<p>Hi everyone, I was just wondering if you guys could tell me the honest truth <em>from experience,</em> about whether you think I'm being realistic enough with my college choices. </p>
<p>I want to apply to Brown, Hopkins, Stanford, UVA, and my #1 choice is UPenn.</p>
<p>Here is some superficial information about me:
-4.375 overall weighted GPA (I don't really know my unweighted)
-IB-diploma candidate (for those not familiar with IB, just know that I am partaking in the most rigorous academic classes offered in the school)
-Current SAT (first time, virtually no practice) : 1875; will hopefully score at least a 2,000
-I didn't partake in too many ECs freshman or sophomore year because of certain obstructive issues; however, I founded a chapter of FCCLA freshman year and have been prez since then. Junior year, however, I began participating in ECs more often.
+ran JV track frosh year winter season, got into varsity by spring season, but didn't continue track as a result of challenging academic curriculum
+member of NHS since sophomore year
+co-founded a feminist club (president) and Nat'l English Honor Society (treasurer) junior year
+member of Math Honor Society, Latin Honor Society
+secretary of a human rights/global awareness club
+partook in award-winning school newspaper and won awards, but quit because it wasn't me
+president of a medical club
+received Harvard Book Award this past year</p>
<p>This mini-application looks pretty cool after reviewing it. But what I'm worried about is that most of these schools like to see people that have done something super-cool. I haven't. Although I've established some clubs, I haven't been too successful in accomplishing too much in these organizations. In effect, I come off as being one of those students that stretch themselves out too thin and realize they're overwhelmed. I'm really not. I've put my best effort in all these ECs but just seem to have not done so well... In addition, I don't have some kind of outstanding talent like music or dancing or athletics.
Oh, and I'm a minority but I don't really want to use that to my advantage because I don't find doing so fair.</p>
<p>You are going to have to score significantly higher on the SAT / ACT to have a chance at the schools you listed. As far as using your “minority” staus as being “unfair”, it’s always been my contention that it makes no difference how you get there…just what you do when you are there!</p>
<p>^I concur w/csdad’s advice. Given the competitiveness of the applicant pools, you want to eliminate as many weaknesses as possible. Overall, I think your test scores would be the most obvious. Maybe enroll in a test-prep course?</p>
<p>As to “using” your minority status – may I offer a word of caution? In a year and a half and you move into the dorm and you find your roommate to be a recruited athlete and the girl across the hall to be Hispanic and her roommate to be a science whiz, will you see them as “unfairly” being admitted and not as worthy of their places as you? I don’t mean to be confrontational but you should consider how your view of college admissions not only applies to yourself but to others. The fact is, many schools craft their incoming freshman classes carefully. Having a certain ethnic mix is just as valid as going after that science whiz or that top athlete. If you’re admitted, you deserve to be there. Same with your future classmates.</p>
<p>I’m a strong proponent of affirmative action. Nonetheless, I have tremendous admiration for a student who declines to use it for herself because she thinks it is unfair.</p>
<p>^You mean Asians. Practically every other minority group gets a significant boost just for their skin color (read: reverse racism). Anyway, to stave off the potential flaming, I’m a half minority myself, whether that helped me out when I applied or not I don’t even know for sure. It seems like you care about your ECs and you’ve done well for yourself. However, even with your significant involvement in school and the awards you received, your test scores are a gaping hole in your app. Patch that up as best you possibly can. Good luck this year.</p>
<p>Thanks guys for all your help so far. Just to add to my previous statement about affirmative action, and to answer T26E4’s question: I’m not saying that minorities admitted to schools did not deserve to be there (including me, if I get in hopefully). There are certain people that need that extra consideration on their applications because of their backgrounds, I understand. But because my background was not ever detrimental to my ability to achieve higher education, I don’t want to use it to gain leverage over the next person. It’s just that I feel recently some schools have put faaaar too much emphasis on ethnicity in an attempt to diversify their schools to make them more approaching.</p>