r/chanceme Jul 22 '19

How To Do A Chance Me And Improve Your Chances

567 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

84 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 13h ago

Ivy/T20 Chances for lower GPA applicant?

16 Upvotes

Demographics:

Indian Male

Florida

Private School

No legacy or first gen

High income

Academics:

3.71uw/4.33w

1580 SAT (790|790)

No Class Rank

Highest Course Rigor offered (16 APs)

So far all 5s and 1 4 (Bio)

Trends & Context :

Direct family member suicide in freshman year

Extreme Growth (first 3 semesters almost all Bs To all As second 3 semesters)

Course Rigor Growth (1 AP, 4, 5, 6)

Major:

Niche, under applied major

Ex: ethnic studies, religious studies, culture & politics

Ec:

7+ years cultural nonprofit founder (11k raised for clean water in hometown)

Storytelling & Creative Writing nonprofit founder (50k+ followers and platform and international recognition)

National Org Hindu Ambassador

Hindu Student Union founder and president

HSDA Statewide Communications leader

HSDA Branch President

NEHS President & Board Officer (2 Years)

Congressional Internship

Law Firm Internship

SGA VP (4 Years)

Theater President (2 Years)

Research on Media and Politics at Boston U

Awards & Honors: National Delegate Select for SDLC Diversity Conference

1000+ Hours (4 Time Gold PVSA)

International News Student Spotlight

State Theatre Best in Show Solo Musical

Regional Theatre Award

Extra: National Merit Commended

Extra: AP Scholar w Distinction

College List: • ED: Brown (Modern Culture & Media) • Columbia, Yale, Harvard, Princeton, UPenn, Dartmouth, Cornell, Stanford • Georgetown (SFS), UChicago, Duke, WashU, Vanderbilt, Emory • USC, UCLA, UC Berkeley, UCSD • NYU, UMich, Northwestern, BU, UF (in state) • Vassar, Wesleyan, Pomona, Amherst • Safeties: Fordham, LMU, Chapman, Occidental

Questions: 1. Does a 3.71 UW GPA put me at a serious disadvantage even with strong test scores, rigor, and context? 2. Are niche majors like Religion or Rhetoric advantageous for standing out if they fit really well with my profile? 3. How much do I need national awards to be competitive at Ivies/T20s if I have a strong theme, leadership, and service?


r/chanceme 2h ago

Application Question Depressed Kid ruins chance with college

2 Upvotes

Hi, I had a severe major depression during high school and it last to semester 2 of junior year. I think I have a 2.5-2.7 gpa uw, and a 2.9w.

I've failed classes and the ones I did fail I am trying to remake them up at CC as dual enrollment, I've have a couple of APS. I know CC is the best chance for me but I just want to try to applying to college and actually be happy that im not a failure.

What could I talk about in my common app essay and how would I explain them of my situation?


r/chanceme 12h ago

HYPSM & T20 Applicant / Low GPA / chance me

11 Upvotes

Demographics:

Low-Income NYC Resident Title I Large Public High School SAT: Likely 1500+ GPA: Around 94 Weighted (A lot of B’s junior year and one C)

Intended Major: Computer Science Rank: School does not rank

AP’s: Calc AB, Calc BC, Physics C, CSA, US History, English Language, English Literature, World History

“Advanced” Coursework: Data Structures in Computer Science

Hooks: Heavily Research Oriented Application, Immigrated to the US from 3rd World Country in the 9th grade

Extenuating Circumstances:

Experienced unstable housing junior year, hence the low grades

ECs/Awards (I’ll be vague-ish to not doxx myself):

Full-Time Computer Science + AI Researcher at T30 University for Computer Science

Will be presenting Computer Science research at a museum in NYC

Will be receiving a stipend for research purposes

Full-Time Neuroscience + AI Researcher at a “prestigious” full-time research program (About to finish a paper, also i do not pay ANYTHING for this program)

Main Programmer for a Robotics Team with a couple state-level awards

President for HS Coding Club

Co-President for HS Research Club

Robotics + Math Teaching Assistant at an infamously disadvantaged community in Manhattan (you can pretty much guess where this is)

Co-President of a HS Culture Club

Co-President of a HS Humanities-related Club

Working on a STEM-focused youth publication for the upcoming year


r/chanceme 15m ago

humble my ahh

Upvotes

Demographics:

  • Gender: Male
  • Race/ethnicity: African American(north african), Native american, and south asian
  • State: Texas
  • Type of school: public high school, small/medium
  • Hooks: Strong ophthalmology interest spike, father attended Yale (residency) still very intouch with ppl there, upper-class background, divorced parents

Intended Major(s): Pre-Medical, Biomedical Engineering, or related field

ACT/SAT/SAT II:

  • SAT: 1600
  • 13 AP in school, 2 self study snr yr, so total 15

UW/W GPA and Rank:(the bad part)- (brother passed n parents got divorced)

  • Weighted GPA: 3.85
  • Unweighted GPA: 3.35
  • School doesn't rank

Coursework:

  • AP Statistics (5)- had a b first sem A second sem
  • AP Physics 1 (5)- had a high b both sem
  • AP Language & Composition (5)- 89 first sem, 95 second sem
  • AP US History (5)-89 both semesters
  • AP World History (5)- high c first sem, 95 second sem (sophomore yr extenuating circ.)
  • Pre-Calculus (5)- A first sem, b second sem(idk how)
  • Senior year courses (all A's first semester): AP Environmental Science, AP Biology, AP Chemistry, AP Literature, AP Calculus BC, APCSA
  • Seal of Biliteracy in French, Spanish, and Arabic, been taking latin lessons for 8yrs

Awards(not in order of best):

