local economic growth

Founded my school's badminton team and am captain of it; won many awards like team MVP and athletic scholar. Won prestigious tournaments for our school and made a name for our school.

Marketing Internship at a Math Tutoring Company.

In chess I reached a rating of over 1200+. Participated in tournaments, winning 15+ trophies, and coached elementary school students on the fundamentals.

NFT: created over 3,000 NFTs and used the proceeds to donate clothing to kids in need. Managed everything from NFT design and blockchain integration to marketing and community engagement.

Probably going to do an Internship over this summer


r/chanceme 6h ago

chance me for UT Austin!! (im cooked)

0 Upvotes

Class of 2026, in state, going for Aerospace Engineering, Dallas Suburbs

UW GPA: 3.977

W GPA: 5.349

Rank: 15/900 (top 2%)

SAT: 1510 (780M 730R)

8 APs as of now:

- AP CSA (4)

- AP Calc AB (5)

- AP Sem (4)

- AP Research (projected 3-4)

- AP Stats (projected 4-5)

- AP Calc BC (projected 5)

- AP Chem (projected 3-4)

- AP Phys 1 (projected 3-4)

ECs:

- Violin (self-taught) 11 years

- 3rd Degree Black Belt in Taekwondo for 10 years (quit to start Jiu-Jitsu)

- Jiu-Jitsu for 2 years (blue belt) (12 years of martial arts total)

- World's Qualifying FRC team electrical captain (2 years, 3 years by college apps)

- Internship/research program at UT Dallas (sophomore year summer)

- Currently working on a relatively small project related to aerospace engineering under a mentor.


r/chanceme 10h ago

chance cooked Chinese junior who wants go into law

2 Upvotes

Stats School: small specialized selective public Female 35 ACT 3.8/4.0 UW 4.3 W I think, 35 ACT 150k income

APWH 5, stats 4, psych 4, Spanish 5, APHG 5, APUSH 5, lang 5

Desired major: public/social policy, polisci

ec:

  1. Gov affairs for student council, did lobbying, legislative proposals
  2. PR officer for amnesty cohort, lobbying, campaigning, awareness
  3. District student rep for board advisory
  4. Mock trial spring trainer
  5. NP founder for civic literacy, helping undocumented immigrant students, publishing articles, doing interviews, news podcast etc
  6. Moot court
  7. Peer court
  8. Local afterschool tutor
  9. Fundraising at local church, raised 1000+ to help rebuild roof for church through writing a play and hosting music festival
  10. city superior court intern
  11. Classically trained in piano 10+ years 💀 competitions and certificate of merit
  12. Did like 3 college programs over the years
  13. Peer court
  14. Outside of school debate
  15. MUN
  16. Environmental nonprofit involvement, student leader
  17. School Newspaper editor

Awards: pretty weak PVSA gold and silver Mock trial 3rd place county, semi finalist, quarterfinalists Congressional certificate of recognition Bunch of and national and international piano competitions with first prizes

Idek uhm I like UChicago, northwestern, duke, Boston College, UC Berkeley, Barnard, Wellesley, Williams, Amherst, Georgetown, George Washington, brandeis, loyala in Chicago

I like having access to the city with internships and stuff and good food

If I’m getting rejected everywhere above. Pls lmk what would be some nice colleges I could apply to

LMK!!!


r/chanceme 7h ago

Application Question Chance a Junior looking at mostly LACs

1 Upvotes

hi! i'm a junior who's looking to major in history and/or women's studies (and maybe minor in screenwriting at the schools that offer it) and wants to look into my chances at some top LACs and just my college list in general and would appreciate any advice!! I just took the ACT and haven't gotten my score back and am taking the SAT in may but based on PSAT/ACT scores I'm projected to get a ~1480 and a 33! UW gpa is 3.84 (but at the end of the year will most likely be 3.9) and current WGPA is 4.4 I've taken 3 AP classes this year(school doesn't offer many until junior year) which were Gov, APES and Lang. Next year I'm taking 4 (Euro, Seminar, Calc AB and Lit) and I've taken all honors classes except for bio sophomore year. ECs: - Theater 9-12 (both acting and being on the production staff, 8 shows so far, leads and supporting characters) - Speech team 10-12 (co-capitan) - A capella group 10-12 (co-president) - Volunteer at a historical home 10-12 (greeter and docent, ~100hrs) - School news 11-12 (anchoring, filming and editing) - Screenwriting 10-12(written 2 features and 3 shorts, one being produced professionally, serving as a producer for that) - Seasonal worker at a farmers market (11-12) -Junior Mentor for a program providing at-risk students with extracurriculars, school help and preparation for high school 11-12 - Also created and self taught a curriculum for a class that was approved by the school board for credit - Either Kenyon Camp 4 or Iowa Young Writers Program over the summer

