What are my chances of getting into an Ivy League school?

[Sheeshh]

I will start applying for universities in a few months from now, and I want to have honest opinions from you IB veterans.

SAT: 2290

Math HL: 5

Chemistry HL: 7

Physics SL : 6

History HL: 7

French SL: 7

English SL: 6

Extracurriculars:

- lead attorney of my school's mock trial team.

- President of my school's model united nations club.

- I have a blog that is designed to teach people IB level French. I have been updating the blog at least biweekly since grade 9.

- I peer tutor French and Science at my school.

- I have completed the NaNoWriMo challenge for 3 consecutive years now since grade 9.

- I taught myself Spanish, Latin, and Japanese.

- I have been submitting various fanfiction stories to writing websites for many years now. Altogether, I have submitted 31 entries.

(I am interested in a major in political science.)

Edited March 1, 2014 by Sheeshh

[flinquinnster]

Hey! I'm far from an expert on the US system, but I did go through the application process for some Ivy Leagues very recently (still waiting for responses!).

I think that overall your SAT scores and IB scores look fine - they appear to be in a range that people who get admitted into the Ivy Leagues would have. Obviously, depending on which Ivy League school you've applied to, the SAT score profile of its class will vary - so, Harvard versus Brown for instance. If possible, to work on maximising your score, you could redo SATs or try and up your predicted marks. Also, as most schools will want you to do SAT subject tests, if you haven't done them already, work on trying to get 800s on those - if you choose the right subjects, you should be able to get 750+. I notice that you do Maths HL, Chemistry HL and Physics SL - you should be able to do pretty well on those 3 subject tests if you take them.

In terms of extra-curricular activities, whilst I think that they're reasonable, that a lot of applicants will have a broader range of activities, often at a larger scale. So, you mention involvement in mock trial and MUN, and also creative pursuits, but have you also got sport or music to add? Involvement in volunteering or student/local politics? Also, I think that whilst mentioning forays into independent language learning and creative writing is commendable and could be developed in various essays, they often come across as less impressive without further elaboration. I have no idea how feasible this is prior to application (and it probably wouldn't look sufficiently sustained), but perhaps you could work on garnering a broader range of extra-curricular activities with some more involvement in more official or recognised competitions/certification perhaps.

Really, in terms of applying to Ivy League schools, having a seemingly perfect profile sometimes isn't enough. Even with perfect IB and SAT scores in hand, there is no guarantee of admission (though it does increase your chances massively). Definitely work on perfecting your admissions essays, because perhaps those can make the crucial difference in the 'holistic' admissions process. Best of luck!

[pieispi]

You do have a chance but to be very honest (although I'm not going to college any time soon) your numbers seem a little bit on the average mark (not that they aren't good, but for Ivy League schools people with higher scores overall will be applying). Can't really comment on your extra curricular activities as I don't know much about how they see them. I'd say give it a go but don't be too disappointed if you don't make it (hell, you'll probably make it to a good school anyways).

Also, what are your TOK + EE grades? I think a 2+ will get you a higher chance.

EDIT: I just saw your SATs and they are really good, I'd say the higher mid-upper tier

Edited March 2, 2014 by pieispi

[by.andrew]

HYP are reaches for everyone (meaning you have a very low chance of getting in, regardless of who you are).

I think your SAT scores are very competitive though. With your marks and SAT, I think you'll have a good chance at Cornell/Penn/Dartmouth/Brown at the least. Conversely, I won't be surprised if you get rejected from all the Ivies seeing how admission rates hover around the low teens and single digits, so be prepared to apply for other backup schools.