Is it worth applying to Ivy schools and can I expect to get into 1? Answered
I am currently a junior going to a private school in New Jersey. The school is somewhat rigorous in terms of academics but not as competitive as schools like Lawrenceville or Pingry. However, the school usually sends 4-5 students every year to an Ivy League School. In terms of class rank, while it isn't provided by the school I am highly likely to be #1 or #2 academically.
Race: Asian (specifically Indian)
Gender: Male
Desired Degree: Computer Science
My stats:
99.32 GPA (Weighted)
97.62 GPA (UW)
SAT Composite (only taken once): 1540 (790 M, 750 R)
ACT Composite (only taken once): 36 (M: 35, S: 36, E: 36, R: 35)
APs Sophomore Year: 3 (AP Human geography - 5, AP Calculus AB - 5, AP Comp Sci A - 5)
APs Junior Year: 5 (AP CSP, AP US History, AP Lit, AP Calc BC, AP Chemistry)
APs Senior Year (Plan): 5 (AP Stats, AP Lang, AP Microeconomics, AP Physics C, AP Macro)
Senior Year College Course: Multivariable Calculus
Extracurriculars:
- Computer Science Club Founder/President
- Team placed top 50 nationally in picoCTF Cybersecurity Competition
- ACSL Finalist
- Choir Vice-President and Section Leader
- Varsity Tennis (not top player however)
- Chess 1500 Rating (hope to get to 1800-2000 before application)
- ABRSM Grades 1-8 Completion for Piano
- 9th Grade Summer:
1. 9 Week AI/ML Bootcamp with UTD (paid)
- 10th Grade Summer:
1. CECCRe Presentation along with reputed speakers (unpaid)
2. Quest Student Research Institute Research Program (paid)
3. UTD Research in Software Analysis (paid)
4. NYU Artificial Intelligence Summer Program (paid)
The major schools I am looking at right now include Princeton, Stanford, CMU, etc.
Do I have a good chance at getting into any of these schools?
Earn karma by helping others:
2 answers
Your extracurriculars are pretty strong, and it's clear that you have been involved all throughout high school. Your academics are strong as well. However, there are a few unfortunate factors that will make admission a little difficult. If you are from a traditionally competitive school in an area like New Jersey, which these schools will see many applications from, being an Asian Male is an "anti-hook". Especially because you are looking to pursue computer science, this will prove difficult.
However, there is no reason not to give it your best shot. If I were you, I would apply to all these schools, even if there is a slim chance of making it. I would also look at more high value schools like UIUC. UIUC is actually an amazing school for computer science, and many are recruited for jobs in Microsoft and other prestigious companies. My cousin had a friend who attended, and he graduated with a job that paid over 250,000 as a starting salary.
Though the school doesn't have the same prestige and reputation, it's still selective and worth applying to!
I hope this helps!
Okay, good question! You should apply to Ivy schools as you might have something on your application that intrigues the admission officers a lot. Whether you think you won't get in or not, it doesn't hurt to try and is highly recommended. Next, about getting into an Ivy...I'm not too sure- your extracurriculars seem good and so do your classes, considering you took APs- but your SAT and ACT scores are pretty high and would give you a good chance of getting accepted into an Ivy League. Hope this helps!
Your chance of acceptance
Your chancing factors
Community Guidelines
To keep this community safe and supportive:
- Be kind and respectful!
- Keep posts relevant to college admissions and high school.
- Don’t ask “chance-me” questions. Use CollegeVine’s chancing instead!
Your courses are great, your achievements and extracurriculars are outstanding, especially for a junior, and your sat and act scores are pretty high... I say go for it!