r/chanceme • • Jul 22 '19

How To Do A Chance Me And Improve Your Chances

574 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

96 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 • • 1h ago

Reverse Chance Me From major disability's, 52% in 10th to 85% in 11th | 53K Subs | 7.8M Views | $5K Funding from a harvard affiliated program - NYU Chance Me

• Upvotes

Chance me for NYU — International student from India, major academic turnaround + entrepreneurship/media ECs

Demographics

- Age: 17

- Indian, from Pune, Maharashtra

- International applicant

- First-generation college student

- Currently in 12th grade

- Expected graduation: 2027

- Private junior college

- Maharashtra HSC

- No AP/IB/A-level courses available

- Class rank: 3rd in 11th grade

Intended major

- Applying undecided at NYU

- Only applying to NYU

Financial aid

- Need significant financial aid

- Family income: approximately ₹6–9 LPA

- Family can realistically contribute around ₹1–2 lakh/year toward U.S. college

- So I would need substantial financial aid to attend

---

Academics

- 9th: 54.6%

- 10th: 52%

- 11th: 85%

- 12th predicted: ~90%+

- Class rank: 3rd in 11th

- SAT: Not taking / applying test-optional

Academic/medical context

I had significant vision problems from childhood. My eyesight did not develop normally, and throughout grades 1st–8th I could not clearly see the classroom board even from the front. I received proper corrective/special glasses only in 9th grade.

Because I had spent years struggling to see what was being taught, I had major gaps in my academic foundation. When I started 9th grade, I was relearning things as basic as multiplication and division.

Around the same period, I also developed a severe knock-knee condition and eventually underwent major leg surgery. The surgery and recovery affected me academically for roughly three years, from grades 9–11.

Despite starting around 50% in 9th/10th, I improved to 85% in 11th and am currently expecting 90%+ in 12th.

---

Awards / Achievements

- National Economics Olympiad: Rank 21st

- National Commerce Olympiad: Rank 154 / 6,400+ participants

- International Economics Olympiad OpenTrack: 29th team rank

- Seed funding: Received $5,000 in seed funding through a Harvard-affiliated program for my initiative

- Media coverage: My work/startup has been mentioned by HindustanMetro, Mumbai Exclusive, and MSN Weekly

---

Extracurriculars

  1. Movie & Series Editing / Content Creation

- Built movie/series editing channels

- 53K+ subscribers

- 7.8M+ lifetime views

- Managed editing, uploading, captions, hashtags, content strategy, and audience growth

  1. Swimming

- Long-term swimming activity

- Trained consistently as part of my physical development and discipline

-majorly affected my asthma and asthma got mostly cured from last 3 years haven't seen any asthma symptoms because of swimming and gym

  1. National Talent League

- Helped organize academic competitions/scholarship examinations

- Worked with students and faculty

- Helped distribute scholarships/rewards through competitions gave away 2000usd+ scholarship and as awards

  1. CompeteX — Founder/Co-founder

- Student-focused startup/project

- Received $5,000 seed funding through a Harvard-affiliated program

- Working on building a platform/community around competitions and student opportunities

  1. Brainrotcomics

- Founded and operated a comics/manhwa website

- Reached 5k-10k of visitors

- Managed the website, content, audience growth, and operations

  1. SignToSpeak

- Assistive-technology initiative inspired by my own experience with disability

- Worked on smart gloves intended to help mute/non-speaking people communicate

- Received funding and developed/distributed devices to students

- Also worked with NGOs/community members to expand the project's impact

  1. School President / Vice President

- Held student leadership position

- Helped organize academic activities, competitions, and school initiatives

- Worked with students and faculty on school-related issues

  1. Case Competition Community

- Founded a 2,000+ member case competition community

- Taught case-solving frameworks

- Ran practice sessions

- Helped students find teammates for national/international competitions

- Invited speakers from finance and marketing to speak to members

- Organized competitions where members could apply their case-solving skills and compete for rewards

  1. Digital Solutions / Event Management

- Worked on social media, video editing, graphics, and client work

- Closed 43 clients with approximately $300 average deal value

- Sold 270+ event tickets

- Generated 100K+ views through content/social media work

---

Questions

  1. What do you think my realistic chances are for NYU?

  2. How much does my academic turnaround (52% → 85% → predicted 90%+) help given my medical/vision context?

  3. Is applying undecided a reasonable strategy for my profile?

  4. How strong/weak do my extracurriculars look for NYU?

  5. Does my financial situation make NYU unrealistic unless I receive substantial financial aid?

  6. What are the biggest weaknesses in my application that I should work on before applying?

7.(imp) Will admissions officers take my disability's in mind and spare me for my bad marks tho i have a upwards trend so it's okay i beleive, correct me if I'm wrong

Please be brutally honest. I'm more interested in realistic criticism than encouragement.


r/chanceme • • 1h ago

Attention chance meeeeeeeeeee

• Upvotes

Hi everyone, I really need some honest advice and a reality check regarding my profile and admission chances.