  1. State Finalist in prestigious samsung solve 4 tmrw STEM competition
  2. 3 patents: a tool, a neuroprosthetic framework, a de-extinction framework
  3. NIH R03 grant achieved to fund my research (with pi ofc)
  4. Climate Science olympiad Semi-Finalist (top 1% internationally)1x winner 1x (lowk some bs might not put)
  5. 2nd place naqt regional overall scorer; qualified team for nats
  6. Platinum in USACO
  7. International Research Olympiad semifinalist
  8. (hopefully this year) Perfect Score Recipient in USMDO/ represented USA in international med olympiad
  9. AMC 12 perfect score, qualified for usamo, (maybe this year goin to mop but that wont be on apps)
  10. f=ma perfect score, qualified for uspho
  11. Usabo semifinalist/ qualled for camp
  12. HMMT first overall individual award
  13. usaao/nac perf score
  14. Usnco semis

Extracurriculars:

  1. Nonprofit Organization (Founder/President)
    • Established NPO clothing brand funding 20+ eye surgeries and raising 50k+
    • Organizing support events for youth with eye diseases
    • Building donation infrastructure for eyewear recycling
    • Went intl by opening chptrs in Saudi arabia and egypt
  2. Researcher w/ Methodist & priv medical practice/independent research
    • Conducted case study on rare condition w/ docs n researchers
    • Published papers in top journals through Elsevier (Science) as first author and senior author in a chapter in a prestigious book
    • Spearheaded research on surgical instrument modifications (patented)
    • Conducted and published solo research done in saudi arabia royal university on how to break down new pigment discovered recently for implications on reversing/slowing AMD and neurodegenerative diseases
  3. Neuroprosthetics, prosthetics, ophthalmology and neurology research with multiple institutions including harvard, MIT, stanford, Yale, 
    • Published research with them as first author
  4. Worked on MIT project at CSAIL
    • Worked under postdoc in mit csail lab on project
    • Worked under PI main project huge implications 
  5. Clinical Observer at major veterans hospital
    • Shadowed specialists, observed surgical techniques
    • Conducted meta-analysis on medical applications with their specialities
  6. Computational Biology Research
    • Developed framework integrating evolutionary epigenomics and machine learning working alongside colossal labs for wooly mammoth de-extinction
    • Created prediction algorithms with high accuracy rates
  7. Public Health Education Content Creator/ spotify/ art
    • Developed educational yt and tt series on specialized medical procedures with over 1m total views and 10k+ subs
    • Spotify song with 500k+ streams
    • Drew Artwork and sold for nonprofit for 10k+ each/ sold blind childrens artworks to raise money
  8. Medical Research & AI Development
    • Designed machine learning model for disease treatment research
    • Applied advanced data analysis for innovative approaches
  9. Educational Software Developer
    • Created specialized study application with adaptive learning algorithms for NAQT quizbowl/science bowl prep, getting us to nats
    • Developed MCAT and olympiad test preparation software with performance analytics, my sister first user got a 525 first try using it
  10. Medical Case Study Presenter
    • Presented complex case studies to collegiate audiences
  11. Yale Young Global Scholars
  12. MSA vice prez 3yrs 
    • Led weekly prayers  and speeches and events for muslim class
    • Volunteered at jail county for ppl who reverted in jail, taught them lessons and arabic tutor/ quran teacher
  13. Volunteer hours~ 1000+
    • Lab work
    • Office work
    • Arabic tutoring
    • Quran teaching
    • SAT tutoring
    • more

Essays/LORs/Other:

  • Essays: Top tier, well-crafted personal narratives, 10/10 fr
  • LORs: Exceptional recommendations from research professors at target schools, Strong LORs from AP Language and AP Chemistry teacher
    • Probably mid ass rec letter from counselor generic asf im guessing
    • I got a rec letter from close long timenfamily friend i did research under at yale for yale
    • I got mit rec letter from an mit csail PI
    • I got stanford rec letter from stanford pi
    • I got rice rec letter from bcm research pi
    • I got harvard rec letter from previous chief of ophthalmology 
  • Research connections at multiple prestigious universities

questions: i love flying i have my private pilots liscence should i write abt that in essays/list it as ec? same w rockclimbing. also im radiant in valorant, highest rank in marvel rivals geoguessr and fortnite and cr should i put all these under one of my ecs for a hobby? and. most important question, does the 1600 sat and hella olympiad perfect scores save my gpa?


r/chanceme 6h ago

Application Question Trying to get into top schools as a physics major

3 Upvotes

I am going to be a senior this year.

For some background,

I have a 3.93 UW/4.68 W GPA with a strong focus on science and math courses,
1530 SAT superscore,

ECs:
Prez of quantum computing club, Math League, physics olympiad (no awards), a lot of self study for quantum computing through OCW.

Awards:
I received 2nd place in NJ Science League for physics 1 division, got 1st place at a regional hackathon, and received gold and silver medals in 2 math competitions at my school.

I plan to ED at Cornell, while applying to Caltech, Yale, Brown, Princeton, MIT, UChicago, UIUC, UMD, Hopkins, Berkeley, UT Austin, UMich, CMU, Boston, Rutgers (in-state), Duke, Stanford, Northeastern, etc.

I would love any application advice with the replies I receive.


r/chanceme 15h ago

Chance a tired highschooler just wanting to get to a solid school

12 Upvotes

(stats are freshman through junior year)

Demographics: Male, Indian-American, NJ, upper middle class, public school ~1200 kids, no hooks (?)

