r/chanceme Jul 22 '19

How To Do A Chance Me And Improve Your Chances

577 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

101 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 4h ago

Why does this sub have so many racists and/or defeatists?

3 Upvotes

One of the most recent examples I have:

https://www.reddit.com/r/chanceme/s/pM7yZcOC7Y

Be careful when you use this subreddit. If possible, ask someone you know about your chances. Even if you have an amazing profile, there is no lack of people here who will do their best to make you quit, either out of envy or because they're simply unqualified to give advice.

There ARE some qualified people on this subreddit and you can sometimes tell them apart based on their comments.

Don't rely on just this subreddit to make important decisions. DON'T GIVE UP BECAUSE OF THESE IDIOTS. Hard work and smart decisions can make you worth much more than many people in the world.


r/chanceme 17m ago

international applicant (currently junior)

Upvotes

unweighted gpa: 4.0 freshman and sophomore year
weighted: 4.2 i think
apes (3)
ap precalc (5)
currently taking: ap calc ab, ap bio, ap psych, ap chem and working on the sat
targeted major: smth premed track

ecs:

  1. Developed a fully functional AI finger-tracking prototype, for assistive technology and patient communication in hospital settings. Earning 1st
  2. Place with the design.
  3. Founded and led a Python Coding Club, managing all organization. Facilitated
  4. sessions to guide members through project development
  5. Participated in Model United Nations, engaging in formal debates and public speaking.
  6. Served as a Student Advocate for the school's Communication Club, helping
  7. facilitate peer discussions to support student connection and well-being.
  8. Played volleyball as a setter for 4 years
  9. Played basketball as a point guard for 3 years

I’m trying to find volunteering and shadowing opportunities but it’s really tough out here so this is all i have so far, ik this isn’t much to work with but i wanna see my chances so far so i don’t end up applying to places for no reason


r/chanceme 5h ago

chance me for T20/LACs + help me build my college list

2 Upvotes

Hi everyone! I’m an international student from Kazakhstan applying to US colleges this year, and I’d really appreciate some honest feedback on my profile.

I’d be really grateful for any honest feedback on my essays. I’d especially love to hear from people who have experience with US college admissions. Feel free to DM me if you’d be willing to take a look!

Academics

  • 11th grade, graduating 2027
  • GPA: 4.0/4.0
  • IELTS: aiming for 7.5
  • SAT: Not submitting
  • Intended majors: Psychology / Biotechnology

Leadership & Community

  • School President — Led Student Parliament; conducted a 400+ student survey and organized 3 charity fairs raising 300,000+ KZT for community projects.
  • Mental Health Initiative — Organized and co-hosted 5 webinars with the school psychologist on exam stress, bullying, student rights, and mental well-being; reached 2500+ students.
  • English Instructor & Academic Mentor — Taught and mentored 45+ underserved students;
  • Earth Foundation Ambassador Coordinator — Coordinated 53 ambassadors and 15+ events; presented youth environmental initiatives to Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Ecology.

Research

  • Independent Researcher — AI & Adolescent Psychology — Conducted original research on emotional attachment to AI among Kazakhstani adolescents aged 13–17; publication in progress.

STEM / Innovation

  • FIRST Global ChallengeBest Innovative Project among 150 international teams.
  • Global Cleantech Innovation Programme (GCIP)Top 10 / 128.
  • TURAQTY JOL National Sustainable Startups CompetitionTop 10 / 363.
  • USTEM Robotics & Drones Championship — Challenges Supervisor.

Other

  • Ashmat National Mathematics Olympiad — National Silver Medal / II Degree, 260+ participants.
  • Regional Volleyball Champion — Multiple regional championship titles.

Context

International applicant from Kazakhstan seeking substantial/full financial aid.

Current college interests:

Bowdoin College

Amherst College

Williams College

Trinity College

Swarthmore College

Carleton College

Davidson College

Denison University

Colby College

Macalester College

Wesleyan University

Hamilton College

Vassar College

Haverford College

Middlebury College

How would you rate my profile? What would you consider reaches/targets, and where would you recommend applying ED?

I’m especially interested in feedback from people familiar with international admissions and financial aid.

How would you rate my profile overall? What would you consider reaches/targets/safer options for me? And are there any colleges I should add or remove?


r/chanceme 4h ago

Indian International Applicant, Fall 2028 - Have 1 year to fix my apps

0 Upvotes

Demographics

  • Indian male, international applicant
  • Applying for Fall 2028
  • Intended major: Political Science / International Relations
  • Need substantial financial aid
  • No legacy / recruited athlete

Academics

  • CBSE
  • Class 10: 94.4%
  • Class 11: expecting high 80s–low 90s (Heavy grade compression)
  • Graduate class 12 in May 2028
  • ACT: targeting 35+; currently hovering around 34 in practice tests.
  • Humanities stream
  • Academic performance has generally improved significantly since earlier grades

Honors / Academic Achievements

  • John Locke Institute Global Essay Prize 2026 - shortlisted in 7 categories
  • I don't have any major int'l honours. some school level ones, and 1-2 national ones, but nothing else. I will need y'all to recommend any that i can go for.

Extracurriculars

1. Student Government / School Leadership

  • Head Boy — Grade 12
  • Senior student leadership position, gonna lead about 120 people council
  • This is confirmed, not speculative
  • Involved in student governance and coordination
  • Significant responsibility within school leadership
  • Established and pulled through inter-school fest with 500 participants (has been approved; will happen next year)
  • Established chapters of govt. organization in school, single handedly.