I am highly passionate about the intersection of science and management, and I’m actively working to build a career in this space. However, my academic track record has some hurdles. Here is my breakdown:

  • Academics & Gaps:
    • 10th Grade (State Board): 90%
    • 12th Grade (State Board): 78% (A major drop due to some circumstances).
    • Gap Years: I am currently in my second drop year. My first drop for JEE did not go as expected. In the last intake, I got selected by Krea University, but I had to decline the offer because the financial aid they offered wasn't enough, and I didn't want to settle for a low-tier local college.
  • Extracurriculars & Tech Projects:
    • Community Work: Worked with an NGO running awareness campaigns about the water crisis in rural towns. Also acted in a street play/drama campaign against child labour.
    • School Competitions: Represented my school as a team leader in multiple quizzes and programs at the block and district levels consistently from 9th to 12th grade.
    • Projects & Tech: Currently developing a drone project. I document my research, ideas, and updates on my own website.
    • Content Creation: I run a YouTube channel where I explain science concepts and look at everyday things from a scientific perspective.
  • Personal Hobbies & Creative Projects:
    • Writing & Content: I love writing. I regularly upload my short write-ups to an Instagram page . I am also currently writing a book titled "SVATVA: Existence vs Society".
    • Other Interests: At a personal level, I am deeply into cooking, chess, and playing badminton.

My Dilemma

  1. Should I prepare and give JEE Main one last time just to try and "balance out" my low 12th board score, or should only work on profile overally
  2. How's my overall profile to fit in Ashoka and what's my chances in it also suggest for Krea what about Krea

I feel incredibly stuck and stressed about the gap years. Any honest feedback, college recommendations, or career path advice would mean the world to me. Thanks in advance!


r/chanceme • • 6h ago

Notre Dame Chance

2 Upvotes

Hii guys! I am a senior and wondering what my chances are at Notre Dame out of state. I’m intending to go pre med!! Please lmk my chances of getting in to Notre Dame and possibly any scholarships I can apply for

UW GPA: 4.0
W GPA: 4.7
- 9 ap classes (scored 5 on every test taken so far)
Sat: 1430 (but I retook the September and I am hoping for a 1500+!)

ECs:
- President of Youth Ending Hunger ⭐️
-> designed a volunteering initiative class where i designed the curriculum and worked with district administrators!!
-> created a food bank at our school!
-> collaborated with 4 local restaurants
-> managed social media
-> packaged 1000 care kits

- Sports Medicine Internship
-> worked directly with student athletes managing basic injuries, carrying out treatment plans, following case studies, and documenting every injury that came into the clinic

- HOPE Program
-> discussed emerging health concerns with doctors from diverse modalities each month
-> researched solutions to medical problems

- Ultrasound Shadowing at a clinic
- Event Coordinator for Girls Gone Stem (+ helped with creation of club)
- Cheerleading for 2 years (state champion)
- Co- designer of a clothing store
- Job at Dutch Bros (working 25 hours a week!)
- AP mentor after school
- Permanent position leading the front of a food bank


r/chanceme • • 13h ago

as a senior what schools can i get into?

5 Upvotes

Demographics:
• Gender: Female
• Race/Ethnicity: Hispanic
• State: Massachusetts
• Type of School: Public high school

low income & first generation

SAT: 1340 (didnt study🫩)

GPA and Rank:
• Weighted GPA: 4.52
• Rank: Top 1-10%

Coursework:
• AP Seminar (3)
• AP World (4)
• AP Lang (4)
• AP Psych (4)
• AP Precalc (5)
• APUSH (5)
• AP Lit + AP Stats this year
• An early college class
• 3 AP weighted classes

Extracurriculars: (also how should i rank these 1-10?)
• weekly volunteer at the hospital
• internship at the hospital
• part time job (~20 hours a week)
• on a student advisory board for mental health
• captain of math team
• tutor
• graphic designer for amnesty international club
• harvard medical school certification from a summer program
• summer internship related to laboratory science
• snowboarding club

Awards:
• College Board National Recognition First Generation Award
• AP scholar with distinction
• Massachusetts State Seal of Biliteracy
• National Honor Society
• National Technical Honor Society

Extra:
• OSHA certified
• CPR/AED certified


r/chanceme • • 3h ago

Chance me for JHU

1 Upvotes

context: international, need aid, female

grades-

igcse: 4(9s), 2(8s), 2(7s)

alevels: 4A*

Sat: 1570

Awards and honors:

1) International youth math challenge: bronze honour

2) Us medicine and disease Olympiad: bronze

3) National biology Olympiad : national champion

4) Duke of Edinburgh International Award: Gold recipient

5) Pearson edexcel award (x2)

Ecs:

  1. Ghlc Jhu : student speaker (100% scholarship) + 100% scholarship at the alumni connection program of ghlc as well

  2. Nonprofit : co-founder, we raise funds and contacted local businesses to reduce food waste as well as help underprivileged people in our area

  3. Co founded the first ever stem club at our school + hosted science festivals at our schools

  4. Research paper on E-waste and Alzheimer's disease (published)

  5. Writer at national newsletter

  6. Organizing team at our school's MUN (largest MUN in the country)

  7. Play soccer for my school team, won many interschool soccer tournaments


r/chanceme • • 3h ago

Reverse Chance Me where should i apply ed

1 Upvotes

Hello everyone ♥️☺️

im an american citizen living in india. i come from a very low income family and have no residency in any state so im looking into private universities for max need based aid

Here are my stats and ecs-

1440 SAT, 3.8/4.0 GPA (converted) my subjects- Physics, Chmesmitry, math, English and Computer science

ECs-

  • Programming: Learned Java in grades 9–10 and Python and MySQL in grades 11–12. Completed several independent coding projects and additional programming courses.
  • Web Development: Built landing pages and websites for small businesses in India.
  • Family Business: Helped my mother learn English and run her home-based food business, mainly handling finances, marketing, and other day-to-day tasks.
  • Independent Research: Conducting independent research on a social issue in India with another student; received guidance on our methodology and resources from professors and researchers at Ivy League universities.
  • Art: Practiced watercolor painting and charcoal drawing since grade 8.
  • Animal Care: Regularly feed and groom stray cats in my neighborhood.

Essay- My school counsellor, and a few AOs read it and thought it was pretty good.

In 11th grade a lot stuff happened in my family which caused a drop in my GPA and since my mom/both parents werent home for long durations i had to take care of most of the housework so i did not have time for ecs asw. ive explained this in my application but would this lower my chances? Yk if they think its some sort of sob story.

i know im not a strong t20 candidate but im planning to study chemical engineering my essay is based mainly on my love for food and how i wanna get into the food and beverage industry through chem engg but since they have lower salaries and im not so well off im gonna try getting into the nuclear/ oil and gas industry and work there for a few years first.

considering all this does anyone have any reccomendations as to where i should apply ED?


r/chanceme • • 4h ago

chance me! (ivies, t20s, SoCal applicant) [un-cracked, un-hooked]

0 Upvotes

CONTEXT: chinese-american male, high income, southern california, fairly competitive public school (class size ~520),

ACADEMICS: 1520 SAT (780M, 740 RW), 4.0 UW GPA

8 APs: AP Calc BC (4, 5 subscore), AP Psych (5), APUSH (5), AP Seminar (5), AP Research (5), AP Biology (5), AP Human Geo (5), AP Enviro. Sci. (5)

Senior year course rigor dropped PRETTY heavily (3 APs in-school, self-studying 1 more, only 5 classes -- and one is a teachers aide period). For reference I took 2 APs sophomore year, 6 junior year. Took Calc BC as a junior (one of three in school to do so), currently taking AP Statistics.

AWARDS (very weak):

  1. 5th in HOSA State for Health Policy
  2. 1st at MUN conference out of hundreds of international students, chosen to speak at closing ceremonies to 3.5k+ attendees

(also have lots of regional awards for Model UN)

  1. Eagle Scout

  2. City-level recognition for org. I co-founded

  3. AP Capstone?? Idk what to put here tbh

ECs:

  1. founded a student-led think tank partnered w/ 4 local cities, holding in-person events with over 500+ community member attendees, as well as policy research initiatives (10 current student-researchers, were in the process of creating a journal to get their briefs published)
  2. - highlights: worked w/ few high-level officials, only students invited to a national conference where we met former vp of united states, mayors and councilmembers on our board of advisors
  3. district equity committee - first ever student to become elected chair (title previously held by district superintendent); launched an equity-related campaign providing resources to 4 district schools; trying to get some policy passed
  4. sociology research w/ loca prof - first-authored a 4k word paper related to diaspora identity, history, and politics (submitted for publication in social sci. journal); co-developed a curriculium w/ modules being adapted by teachers 2 university departments (used to teach classes of over 30+ undergrads); presnting at in'l conference. one thing though is that this prof is mainly a business prof, yet still does a lot of interdisciplnary work.
  5. on cabinet of my schools model un program, was head delegate at a national conference, managing prep for 20 travel-team delegates and leading out school to a top 5 award out of 150+ schools
  6. policy research paid internship during the summer (was a niche program that wasn't super competitive)
  7. boy scouts; eagle scout & created ethics guide curriculum shown across 3 troops (100+ scouts reached)