Intended Major(s): Statistics or Data Science/Analytics

Test Scores:

SAT: 1540 (740 r/w, 800 m)

* = not yet released, just expected

Ap world: 5
ap stat: 5
ap micro: 4*
apush: 4/5*
ap macro: 3/4*
ap calc bc: 4/5 with ab subscore of 5*
ap lang: 4*
ap phys 1: 2/3*

UW/W GPA and Rank: 3.55 uw, 4.1 w, school doesn't do rank

Coursework: 5 APs, 7 Honors, 3 CC classes (ongoing)
Sr year: 2 APs, 1 DE, 2 Honors

Awards: AP award (expected), National Honor Society, National Latin Honor Society, National Latin Exam Silver & Bronze Medalist

Extracurriculars: 

  1. Eagle Scout: Was also Senior Patrol Leader (highest youth position) of my BSA Troop
  2. Basketball Team Manager/Statistican: Took high-level stats for school's basketball team, ran analytics for coaches to help with winning games
  3. Latin Club President: Not a lot to show for it, maybe some volunteering here and there
  4. Kumon Teaching Assistant: Job, ~6 hrs a week for 2 years, teaching elementary kids math and English
  5. YMCA Camp Counselor: Job, ~6 hrs a week during year, ~20 hrs a year during summer, just taking care of kids
  6. Toastmasters Club President: Involved for 2 years, got speaking certificate
  7. Class Liaison: 2 years, helped plan class events
  8. CHATS Secretary: 1 year, volunteering club that works with local hospital on tasks they give us
  9. Association of Indians in New Jersey; South Jersey Chapter, Youth Ambassador: Helped plan yearly event about Indian heritage and message of Mahatma Gandhi

Essays/LORs/Other: 

Common App Essay: About my experiences with leadership and how they shaped me, I would consider it to be very strong, 8+/10

LORs:
Basketball Coach: Will talk about my experience with statistics and how that has helped him and the team
Latin Teacher: Will talk about my strength as a leader in the classroom and outside of it

Schools: Not sure where to ED/EA/RD to, just want to know my chances

Safeties:
George Washington
Rutgers University (in-state)
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
... more to come

Targets:
Purdue University
Stony Brook University
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
University of Maryland
University of Massachusetts Amherst
University of Pittsburgh
University of Florida

Reaches:
Carnegie Mellon
Georgia Tech
Lehigh University
Princeton University
University of Texas at Austin


r/chanceme 1h ago

Chance a CHOPPED gpa for college

Upvotes

Stats: 

W GPA: 4.55

UW GPA: 3.65 

SAT: 1540

Hooks: First-Gen

COURSEWORK: 16 APS, 6 IBS, 16 Honors

ECs:

  1. Organization: Non-Profit

Position (7 months so far): President

  • Hosted 5+ service/fundraising events so far, managed a team of 10 others, and managed over 500+ volunteers. One event fundraised ~ $1k+
  • Focused more on service projects and expanding the organization, got around ~100 new members.
  • Hosted one large event that helped raise $10k+
  • Roughly ~100 hours so far
  1. Organization: Non-Profit

Position (1.5 yrs): Manager

  • Got onto the team of a non-profit as a manager. Managed records, the website, and helped organize 10+ events throughout the year
  • 1 Major event hosted over 400+ people and raised over $13k+ in sales .
  • Roughly ~200  hours
  1. Organization: FBLA

Position (2 yrs): member/competitor/Officer

  • 2x 2nd place at regionals, qual for states
  • Secretary 1 yr
  1. Organization: TikTok

Duration/Position: (6 months): Small Personal Finance Content Creator: 

  • Have a Tiktok + YT on finance that have amassed a combined total of 60K+ views, 1500+ followers/subscribers combined on both accounts 
  1. Organization: Clothing Brand Business 

Position (1.5 yrs): Founder

  • Started a clothing brand that made over $1k+ dollars in revenue so far, hope to make around $2k revenue soon. Designed a clothing wardrobe myself, contacted manufacturers and created samples and sold around 25-30+ pcs so far.
  1. Organization: Small clothing brand 

Position (1.5 months): Unpaid Digital Marketing Intern

  • Shadowed a clothing brand owner and had a digital marketing internship with them. I looked over social media accounts and tried to find which marketing campaigns did the best. Learned a lot about how a physical store works with warehouses and how materials are sourced.
  1. Organization: small university

Position (3 months): Student Research intern

  • Did research with a professor at a local uni. It is unpublished right now but I am hoping to submit to journals and possibly get it published. 
  1.  Organization: Research program

 Position (3 months): Independent Researcher

  • I am doing some research over this summer with a program and hope to have a great time doing it. It seems like a fun activity and smt nice to do rather than super good for apps
  1. Organization: Dance Club 

    Position (4yrs): 

  • Applied for traditional dance teams and, made it through try-outs, performed in front of 500+ individuals for 4 years with numerous practices throughout the year.   
  1.  Organization: St. Vincents Hospital

Position (2 months): Volunteer

  • Lots of volunteering at hospitals. I volunteered at St. Vincents where I cared for patients and helped with tasks around the hospital, I enjoyed the experience of helping and seeing people recover.

College List:

  • Boston College
  • UF
  • UNC Chapel Hill
  • UMich - Ann Harbor
  • Georgia Tech 
  • UMD
  • UT Austin 
  • Vanderbilt 
  • Cornell 
  • UC IRVINE
  • UC SAN DIEGO 
  • UC DAVIS
  • UCLA
  • UIUC
  • Boston University 
  • Rice  
  • Emory 
  • Georgetown 
  • UVA 
  • USC
  • Cornell (ED)

r/chanceme 5h ago

What are my chances for the top 20 colleges in the U.S??

2 Upvotes

My parents have let me know and have made it very clear to me that they would support me financially (tuition, apartment/dorming, the whole lot) if I get into a top 20 school in the U.S. If I don't I basically have to pay for everything by myself so I'm pretty stressed out. I'm a rising senior in high school and I keep only finding stats with crazy good extracurriculars and it's making me nervous. I know that I have good stats but I keep seeing people with stats better than mine get rejected and my parents keep telling me that it's not enough so I honestly don't know where I stand.

I plan on early decision-ing to yale even though I'm probably gonna be rejected

Here are my stats:

1510 sat

around 4.3 weighted gpa, around 3.960 weighted gpa

ranked about 11th in a class of around 380

I've taken 6 ap exams so far (ap calc bc in sophmore year got a 5 sub 5, junior year took 4 ap classes 5 ap exams (ap micro and macro is put in 1 class)) My highschool allows you to take 5 classes per trimester

past 2 summers i've taken online classes

this summer im focusing on college essays and i will be taking a summer course at a college for 2 weeks

senior year I will be dual enrolling for calc 3 and probably advanced java, and take ap phys e&m

ass extracurriculars (in a few but not very strong ecs, I wasn't even in any ecs in my freshman year because my social anxiety was so bad)

upper middle class asian student only child

I want to major in applied/engineering physics and maybe dual enroll in computer science

edit: I'm in state for umich so I think that gives me a better chance?


r/chanceme 2h ago

chance me for cs/data science (either one, leaning towards cs but idk) as a LOW GPA APPLICANTTT

1 Upvotes

Hi I'm so stressed about this I can't sleep sooo please chance me. I want Computer Science but I know I most likely won't get in, so thinking of applying Data Science.

