Another Chance Me :(

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

Application results are just around the corner; I avoided CC for all of high school due to the stories I’ve heard but I guess I can see it ok now since high school ends in about three months :slight_smile:

Background: Asian male at a competitive public high school located in a pretty wealthy neighborhood and applied to HPYS and all other major universities (plus in-state with some other safeties)

*Family says I have no shot (my opinion too, since my statistics don’t match up well to the rest of my class and scattergrams) but guess I’m looking for a small sliver of hope :’)

Weighted: 4.0/4.0 (School does not do UW); barely top 10% I think for me
ACT: 36 with Writing: 10
SAT II Math: 800; SAT II US History: 760
APs (All 5’s except Music Theory, Chem, Bio, which were 4’s): Chinese, Music Theory, Calculus AB, Chemistry, US History, Biology, Calculus BC, Language and Composition, Macroeconomics, Microeconomics; Senior Year: Literature and Composition, Statistics, Spanish, Physics C (both sections)

EC:

*Founder of a nonprofit started in ninth grade and now legally registered and located across the US and in Canada
*JV and Varsity player on state champion tennis team
*Saxophonist for ensemble and solo work, winning 1st in prestigious State Woodwind competition
*Science Olympiad competitor, winning multiple state and national medals (about 20 in total)
*Elected to state legislature in Boys State
*MUN delegate, both for school and independent, winning multiple honorable mentions (no support crew since Independent)
*Chapter Leader for Young Votes, a youth organization devoted to encouraging youth voting
*200 volunteer hours at local physical rehabilitation center; over 1,000 more on personal nonprofit

Hooks:
*Sibling attended Princeton with family active in Alumni organization (not wealthy enough to donate anything)

Special Circumstances:
*Home situation not stable with mother living away with a not-so-friendly father (I don’t think this registers as anything to colleges however)

2

Honestly, I would be very surprised if you don’t get into an ivy. Good luck!

3

With a 4.0 GPA, a 36 ACT and all the rest, what is it that makes you think you don’t stack up. The IVYs are unpredictable for everyone. The single digit acceptance rates make that clear. But I can’t think of a reason whey your stats wouldn’t stack up.

4

Depends on where you want to apply? 99% of state schools won’t ask for, nor care about any extra-curricular, depending on the state school of course. (UC’s, Stanfords, etc are different). Most colleges don’t ask for any of the great info you’ve given.

What I would do is, get a list of TOP TOP schools (MIT, Stanford, etc), then make sure you get strong state schools to apply to that have good programs in your chosen field. That way, if you don’t get into the really selective schools, you’ll at least get into a solid state school.

Likewise, you can continue building your rapport, by attending CC, since cost seems to be an issue, and get excellent grades there, continue improving extracurriculars and getting even more experience, via working or volunteering, and go into schools that way too (be advised that schools like Princeton generally don’t like transfer students).

5

Your SATs are excellent, but it’s your UW GPA that is needed to find exactly where you fit on the scattergram, but as long as it is above 3.8, you’re competitive for any elite college, including the Ivies. Of course, with single digit acceptance rates, Ivies are almost always a reach, even for top candidates.