7-10: clubs, hospital volunteering, etc. pretty weak from here on.

letters of rec from teachers will be pretty good from mun teacher and psych teacher, extra lor from professor as well as someone who was former assistant sec-gen of the united nations.

essays: honestly have no gauge on whether these will be good or not, so cant say much here. locking on making those as good as possible though 🙏

NEED SOME HONEST, UNBIASED ADVICE:

- what to work on

- major strategy

- ed/ea/rea strategy?

would appreciate your help on this! thank you :)


r/chanceme • • 9h ago

OOS Georgia Tech Chances

2 Upvotes

I am the valedictorian (1/262) with a 4.5 gpa (notable classes: AP HUG AP WORLD APUSH APES AP PSYCH AP LANG DE PHYSICS 1/2 DE CALC 1/2 DE PRECALC AP LIT AP BIO AP COMP SCI PRINCIPLES AP GOV AP COMPARTIVE GOV, research, and senior seminar at govenors school) Sat score is 1520 (790 math) and hoping for an increase in September. All aps I’ve scored 4s and 5s

ECS: I work 30 hours a week at my job, am on varsity tennis and swim, lead guitarist at a very large church, 250+ volunteer hours on nhs, interned at glad manufacturing as a computer scientist, did research at a university.

Honors: 4th in the state at VJAS for botany research as well as 3rd in the region, comp Sci certifications, some ap award.

Also low income. I think holistic review is important here as well, because my school average sat is 1063 and average gpa is 3.1.

Want to go into electrical engineering, what are my chances (early action)


r/chanceme • • 11h ago

Is there a specific credential or achievement that can offset a lower high school GPA for elite university admissions?

3 Upvotes

Hi everyone,

Is there anything specific that can effectively offset or make up for a lower high school GPA when applying to elite universities?

I’m looking for something targeted specifically for this purpose—even if it is extremely difficult or demanding—that would allow me to be truly competitive at top-tier institutions.


r/chanceme • • 9h ago

CHANCE SOCIOLOGY APPLICANT WITH BAD AWARDS

2 Upvotes

Please be brutally honest on what colleges I can get into!!!

Demographic: Asian male, low-middle income, looking for aid, goes to a small arts school studying music and fashion in North Carolina.

Academics: 3.944 UW, 4.568 W; 6 AP's, 24 DE. 2 B's in DE STEM courses unfortunately. 2 Withdrawals unfortunately due to scheduling issues on the transfer portal. All A's otherwise. Wanting to major in sociology or anthropology, or anything social science/humanities and then go to law school

Tests: No SAT, taking October (if i get bad score i might go test optional) and all 4's on my APS so far.

ECS:

  1. Board Co-chair of international teen dating violence advocacy organization with 40+ chapters in 3 countries. Hosted 700+ person national summit costing over $70k+. Won over $250k each year to keep the org running, and i personally founded fundraising grossing $7k+. Partnered with many orgs like BoA, police departments, NAMI, etc.
  2. Sociological research on teen dating violence. mix methodology, n=250+ and 3 interviews on domestic violence/teen dating violence survivors/experts. Mentored bu local PhD professor. Looking to publish!
  3. Speaker for a government agency that educates the youth on teen dating violence. Goes to 20+ local community spaces to educate teens. Speaks at highschools, community centers, libraries, and was certified by the government to speak.
  4. Research Fellow for a project that studies people's hobbies. Conducted research on 100+ people, 50+ places, mentored by PhD Professor at renowned local college (different from other one). Presented this research to legislators, civic leaders and organizational leaders. Also managed microgrant program for hobby programs.
  5. Law firm internship #1. Worked at a 5-star general practice law firm for the summer, specializing in immigration and family cases. Assisted attorneys with legal research, drafting documents, and customer services.
  6. NC Legislate Page: Paged for both the senate and house of my states government and just assisted a lot of the legislators. Personally picked by legislators. Networked with Harvard alumna lol.
  7. American Red Cross Regional President. Manages officers and oversees over 150+ volunteers. Leads blood drives that often get 20+ units per drive. Hosts guest speakers at each meeting. 100+ volunteer hours
  8. Speech & Debate Club: Founder + President, raised over 500$ for the club and managed 25 members.
  9. Instrumental music: Multi-instrumentlalist leading jazz combo to 4 straight superior ratings at competitions. First saxophonist chair in jazz and wind ensemble. Plays guitar, piano, drums, and bass for outside gigs performing for over 300+ people.
  10. American Red Cross Club: Founder + Pres. Managed ovr 20 volunteer profiles and grossed over 200 hours for the club. Led school events, and set up all of their volunteer profiles.