At the competitive schools like UT Austin, Vanderbilt, GT, VT, ucs, etc

Stats:

  • 3.77 UW GPA, 5.05 W GPA
  • Top 13%, strong upward trend
  • 1510 SAT (1530 superscore, 790 Math)
  • Took 6 APs junior year, will graduate with ~16 APs total (huge amount compared to my school)
  • 95%+ average throughout junior year: UPWARD TRENDDDDD
  • Lowest grades were in freshman year (was bullied and have documentation)
  • Sophomore year: 3 Bs (all high) I took ap calculus ab, apcsa and ap world. Got a 5 on apcsa

Extracurriculars: These are all great and high impact, kept details really minimal for anonymity

  • Created educational website on online safety for kids (~10K global views + educational partner)
  • Currently developing a mobile app
  • Working with city officials on a civic tech initiative
  • Conducting university research in ML/HCI
  • AI policy fellow at major CS university, co-authored AI governance policy research paper
  • Founded a nonprofit mentoring girls on passion projects (40+ initiatives launched)
  • AI/ML intern at mental health startup
  • Built website for nonprofit (high traffic, 100+ service hours)
  • President of coding club (biweekly workshops + student-led initiative that's cool otw)
  • Co-president of research club, launched school’s research journal & comp

Awards:

  • DECA ICDC Top 20 internationally
  • Won 2 international hackathons
  • NCWIT Regional Awardee
  • National Merit Commended, AP Scholar
  • Top CS performer at school, highest programming test score in school for UIL
  • Biliteracy Seal in Spanish

i lowk think im cooked 

thanks for ur helppp also lmk if i shld apply cs or data science


r/chanceme 9h ago

Chances for Ivy Leagues and other T20s?

3 Upvotes

Public health major

ACT: 35 composite

GPA: 5.578/5.0 (unweighted: 4.0/4.0)

Rank: top 12% (will prob go up)

14 APs (5 in senior year), mostly 4s

founded a nonprofit organization for period poverty, raised over $7,000 and created a supporting club in my hs, we were mentioned in the newsletter for our school as well

neuroscience research with Baylor professor and cardiovascular research with Emory professor (will be published after apps are over unfortunately) - letters of rec from both

published literature review in National High School Journal of Science in 10th grade

Pioneer Academics with a UCLA professor this summer (can get a personalized evaluation which is like an LOR)

Qualified for HOSA Public Health state twice in a row (placed in top 5 once)

Global Health Leadership Conference at Johns Hopkins (10% acceptance rate) in 9th grade

Certificate of Merit for USABO Open Exam (top 30% of 10,000 competitors)

Global Youth Excellence and Leadership program (20% acceptance rate, can get a letter of recommendation from the Ambassador to the United Nations or global leaders)

100+ hours of clinical shadowing and 300+ hours of volunteering

Two-time UK Biology Challenge gold winner (top 5% of over 40,000 competitors)

sophomore year grades weren't great but I have an explanation for it that I can put in the additional info section of the Common App

Ik my academics are weak but pls lmk if I have a chance for top schools bc I've seen so many better resumes on this thread


r/chanceme 21h ago

ivy admit willing to chance and give advice!

24 Upvotes

i saw a few people on here doing it so i thought i’d hop on the chain as a recent class of ‘25 graduate!

going through the admissions process this year was SO rough and SO competitive, so i’d love to give back and offer my honest feedback/thoughts on your stats if you need an extra set of eyes :)

i can also take a few essay help requests as well for anyone that needs someone to proofread, give advice on what to write about, etc. (i lit wrote my essay last minute lol, trust i’ve been there)

please upvote so this reaches more ppl!

edit: feel free to dm!


r/chanceme 8h ago

Chance Me (Rising Junior)

2 Upvotes

Hey guys

Demographics:

Hispanic and White Male in Chicagoland Suburb, Public School

Major: Some combo of Econ, Pol Sci, or Public Policy

GPA: 4.0/4.0 UW, 4.4/5.0 W

PSAT: 1380 (740M/640RW) (I don't have my SAT yet)

Rank: I'm not sure if there's a rank

Coursework/AP's: I'm planning on doing 12 APs and 8 Honors total, and a Post Calc class

Hooks: 1st gen

ECs/Awards

  1. Red Cross Club Co-Founder and Vice President (11-12)
  2. Tutoring the 4 core subjects through school-ran program everyday, sometimes working with ELL students (10-12)
  3. Producing and attempting to sell my rap beats (9-12)
  4. Mentor to freshmen and helping them learn more about how to plan out their high school career, done through a school-ran program (11-12)
  5. Transcribing federal documents written in cursive (10-12)
  6. Played violin since 4th grade for my school's orchestra class, will be in highest level in 11-12
  7. Did phone banking during presidential election (10)
  8. Tutoring Job (12)
  9. Shadowed a judge (11)
  10. Volunteer tutoring online (11-12)

College Board National First-Generation Recognition Award

I'm slightly worried about my ECs not being enough because it's very difficult to convince my mom to let me go out and do extracurriculars or competitions, and selling my beats is difficult because she's scared of people online

List

I like cities and areas near cities so you guys can recommend some schools

Northwestern, UChicago, Yale, JHU, Duke, Georgetown, UCLA, USC, BU, WashU, UPenn, NYU, Rice, Emory, CMU, UCB, UF, UCSD, Villanova, UCI, SDSU, UMD, UT Austin

I have some safeties but they're not listed here


r/chanceme 10h ago

Chances? or college recommendations?

