An Immigrated Asian Kid will apply to 10 schools, Guess what?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Please rate my chance of getting into these colleges honestly, and make any comments you want, even if they would hurt…I can withstand all, because I am a tough man, as tough as a steel…hahaha…just kidding…</p>

<p>I came to this country in 1999, and started in middle of 6th grade in here. So what’s my chance of getting into the following colleges?</p>

<p>Following are the draft of my resume and my test scores:</p>

<p>Extracurricular Activities:</p>

<p> 2001-2002<br>
 Mathlete </p>

<p> 2002-2003
 Mathlete (Team A)
 Asian Cultural Club
 Computer Club</p>

<p> 2003-2004
 Mathlete (Team A)
 Served as treasurer
 Asian Cultural Club
 Computer Club</p>

<p> 2004-2005
 Mathlete (TeamA)
 Served as treasurer
 Asian Cultural Club
 Computer Club</p>

<p>Community Service:
 Helped out in localLibrary through school year of 2003 – 2004, with total of 90+ hours.</p>

<p>Work Experience:
 Worked in local Library in sophomore and junior years
 Worked in family store casually</p>

<p>Research Experience:
 Conducted a research project in the summer of junior year
 Participated in 2004-05 Siemens Westinghouse Competition in Math, Science & Technology.</p>

<p>Awards and Honors:
 Have been selected as All-American Scholar.
 Fifth place in group competition in Suffolk County Math Tournament 2003.
 Nominated as a delegate representing New York to the National Youth Leadership Forum on Technology by school counselor for both years of 2003 and 2004.
 Nominated to National Student Leadership Conference by school director. (2004)
 Nominated to represent New York State as a National Scholar at the National Young Leaders Conference in Washington, D.C. (2004)
 Have been on School’s High Honor Roll throughout the school years.</p>

<p>I didn’t go for most of the nominations because I think they doesn’t worth of my time and money.</p>

<p>My Test Scores:</p>

<p>SAT:
1350 M780 V570(First)
1530 M780 V750(Second)</p>

<p>SATII:
Chinese 800
Math IC 720
Bio 800
Chem 770
Math IIC 800
Writing 510,
suck so bad on grammar, will retake it in Nov, and my counselor will emphasized that I came from a foreign country in my rec.</p>

<p>APs:</p>

<p>Junior Year:
AP Calc BC 5
with AB sub Score 5
AP Bio 5<br>
AP Physic B 4</p>

<p>Senior year:
AP Economic
AP Politic
AP English Really hard!!!
AP Chem
AP physic C</p>

<p>Majors:
Double-- Biomedical and Business(in Finance or Investment)</p>

<p>Colleges will apply to:</p>

<li>Columbia (Third Choice) </li>
<li>Cornell (Easy to get in, hard to stay)</li>
<li>MIT (Second choice)</li>
<li>UPENN (Really wanna go there)</li>
<li>Harvard (I’ll take my chance for $65)</li>
<li>Johns Hopkins (Friends went there)</li>
<li>NYU (In NYC which I like)</li>
<li>U of Michigan Ann Arbor (Safe School?)</li>
<li>Binghamton (SUNY school as safe)</li>
<li>Rice University (Yo, Yao is there w/ T-Mac!!! )</li>
<li>Washington U in St. Louis (keep sending me mails, so I’ll apply there too, lesser asian population, which I don’t like)</li>
</ol>

<p>So how’s my chances, I will not apply early b/c of scholarship problem, and I am very poor!!! Can you buy me a dinner? I haven’t eat for several days, so Hunry!!!</p>

2

<p>oh yeah, my Weighted GPA is about 97.00, but will go down to about 96.50, because of seniorities, but have been catching up lately...
My school is so competitive, so many smart kids, I don't think so I would be in the top 10%, maybe top 15%...</p>

3

<p>It's going to be a tough go for you, JZL, and not because of your immigrant history. Your stats are certainly going to get you to the holistic review and that is where the adcoms will stack you up with everyone else who gets through the academic checkpoints. If you read "What It Really Takes to Get Into an Ivy League School" by Chuck Hughes, you will see what the competition is like in the EC area. MOst of the top schools will have a certain number of kids that they accept on excellence in academics alone which is surprisingly low considering academic reputation a main attribute for these colleges. The rest of the applicants--Harvard says about 2/3rds will have to have something else that the college wants. The academics is a given for them but not at the level to swing them in. So for kids like you, it so depends on how strong the applicant pool is this particular year and at the point that your app is being reviewed.</p>

4

<p>thanks Jamimom for replying, I'll appreciate your advice, and gotta go to sleep now, good night...</p>

5

<p>You really need to know what you want to major in. </p>

<p>If you really want to major in Business, Harvard, Columbia, johns Hopkins and Rice are not the way to go. None of those schools have undergraduate Business programs.</p>

<p>If you really want to major in Biomedical Engineering, NYU should not be on your list since NYU has no Engineering program whatsoever.</p>

<p>Cornell is not easy to get into. They are not impossible to get into either, but they are not easy.</p>