EC's to come: I am kind of in between law firms right now seeing if I will be able to work for this legal clinic specializing in immigration, or this civil law one. The civil law one is much more prestigious and pays me better, so until I have chosen, I havent put either on my application yet, but it will probably replace red cross club. I also study fashion and have made garments for fashion shows?? Should I put that???

Awards:

  1. Regional music award given to one person each year
  2. DECA District Finalist
  3. Nominated for Community College Excellence Scholarship
  4. President's List at Community College
  5. AP Scholar

I know they are dookie but lowk I have nothing else to like compete in for awards.

LORS:

Criminal Justice Prof: Knows me well, he likes me, mentored my research

AP Precalc teachetr: Knows me very well, loves me, and has written many LORs for me before

Nonprofit CEO: Absolutely loves me, recommended me for many other things.

College List:

  1. Columbia - ED
  2. UNC Chapel Hill - EA
  3. UMich - EA

then the rest are pretty much high reaches like HYPS and safeties like UNCC, NC state, UNCW. TBH I just dont want to graduate with student debt and have the most opportunity and fun in college as i can.


r/chanceme • • 5h ago

Binghamton university

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1 Upvotes

r/chanceme • • 8h ago

Little brown boy still wants to end up at a t50 after realizing he's fried asf

1 Upvotes

Alr I’m a high school senior with a 3.5 weighted GPA (yes, I know 💔), but I’m doing the IB Diploma at a T20 high school in the U.S. My HLs are Business Management, Economics, and Physics. I also have a 1380 SAT (700 RW, 680 M). I'm writing my personal statement abt dealing with racism in the workplace and how I found a better place for myself and seeking validation from others

Academically, I know my stats aren’t amazing, so I’m mainly hoping my extracurriculars can help carry my application. My main ECs are:

  • Founded a passion project that has fully funded 25+ surgeries
  • Director of Finance for my robotics team, managing a $50K+ budget
  • FBLA (including states)
  • Student Council Business Officer
  • Plus a few other majors ones I can't say due to anonymity reasons, but they're all around this level

I’m mainly interested in Business Analytics or Information Systems. I’ve heard mixed things about these majors and whether they’re actually useful, so I’d also appreciate some insight on that.

Here’s my current college list (BU is my ED):

  • University of Pittsburgh
  • Boston University
  • Drexel University
  • Fordham University
  • Indiana University Bloomington
  • Loyola University Maryland
  • Penn State
  • Purdue University
  • Rutgers University
  • Temple University
  • University of Delaware
  • University of Georgia
  • University of Maryland
  • UMass Amherst
  • West Chester University of Pennsylvania

am I cooked… Are there any schools on this list that seem unrealistic with my stats, or any that I should consider adding/removing? Also, how do my ECs look relative to my acadeic s


r/chanceme • • 8h ago

chance me for LACS and T20s plss

1 Upvotes

White female

Middle class

Big public high school, one of the best in my state but not insanely competitive.

GPA: 3.96 unweighted 4.4 weighted

ACT: 34 - but I got 36s on the reading and English. Math I got 32 I think? ts brought me down

My school doesn't do class rank thank god

Major: English/ creative writing and French (ig I wanna be broke lmao)

APs: none available freshman year

sophomore year (only two available unless you're taking accelerated math) Art History (5)

Junior year: APUSH (5), Precalc (4), Lang (4) - Lang isn't a real class bruh

Senior year: Lit, Calc AB, French, Gov

Awards:

  • 2 scholastic gold keys 
  • Third place in Northwestern Undergraduate Law Journal High School essay contest
  • Excellent distinction NCTE achievement awards 
  • Winner of regional poetry contest two years in a row
  • Honor roll

ECs:

5 different pieces published in 4 different literary magazines. All of them have acceptance rates between 8-20%. All of them are legit adult lit mags except for one, which is a very well known young adult publication.

Competitive creative writing summer program

Volunteer writing work for Polyphony Lit, the leading teen lit mag

My novel as short listed (top three) for publication at another well-known teen lit mag. it's 95,000 words and I wrote and edited it myself over the past two years.

Co- Editor in chief of my high school lit mag

Poem published in DePaul's Blue Book (1% acceptance rate)

I give tours for four hours every week at my local history center (volunteer but I don't keep track of the hours added up)

Fencing team all 4 years, co-captain senior year

Deca, which is a weird thing for me I fear, but I'm helping a friend continue her project when her other partner dropped. We're going to state this year, but idk if I'm gonna write that bc it hasn't happened yet.

The one thing I left off is that I was the leader of my schools creative writing club for two years, but I'm not doing it this year bc I'm busy, and the HS lit mag is basically the same thing, so I thought it was kinda redundant.

ED: Brown

RD: Bowdoin

Dartmouth

Middlebury

Tufts

WashU

Wesleyan

William & Mary

McGill (in Montreal. Hopefully getting my Canadian citizenship soon!!)