Awards: - YoungArts award 2025 (screenwriting/playwriting) - Illinois Music Educators Association solo contest (vocal) division 1 ranking and best of day award (highest honor) - Italian Honor Society - Dartmouth College Book Award - Honor Roll and Deans List 9-11 - Speech regional award

My list right now is kind of all over the place because i'm not totally sure where I stand as an applicant but right now this is it but I would really appreciate ways to narrow down the list or better fits for me! (I would also love feedback on my classification for each school -- safety, match, reach)

Safeties??: - UVM - UMass Amherst - Iowa (would apply for screenwriting) - Sarah Lawrence (maybe more of a target)

Targets??: - Smith - Scripps - Syracuse - Mount Holyoke - Kenyon - UIUC - William & Mary

Reaches??: - Vassar - Michigan - Wellesley - Uchicago - Northeastern - Dartmouth

Any feedback is greatly appreciated!! Thank you!!


r/chanceme 19h ago

Rejected Everywhere. What do I do. Schooless/Gap Year?

8 Upvotes

Hey everyone,

I hope you're all doing well. I'm honestly feeling pretty crushed right now because all my college decisions just came in, and I've been rejected from nearly every school I applied to, even ones where I thought I had a decent shot, like Vanderbilt and UMich.

Some stats for context:

  • SAT: 1550 (800M which I think means a lot here)
  • ECs: Thought they were pretty strong (more here)
  • Intended Major: Computer Science

Now, I'm stuck figuring out what to do next. I have a few ideas, but nothing feels like a clear solution:

Community college, then transfer: This could work, but I'm concerned about missing early connections and resources typically available in top-tier CS programs.

Taking a gap year: I live close to a top-5 university and could potentially get involved with some CS research there. Would something like this significantly boost my chances next year? Should I do this? I would really like to at least get into a t20 school. I'm not asking for MIT or anything although Harvard would be nice (was my dream school.)

Reapplying next cycle: I'm unsure if this actually helps or if I'd just be delaying the inevitable. :(

People keep suggesting I just go to my state flagship and excel there, but UIUC is my state flagship, and I got waitlisted for CS, which essentially means a rejection since CS spots rarely open up. I'm not sure what to do with that.

At this point, I genuinely can't pinpoint what's holding me back. Is it my GPA, essays, or even luck? No teacher or counselor who reviewed my application could identify why I've faced so many rejections, especially when classmates with similar profiles got accepted to many of these schools. Could anyone here help me figure out what's wrong with my application, please? Sorry if I'm asking too much, but I'm genuinely unsure how to approach this situation. Even one acceptance to a target or safety school would've made all the difference, but having none feels like there must be something wrong.

Sorry if this post is unclear or all over the place, my brain has been super foggy since. I'm feeling lost and could really use some guidance. Can a gap year realistically help address whatever issues I might have, or should I start looking into a completely different path? Is college even the right choice for me in a year's time, or ever?

Thank you so much for any advice you can offer. :')


r/chanceme 14h ago

NJ normal indian student from a mid school

2 Upvotes

Hi guys! Chance me for some ivys pls (Junior)

Race: Indian

Major: Cybersecurity

Income: Mid

SAT: 1390 Super: 1430

GPA: 4.2 uw 4.6 w (4.3 uw scale, 5.0 w scale)

Awards:

  1. Winner of school hackathon

Extracurriculars:

  1. TSA (Technology Student Association)
  2. SkillsUSA
  3. Soccer (Recreational)
  4. Clarinet
  5. Hackathon Coordinator
  6. FRC Robotics
  7. NHS/NTHS

APs

  1. AP CSP (5)

Other

  1. Garden State Cyber CTF Competition placement #6 of 352 teams
  2. 120+ Volunteer Hours and contributed to over $4000 for the construction of homes

Taking AP CSA, 26 Credits of DE Next year (Vocational School)

Schools:

CMU
GTech
MIT
Princeton
Stanford
Stevens Institute of Technology

NJIT

VTech

Caltech

Purdue


r/chanceme 1d ago

I'm definitely getting into harvard (chance me)

29 Upvotes

GPA: 0.1 UW 0.1 W

SAT: 420

No honors or AP classes

Race: asian

Class Rank: 609/609

Extracurriculars: 10K trophies on brawl stars

Essays: 10/10 fr fr (I used ChatGPT)

Recommendations: I asked my English teacher. I managed to get a 50% in her class so she's definitely writing me a good one

Financial situation: Multimillionaires but my parents aren't donors


r/chanceme 11h ago

Application Question IU Kelley Direct Admisisons

1 Upvotes

How guaranteed is Kelley direct if you meet the sat and gpa requirement?


r/chanceme 11h ago

IU Kelley Direct Admisisons

1 Upvotes

How guaranteed is Kelley direct if you meet the sat and gpa requirement?


r/chanceme 13h ago

Chances of getting into Columbia as a junior transfer? (ME)

Thumbnail
1 Upvotes

r/chanceme 1d ago

Junior EA MIT Chances ⁉️⁉️⁉️

12 Upvotes

Demographic: Asian Female no hook

School: Competitive Public

Region: Eastern Standard Time

Stats:

  • SAT 800 Math, >720 Reading
  • >4.1/4.3 UW GPA

APs Taken:

  • (1) 9th: dummy ap 5
  • (6) 10th: Calc BC, Bio, World History, CSA, dummy ap #1, dummy ap #2; fairly confident all 5
  • (5) 11th: at least Chem, US History, dummy ap #1, dummy ap #2, dummy ap #3
    • courses: multivar & linalg

Intended Major: Math/CS

Activities:

  1. Very selective math research program
  2. School math team captain next year hopefully; if not, I will create my own club for one of the 12 international science olympiads. 💔
  3. Co-lead of school cultural club
  4. Selective regional orchestra

Awards:

  • Math Olympiad qualification
  • Team competition results
  • AMC10 DHR
  • Online math competition gold 💀
  • USABO Open HM 💀
  • National French Contest Gold
  • John Locke Essay Competition Shortlist
  • PVSA Gold

Summer Activities

  • Very selective math camp; hopefully I get in this year, will update if I do
  • Selective math camp
  • Fairly selective math camp for younger people
  • Selective research math camp, not in the US 💀🙏

Letter of Recs:

  • >8/10 from my calc teacher
  • Potential summer camp mentor rec letter 🙏

Jobs:

  • Selective online teaching program

Essays: 9/10 because I'm confident


r/chanceme 1d ago

Was I lucky to get into the colleges I did

49 Upvotes

SAT: 1590 (800 RW, 790M) ( * AP: GOV5), Lit(5), Lang (4), World History (4), Psych (5), Bio(5), Calc(5), French(5), HumanGeo(4), Art(5)

Extracurriculars/Activities (not in any specific order + minimal detail + probably left some out, sorry I was lazy) 1. Model UN Head 2. Cheer Team (went to worlds ) 3. Debate Club (all 4 years, secretary sophomore year, head junior year - senior year ) 4. Soccer Team ( all 4 years) 5. Campaigned for Dave Min (house rep) 6. Worked at my dads office as PA to CFO 7. Junior Editor at schools newspaper 8. Homeless shelter (~50 hours) 9. Joined National Honors Society 10.Dance Teacher 11.Summer program at UCLA 12. Track team Awards/Honors

  1. MTAC State Honors for Soccer
  2. AP Scholar w/ Distinction
  3. Made it to NMUN
  4. Made it to JO Nationals for long jump
  5. Student of the Month
  6. Honor Roll - special program at my school which took us to the east coast and to Canada

SCHOOLS I GOT INTO ACCEPTANCES UArizona (full ride) Occidental College ($55k scholarship) San Diego State ( full ride) CSULB Pepperdine ( honors) University of Vermont ( full ride)( honors) Mizzou ( honors) UW Madison Bama Chapman(full ride) UGA Penn State UT Austin Notre Dame UFlorida Barnard UMiami( regents scholar) Vanderbilt UMich ( full ride????) UIUC Pomona Emory USC ( regents scholar ) UCLA Tulane UCSB UCSD UCB UCI UCD Cal Poly ( full ride) Wellseley Georgetown NYU UNC Duke Yale Princeton Brown Cornell UPenn Columbia Stanford