<p>MIT, Penn, Michigan should be your top 3 choices.
Cornell and Washington University are equally excellent universities. </p>

<p>So there you have a very solid group of universities.</p>

<p>I would add Boston University, University of Virginia and UC-Berkeley. Those have excellent Business programs and excellent Biomendical Engineering departments.</p>

<p>On the other hand, if you don't mind substituting Business with Economics, then you can expand your list nicely to include Johns Hopkins, Duke, Northwestern, Rice, Stanford and Columbia.</p>

6

<p>Alexandre has some good points there. I also want to say that you do have a good list of schools with varying selectivities so you are will find yourself with some choices , I am sure. That you have some schools that are highly selective is not a problem; you do have the stats to support those choices. It's just that you along with all the other top students should realize that this is only a portion of the review, and that just the way the numbers are, it makes it very difficult to get into some of these schools. </p>

<p>You do need to know if doubling those majors is possible at those schools where you apply. Sometimes biomedical engineering is constructed so it is danged close to a double major in itself and does not lend itself to being doubled with another diverse discipline. I also suggest Case Western and Clarkson for you as schools that have good possibilities for aid and as safeties. Clarkson has a number of interesting research opportunities. Alexandre's suggestion of substuting Busines with Econ for those schools that do not offer business is a good one.</p>

7

<p>I'd think that these schools are reaches. Most of the time, top schools ask for an avergae of your SAT. However your SAT II's are good. But your lack in athletics and more diverse EC's and low community service hours may hurt a bit. However you may get a break because you are an immigrant (or you might not, sicne oyu have been here for a while, make sure to add it in your essay), but the Asian pool is extremley competative, so it will only make it harder.
Rice Uni
Columbia
MIT
UPENN
The rest, you will be competative, and the last 2, you have a really good shot.</p>

8

<p>immigrated in 6th grade.. doesnt really change anything in terms of admissions. i myself immigrated in 8th grade from korea and am not expecting any special treatment myself.</p>

<p>same goes with nominations..</p>

<p>it'll be tough.</p>

9

<p>Just as Alexandre mentioned that I really need to decide which major to study in college,
my top choice is to combine the Biomedical engineering and Businees, that's why I am considering MIT, UPENN, Michigan and cornell.
But if I got rejected from the above, and got into JHU, Harvard, NYU or Columbia, I would just take what's been offered or available.</p>

<p>Thanks Alexandrefor the recommandation on other colleges, UC-Berkeley and stanford now are also on my list of consideration...you guys are really giving out excellent advices, thanks again man</p>

10

<p>harvard and stanford are pretty tough reaches too :(</p>

11

<p>To Anthony249, yeah~~~I know my EC sucks so bad, even now I have been feeling regreted about why didn't I join more club in freshman, which is the reason why i didn't get into the National Honor society, but I am going to apply again in nov...have to get in this time.</p>

<p>My EC is bad, b/c I have to work in my family's store often after school. I love sport but my working schedule won't allow me to join. Should I mention the above situation in my app? Thanks for replying Anthony249.</p>

12

<p>Forgot to mention, I'll be the first one of my family to enter the college, would that also affecting my chance?</p>

13

<p>definately mention that in your essay, but don't make it sem like you are making excuses. On the other hand, also mention how the few EC's you join touched your heart and how it has effected your life for the better. If you have a few EC's are you do that you showed dedication too (multiple years), they will stand out from a guy who joined a dozen EC's for only 1-2 years each. It shows you are dedicated to what you begin and that how hard it gets, you keep on truckin.</p>

14

<p>Yes that will boost your chances that you are the first one in your family to go to college. However (assuming you are asian), many asians are in the same boat, and the competative level (since asians are not underrepresented in top notch schools) it will not help as much as it should :(</p>

15

<p>yeah, I'll keep that in mind, man, you really are great, thanks once more...</p>

<p>P.S. are you currently a college student? I see your age is 20</p>

16

<p>one more queston: how can you convert the 100% GPA to the scale of 4? so what is my GPA of 97 on a scale of 4?</p>

17

<p>Yeah I am, this is my final year in college. I remember going through anxiety too when I applied to college. I was already worrying at junior year in HS :P. As for a GPA scale of 4, I am sorry, but I do not know how to convert that however, at in California schools. They will take a GPA out of a base of 4. So lets say a 3.9 and pretty much add about .3 to it. (There is a formula, but I'm too lazy to think about it again :P), so that would be like a 4.2</p>

18

<p>nice, I originally thought the 4.0 was highest and wonder why so many people in here get above 4.0, thanks for clear me up...appreciated man...</p>

<p>At the end of my junior year, right after the AP exam, I was already getting seniorities...slacken off and didn't do much hw, but still managed to get a good grade but not excellent...hope I would have a second chance...but since it's all past, there nothin that I could do...I</p>

<p>I have to go now, peace to everyone else, and Anthony249 do you mind if I added you as my buddy?</p>

19

<p>sure thing</p>

20

<p>You stated in a post awhile ago (yeah I read so many of these darn things!) that most colleges take the average of your SAT scores... what do you mean? They take freshman year SAT and junior year SAT scores, and average?</p>