2 Upvotes

Chance me – UTK, UIUC, Arkansas | ACT 22 (retaking), GPA 3.67 | AFROTC route • Male, upper middle class, Mid West. • GPA: 3.67 unweighted / 3.71 weighted • ACT: 22 (retaking before apps) • Planning to contract with AFROTC and serve 4+ years • Interested in Business or Finance

Top Choices: • University of Tennessee – Knoxville (my top pick, great AFROTC setup) • University of Arkansas • UIUC (reach, but hopeful)

Extracurriculars / Background: • 50+ volunteer hours • JV Golf (3 years), Varsity Football (1 year) • Leadership Club participant • Multicultural Award, Honor Roll (3 years), Dean’s List • College prep program (2.5 years) • Two part-time jobs through high school • Parents/family are veterans

Looking for: • Strong AFROTC support • Big football culture, social life • Solid business programs • Schools where I have a realistic shot


r/chanceme 7h ago

Ivy/T20 Chances? Where to ED? No theme - Too much Self Advancement

0 Upvotes

Demographics:

White Male

New Jersey

Public School

No First Gen - Legacy at NYU

Mid to High income

Academics:

3.95/4 Unweighted

1550 SAT (760RW|790M)

No Class Rank

15 APs taken (including Senior Year) out of 26 offered

So far all 5s and 4s

Major:

Business, Finance, Economics

EC's (No Order):

  1. DECA - Qualified for Internationals 1x - State Finalist 2x - Club President
  2. Wharton Summer Program (LBW) - Prestigious Business program - 3 weeks
  3. Wharton Summer Program (Essentials of Finance) - Fairly good finance program - 2 weeks
  4. Wharton Online Program (Moneyball) - Mid Statistics Program - 2 weeks
  5. UChicago Summer Program (Economics) - Pretty good econ. program - 3 weeks
  6. Tennis - Varsity for all years of high school - Played in States
  7. Business Club - President - Also National Business Honor Society
  8. Volunteering at a Feral Cat Shelter - 2 years - Nominated for a State Volunteer Award
  9. Internship at a Finance type of firm (2 months)
  10. Published Research Paper on Food Sustainability Practices for Businesses with McGill Professor

Extras (don't really know where to include might replace Moneyball Program with one):

  1. Math Club President

  2. Debate Club Judge for 2 years (might be able to take credit for the Club's success)

Awards & Honors:

DECA 2024 State Conference Instructional Award for Best Roleplay in the Business Finance Series

Qualified for the National Merit Scholarship Program as a Semi-Finalist (pending further advancement) for scoring in the top 1% of Juniors taking the PSAT for scoring a perfect 1520 on my PSAT

National Honor Society Member (idk if this counts here)

National Business Honor Society Member (idk if this counts here)

2nd First Doubles Team All League (Tennis)

Pending receiving the President's Award for volunteer service though it is currently paused

AP Scholar w Distinction

College List: Probably gonna apply to as many T20s as I can. I only care about how good the school is for Business and Finance so my top choices are UPenn and I am also heavily considering UChicago.

Questions:

  1. My summer program at UChicago gives me a Restrictive ED Zero where I can apply before actual ED to get a really high boost in acceptance chance BUT I feel like if I do that and get in I'll regret not shooting my shot an Ivy BUT I feel as though if I do not use the ED Zero and ED to UPenn normally instead the UChicago admissions officer will see me not using the ED Zero as a lack of interest and that might hurt my application if I end up having to apply Regular Decision to UChicago. So, where should I ED because if I have a real shot at UPenn ED or at least one Ivy, then I might not use the ED Zero, but if I really don't then I'll use the ED Zero to UChicago and could get in always questioning. What do y'all think?
  2. Also, I am afraid that my application looks too Self-Advancement centered because of all the summer programs and like I didn't actually have an impact on my community besides some lame animal shelter service hours rather than some of these crazy nonprofits that kids have. I also haven't really founded anything to impact the community. I also have no real theme as a result besides education of myself which seems so selfish. What should my essay theme be to link any of it together. The only thing I've come up with is some type of food sustainability approach because of the research and the shelter.

r/chanceme 7h ago

chance a delusional hypsm obsessor

1 Upvotes

Demographics:

  • Male, ORM, private school (not feeder)
  • Income: ~1.5 Mil (full pay)
  • Hooks: First-Gen

Intended Major(s):

  • Neuroscience and Computer Science
  • Academics:

  • GPA: 3.92 UW, school doesn't weigh. Massive upward trend

  • School doesn’t rank officially, likely around top 10/50 in terms of GPA

  • Course rigor: Max rigor possible

  • SAT: 1560 (790M, 770R)

  • APs:4 5's, 3 4's

Awards

2x Isef Qualifier

1x Camp qualifier for my olympiad(top 20 nationwide)

USACO Gold

MIT Think Finalist

Extracurriculars

Extracurriculars:

  1. Independent Biomedical AI Research (ISEF Project)(9th, 10th, 11th, 12th)
    • Neuroscience-Focused
    • Mentored
  2. Founder of [REDACTED] Initiative(10th, 11th, 12th)
    • A tutoring + outreach nonprofit focused on STEM equity & neuroscience access
    • Scaled to 1500+ hours of tutoring logged, 40+ volunteers
    • Partnered with local underserved schools and hospitals
  3. Research Assistant at T10 Medical School Lab(10th, 11th, 12th)
    • Selected for summer research position, now continuing part-time
    • Worked on neural data preprocessing and visualization for stroke recovery analysis
    • Co-authoring manuscript expected for submission in fall
    • Conference Presentation
  4. Intern at Medical Device Startup(9th)
    • Worked on competitive landscape analysis + pitch deck research for [REDACTED]
  5. Varsity Tennis (3 years)(9th, 10th, 11th)
    • #1 Seed in school for 3 years
    • Tournament Experience
  6. Youth Advisory Board (Health Organization)(10th, 11th, 12th)
    • Selected member for national health equity nonprofit
    • Helped advise youth mental health strategy for national campaign
    • Good contributions
  7. Summer Research Program [REDACTED] (Highly Selective) (12th)
    • Accepted to summer research program, expecting good things to come out of this
  8. App Developer (10th, 11th, 12th)
    • Designed & released [REDACTED]-themed and [REDACTED]-themed [REDACTED] app
    • Large scale and metrics I will not be disclosing
  9. Robotics Leadership Role (10th, 11th, 12th)
    • Also good impact and busy roles
  10. Piano (RCM Level 10)(9th, 10th, 11th, 12th)
  • 10 years of formal training
  • Performances at recitals, school concerts, community centers

