Originally posted by: Brackis
Here is the game:
- Predict each of 10 letters that I will receive from college over the next two weeks.
- Person(s) with the most correct picks win $10 (if rejected from all, this is limited to first 3 entries)
- Anyone who predicts all 10 perfectly wins $25 (void if all rejected)
- If I get into Stanford I will write a personal note to everyone who participated, with a nice compliment, a $1 bill, and a unique party gift.
- Guessing closes on March the 29th at 4 PST
- Single Entry only
- Limited to 100 total entrants. (first come...)
- Must have 200+ posts to be eligible
The options... Accepted, Waitlisted, Rejected (I'm expecting rejection from all 10 with a possible waitlist of 2. for rules, A waitlist guess does not need to predict whether or not I get in off the waitlist)
The schools..... UC-Berkeley, Stanford, Princeton, Harvard, Yale, Cornell, Brown, UPenn, Northwestern, Vanderbilt. As a litmus test, I was rejected from UCLA already based on what I assume was a horrible GPA and iffy residency. Berkeley, however, did call email me asking some random Q about my transcript and said I would be considered a resident since I have been working in CA since July 2005.
Me:
18 years of age, white, from suburbs of Boston MA. Applying as a social/public policy major, or poli sci government where policy is not specifically offered.
Grades:
Exactly halfway between a B and B+ average at a VERY competitive private school over 3 YEARS. This includes two C+ grades in my sophmore year in AP chem and precalc/calc. (Nobles.edu, most of the east coast schools are familiar with it, the rest not so much) Yes, I didn't try and regret how much a few hours a week of studying as opposed to hobbies would have helped .
APs:
AB Calc 5
Euro 4
English Lit 4
Vergil 3
SATs:
Math 780 Verbal 750
2s: 1c 780, 2c 690, writing 700
Extra curricular:
President and co-founder of school economics/investment club
Played Bass guitar
E-commuting volunteer for MoveOn.org (Pre-election, not quite the normal hemp wearing green party type)
3 years of dedicated theater production and stage management
1 year volunteered at a single parent daycare center in ghetto of Boston.
Spent 1 summer as an intern with Kerry for President working with the DNC Convention in Boston
Spent 1 summer living in South Africa at a rural boarding school where I setup a computer system and a library.
My last 2 years:
After my Junior year I decided I'd had enough of worthless elitist private school, left school and went to volunteer full-time at a program for under-served Youth in Boston doing tutoring and teaching tennis. I took a few classes at Harvard University Extension and got A's in them (Contemporary American Fiction and Statistics). I got my diploma from my towns public HS (very good school, just never actually went there )
Following my "senior year", I left Boston to work for Habitat for Humanity in San Mateo County California. My jobs is basically to lead volunteers on construction tasks for around 45 hours/week. In addition I spend 3 nights a week assisting at a tutoring program from kids in East Palo Alto on the nearby Stanford Campus.
W.A.S.P advantages:
Maternal Grandfather was a trustee for 20 years at Penn and wrote a brief letter. (Has done this for a few grandkids without fruition)
Father, his father, and his father, all went to Princeton
Great uncle has an alumni center at Brown (dead)
A bunch of great uncles and my great grand father and grandfather went to Yale
Non contest related edit to discuss how stupid I am for applying to all difficult schools:
I have zero safety schools. I've come to the decision that I should attempt to be in an academic setting where I am average or below average in both talent and motivation for my specific interests. Further, my goal is to help bring about change not through only my skillset but in coordination with those whom I meet in school. Otherwise I am afraid I will become apathetic and blow a lot of money learning non vocational information that I could have gotten from Wikipedia. Should I not get in anywhere I will most likely toil in community college until I get into one of these places. Stubborn and foolish? I can see why most people would say so, but I'm a go for broke kinda of guy who wants gamble.
Also, I'm not someone who likes to brag, show people up, or be the center of attention. This fun little game/contest is not for my e-penis but rather to reward a few lucky folks and get my mind away from stressing over admissions process.