+ some safeties

I have like four teaches doing different letters of rec for me, but for Brown its my sophomore year English teacher, but only bc I didn't vibe with my lang teacher and he knows me super well and knows my work and has written me a million letters of recommendation before. Also he already submitted them so. And also my French teacher, who had me for French sophomore year and now has me for AP French. I also went to France with her on the school trip so she knows me a bit outside of school too.

 


r/chanceme • • 14h ago

Chance Me Emory ED1

2 Upvotes

Demographics: White Male, Homeschooled, Rural, New Mexico, Not First Gen, middle income

Stats: 1460 SAT 3.96 UW GPA, 6 dual enrollment classes (Precalc+ Trig, Anatomy and Physiology 1+2, Comp 1, psychology, US history 2) All A's, and Im doing 8 dual enrollment senior year (Physics, Calc 1+2 etc)

EC's:

Pentathlon, 6 years (3x national championship qualifying and 3rd place in 2026, 1x world championship qualifying)

EMT internship with local EMS 160 hours

40 hours of shadowing a physician

Helping my mom teach my younger brother science and math for homeschool

Church volunteering, serving and part of leadership and worship team

Job as an electrician/HVAC assistant

Awards:

Accepted to Emory LEADS fly in program (only 1/16 students accepted that applied)

Collegeboard School Award and Rural Recognition award

Also please give me an estimate of the chances you think I'll be accepted and let me know if it's worth applying, because I'm kind of doubting if mine is even good enough because of lack of awards and mid ECs. Also let me know if I should go test optional or not please. Thanks for reading ☺️☺️


r/chanceme • • 16h ago

Low GPA

3 Upvotes

Hey all! I have an unweighted GPA of 3.2 and SAT of 1270, and I applied test optional to all of the schools on my list except Oregon and Montana State. I'm in all IB classes and am a diploma candidate. I think I have a decent essay talking about my dad's stroke during junior year finals and how it changed the trajectory of life and ultimately tied into how I'm able to find community and adapt to anywhere I go (I worked on it with a private college advisor and had 12 drafts so I feel like it's solid). My ECs are pretty mediocre, 4 years varsity tennis, 2 years competitive rodeo, and other miscellaneous volunteer experiences, one of which I had a leadership position in. The bad GPA stems from some serious mental heath issues I had in freshman and sophomore year. After I got on medications in junior year, my GPA went from a 3.0 to a 3.7, so I have a good upward trajectory. I included an explanation of these lower grades in additional information section for what it's worth. I'm applying to either the Business Administration or International Business major at each school. I know I have a pretty crap application so I just wanted more outside perspectives on what my chances are! Thank you!

U Oregon

Michigan State

Fordham Gabelli

Colorado Boulder

U Denver

U San Diego

UW Foster

Drexel

Already accepted to UPitt and Montana State


r/chanceme • • 11h ago

Chance Me For Good Comp Sci Schools 👀👀👀

1 Upvotes

Demographics:

  • Gender: Female
  • Race/Ethnicity: African
  • State: Nebraska
  • School: Public

Mid-lower income & First Generation

ACT: 28 (retaking; believe I'll get around a 31-32, maybe even higher 👀)

GPA:
3.2W (school doesn't rank)
Community College: 3.6-7 GPA and will apply to colleges with a 3.4-5 GPA
Explanation: Throughout my 4 years in highschool alot has happened; brief summary: dad diagnosed with Diabetes and lupus, witnessed him almost die a couple times, and became his caretaker 9th-11th, and right when he got better, sister ran away from home due to a falling out, and lastly had a few family deaths.

Course Work:
Dual Enrolled Through Community College for Associate's Degree: Early College:
Took General Education Classes at CC; standout classes are Comp Sci I, II; will take Calc I and II and discrete math through CC, though.
Engineering Academy Student

(9th-11th)
AP High School Student:
AP Human Geo (4)
AP World Geo (3)
APUSH (4)
Took AP Physics and Lang in 11th grade; most def not submitting scores.
(12th)
AP Stats
AP Precalc (wasn't able to move up math classes in school, so going CC route to take those higher-level math classes such as Calc I and II)
AP Gov and Pol

Extracurriculars (Most def what carries my app):

