Realistic College Advice
Hi I'm Joe Biden and I forgot this message!
Yea so I'm a junior attempting to apply to some semi-targets and targets next year. Leaving my resume here so you guys can roast me and perhaps leave me some practical
and realistic advice.
GPA: Unweighted 3.675 (Horrible IK, I had some personal issues going on during sophomore year. I've taken two AP classes so far but i'm taking four next year and plan on getting all A's for 1st semester senior year to show the progression in my grades)
SAT: Haven't taken it yet so i'm thinking about test-optional schools
Extracurriculurs:
1.) Founded a company(develop marketing campaigns for clients, moderately successful. I've also delved within social media marketing with my clients as well. )
2.) Founded a nonprofit(very simply put I help minority business owners out during COVID-19)
3.) I wrote a philosophical book(~100 pages) on developing the proper business mindset. It deals with teamwork, charisma, economics, as well as sales.
4.) I mentor business owners through a non-profit. Considering the fact that adults are only allowed to volunteer in this non-profit, I am the only kid in my state to be accepted to the program. I help them develop marketing campaigns and I am their social media media manager. I'm working with them right now to develop a fundraiser to help out businesses being looted Rn. I also help them host virtual webinars.
5.) I have an invention - covered by a provisional patent( so I have intellectual property). Was planning on starting a business venture by COVID-19 messed with my plans.
- I have two internships with IT Consulting firms helping them get more outreach with clients as well as helping them develop enterprise apps for clients in industries such as banking, healthcare, and retail.
7.) I've tutoring kids in Africa(roughly 80 hours) mathematics and sciences.(humanitarian)
8.) Have my own finance blog where I predict stock prices(can't open custodial account because dad works compliance at a bank).
9.) Submitted application to be officer of my business club(likelihood is high, but this technically dosnt count)
- Did research for a professor in regards to hate-crime surrounding covid 19.(humanitarian/research)
11.) Compiled educational resources for kids in India.
- Helped the CEO of small SAT tutoring company with her finances.
13.) Certified in financial markets and quantitative modeling by coursera(both 8 week courses)
14.) Might be joining a leadership camp over the summer(potential)
15.) Might get a business article published for WSJ, WIRED, or some other news outlet(potential, but not likely)
I think my ec's very clearly show that I have passion for business but that I also enjoy helping others as well.
Here is where I am thinking of applying. TEST OPTIONAL = 1 REQUIRES SAT STILL = 0
I think my gpa isn't good for these colleges but my ec's might make up for it
Definitely get in:
RUTGERS(1)
UIUC(1)
Maybe, dont expect much:
UVA(1)
UMICH(0)
UNC(0)
UT AUSTIN(0)
RUTGERS HONORS COLLEGE(1)
BOSTON (1)
KELLEY(1)
Probably bin my resume:
BEREKLY(1)
USC(1)
UCLA(1)
DARTMOUTH(1)
CORNELL(1)
COLUMBIA(1)
UPENN(1)
I think most colleges will go test optional due to societal pressures and the shift of ivies and UC's going test optional.
Sorry for making this college confidential, I'm interested in pursuing a career in IB and i'm pretty sure most of you guys have been to these schools- so you can offer me a better perspective.
What do you think are my chances? Any tips for essays? Worst case scenario if I don't get in, should I try and transfer? I'm not a snowflake so grill me and unleash your brutal realism upon me.
First off, you’ll be fine, like you’re already so ahead of the game. Go to any of the schools on this list , network with alumni, and you’ll get an awesome job at a BB or EB. I would personally say UVA on the middle tier list cuz their placement is very high but like make sure you enjoy college too. Go to a school you like, and think you’ll fit into that has good placement. Also try and look into an IB club on campus so that you can hang out with people your similar to interests wise. Other than that tho you’re pretty much good man, just get a high GPA at college, internships, and network and like you’ll be golden.
Appreciate the advice. I like that you deviated from the materialistic aspect of things as campus, environment, club, and overall enjoyment are important factors as well. With regards to net working, do you think frats are worth joining? Also, because I haven't taken the SAT I've heard instances of employers asking for it. What are your thoughts on this? Thanks.
While my stats were a bit higher than yours, I think I fit into similar boat of having good extracurriculars with average grades (now at a target). I commend you on all the initiative you’ve put into your ECs - your capacity for leadership and action is something you can 100% leverage to get into the schools you’re aiming for.
If you haven’t already, research the “spike” method of crafting college admissions, where you show extremely high achievement in a specific area, as opposed to being the traditional “well rounded” candidate with high grades and scores with decent ECs. While I know almost nothing about the intricacies of your story, developing an image of a self-starter that tries to make a measurable difference in the world (ex. your response to COVID) is something that will present yourself as a cut above the cookie cutter 4.0 Student Body President types that you’ll be competing against.
