Am I on the right track?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Johns Hopkins University
1

<p>Hi, I'm a PA junior and I'm looking to apply to JHU next year. I just wanted you guys to look at what I've accomplished so far in HS and let me know if I stand a chance.</p>

<p>High School: Public school on the main line, with a decent reputation. I am an Irish/Italian American, so I'm about as unique as a bee in a beehive.
GPA: 3.95 (I have received straight A's since freshman year)
SATS: CR: 790 M: 680 W: 800 T:2270
APs: I am taking AP Psychology and will take that and the AP US history exam at the end of this year (our school does not have AP US history but we have a year-long American studies course that uses an AP textbook). This summer, I will take AP Gov online with the CTY. Next year, I will take AP Comp, AP Euro, AP Latin, and AP Calc AB.</p>

<p>HONORS AND AWARDS</p>

<p>National Honor Society, 11 (first year of eligibility): member and representative to Chestnutwold elementary school for “Locks of Love” community service event</p>

<p>Student of the Month, 10: awarded for organizing a school “Diversity Fair”, showcased the school’s clubs and student organizations</p>

<p>March Madness Scholarship 2009, Elite 8 Finalist, 11: awarded a position in the tournament based on merit, proceeded to obtain votes to progress through the bracket, obtained over 500 votes each round</p>

<p>Published in Poetry Zone, National Poetry Website, 11: chosen poems included “Asano,” “Desert Sky,” and “Night” in February 2009</p>

<p>Teachers Against Prejudice International Essay Contest, Honorable Mention, 11: publication in upcoming newsletter and on website, essay topic was depictions of Afro-American women in media </p>

<p>Speech Competition 1st place, Haverford High School, 11: won for interpretation of Toni Morrison’s “1993 Nobel Prize Lecture,” auditioned with Michael Dyson’s “If Barack Obama Becomes President”</p>

<p>Honor Roll, 9-11: grades of A in each quarter after 9th grade</p>

<p>IN SCHOOL</p>

<p>Student Senate, 9-11: Secretary, 11; helped to organize the blood drives each year, served as representative to draw blood donors, volunteered with the red cross at the events by shuttling blood donations; chaired a committee to organize the school pep rally prior to Homecoming; served as representative of Haverford High School at the Region F Student Council Conference</p>

<p>Gay-Straight Alliance, 9-11: Vice-President, 11; assisted in organization of the Day of Silence Project at Haverford High School; chaired committee to organize the school Diversity Fair in 10th grade</p>

<p>Asian Cultural Exchange, 9-11: assisted in the organization of an “Asian Fashion Show” as part of Asian Awareness Week; assisted in fortune cookie sale for Swarthmore charity dedicated to building homes and removing landmines in Cambodia</p>

<p>Students Against Destructive Decisions, 9-11: served as representative to local elementary schools for seatbelt and drug safety campaign</p>

<p>Chorale Aid/Riser Crew, 9-11: aided the school chorus in setting up stage materials before performances; served as office aide to chorale director, arranged music pieces on the computer for distribution to singers</p>

<p>Chinese Class, 11 (first year open to the school): attended the class every Friday after school for a foreign language credit; served as representative for the 2008-2009 school year</p>

<p>Science Olympiad, 11: took 10th and 12th place in regional competition in Remote Sensing and Herpetology respectively</p>

<p>OUT OF SCHOOL</p>

<p>Volunteer, Obama Campaign: began in the spring of 2008 during the Democratic primary until Election Day – making phone calls, canvassing, and file organization</p>

<p>Volunteer, Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church, Tutoring Service: began in the winter of 2008, currently serving as office aid and substitute tutor to children from North Philadelphia public schools</p>

<p>EMPLOYMENT</p>

<p>Haverford Swim Club (Hilltop): serving customers and preparing food at the snack bar, summer of sophomore year</p>

<p>Ludington Library: part-time page three nights a week</p>

<p>INTERESTS AND PASTIMES</p>

<p>Reading, especially history and East Asian poetry; writing poetry or on any non-fiction topic; playing guitar (more enthusiasm than skill); collecting graphic novels; running; learning about East Asian culture; browsing in book stores; being with friends</p>