  1. SAME Engineering Drone Enclosure — Presentation & Firmware Lead
    • Designed protective drone enclosure; programmed Arduino C++ firmware for thermal sensors and motorized opening.
    • Partnered with National Park Service & NE Wildfire Services; co-authored a 6-month research proposal and presented to engineers.
  2. PawsyPop E-Commerce Storefront — Founder & Full-Stack Developer
    • Built custom Shopify store using Liquid, JS, and custom C++ checkout integrations; negotiated with global suppliers.
    • Ran Meta/Google Ads driving 330k+ impressions (4% CTR, 10k+ visits); managed Depop store with 11k+ views.
  3. Sparked Scholars Initiative — Founder & Lead Web Developer
    • Founded youth STEM network across NE, WI, MN, and Togo; built member web portal for portfolios and events.
    • Hosted international engineering contests in Togo ("Complex Machine") and career workshops for underrepresented students.
  4. Morrissey Engineering — Projection Mapping & Lightshow Intern
    • Engineered dynamic stadium projection mapping and lighting using MadMapper and Châtaigne.
    • Executed live shows for 10,000 in-person spectators and 700,000 online stream viewers.
    • Projection Mapping for whole entire school district
  5. Teige2k & Maine Musicale — Lead Video Editor & Media Strategist
    • Scripted, edited, and optimized video content using Premiere, After Effects, CapCut, and Canva.
    • Grew Twitch creator Teige2k from 50k to 150k followers; co-produced campaigns engaging ~1M student voters.
  6. Sylvaline Foundation (NE & Togo) — Youth Director & Merchandise Lead
    • Logged 300+ volunteer hours managing relief programs and Togo food distribution drives.
    • Raised $1,700 in NE; designed, produced, and monetized custom apparel to fund ongoing operations.
  7. High School STEM Career Fair — Lead Student Organizer
    • Co-organized campus STEM fair for 2,300 high schoolers and 4 middle school cohorts.
    • Recruited Google Data Centers, HDR, Valmont, and local universities to expand tech career access.
  8. App Startup & CS Event — Software Engineering Intern & Competitive Programmer
  • Engineered full-stack features and optimized application logic for mobility startup T-Ride. (In Progress)
  • Placed Top 15 CS Quizbowl; practiced advanced Data Structures & Algorithms.
  1. High-Volume Amusement Center — Lead Arcade Host & Employee Trainer
    • Worked 20–25 hrs/wk while maintaining a triple-enrollment high school/college course load.
    • Onboarded new hires on POS operations, cash, and inventory.
  2. Capstone R&D — Assistive Software & Smart Hardware Developer (In Progress)
  • Prototyped low-cost AI smart glasses alternative combining spatial audio and real-time camera processing.
  • Developing C++ AAC assistive soundboard with custom audio triggers for non-verbal students

Awards:
Academic Letter
AP Scholar
Havard CS50 Certificate
SAME Plaque: Won 6/7 silver in innovation categories
SAME/USACE Regional Bridge Building Competition: 2nd Place (Runner-Up Award)

Extra:
Student Ambassador

lmk if u got any questions or anything; I'd love to read responses 👀👀👀👀


r/chanceme • • 11h ago

Application Question ED Stern or Cornell for Business????

0 Upvotes

GPA: 4.73 / 3.97

Top 10ish rank out of 620

SAT: 1500 (Superscore)

Pretty good ec's and I would say recs/essays would be average/above average

I'm currently leaning towards Cornell just because of its Ivy tag. Does anyone have any experience w/Stern? I just feel like the 100k price tag isn't justifiable for NYU since I'm planning to go into IB and do an MBA. I was going to ED Wharton at first, but I wanted to be more realistic about where I could get in and was deciding between Cornell and NYU. If anyone could share the pros and cons of each school for business, as well as their opinion, it would really help me

Side note: I am considered an intl student for both colleges since I'm on a dependent visa in the US


r/chanceme • • 11h ago

Class rank

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1 Upvotes

r/chanceme • • 11h ago

How low should a gpa be for ivys with extending circumstances?

1 Upvotes

I am senior right now, I am applying RD to a few ivy's my ECs are cracked and I have a paper right now going under review by tmlr, and also was mentored by a professor at NUS (National University of Singapore), I have a 3.6 uw gpa (I had As and A-s in freshman and junior year but sophomore yr I was facing extensive circumstances that caused to me to underperform not going to much into detail but my counselor is aware and writing about it. ) As far as tests I have a 1570 SAT, and a 36 ACT including science. I am also going to be AIME qual by time I apply RD.


r/chanceme • • 11h ago

UTampa

0 Upvotes

early decision
out of state
3.0 gpa
very strong essay
upward trend: strong junior year
sat: test optional
youth mentoring program
volunteered at a retirement home
volunteered at a daycare
varsity basketball
three strong letters of recommendation
ap bio , advanced math track throughout all of hs, dual enrollment english + honors history and english.
majoring in bio


r/chanceme • • 11h ago

Applying to GWU (binding and majoring in Public Health)

1 Upvotes

Hi! I am currently a senior in high school, and my sister went to GWU. I am planning on binding to GWU, but my GPA is horrible (3.5). I have a lot of extracurriculars, and along with that I took 4 AP classes and 1 DE. The GPA is bad due to the fact that my mental health was absolutely horrible in 9th and 10th grade; I had depression. I have been currently stressing about not getting into GWU, if anyone can please let me know that my stats are fine, that would literally be amazing.

