<p>1st generation South east asian american
GPA: 4.0
W GPA:4.30
Class rank: 1/450
ACT: 31 (M33 E32 S30 R30)
Ohio</p>
<p>APs (hardest course load):
AP Chemistry...........................3
AP Environmental Science..........3
AP US History...........................5
AP Physics
AP English
AP Biology
AP Calculus AB</p>
<p>Extra Curriculars:</p>
<p>Internship at Grameen Bank in Bangladesh- they won the noble prize back in 2006 for their microfinance work and it was definitely a memorable experience</p>
<p>Internship at a garment factory in Bangladesh. Did a critique on the sweat shop like conditions. Two weeks</p>
<p>-VP of NHS 2 years
-Tresurer of Key Club 4 years (lots of activities)
-Rec Basketball for 4 years
-Academic Team 4 years captain senior year
-over 400 hours volunteering at a summer camp for mentally disabled kids
-spent summer researching turtles at a major nature center</p>
<p>Jobs:
-Graeters Ice Cream 4 months so far
-Riverbend Music Center -summer of '10</p>
<p>Recs: should be alright
Essay: should be very good, entitled "How Yogurt Can Save Bangladesh"</p>
<p>On second thought, maybe get someone to proofread then. </p>
<p>Anyway, it’d be helpful to know which school you are applying to and any awards or achievements you’ve received as a result of your extracurricular activities.</p>
<p>Your grades are great, but I’m sure you are aware that having good grades is no guaranteed admission these days. </p>
<p>Your test scores are average, a bit on the low side. The ACT is in Duke’s range, though on the low side of the 30-34 given for trinity class of 2013. Your AP scores are a bit low which won’t do you any favors, but it’s usually the class grade that receives more weight there than the actual test score and judging from your GPA, they are good. I’m just a bit puzzled that you did well in class but not so well on the standardized test. </p>
<p>Your extracurriculars are probably your strongest point in that they show breadth, some depth, as well as some uniqueness. The challenge there is to find coherence. You need to show that at least a large portion of your extracurricular time went towards things that are not only meaningful, but when taken as a whole, can tell a story about you, your passions, and your goals. It’s OK to do things for fun and because you like them, but you cannot have all of your extracurriculars be random stuff that have no connection to each other and that you just did to fill your time. Essentially, don’t just submit a list of your activities and leave it at that. It won’t impress the admissions committee very much. </p>
<p>On that note, your essay is probably on the right track in that you reflect on your extracurricular activities and tie them together to give a better picture of you (and I’m assuming you are very much into volunteering and helping the underprivileged and things of that nature). However, I’d suggest not focusing exclusively on Bangladesh (if that’s what you are doing) as an example of that aspect of yourself. Make connections to local things (for example key club) to show that you can think globally but also within your own community and that at Duke, you’ll be able to leverage both its global resources to further your aims but also contribute to the campus culture and local community while you are at it. </p>
<p>Overall, I’d say your chances are fair but can be favorable if you can present a coherent, cogent, and complete picture of yourself through every part of the application.</p>