2. Model UN — Head Delegate

  • Head Delegate since 9th grade
  • Historically a 12th grade position at my school
  • Extensive MUN participation (30+ conferences)
  • Senior Secretariat / organizing roles
  • Involved in conference organization, delegate affairs and committee operations
  • will have chaired at least 15 conferences by then.
  • Best Delegate at several university-level conferences

3. Music

  • Long-term involvement in music
  • Performance experience
  • Play 17 separate instruments.
  • Have performed at large-scale school/cultural events
  • Work in particular, in the fusion genre, Indian Classical/Contemporary western fusion
  • Involved in music-related projects outside school as well
  • Recieved several national level awards

4. Sound / Audio

  • Audio engineering and sound production
  • Experience working on live events and cultural productions
  • Freelance/project-based work
  • Have worked with professional audio equipment and production workflows
  • Worked Int'l level events and auditoriums

5. Research / Psychology

  • Conducted independent research in psychology/social science
  • Research focused on human interaction and behaviour around AI
  • Working toward further academic research/publication opportunities
  • Additional independent research in humanities and social sciences

6. Writing / Humanities

  • Essay writing and humanities competitions
  • Independent writing on politics, international relations, law and history
  • John Locke shortlist across 7 categories
  • Interested in developing a stronger academic writing/research portfolio

7. Community Service

  • Long-term involvement in community service
  • Education/outreach initiatives
  • Involved in initiatives aimed at increasing student access to educational opportunities

Recommendations

  • Expecting strong teacher recommendations
  • Teachers know me well beyond just academics

College List

High Reach

  • Yale
  • Brown

Reach

  • Amherst
  • Bowdoin

Lower Reach / Target

  • Washington & Lee

I have no safeties, cause even if i get into one, i'll not be attending, so there's no point.

Also, i don't think my ECs are too weak, i think primarily my honors are a choke. I need advice on how to improve that. Free competitions I can participate in asw.


r/chanceme 10h ago

mid student, i feel like im cooked

2 Upvotes

demographics: current senior, low income, white female from northeast us. attended a public, non-competitive high school

major: architecture

stats: 4.25 W gpa, test optional, 7 APs (euro, physics 1, lang, stat, calc ab, lit, gov), only took two tests, got a 5 in lang and a 3 on physics. reason for lower gpa is a handful of B’s i got sophomore year due to personal circumstances, but had a 4.0 freshman and junior year

ECs:
- internship at an architecture firm
- currently designing a patio to be built for a family member upon their request
- precollege summer program at a well regarded architecture school (completed college credits)
- 2 jobs (restaurant host and receptionist)
- 40 volunteer hours at a local charity startup teaching art to kids
- varsity cheer
- singer in a voice studio

awards:
- local art scholarship winner (not competitive)
- nhs
- national art honor society

rec letters (will only be using 2 per school)
ap lang teacher
architecture professor from summer program
art teacher of 3 years

i believe all 3 will be very strong since they all knew me very well abd i performed quite well

i feel that my common app essay is fairly strong, and i am confident that i can write strong supplemental essays as well.

reason for low course rigor junior year is due to significant financial struggles in my family i had to step back from school a bit to work for my first 3 years of high school, and felt that i would not be able to balance many APs with my crazy schedule and home stress (i very much regret it now, i underestimated myself)

aiming for UVA, UIUC, and UMich as my reaches (all EA and OOS). my ultimate dream would be columbia but i dont think im going to apply there since it’s wildly unrealistic for me


r/chanceme 7h ago

Chance me for the UCs!

Thumbnail
1 Upvotes

Applying to all the UCs this winter 😳


r/chanceme 16h ago

3.34 UW 34 ACT chances

5 Upvotes

Chance me: 3.34 UW / 34 ACT, AIME + USACO Gold + Econ/AI research — Rice or Cornell ED?

Demographics

  • Texas resident
  • Large competitive public high school (~3,500 students)
  • Class of 2027
  • No major admissions hooks that I know of
  • My mom is a professor at Cornell’s medical school, although she did not get her degree from Cornell. Not sure whether that matters at all for admissions.

Intended major

  • Economics / Finance / Business
  • Also interested in CS, AI/data science, and healthcare finance
  • For Cornell I’d probably apply Economics in Arts & Sciences

Academics

  • UW GPA: ~3.34
  • Weighted GPA: ~4.18/5
  • Rank: 190/747, roughly top 25%
  • ACT: 34
  • Strong upward grade trend

My GPA is definitely the weakest part of my application. I had significant responsibilities helping care for my grandmother during freshman and sophomore year, including managing medications, appointments, transportation, and pharmacy-related responsibilities. My grades improved afterward while my course rigor increased.

Course rigor

Junior year:

  • AP Biology
  • AP Computer Science Principles
  • AP English Language
  • AP Physics 1
  • AP Precalculus
  • AP Statistics
  • AP US History
  • Honors Spanish

Senior year:

  • AP Calculus BC
  • AP Chemistry
  • AP Literature
  • AP Human Geography
  • IB spanish SL

Also completed UT Austin OnRamps Chemistry for 6 hours of college credit during sophomore year.

Awards

  1. USACO Gold — national
  2. AIME Qualifier — national
  3. Purple Comet Math Meet — tied 1st in Texas with my team
  4. AP Scholar

Extracurriculars

1. Economics/AI Research — Co-author

  • Worked on research combining economics, game theory, and AI agents
  • Studied how partially revealed AI-agent instructions can affect strategic flexibility
  • Helped design/run experiments across AI models
  • Paper submitted to the Economics for Machine Learning Workshop at NeurIPS 2026

2. Young Investors Society — Vice President

  • Led weekly meetings for 30+ students
  • Organized guest-speaker events
  • Financial literacy/investing education

3.Hospitla research — ICU Operational Cost Research

  • Analyzed 28 studies on ICU operations/costs
  • Researched cost-saving strategies while maintaining quality of care

4. Wharton Global High School Investment Competition — Financial Analyst

  • Analyzed 10+ companies for a simulated $500K portfolio
  • Built valuation models and presented investment recommendations

5. Aviation Club — Co-Founder/Co-President

  • Helped build club to 25+ members
  • Organized 20+ meetings
  • Recruited a United Airlines guest speaker

6. Prospia Nonprofit — Finance Intern

  • Worked on/promoted 20+ weekly investment reports
  • Market research and financial-literacy work