<p>I don't have a sport/music/visual art, and so I only really stress writing as my talent. JHU is my first choice, and I'm going for an interview before this semester is up. I am looking to major in IR and maybe double major in Economics or East Asian Studies.</p>

<p>So am I on track to be hopeless, or will JHU give me a look?</p>

2

<p>Oh, and I’m also attending the Penn Chinese Academy this summer and scored in the 99th percentile in PSATs, so I’m looking to be in the running for NMS.</p>

<p>These are certain events/contests/organizations that I’m “waiting on,” in that I haven’t been inducted or won yet. I am obviously hoping to add them to my resume if I place/am inducted:</p>

<p>National Society of High School Scholars Inductee
New Jersey Poet’s Society Competition Winner
Humanist Essay Contest Winner</p>

3

<p>Wow, your credentials sound a lot like mine (Latin, Chinese, GSA, things with government/politics, and some other things), heh, and I got in (actually, I’m going to attend). I’d say yeah, you have good shot. Btw. My high school canceled Latin two years ago (curse them…), so i’ve been taking it privately for two years hoping to take the AP (taking it outside of school this year)… only to find out Hopkins doesn’t accept AP Latin Vergil -_- keep that in mind (then again, still sign up, since you never know where you’ll end up). they don’t accept like two other APs I’m taking this year, either, and like three aps i’ve taken :/</p>

4

<p>Oh yeah I know Hopkins accepts pretty much none of the AP humanities courses. For me, the APs are to prove you can compete and for a nice challenge. The credit is all secondary to me. I want to continue with Latin since I consider it pointless to not continue on to AP after three years of the language. My school just decided to split AP Latin into two courses though: Latin IV (poetry) and Latin V (the AP stuff, which is now a single exam). I don’t get to do Latin IV since I’m out of room; I have to go straight to V, which is essentially the same as making the jump from Latin III to AP. I just wish I could have taken Latin IV.</p>

<p>By the end of HS, I’ll have taken: AP Psych, Gov, Composition, Euro, Latin, and Calc AB. I’m taking all those exams plus the AP US history exam, since our honors American Studies class uses an AP textbook.</p>

<p>I am wondering if this will hurt me: I’m taking regular calculus this year. I wasn’t going to go on to AP, but I found that I love calc so much that I want to continue. So then I got the idea to filled my Gov requirement at CTY, which lets me take AP calc next year. I was originally going to go on to BC, but I have heard HORRIBLE things about the teacher. I know a few accelerated juniors who started in BC: every single one of them went to AB because they said they couldn’t stand it. I decided in the end to go to AB, since I knew the teacher from Math League and he’s great. I wonder how this will register with Hopkins though; quite honestly, I’m not 100% sure I could thrive in BC, but I definitely want to go further than A, and I’d rather get a 5 on the AB exam than a 3 on BC. Do you guys think Hopkins will care?</p>

5

<p>Just advice according to many, many college websites I’ve seen. They will glance at your AP scores very rarely and they will not affect your admission. If you need me to post some school websites with this, I can. But seriously, don’t sweat too much about AP scores. Just focus on grades, SAT’s (2270 is amazing…), and activities. You have a very, very high shot.</p>

6

<p>phew, I was hoping for some reinforcement. :)</p>

7

<p>Take the AP Tests VERY SERIOUSLY: Colleges DO care about AP Test Awards, especially the National AP Scholar award. </p>

<p>UCLA is bragging about the “150 National AP Scholars” they’ve admitted to next year’s class and listed them second only to student body presidents on its website. </p>

<p>“… prospective freshmen for fall 2009.
Among them were 175 student body presidents; more than 150 National AP Scholars; 400 most valuable players in their sports; nearly 900 outstanding musicians; almost 300 Eagle Scouts*and Girl Scout leaders; more than 200 black belts in various martial arts; some 500 Science Olympians; about 500 recipients of book awards from Harvard, Yale, Cornell, Princeton and other universities; more than 150 Model United Nations delegates; more than 150 recipients of Rotary Youth Leadership Awards; and 3,000 who indicated they were captains of their sports or academic teams.”</p>