At the end of the day, colleges look for students who can make a difference in the world (and, as a result, garner notoriety and donations for the school). If you craft your story and leverage your impressive ECs to the best of your ability, you’ll be just fine.
I'm thankful that you took the time out of your day to provide feedback. While I am aware of the "spike" method, its good that you reminded me of that: I can, like you said "leverage" it, through essays or personal statements.
why the biden reference? are you in high school? improve your grades, ace sat, focus less on ec's.
He wants his resume DESTROYED with FACTS and LOGIC.
YALL READDY KNOW
As someone who just went through this process with a GPA slightly lower than yours with worse EC's, I can offer a bit of advice.
Essays, Essays, Essays. Slave away on your essays and try to make them as good as possible but DO NOT under any circumstances compromise your "voice" in an attempt to make them closer to what you think the admissions officers want to see. They look through thousands of essays and not only is it what every other kid is trying to do but, they see right through your bullshit. As cliche and dumb as it sounds, there's nothing more effective than being genuine.
Take the SAT and knock it out the park. I'm talking 1500+ to even have a fighting chance. Unless you're a gay, black, recruited athlete schools, schools are gonna see your GPA and auto-ding you unless you have your scores to bail you out. In order to achieve this you have 2 options. First would be to beg your parents to hire you a private tutor from a reputable service which depending on your familial finances might not be possible (personally, I managed to outscore pretty much all my friends that went this route but, I go to a school that is chalk full of dumb rich kids). Your other option is to sit yourself down and grind. Unless your naturally good at taking standardized tests hit Khan Academy and go through all their exercises taking practice tests every once and a while to gauge how much you improve. I'd personally probably take one as a baseline to see where you're at.
Don't sell yourself short. My biggest regret was not applying to as many schools as possible. Although you will get a ton of rejections, all you need is one acceptance.
Research the colleges you apply to thoroughly. Find out what kind of personalities they are looking for and try to highlight the ways in which you fit their culture. The kind of students UVA is looking for are a lot different than Brown or Columbia would look for. Find out what that culture is and try to show how you fit it (this ties back to point number one).
The most important single piece of advice I can give you is don't give up. I got absolutely destroyed by my ED/EA as well as most of my RD. Waitlists don't mean rejection. In closing I would say, if you haven't already, head on over to r/ApplyingToCollege they have tons of great advice (also complete bs, much like here) and they were instrumental in helping me get into a few semi-targets despite my 3.6UW (rounding up btw...) and only one real EC.
Hope this helps, feel free to pm if you have any questions!
Wow! Appreciate the effort you made in giving feedback. While I really hope I don't have to take SAT, i'll definitely slave away on my essays. Thanks dude.
Based on listing Rutgers on there, I'm going to assume that you live in NJ. If that's the case, you might want to think about TCNJ as well. One of Bloomberg's ETF talking heads went to each.
I'm out of the loop on current GPAs. is 3.67 good or bad? Personally I graduated with a 3.19 or so, and was dead last in my class with almost no extracurriculars. (it was a very good school) My SAT score of 1470 helped immensely, and I was accepted almost everywhere I applied. Unless you think you'll bomb it, definitely take the SAT.
Having briefly attended Rutgers grad school, lived a few blocks from Columbia, and visited UVA numerous times, I'd say that UVA was the most fun, but there was quite a lot to be said for reducing the out of pocket cost, which is a vote for Rutgers if you're a NJ resident.
How were the chicks at UVA? Also 3.67 is neither good or bad Its more so just average. It is definitely on the lower end for most of the schools I mentioned.
You're making quite a few assumptions here. I'll say that I had some fun at UVA. I had more fun elsewhere, but UVA wasn't bad.
The chicks are hot. I studied abroad with a bunch of UVa chicks and also dated one and visited Charlottesville to see all of the chicks there and party. Good times. Highly recommended. That school would be an awesome college experience and they have good connections to NYC IB.
Hey OP can you pm me? I’m in a similar situation, but I’m 2 years younger and I’d love to talk to a like-minded person.
A few tips from someone who just went through the process:
Apply ED to Cornell assuming you can vibe with the culture there, best balance between prestige/recruiting and difficulty of admissions
Don’t bother applying to Wharton unless you have hooks or a perfect app
Take a serious look at UVA, probably the easiest target school to get into (assuming OOS everywhere)
Apply to a ton of places (20-30 for max odds), it’s a huge crapshoot
Good luck!
Yes, would also advise to apply to a large variety of schools and work very hard on the application essays. They help play an important role throughout the process.
Check out NYU Stern and Georgetown, both have amazing placement although they're reaches for you.
It honestly sounds like you have a shot of doing well on the SATs, so maybe lean towards taking it and prepping for it appropriately.
In some ways your ECs start to sound like you're fluffing too much and admissions might dismiss this without any sort of tangible SAT number.
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