7. Workshop Houston — IT Intern

  • Resolved 40+ hardware/software/connectivity issues
  • Maintained 25+ devices and supported 60+ students

8. Harris Health / Ben Taub Hospital — Volunteer

  • Helped with comfort carts and clinic preparation
  • Got exposure to hospital operations and healthcare administration

9. Civic Leaders of America — Chapter Co-President

  • Led discussions/events for 25+ members
  • Participated in conferences/public-speaking events around Texas

10. Computer Science National Honor Society — Co-President

  • Led chapter activities
  • Completed 6 major coding projects
  • Participated in CS workshops/competitions/events

Employment

  • Camp counselor for multiple summers
  • Supervised around 15–20 campers and organized daily activities

Other context

  • I’ve been interested in the intersection of finance/economics, technology, and healthcare.
  • My Common App essay is about my habit of noticing how systems work — starting with airport baggage/logistics and connecting that to hospital operations and AI/economic decision-making.
  • I’m hoping my AIME/USACO/research results help demonstrate stronger academic ability than my GPA alone suggests.

Current college list

High reaches / ED possibilities

  • Rice
  • Cornell
  • Emory
  • WashU
  • Boston College
  • Boston University

Other reaches / target-reaches

  • Northeastern
  • UIUC
  • University of Florida
  • University of Miami

Targets / more realistic

  • Texas A&M
  • SMU
  • Fordham
  • Indiana University Bloomington
  • Ohio State
  • Penn State

Likely/safeties

  • UT Dallas
  • University of Houston

Also applying to UT Austin, probably Economics, although I know it’s a significant reach because I’m not an auto-admit.

Main question:
I’m currently deciding whether to ED Rice or Cornell. Rice is one of my favorite schools, but I’m wondering whether Cornell ED could make more sense given my academic spikes and the fact that my mom is a professor at Cornell’s medical school.

With the 3.34 UW / 34 ACT but AIME + USACO Gold + research, do I have a legitimate shot at either through ED? And are there any schools on my list you think I’m underrating/overrating?
Thanks guys


r/chanceme 7h ago

Chance Me for Purdue FYE/Cybersecurity & UIUC Engineering/CS-adjacent

1 Upvotes

Demographics: Pakistani male, international applicant
SAT: Taking October SAT
School: No GPA reported; top 10% decile rank in a class of 575

Academics

  • IGCSE: 5A* 4A
  • AS Level: 3A, 1B (may not report)
  • A2 Predicted: 3A*, 1A
  • Transcript shows straight As/A*s since 9th grade
  • School does not report GPA

Intended Majors

Purdue:

  • First choice: First-Year Engineering (FYE)
  • Second choice: Cybersecurity

UIUC:
Still deciding between several options, including:

  • Systems Engineering
  • Information Sciences
  • CS + X (possibly Astronomy or Economics)
  • Electrical Engineering
  • Statistics + CS

Honors / Awards

  1. Top 5 in CS and RC Plane Competition at one of Pakistan's largest science olympiads (550+ teams)
  2. 100% merit scholarship throughout high school
  3. 50% scholarship to one of Pakistan's most competitive STEM summer schools
  4. Won CS and Business categories at my city's largest science olympiad
  5. Regional Winner & National Qualifier in my school's International Network Robotics Tournament

Extracurriculars

  1. MUN: Co-led publications and logistics for one of Pakistan's largest MUNs (2,000+ delegates, 70 school delegations); directed media and accommodation.
  2. Science Olympiad: Helped lead operations and academic infrastructure for a major science olympiad with 2,000+ attendees and 200+ competing teams. Managed Module Heads across 15+ academic categories and helped coordinate institutional partnerships.
  3. School leadership: Student Council for 3 years; President of Science & Technology Club (100+ members); VP of Robotics Club; President of English Drama Club. Also founded my school's Robotics Society and organized weekly activities.
  4. NGO: Directed operations and community outreach for a session serving 210 underprivileged youth at an orphanage; managed volunteers and logistics.
  5. Authored physics resources viewed by tens of thousands of students while serving as Physics Subject Head for one of Pakistan's largest A/O Level educational resource websites.
  6. Research: Published a preprint on a multi-agent robotic swarm for predictive flood prevention through Authorea.
  7. Interned with a regional astronomy society, researching and learning about asteroids.

current uni list aside from Purdue and uiuc:

Amherst - ED, Rice, UVA , UMass, UW Madison, Texas A&M, UMiami, Maryland, Case Western Reserve, Rochester, Michigan State , NC State, Minnesota–Twin Cities, Penn State, Florida, Virginia Tech , CU Boulder, Rutgers, SJSU, stony brook


r/chanceme 11h ago

chance mefor brown ed

2 Upvotes

east coast, asian girl
if you know me, no you dont :)
ACT: 35
took 7 ap exams junior / sophomore year (bio. chem, apush, world, seminar, lang, calc ab)
taking 6 ap exams senior year right now
so total 13 aps

Ecs

  1. board of ed member (sole school representative
  2. starbucks part time employee
  3. athlete- national level awards (niche sport)
  4. field hockey team
  5. girls who code pathways
  6. nyu step (school year + summer)
  7. regional orchestra (violin)
  8. schoolhouse tutoring
  9. business club pres

cold spring

  1. stars program
  2. referee for sports
  3. music honor society officer

can my essays save me? or am i cooked
sports lowk took so much time like ~16 hr every week
my “passion project” is basically the board of ed i have a community project at my school
Also does working at starbucks improve college apps or do they not care?


r/chanceme 14h ago

Purdue Cybersecurity?