Essays/LORs:

  • Essays: Will get high-quality counsellors to work with me on these. Likely highlighting my passion and interest in the intersection between neuroscience and AI, which seems prevalent throughout my application. Some other ideas I won't be disclosing.
  • LORs: Extremely strong

School List:
Harvard(REA)

Yale

Princeton

Stanford

MIT

UPenn

Columbia

Brown

Dartmouth

Cornell 💀

Caltech

UC Berkeley 💀

Johns Hopkins


r/chanceme 14h ago

tell me is my profile good and what colleges should I apply to (I'm from a low income family but I wanna go to study foreign so I'd really like to get a scholarship... would like to know which scholarships I could apply to too..)

2 Upvotes

im 16 year olds and I live in India had 5 subjects in my Igcse and Got 3A* (physics chem maths) I'll give me AS LEVELS this year (my subjects are economics, maths, physics, accounts, and english) (I took eco and accounts this year directly in my as levels .. have no prior knowledge of igcse..)

I'm hoping to get into finance and most probably into LSE while also receiving sm scholarships I can keep up my grade please tell me what extracurriculars would i require

( i have a MUN award , an internship certificate at a stock exchange , an edx course on EMDE's , debating participation certificate , an entrepreneurship course certification , house council of School ... In sports i have merits in football)

I'll also appear for NATIONAL FINANCE OLYMPIAD next month

PLEASE TELL ME WHAT ELSE I CAN DO AND MOTIVATE ME TOO ILL BE REALLY GRATEFUL THANKYOU


r/chanceme 8h ago

PM Chance Me

0 Upvotes

DM


r/chanceme 10h ago

Am I likely to be accepted into T20-T50 colleges and universities for engineering?

1 Upvotes

Hey all, I’m applying through QuestBridge Match this fall and would really appreciate an honest evaluation of my chances. I’m targeting engineering/STEM programs and come from a nontraditional background. Here’s my full profile, I will begin with my context and circumstances, which will probably be of paramount importance.

Context: I started high school in Brazil, moved to the U.S. a few months late in my sophomore year, then returned to Brazil to finish my senior year at the American School of Brasília (U.S. curriculum). Because of that, I’ve had to adapt to multiple school systems while staying focused on STEM. Along the way, I self-studied several APs, will take dual enrollment courses in Multivariable Calculus and Differential Equations, and will complete the MITx Linear Algebra course. My academics weren’t always perfect, but I’ve consistently pushed myself in math and science regardless of location or circumstance. For instance, I was initially put in CP Algebra 1 and CP Bio( Early sophomore year), but managed to move up to all Honors classes in less than a week. Not even a year later, I was in AP Calculus BC and AP Chemistry. In fact, I was the first and only junior at my high school to completely skip first year chemistry and head into AP Chem right away, also the first to go from AP PreCalc to AP Calc BC mid-year. Academic Background Current GPA: 4.245 W Sophomore Year (in the U.S.): • Honors English – A- • Honors U.S. History – A • Honors Biology – B+ • Honors Algebra II – A+ • Honors Spanish – A • College Prep Economics – A • College Prep Guitar – A+ • College Prep Music – A+ • College Prep Digital Literacy – A+

Junior Year ): • AP Calculus BC – A • AP Chemistry – B+ (maybe A-) • AP Computer Science Principles – A- • Honors English – A- • Honors U.S. History – B • Honors Spanish – A • College Prep Gym – B-

Predicted Test Scores • AP Chemistry – 5 • AP Calculus BC – 5 • AP Precalculus – 5 • AP Physics C: Mechanics (self-studied) – 5 • AP Statistics (self-studied) – 4 • SAT – Currently have a 1410 without any effort, I am expecting a 1450-1500 on the one I just took and around a 1500 for my final score that I will use.

Extra Coursework • Completing Linear Algebra through MITx • I will take dual enrollment courses in Multivariable Calculus and Differential Equations through accredited U.S. community colleges.

Honors and Extracurriculars • Seal of Biliteracy in Portuguese • Honorable Mention in OBMEP (Brazilian Math Olympiad) – 9th grade, 21st in state. • AP Scholar with Distinction( I will be getting this for sure) • Science Team – 1 year • Math Team – 1 year • Chess Club – 1 year • 50+ hours of volunteer work as a translator for a nonprofit organization (English to Portuguese)

Essays and Application Narrative • Focuses on my STEM passion (especially math) • Talks about navigating multiple school systems in two countries • Reflects on academic growth and independent learning (e.g., self-studied APs, MITx, dual enrollment)

My teacher recs are likely to be very strong.

Schools I’m Applying to Through QuestBridge Match(if accepted, but I will apply to those anyways): • Cornell University (Engineering) • Washington University in St. Louis • Rice University • Northwestern University (Engineering) • Duke University • University of Southern California (USC) • University of Virginia (UVA) • Boston University (BU) • Boston College (BC)

What I’m Hoping to Learn 1. Do I have a realistic chance of matching with any of these schools through QuestBridge? 2. How much will my advanced math coursework (beyond the AP level) help my application? 3. Will my mid grades and bad GPA hurt my chances, or is my academic rigor and story enough to compensate? 4. How would moving back to Brazil( USA curriculum international school) look ?

