College ChancesAnswered
Hi, I was a bit worried about my chances of getting into a couple of colleges. My dream schools are Boston University, Boston College, Penn State, CU Boulder. A brief memo: I am a first-generation, immigrant, and because I spent my early life moving from country to country I can fluently speak 5 languages in addition to English and am conversational in 2 others. and have both a perfect SAT (Took the test 3 times) and a 36 on my ACT (Took only once). I spent the majority of my junior and freshman years slacking off, and I ended up with a 3.5 GPA and a 4.034 weighted. I am the founder and president of a club and am active in the Red Cross, FBLA, and MUN among other clubs. I volunteer part-time, and I spend most of my day teaching young children CPR. I am interning in the ER of a big midwestern Hospital. I recently talked to my counselor but she thinks Boston University is too out of reach and I shouldn't even try to apply. Although she decided that I shouldn't apply to BU, she didn't give me any recommendations on anywhere that could be a target for me because I must 'figure it out myself.' I'm confused because it isn't only BU she thinks I shouldn't waste my time applying too, but also the majority of the colleges I applied to, some of which have acceptance rates as high as 50%????
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3 answers
You could aim for more prestigious schools than that easily if you are that good of a student. This counselor is trying to force you to take a school way below your academic level. Having perfect scores in both act and sat is insane!!!!!!!! That alone puts you in the top .01-%!!! plus you have really good looking extracurriculars which only makes ur portfolio better. With a portfolio like this, you have good chances at places like harvard and brown (ivy league schools in general). Plus you get enhanced admission chances due to first generation status. DO NOT LISTEN TO YOUR COUNSELOR SHE IS LYING TO YOU! You can aim even higher than you think and still get into insanely good (top) schools with your achievements. I beg of you to apply to your dream schools and the top schools. I am sure they'd take you in with open arms!!!!
It's impressive that you can fluently speak multiple languages and have perfect SAT and ACT scores. These accomplishments, along with your extracurricular activities and internships, make your profile strong. It's important to have a balanced list of colleges to apply to, including reach, target, and safety schools.
While your GPA may be lower than the average for some of your dream schools, your unique background, language skills, test scores, and extracurricular involvement can help you stand out. It's important to focus on writing strong application essays that highlight your experiences and personal growth.
Don't be discouraged by your counselor's opinion; you should still apply to the schools you're interested in, including Boston University. It's always worth giving it a shot, as college admissions can be unpredictable.
To help you find target schools, think about the qualities you're looking for in a college, such as size, location, academic programs, and campus culture.
What specific aspects of your dream schools appeal to you? This can help you identify other colleges with similar characteristics that could be good fits for you.
I recommend still applying, but there are so many factors to the application like your essay that affect your acceptance. So apply, but apply to other schools as well. Like @SleepDeprived said, your test scores are AMAZING! That alone will help you. You should definitely get into most of the dream schools you listed.
I hope this helps and please lmk if you have any questions!
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Note: I have a counselor like this (thinks every student can't get into schools which have close to 60 or 70% acceptance even with 4.0 gpa). I am an acception to this discrimination due to my good relationship with her husband who teaches at my school as well as my national recognition and other accomplishments. I'd say you have possibly higher chances at the ivy leagues than I do! Please do not listen to the lies you counselor has told you.