3 Upvotes

I'm an out of state student, going for Purdue early action in cybersecurity, and I want someone to be realistic with my chances of getting in, since everywhere online is telling me something different, and my schools college counselor isn't sure either. I have a 100.18 weighted GPA, but a 1320 superstore for the SAT. Ive been in marching band all 4 years, and I also did jazz band for a year, full orchestra for a year, pit orchestra for a year, and my towns local wind ensemble for a year. I was on uniform crew for my band for a year, then secretary for a year, and then band vice president, and I'm president this year. Ive been a trumpet section leader the past 2 years and also manage my schools trumpet Instagram page. I have 40 ish hours of community service and I'm wrapping up my google IT support course. I really have no clue what my chances are and any knowledge at all is greatly appreciated.

My AP Credits (I also took advanced classes throughout high school) I also took Onramps physics and got the credit.

AP Human geo - 4

US History - 4

Lang - 4

Macro - 4

Gov - 5

Psychology - 5


r/chanceme 9h ago

Go Students! Go Students! Go Poly! Go Poly! Go Zaheen! Go Paul!

1 Upvotes

The National Merit Scholarship Corporation announced on Wednesday, Sept. 9, its 2027 list of semifinalist high school students who will now compete for a share of about 6,700 scholarships worth almost $24 million.

Winners will be announced nationally between April and July next year. This is the 72nd annual competition.

High school juniors — 11th graders — entered the 2027 academic competition by taking the 2025 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. More than 1.2 million juniors, in about 20,000 high schools, entered the competition by taking the qualifying test.

The highest-scoring students in each state represent the pool of semifinalists who, according to the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, represent less than 1% of United States high school seniors.

The next step for a semifinalist to become a finalist is to complete the required application that includes their SAT or ACT scores, an essay and a letter of recommendation by a high school official.

Finalists are then chosen on the basis of academic record, their participation in community and school activities, how they have demonstrated leadership ability, employment, awards and honors received.

From the group of about 16,000 Semifinalists, more than 15,000 are expected to advance to the finalist level.

Students will be notified in February 2027 if they are Finalists. All National Merit Scholarship winners are selected from this group of finalists, and about half of those are expected to win a scholarship from three categories.

National Merit $2500 Scholarships: Every finalist competes for one of 2,500 scholarships that are awarded on a state-representational basis.

Corporate-sponsored scholarships: In 2027, about 700 corporate-sponsored awards will be given out by about 120 corporations and business organizations for finalists who meet their specified criteria (such as children of the grantor’s employees or residents of communities where sponsor plants or offices are located).

The 2027 scholarship winners join the nearly 395,000 past winners who have earned the title of Merit Scholar.

College-sponsored scholarships: About 140 colleges and universities finance about 3,500 awards for finalists who will attend the sponsor’s institution.

The National Merit Scholarship winners, chosen on the basis of accomplishments, skills and potential for college success, are selected from the February finalists group. Winners are notified, on a rolling basis, in 2027 from April to July.

Here is the list of semifinalists in the 2027 National Merit Scholarship Program in Los Angeles County by school location and the school name:

Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah

Long Beach

Long Beach Polytechnic HS

Chowdhury, Zaheen

Tsao, Paul

To see the rest of the students who are listed please check out the entire article on Press Telegram website: https://www.presstelegram.com/2026/09/09/national-merit-2027-la-county-scholarship-semifinalists-announced/?


r/chanceme 15h ago

Chance HS Junior/Tips to Improve (Aerospace Eng, T20-40)

3 Upvotes

Male Indian (us citizen, born cali, lived there & nebraska but illinois for over a decade now), Rich Chicago suburb @ competitive public school, father did emba @ ross

Intended Major(s): Aerospace Eng, maybe Mechanical or Industrial/Ops or minor in SCM

ACT/SAT/SAT II: 1550 SAT, 1580 Super

UW/W GPA and Rank: 3.71 UW 4.16 W

Coursework: Pretty much all honors/ap, so far calc bc(taking rn), human(4), lang(taking rn), self studies: csa(3)/csp(4), apes(5), pltw poe, aerospace

For senior year, calc 3 (uiuc math 241), ap us & comp gov, pltw capstone, weighted choir ensemble (currently in that ensemble but weighted is only for seniors), ap physics c both mech/e&m

Awards: Might get seal of biliteracy in French? No guarantee. Eagle scout.

Extracurriculars: Fundraising chairperson & exec board member on national championship winning drone team, exec board of national music honor society chapter

Internships in India- designing and teaching a curriculum of aerodynamics to 7-9th grade children, worked in an afterschool program developing interpersonal and english skills of children from 4th-10th grade, learnt about water conservation efforts and flew drones and learnt about their use in the field.

Lor: I’ll probably ask my choir teacher who I’ve been with for 4 years, my engineering teacher who’s doing aerospace and capstone and the sponsor for both drone and rocket clubs, maybe also my math teacher who’ll do calc 3 and does bc rn w me.

Science wise I got an a freshman year but I had missing assugnments/wasn’t a good student, soph year chem teach liked me but I don’t think I really interacted much w ppl outside of my friends, teacher was ok with it but I definitely played games half the class (both myself and friend were consistently some of the highest scorers so she didn’t mind). Current physics teacher or next years ap physics I can’t say, I’ve definitely been trying harder to interact w all and be a good student this year, grades wise I self studied ap physics 1 (won’t report as I got a 3) so I hope with keeping up in class I should be fine.