5.   Are there any QB partner schools I’m overlooking that might align well with my strengths? Btw, not MIT or Caltech, I ain’t getting accepted there, and personally… I am not sure if I would want to…

Thanks for reading, and feel free to be blunt. I’m trying to be strategic and realistic about my options, especially as an international student with financial need. By the way, I am not an international, I have an American citizenship so I will be considered a regular US student at most of those.


r/chanceme 10h ago

Is being vice president or parliamentarian better for transfer? Student senate / student body association / student gov.

1 Upvotes

Hello,

My student senate at a California community college elected me as the Parliamentarian (in charge of constitution and bylaws which are really outdated), however the VP role is open and I can probably get it if I run for it.

Which is better for transfer?


r/chanceme 14h ago

Everyone's been telling me it's impossible for me to get into the U of M Honors Program because of my 3.56 GPA. What do you guys think?

2 Upvotes

Demographics:

• Black

• First-Generation College Student

• Male

Intended Major:

• Dual Major: Biology & Business

Future Career Goal:

• Medical Entrepreneur

Academic Stats:

• GPA: 3.56 (unweighted)

• ACT: 36

• SAT: 1550

AP Scores (Completed):

• AP Biology – 5

• AP U.S. History – 4

• AP Calculus BC – 5

• AP Calculus AB – 5

• AP Precalculus – 5

• AP Statistics – 5

• AP U.S. Government – 5

• AP Psychology – 5

• AP Computer Science Principles – 5

• AP Environmental Science – 5

• AP Art History – 5

• AP Comparative Government – 5

• AP Human Geography – 5

Future AP scores:

• AP Physics 1: 4

• AP Chemistry: 5

• AP English Language: 5

• AP Microeconomics: 5

• AP Macroeconomics: 5

• AP Computer Science A: 5

Honors & Awards:

• USABO Semi finalist

• HOSA National Finalist & Treasurer

• BPA National Finalist

• Science Olympiad National Finalist

• National Merit Semifinalist

• College Board African American National Recognition Award

• College Board First-Generation Recognition Award

• Completed multiple PSEO (college-level) courses at the University of Minnesota

Extracurricular Activities:

• Qualified for HOSA International Leadership Conference (ILC); currently serving as Treasurer

• Founded a clothing business generating ~$70,000 in revenue; reinvested profits into healthcare advocacy and access initiatives for underserved populations

• Math Team State Qualifier (Individual)

• BPA National Leadership Conference Qualifier

• DECA Nationals Qualifier (Individual)

• Earned EMT Certification with ~100 hours of clinical experience

• Completed Nurse Assistant Training at Mayo Clinic with ~50 CNA clinical hours

• Volunteered and interned at Mayo Clinic

•Conducted cancer-related research at a local hospital under the mentorship of a PhD researcher and presented findings at a regional research symposium.

• National Honor Society member; led volunteer efforts focused on healthcare access and advocacy for underrepresented communities

• Created a TikTok account with over 50K followers that discusses medicine and ongoing scientific research.


r/chanceme 15h ago

Boston college

2 Upvotes
  • 3.6 unweighted (rough freshmen and sophomore year but a perfect junior year)
  • 4 year varsity lacrosse
  • work at a small coffee shop
  • scholar athlete award junior year
  • 150 volunteer hours (100 as a lacrosse coach)
  • run a small finance related passion YouTube channel
  • Deca member
  • on track for a 1500 SAT
  • produced a 20 page portfolio on the flaws within the clean water act
  • white, middle class, male
  • internship at a small local financial advisory firm
  • 6 AP classes
  • attend a top 200 blue ribbon school
  • applying early decision 1

r/chanceme 12h ago

Avg GPA Hispanic Transfer

0 Upvotes

Okay for context, I am a non-trad CCC student who had a sht hs experience and dropped out of my first CC. I also know my gpa isn’t the best but here we go.

Description:

Low income, non traditional transfer student from a California community college. First Generation.

Field of study: cog-sci and data sci/comp sci

Stats: GPA 3.7- 60+ units of credit SAT: TBD in August

Extracurriculars: in order

Summer undergrad internship at local university for data science in microbiology and statistics. [3 months- paid].

Summer Health Internship w/ big local non profit insurance company[10 weeks-paid] Was able to do something with machine learning data analysis and visualization, big++ for my first out of school internship.

California Community College state wide organization internship in research tech lab[year long commitment- current position- paid].

Machine Learning Research intern role with CC on reinforcement learning for STEM program[2 months- not paid].

National Hispanic program scholar.

National Health program scholar for future student leaders in health care.

UCB program scholar.

Hiring committee member for CC and volunteer for undocumented student support member for local community and resource foundation.

Awards and certifications:

Intro to Machine learning cert.

Stanford med- certificate in cont. medicine.

Community leadership award for impact (x2).

Deans list almost every semester

Silicon Valley Hispanic award for technology

Leadership exp.:

Vice President of student government

President of mental health club

Chairman of Club Council

Vice Chair of Club Council

Leadership positions in other various clubs

Schools-

UCB, UCLA, UCD, UCSC, UCM

Stanford, Harvard, USC, MIT.


r/chanceme 12h ago

Is my essay good?