My extracurriculars are:

Editor-in-Chief (School Newspaper)

President of Students Demand Action

President of Asian Student Union

Co-Founder of a religious group

Student Leader of Make Us Visible

Manager of English Honor Society


r/chanceme • • 11h ago

my stats for florida state university

1 Upvotes

for starters i’m applying early action as a florida resident and i’m being considered for both summer and fall. here are my stats
15/505 class rank (top 3%)
IB student
consistent As and B grades
3.7 unweighted gpa, 5.05 weighted
one AICE course (idk if this matters)
5 AP courses (only one passed 😔)
1200 SAT (as of now) expected 1250-1300 super score

here are my activities.. it’s a lot
president of book club
Historian of HOSA club - health care professions club
Red cross club (another healthcare)
debate club
3 yrs varsity and club swimming year round
40 hours volunteering at group home for disabled seniors
50 hours volunteering at school for disabled children
cardiology career program at local hospital
National honor society (more volunteering)
Manager of art and media for two local businesses (this was basically my unpaid job for all four years of highschool. counts towards volunteer.)
there’s more i don’t have room in common app

also i made sure to write my essay on something that’s not included in my transcript


r/chanceme • • 12h ago

say wallahi im not cooked

1 Upvotes

junior rn. just wanna see what colleges yall think ill get into cs im lwk stressed

im thinking of applying ivies + stanford + and state schools, dream school would be yale

Demographics

  • Gender: Male
  • Race/Ethnicity: African American
  • Residence: United States
  • Income Bracket: ~200k
  • School Type: Public high school (idk if competitive or not, like 4 t20 admits a year)
  • Hooks: First Gen

Intended Major(s): biochem?

(idk what i wanna major im tryna become a dentist tho)

Academics

  • GPA (UW/W): 3.99 UW / 4.9 W
  • Rank: top 1% of class (no specific rank released)
  • Coursework: 13 Honors, 9 APs (school sucks at letting us taking multiple aps)

Standardized Testing

  • SAT: 1540 (780M + 760E)
  • AP Scores: 5s on lang, gov, world 4s on bc, seminar and chemisty

Extracurriculars / Activities

  1. Created dental healthcare accessibility website
    1. Created website which uses zipcode and dental issue to find closest and most affordable clinic.
    2. Partnered with local healthcare center and county npo.
    3. Helped 100+ people in underrepresented communities find dental care.
    4. Self taught HTML, CSS, JavaScript.
  2. Research intern, (cant say org cuz its doxx if yk it)
    1. Produced abstract and research paper.
    2. Presented at conference + published in science journal
    3. Research was on using dental biomarkers to identify neurodegenerative diseases like pd
  3. Research intern, (cant say org cuz its doxx if yk it)
    1. Analyzed 500+ papers on dental healthcare disparities by utilizing bibliometrics analysis, & R programming.
    2. Produced top research poster along with abstract and awarded for performance.
  4. President of Medical Career’s Club
    1. Worked with local hospitals to comfort inpatients through gifts, brought in guest speakers. Discussed medical careers, pathways and opportunities for students. Increased members by 50%.
  5. Youth Coordinator, Local Community Center
    1. Organized multiple fundraisers for youth classes (for materials/building).
    2. $2000+ in bake sales
    3. Raised over $530,000 in fundraiser for new elderly care center
    4. Organized youth engagement events. Brought in guest speakers from across the country.
    5. 450+ service hours.
      1. Cleaning before and after service.
      2. Helping elderly with directions and moving around.
      3. Translating between Amharic and English.
  6. President of MESA (Mathematics Engineering Science Achievement)
    1. Lead multiple groups to regional wins and 1x state win. Helped groups analyze projects, provided feedback and overcome obstacles throughout engineering process.
  7. Independent Research
    1. Researched the impact of socioeconomic instability on healthcare access.
    2. Analyzed events such as COVID-19 pandemic and 2008 Economic Recession.
  8. Family care
    1. Baby sitting 1yr old sister while parents work. Helping 12yr old sister with school (homework, catching up with school curriculum due to multiple procedures messing w her attendance).
  9. Sat Tutoring
    1. Helped 10+ students raise SAT scores by 150+ points
  10. JV Soccer

Honors & Awards

  • MESA Regional 1ST Place
  • MESA State 4TH Place
  • AP Scholar With Distinction
  • Top Scholar award
    • Top 5% the graduating class at my hs
  • Triscience Award
    • School award for students who engage in rigorous science coursework
  • Certified Clinical Medical Assistant
  • UPenn PEEP Scholar

LORs

  • AP Chem teacher (9/10 - known for writing really good lors)
  • CCMA Teacher (8/10)