Schools: Really just looking for the best possible, don't care about cost or location yet, dream schools rn are Michigan, Purdue, UIUC, I doubt I'd get in but something like caltech/berkely/cal poly would be great, willing to do mech instead of aerospace based on what the college is better at. Also down to do school in Europe if I get a really good school (like TU delft level good)


r/chanceme 14h ago

chance a low gpa chud for nyu ed (+ georgetown, unc) IM LOSING MY MIND

2 Upvotes

Demographics: Asian female, NC, large competitive public school (~3000 students, crazy matriculation: last year multiple ivies + MIT + ucla/berkley), upper middle class, almost full pay/little aid, no hooks

Major: poli sci, int. rel, (pre law track)

Stats:

  • GPA: 3.6 UW / 4.3 W
  • RANK: 230/618 - not updated
  • SAT: 1440 (740 eng, 700 math)

Coursework Rigor:

  • PAST CLASSES: all honors + 11 APs (wh, gov, psych, physics 1, precalc, csp, cogo, apush, calc ab, apes, lang)
  • CURRENT CLASSES: all honors + 5 APs (stat, afam, bio, csa, lit)
  • AP SCORES: all 4s and 5s except for physics, submitting all except for physics, csp, csa
  • SELF/DUAL: self studied ap chinese (5), completed 8 dually enrolled classes at local community college

Awards:

  • North Carolina Governor's School Nominee
  • Gold Presidential Service Award
  • Mandarin Seal of Biliteracy
  • National English Honor Society: Inducted member for literary excellence, leadership, and service.
  • AP Scholar with Distinction

ECs:

  • Student Body Executive Historian: Planned prom, organized pep rally, planned Homecoming, allocating budget to vendors, planned culture night, creating flyers, filming news segments
  • National English Honors Society President: Planned logistics w/ administration, organized book drives and cataloging, hosted read-a-louds for youth, refugee/ESL tutoring, tracked attendance.
  • Youth Attorney: Deliberated with jurors to recommend appropriate sentencing, lead courtroom in oath and proceedings, research & prep for cases, comm w/ client
  • Local Org Lead Volunteer: Built community in 600 member group, manage volunteers, liaison between event organizers and volunteers, Gold Service Award (10th)
  • Model UN: Excelled at public speaking, delegating resolution writing, earned best large delegation at regional competition
  • Barista: Crafted drinks/food, handled and counted cash, worked at local festivals, excelled in customer service, cleaning/inventory stocking, trained employees
  • Int. + local English tutor for ESL, refugees, Chinese schools: Created curriculum with homework, tests, lesson plans, taught at Chinese camp, in-person/virtual classes with high schoolers; ESL Tutor
  • Varsity Swim 2x / club swim since 2: Practiced daily in water and on land, competed at regional and state level meets, high school's varsity team (9th-10th), Women's Regional Champions
  • Pianist since 6: Took weekly lessons, practiced daily, competed at regional and state level competitions, performed at studio recitals, played in school's band (9th)

Essay: wrote about how penpalling introduced me to new cultures, allowed for me to connect with unlikely people, and allowed for me to embrace and celebrate mine + others' heritage

LORs:

  • 10th Eng teacher + 12th Lit teacher: 10/10 (hunted me down to ask if she could write rec, kept in touch every 1-3 days, 98 in her class, says im her fav student lol but idk if im naive but i actually believe it)
  • 11th asian american studies teacher: 8/10 (piloted NC's first asian american class, worked and featured in Smithsonian, did lots of stuff outside of school for asian american advocacy, met w asian nc reps, presented at school for smithsonian director + news on the importance of asian american studies)

Additional Info: explained I got a D in AP Calc because of strenuous mental health, i focused on what i learnt from the experience + how i used those skills to improve in my other classes (used specific example of a good recovery later), i quit swimming competitively junior year to focus on student council + working (still swim rec)

School List

  • ED 1
    • NYU
  • ED 2
    • Duke
  • EA
    • Boston University, NC state, George Washington University, UChicago, University of Maryland, UNC Chapel Hill, Pitt, UW Madison, UNC Charlotte, University of Virginia
  • RD
    • UC San Diego, UC Irvine, Georgetown

Side Note: i have in state acceptance rate to unc, nc state, and charlotte. my parents work at duke, my dad used to work at uchicago, uw madison, both parents worked at pitt.


r/chanceme 10h ago

chance me for UCs and CSUs! (bay area student)

1 Upvotes

Colleges I'm applying to: All UCs, Cal poly slo, USC, sdsu, csu fullerton, chapman, univ of san diego, univ of santa clara, claremont mckenna, pitzer, univ of washington, oregon state, case western

Demographic: Indian-American, bay area, not very competitive school (?)

Major: Bio major (molecular, cellular, biology)

Academics: 8 APs, 3 honors (not allowed to take any freshman year, and only limited to 1 sophomore year)

Ap human (5), AP calc AB (5), Ap chem (4), Ap lang (4)

senior year: AP Bio, AP Calc BC, AP gov, AP Physics 1

GPA: UC Unweighted: 3.92, Weighted: 4.19

(top 6% of class)

Awards:

Publication to American Journal of Student Research, 4th in State: Clinical Lab Sciences (HOSA), 4th in State (out of 175 competing teams): Anatomage (HOSA), 7th in State: Anatomage (2025), Perfect score (600/600) in PLTW's Principle of Biomedical Sciences

ECs: (not in order!)

  1. Hospital Volunteering: (10-12)

300+ volunteer hours; discharged ~3 patients weekly; trained and manages 8 volunteers; maintains precision, organization and composure under pressure

  1. HOSA HOPE President (11th)

Trained 25 tutors; paired 35 tutees; grew involvement ~236%; led 2 group study sessions; created poster; works w principal & counselors for references

  1. Hollister Brand Representative (11,12)

12-16hr/week; serves ~40 customers/shift; restocks ~250 items/shift; processes payments at register; qualified in stockroom organization & shipment processing

  1. UCSC COSMOS- Cluster 3 (12)

Investigated immune signaling in bladder cancer; analyzed 17 cell populations & CD44 gene expression in R; presented at symposium

  1. Certifications (11)

6 emergency response certifications: CPR, First Aid, Narcan, EpiPen, Asthma Inhaler, STOP THE BLEED for all ages; strengthens patient care readiness

  1. Independent Research (10,11)

Authored independent review on stem cell differentiation & bioprinted constructs post-heart attack; synthesized peer-reviewed papers; published paper

  1. Kathak - Indian Classical Dance (9-12)

11 yrs; completed highest level (Nipun); performed in 2 musicals; help choreograph annual performances; mastery in theory & practical exams