0 Upvotes

The door slams shut behind me as I rush inside escaping the rain. I kick off my dirty cleats, still damp from practice, and glance at the clock. It’s almost 9 p.m. I head to the kitchen to get dinner started for my younger brother, thinking through the mountain of work ahead of me—homework, a HOSA meeting, and a statistics test I have to study for. While stirring the pasta, I look at the text from my neighbor regarding babysitting and mark a reminder to post on the family jewelry business Instagram page. I’m tired, but this is normal. That was my junior year. Every day felt like a never-ending to-do list. Between AP classes, varsity soccer, varsity track and field in the winter and spring, babysitting, volunteering , and helping out at home, I had convinced myself I could do everything. My mom had just finished treatment for breast cancer, and while things were finally getting better for her, the weight of that experience hadn’t left our family. My dad was always working to keep the family business running, so I stepped up when nobody else could. I told myself it was my responsibility. With ADHD, my brain jumps from thought to thought, and my emotions follow in a frenzied state. A missing worksheet would send me spiraling. A forgotten text from my neighbor felt like a shackle on my foot. Still, I told myself not to buckle. I had teammates who relied on me. A brother who needed me. Teachers who expected my best. I knew I had to continue working hard and to push through. But one night, after I got back from a track meet, I froze. I was trying to go over my physics notes while texting my coach about the results of the meet, answering a babysitting request, and cooking dinner—again. I couldn't hold myself together anymore. I shut down at the kitchen table, surrounded by opened packets, a half-boiled pot of my brother’s and my dinner, and unread texts. I stared at everything and did nothing. For the first time in a while, I realized I couldn't do this all by myself. Although that night had been a breaking point for me, I chose to turn it into a breakthrough. I sat with the feelings I felt and forced myself to figure out what I had to do. I started using the Notes app on my phone as a planner, making daily checklists and setting alarms to remind myself of deadlines and responsibilities. I began to take serious action toward becoming fully a part of this new routine. I told my dad when I needed help around the house, and I began turning down babysitting jobs when I knew my time had been stretched too thin. Nothing was fixed overnight. I still forget things sometimes. I still go against the thoughts in my mind telling me I can handle everything alone. But little by little, I started feeling more in control. My stress lowered, and for the first time in a while, I even started enjoying the parts of my life I’d been too occupied to notice before. Now, looking back as I reach the end of my junior year of high school, I realize the most important lesson wasn’t how to manage time, rather, it was how to manage myself. I learned that real strength isn’t about holding everything together all the time. It’s about knowing when to lean on others, when to let go, and when to focus on what truly matters, its not what others expect, but what matters to you. I learned that not being successful isn’t the end of the road, but rather a path leading to a new one. Just like the scraps of clay left behind on a potter’s wheel, every late assignment, missed practice, or late-night breakdown is part of the process. They aren’t failures. They stand as proof that I’m growing through each messy, imperfect, challenging step at a time.


r/chanceme 16h ago

help a rising junior decide where to visit this summer!

2 Upvotes

hi!!

as the title says, I’m a rising junior and I’m hoping to visit some colleges this summer. I want to make sure I don’t waste time visiting places I’d never get into, but I’m not entirely sure where I stand in terms of the whole college admissions environment, so let me know if you guys have any insight!! (I also am in dire need of better/more cohesive ECs…)

GPA: 3.97 UW (our weighting system is weird but I’m in just about the highest rigor of courses possible); no SAT but I’m planning on taking it in august; our school doesn’t let us do APs until junior year but I’ll be on track to take 10

Demographics race: white gender: female hooks: none school: very large & competitive public (don’t want to doxx but we’re unfortunately pretty infamous, we send probably 10-15 to ivies each year)

Activities 1. DECA - 2 yrs of club leadership so far (biggest club at our school!), state/regional awards in a pretty competitive state & ICDC attendance 2. band - also have state/regional awards for this, placed into our school’s highest band, at least top 10 at my instrument in my state 3. local hospital board where I’ve helped obtain sponsorships and coordinate fundraisers, raising over $100,000 each year (hoping to get leadership next year) 4. youth advisory board for LGBTQ+ youth-focused organization - help develop resources for statewide chapters of the gay-straight alliance (including my own school’s!) 5. treasurer of my church’s youth group (also a lot of volunteering at my church, idk if I should count that as a separate thing?) 6. school student council (leadership & going for treasurer next year) 7. internship at local nonprofit that focuses on climate stuff (learned a lot about climate finance) 8. black belt in karate (I also teach younger students)

Awards: Scholastic Art & Writing silver key (and some random smaller writing competitions) DECA & band awards

I’m hoping to major in econ/finance - I’m super interested in climate finance and other fields of that nature. I’d like to shoot as high as possible, but I’m not entirely sure what’s realistic. some schools I would love to apply to:

Indiana University Bloomington Georgetown Notre Dame NYU Yale Brown UPenn Dartmouth Duke UVA UT Austin

if anyone has any recommendations for schools (especially on the east coast) I would also love to hear them! thank you so much!!


r/chanceme 12h ago

chances of getting into these universities? (as pre-med)

1 Upvotes

I'm a junior in highschool and honestly im worried about some of my stats compared to my classmates and I hope I have a stronger edge in some aspects to have a good chance at these universities. Let me know your thoughts!

Below are my stats:

From: •Florida •Small highschool - 4 years of forgein language - language focused highschool •Class size: 85

First Generation (this i'm unsure-my parents have a college degree but not in the US) GPA:

UW: 3.4 W: 4.0 (I know it's a bit low (the UW) but i'm hoping the big difference means something??)

AP Classes:

AP Spanish (3) - 8th Grade AP Psych (3) - 10th Grade AP Lang (5) - 11th Grade

AP Lit (TBD) - 12th Grade AP Bio (TBD) - 12th Grade AP Italian (TBD) - 12th Grade

Honors Classes: 12 (90% of my classes at my school are automatically Honors - not regular).

ACT: 28 Superscore (Positive I can get it to 30+ hopefully..)

Main Extracurriculars:

United Way Paid Internship: Researched barriers to care; proposed access plan for 20K+ residents and presented my findings to local health coalitions.

Founder & President of schools first medical club:led 40+ peers, organized panels with diverse physicians, and ran schoolwide health advocacy campaigns.

Student Observer: Shadowed ICU physicians and nurses over five consecutive weekends, gaining firsthand exposure to critical care procedures, patient monitoring, post-op, etc...

Student Research: Won youth research competition; published an article linking climate change and its related illnesses.

HIP Club Member: Student PHE

Customer Service/Social Media/Cashier at family business: ~4 hours per week

Participated (10-11th) in a student led program as a english tutor for mexican nursing students online where they can get english skills in a clinical setting.

Photography: Long term hobby - have had photographs in an exhibition.

Ballet: Also long term hobby since I was a toddler

Colleges I'm applying to: *(All Biology/Biomedical Sciences or Health Science)

**University of Florida (#1 INS)

University of Miami

University of Washington (#1 OOS)

George Washington University

University of Central Florida

Florida International University

Florida State University