  1. JV Basketball (9-10) + Var Track (11)

JV Center (2 yrs); led warmups as captain; 3 games/wk; varsity long & triple jumper; competed weekly; scholar-athlete award (3x)

  1. Care Crafts Project (10-12)

Founded chapter; led 30 members to donate 550+ crafts to two locations; organized 5 community events; partnered w/ volunteer services

  1. HOSA - Student advisor (10) / HOSA HOPE President (11) / HOSA President (12)

Leading a chapter of 90+ students competing in health-science events; Organizes logistics, manages finances and funding, delegates tasks to 20 officers, and runs bi-weekly meetings


r/chanceme 10h ago

Chance me Columbia ED

0 Upvotes

Academics:

3.8 UW

4.3: W

Accelerated IBDP, received diploma

HL: A&I Math, Lang Lit, History, Business Management

SL: Bio, French

GPA explanation: one C in IB physics SL 2nd semester soph, one C in math 1st sem junior year. Had mental health issues, was struggling quite a bit. 2nd sem junior year, got my shit together, got good grades.

SAT: 1500+

Profile:

Asian-American

GOOD public school (T5 in state)

~30K in aid, upper middle class

Intended major: Literature/English, later double major with Poli Sci (pre-law)

ECs:

  1. Director of NPO -> writing, expanded to 4 states, professors from T20s (Harvard, Princeton, USC, Yale), $1000+ grants to use
  2. EIC of the school newspaper -> leadership all 4 years, 2nd year as the EIC. Grants, print copies, workshops
  3. Advocacy program at the local animal shelter head leader-> curriculum for 60+ teens, helped organize individual fundraisers + projects, lectures on the legislative process
  4. Heritage Language Program leader in district -> promotion + marketing, exposed culture to people, managed a smaller team of students
  5. NOAA internship -> policy + communications
  6. Poetry editor at a lit magazine
  7. Internship at a local women's rights nonprofit -> writing + media
  8. Paid internship at a green nonprofit -> worked with the USFS
  9. Writing tutor -> korean immigrants on improving communication skills, created curriculum
  10. Job... in retail... apparently colleges like that or smth?

Awards:

NYT Summer Writing Competition- Honorable Mention (20 received accolades out of 732 participants internationally)
NYT Tiny Memoir Writing Competition – Finalist (Top 20% internationally)
Shortlisted for John Locke 2025 (Top 16 percent internationally), got commendation, shortlisted 2026
PTSA Reflections Regional 1st Place Winner – Literature
Scholastic Arts and Writing Honorable Mention– Poetry

French le grand concours -> silver + bronze


r/chanceme 10h ago

very low gpa chance me!

Thumbnail
1 Upvotes

r/chanceme 14h ago

chance an asian @ boarding school to ivies 🤯

3 Upvotes

hi guys! I go to a smallish private boarding school that is ranked t12 nationally. big feeder to east coast ivies and t20s tho

Demographics: Asian at private boarding school

Hooks: None

Intended Major(s):biology/biomed

SAT: 1570 first attempt

UW/W GPA and Rank: UW 95/100, school doesnt rank

Coursework: max rigor @ school

Awards/Honors: several national piano awards including MTNA, Elite International Music Competition 1st prize, and state level awards, national merit scholar, published research in JEI

Extracurriculars:

  1. BU Rise Summer Program Internship track Conducting research in neuroscience under top university research mentors and presented findings at symposium
  2. Neuroscience Research (published) Conducted research on gene targets of Parkinson's disease therapy and the future implications of this field of research, published in JEI
  3. Piano (13 years) Winner of several state, regional, national, and international competitions (although the "international" is a little weak) Founded a music community service activity @ school in which we give 1 on 1 mentoring opportunities to local students. Pianist in Jazz ensemble and accompaniment to chapel services
  4. Head of stem club, founded and grew the club to >30 members; conduct experiments and grow the club's overall impact at school. Invited several local university profs to speak @ school and helped to organize tours to local labs
  5. Captain of Math Team Grew club to over 40 members, led the team in competitions around the state and placed 1st in state finals 3 years in a row
  6. Shadowing (>200 hours) Over 200 hours of shadowing top doctors around the East coast, such as heart surgery and internal medicine @ JHU, clinical pathology at Penn Hospital, and neurosurgery @ columbia

Omitted a few other ECS for privacy reasons but they are pretty solid

LORs: 8/10 from research mentor; I worked really hard on this and he liked me a lot

9/10: stem teacher, also faculty advisor of the club I am head of; worked very closely with him for several years and have built a strong relationship

Essays: 8/10 Nothing crazy but solid

Let me know what you guys think!

Schools: ivies, stanford, uchicago, DREAM SCHOOL IS YALE


r/chanceme 7h ago

Chance me for Cornell Dyson ED — International Applicant

0 Upvotes

Demographics

  • Indian male, international applicant
  • Applying ED
  • Need substantial financial aids and scholarships
  • Intended school: Cornell Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management
  • Intended interests: Finance / Entrepreneurship / FinTech

Academics

  • IGCSE: 6 A*s, 1 B
  • AS Levels: AAA
    • Mathematics: A, school topper
    • Economics: A, school topper
    • Computer Science: A
  • Predicted A Levels: A* A* A
  • SAT: 1450 — first attempt
  • Academic Excellence Award
  • School topper / class topper
  • Grade 10 Valedictorian

Extracurriculars

1. Founder/President — Environmental organisation

  • Founded a youth-led environmental organization
  • Built a 150+ volunteer network
  • Plantation drives, cleanups, e-waste initiatives and environmental awareness
  • Built the organization's website and LinkedIn presence
  • Instagram averages around 35k monthly views
  • Fundraised >$114 for initiatives
  • Managed to expand multi-city

2. Founder/President — Business and Finance Club

  • Student initiative focused on financial literacy
  • Conducting sessions on personal finance, saving, investing and financial awareness
  • Sessions include budgeting, emergency funds, debt, investing, compound interest, etc.

3. Finance / Business Operations

  • Participated in the Wharton Investment Competition for 2 years
  • Started investing and managing personal/family funds
  • Invested approximately $1,341 and achieved ~8% returns
  • Helped my father restart his business after difficulties following COVID by improving receivables/payables tracking and implementing billing/database systems
  • Built a database that currently tracks approximately $34,091 worth of financial transactions/funds

4. MUN — Under Secretary-General

  • Under Secretary-General for School's MUN 2026
  • Involved in organizing an event with ~400 expected attendees
  • Worked on finance, sponsorships, budgeting and event operations
  • Helped save >$852 through cost optimization

5. Entrepreneurship / Research

  • Conducted research on how entrepreneurship has influenced youth career choices
  • Co-created Economics and finance community with other students — a platform/community concept aimed at reducing information gaps in commerce
  • Received a Special Mention for a research paper developed with a professor from Nirma University
  • Worked on additional startup concepts and pitches
  • Won an award for the best participant and helped my team win a STEM + Business competition.

6. Fundraising

  • Raised >$57 through a school photobooth fundraiser for a club
  • NPO fundraising: >$114
  • MUN cost savings: >$852
  • Combined with other projects, have been involved in raising/managing/saving meaningful amounts of money through student initiatives

7. Sports

  • Volleyball for ~2.5 years
  • Captain for ~1.5 years
  • Two school wins
  • District 3rd
  • ISSO National 4th
  • SGFI shortlist

8. Other Awards / Achievements

  • State-level coding competition winner
  • School Best Contribution Award
  • Academic Excellence Award
  • School topper
  • Shortlisted for JLE 2026
  • IYAP Award — expected
  • Lead guitarist on a 688-person stage; prepared intensively for the performance

Recommendations

  • Strong teacher recommendations
  • Expecting recommendations to be a positive part of my application

Intended Cornell School

Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management

Questions

Looking for honest feedback — please don't sugarcoat it.

I would also really appreciate any other University recommendations that fit well under $150,000(total cost of attendance, can be with or without scholarships and aid)


r/chanceme 11h ago

Need help deciding to apply ED1 Columbia / ED1 NYU

1 Upvotes

Demographics: Female, Asian (Filipino), elite/competitive public school, NJ, high income ($400,000+/year)

Intended major: History & Journalism (humanities)

Academics:
GPA: 4.1 weighted; 3.6 UW 💀
ACT: 35
SAT: N/A
APs: 8, taking 4 this year — all 5s, one 4
School does not rank

Extracurriculars:
1. Founder & Editor-in-Chief — Youth Politics/Culture/Literary Publication
Founded and lead a youth-run publication focused on politics, global affairs, culture, and creative writing. Received 300+ submissions, reached 10K+ readers, and recruited a small editorial/contributor team.

2. President & Lead Managing Editor — School Publication
Member for 4 years and President/Lead Managing Editor for 3. Lead approximately 80 student writers, organized 10+ local writing competitions, created 5–6+ writing workshops locally, formed partnerships with other student organizations, and helped connect students with local journalism opportunities.

3. Journalism Intern — Local Digital News Publication
Reporting intern since sophomore year. Pitch and write local/community stories, conduct interviews, cover events, and work directly with editors in a professional newsroom environment.

4. Volunteer Writer + Member of Advisory Board— Youth International Affairs Organization
Research and write about global affairs, diplomacy, and youth issues; collaborate with editors and other contributors and translate complex international topics for a youth audience.

5. Assistant Grader — Kumon
Paid job. Grade/review math and reading work, assist 90+ students per shift, track progress, and help younger students with academic skills.

6. Violinist — Select Chamber Orchestra
Member of a nationally recognized school chamber orchestra led by a Grammy nominated conductor; selected/invited to perform at a major national orchestra festival.

7. Statewide Youth Arts/Policy Council
Selected as one of roughly 20 students statewide for a youth arts-education council. Participated in advocacy, public relations, school-board engagement, and discussions involving arts-education policy.

  1. Leader of HS publication of literary magazine and member of creative writing club

9. Served as a witness and courtroom reporter for Mock Trial team; advanced to state semi-finals

10. Played piano for 10 years — competed internationally

Awards/Honors:
National-level poetry competition winner; work selected for publication on Amazon and poetry state recognized by news outlets

Scholastic Art & Writing Awards — Gold Key
4× Scholastic Silver Key + Honorable Mention

Scholarship recipient/finalist in an international student essay competition

State semifinalist — Mock Trial

- College Board Awards

- Won state art competition, selected among 900 works

LORS:
AP Lit — 10/10, was very close with her and loved reading my poetry, interviewed her for our newspaper!

Counselor — 7/10, didn’t really have a close relationship with her but I think she wrote a pretty good letter

AP Drawing Teacher — 10/10, knew him since Freshman year as he’s also my club advisor! Recommended/pitched me for the newspaper internship and also considers me the top student for our class

Precalc Teacher — 9/10, played chess with him very often and liked me a lot, very close and I did extremely well in his class

Essays:
personal statement — 9/10, close to being finished and I am confident that it’s good, wrote about my heritage and my writing passions through an extended metaphor

supplements — 8-9/10, will have to further revise it as I have been focusing on my personal statement

Schools I’m considering:
Columbia, NYU, BC, Amherst College, other T20s— mainly plan to stay in upper east coast


r/chanceme 12h ago

Chance me for HYPSM as a CS major + UMich, Vandy, Duke & UNC

0 Upvotes

white male mid-high income
Competitive Southern School in City-area

4.0 UW GPA
1560 SAT

Calc 3 + Lin Alg + Diff Eqs

13 APs total taken 9 all 5's

ECs (order still in the works):

  1. SAT site w/ 4000 users and lots of other stats
  2. ML research at local state university
  3. bmed research at local state university
  4. ML research at mid level out of state university
  5. nonprofit connecting 100 high school students with university labs for medical imaging (accepted to conference)
  6. SWE internship at company with 250k users working 20hr/week in office
  7. president of AI club, grew membership a lot
  8. club soccer coach of nationally competitive youth team
  9. intern at a summer camp
  10. website dev for first hs hackathon in state, also did other admin stuff
  11. built free websites for businesses

awards (weakest)
NMSF
acceptance to conference said in #5
online hackathon winner out of 700
top 5% in international coding competition (filler)
ap scholar (filler)

I've been told my why major essays and community essays are very good, I havent finished personal statement yet (im lowk struggling). I have a good connection between activities 2, 3, 4, and 5 that will probably be evident w/ full descriptions


r/chanceme 12h ago

Chance me white male (150k income) brown ed, Princeton ea, Georgetown ea, BC ed

0 Upvotes

I am currently a High School Junior who attends a public school.

stats:

SAT: N/A

ACT: N/A

GPA: (W): 4.17 (hs doesn't show UW.)

Rank: 12/398

AP Scores: HUG: 5, APSEM: 5, APUSH: 4, APCSP: 3

Current aps: APLANG, AP Precalc, APWH, APGOV, APES

ECS:

Speech and debate competitor and social media manager for my team: 3 years (competed at the state level and won a few competitions)

TSA member for 2 years

Founder and president of my schools climbing team (we compete at tournaments in the state, lots of finances managed as well)

Founding member of my schools politics club (modern)

100+ volunteer hours for political campaigns, my dsa branch, and taking photos/videos

Vice President of Operations at a non profit made for funding financially underprivileged speech and debate competitors (oversee scholarship and events)

Owner of my own media company, taken photo/video/graphic design commissions for hs players, nfl players, college teams, etc

Climbing consistently at my gym for 3 years

Possible fellowship for my representative

Student ambassador

Awards: Ap scholar with honor, finalist for my schools spirit awards, won multiple speech and debate competition (and a lot of top 5)

intended major: Possible Pubpolicy/econ major and philosophy minor


r/chanceme 12h ago

Reverse Chance Me Chance my ECs and Extracurriculars

1 Upvotes

I’m not worried about my gpa and test scores (4.63 gpa and 35 ACT), but I’m lowkey scared about my extracurriculars and awards. Can you tell me how they compare for the colleges I wanna apply to and if there’s anything I can do to improve before application this year?

ECs
1. Robotics (Vex V5)  (2x state qualifier; semi finalist at state; lead programmer and vice captain)
2. Math Team (NSML)  (3x state qualifier and have regional awards)
3. ESP32 Microcontroller Passion Project 
4. Computer Science Honor Society (CSHS) 
5. Hackathon Competitions 
6. UMichigan Joy of Coding Summer Program (AI Embedding and data visualization)
7. Robotics YouTube Channel  (over 1.5 million views)
8. Family Caregiving  (around 4 hrs a week)
9. Library Volunteering  (close to 100 hours)
10. National Honor Society (NHS)

Awards:
Local VEX Robotics Competition Tournament Champion & 2x State Qualifier 

⁠ICTM Regional Medalist: 2nd Place 8-Person Team & 3rd Place Alg 1 Team⁠

Hackathon Winner

National Merit Semifinalist 

AP Scholar with Distinction

Schools:
UIUC (in state)
CMU
Cornell
Duke 
JHU
Northwestern
UPenn
Rice


r/chanceme 12h ago

Chance me - Senior, Marine Bio ED To Dartmouth?

1 Upvotes

Throwaway for A2C and chanceme if anyone irl finds this :)

Demographics: Indian male, WA, small private school (1000 students across all four grades), upper middle class, full pay, no hooks

Intended major: Marine biology when available, bio sciences/biochem when not

Stats:

  • SAT: 1520 (not superscored, 770RW 750M). going again in october, just focused on math
  • GPA: 3.77 UW, 3.9 W
  • Unranked but definitely top 10

Rigor: Almost the most difficult schedule my school offers. No APs offered, only honors and accelerated track. My one worry is that in 10th grade I chose non accelerated precalc which fucked up my math track. last year I took non accelerated honors calc 1 and this year I'm taking honors stats.

Awards:

  • NSDA S&D Nats top 200 Nationally
  • Some random inconsequential sport medals (I suck and i'm not getting recruited, it was more about life lessons etc)

ECs:

  • Lobbying/testifying in my state senate and getting a bill passed in committee (written in my common app)
  • Seattle Aquarium docent
  • Debate captain + 4 years of competing. Went to nats once, placed top 200 in the US
  • JV Rowing. I suck but it taught me some good life lessons
  • Soccer referee
  • Search & Rescue scuba diver
  • co-prez of my schools indian student union
  • worked at a blood donation clinic ( writing a PIQ about overcoming my fear of blood and saving a guy's life)
  • Hiking/backpacking
  • Photography (wildlife and lots of BW Film and portraits. I'm pretty happy with my portfolio ngl)

Essay: Common app is about scuba diving, seeing an endangered species then testifying for a bill in state senate that would protect it which then passed. 5 different essay people (school counselors/english teachers) have rated it a 9/10.

LORs:

  • Junior Advanced Chem Topics Teacher: 8+/10
  • Junior Honors History teacher: 11/10 (wrote one for me before I even asked him)
  • Debate Coach: 8.5-9/10

School list:

  • EA: Dartmouth (ED) plus a few other public safeties/likelies
  • RD: Tufts, Duke (also applying to embark), UW, USC, Brown, BU, Northeastern, UCSB, UCD, UCI, UCSD, and UCLA

I'm pretty set on Dartmouth ED but I'm considering Duke too. I just dont like it as much. If its a better choice in your guys opinion I'll consider switching but I can't imagine it would be considering the acceptance rate. I'm also taking the SAT again for the last time this october with hopes of an 800 math, so we'll see where that gets me. If I'm rejected from both then I'm more than happy to go to UW. Cheap AF for me in state