Any chances of good colleges?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>I really want to get into good colleges... but my life is a morass. Currently, I have very little to say great bout myself but here goes:</p>

<p>GPA: 4.03 (going to be greater after this semester)
SAT/PSAT/ACT/SAT II: Didn't take yet... planning on taking them soon.
AP: I'm enrolled or enrolling in total of 4 APs --> I got a 5 on the US History --> taking AP Chem, Physics, and Euro Hist. this year.
ECs: I do tennis; I love chess; I'm on Science Olympiad Team at school; used to be in In-The-Know; did well in Science Fair my freshman year; did some work with a couple of good institutions; I really like the Environmental Club I'm in at school.</p>

<p>What are my chances of getting into top notch schools --> can't really tell yet, but what do you think? My guidance counselor talked about aiming all the way from CalTech to U of Mich to UPenn to OSU (I'm an Ohioan). I really wanted to go to Harvard back in my middle school years, but I think I'm off track for some odd reason --> I would really like Harvard though. What do you think?</p>

2

<p>You are Ivy League Bound. Indubitably. Especially since you haven't taken your SAT/ACT or even SATII's, and the only decent EC is Science Olympiad.</p>

<p>Let us know at a later date</p>

<p>Jerod</p>

3

<p>Oh God! I'm breaking down... hope I can hold for this year and the next --> I'm hoping so much for those schools.</p>

4

<p>We all are; We all are.</p>

<p>Un Amor,</p>

<p>Jerod</p>

5

<p>BTW, I'm American, but my first language is not English.... would that hurt or help me? Considering I might do badly on the SAT but am generally good at other subjects where I don't slack off.</p>

6

<p>Generally, there is some leniancy for non-native english speakers. SAT Verbal is relatively difficult for a lot of native speakers. Math, of course, you will have to do well. What is your native language ?</p>

<p>Un Amor</p>

<p>Jerod</p>

7

<p>If that GPA is your weighted GPA, which I'm assuming it is as it's above 4.0, unless you get amazing SAT I and SAT II scores and become leader in most of your clubs and do something extraordinary on the side AND bring your weighted GPA up above 4.5, you'll have very little shot at any Ivy League schools. Not to sound dramatic, just trying to be realistic. Almost all Ivy League-bound guys are like this:</p>

<p>4.6 WGPA, 3.9 GPA, 1500-1600 SAT I, 700-800 SAT IIs, Leadership positions in ECs, and many APs</p>

8

<p>May be I should add some more stuff about myself --> I used to be care-free and happy most of my high school and since this is my junior year --> I'm worrying and am breaking down... Well, here is some stuff from this fake resume I made:
Objective Objective is to graduate from high school with high honors and proceed to study nanotechnology and physics at a USA Today’s Top Ten College, preferably MIT.
From thereon to earn a PhD in those scientific subjects and do research for the further aid of the humans.</p>

<p>Experience Lab assistant and researcher December 2003
Lab attendant July 2004 </p>

<p>Honors and Activities</p>

<pre><code> High School Bronze Key – A badge insignia for high Academic Achievement
National Youth Leadership Forum on Medicine at Philadelphia 2004
NYLF Public Health Symposium 1st place group project on Diabetes education
Sigma Xi Award District Level 2002
Sigma Xi Award State Level 2003
Ohio State Bureau of Agriculture 2nd Place Project
Reflections Art Contest 2nd Place at District Level
Superior at School Science Fair 2002

Superior at School Science Fair 2003
Superior at District Science Fair 2003
Superior at District Science Fair 2004
Excellent at State Science Fair 2003 for Ultraviolet Light Research
</code></pre>

<p>In The Know Team
Chess Club Member
Continued…</p>

<p>Member of the Students Active for the Environment
Star/Math Star/Foreign Language Star Candidate
Academic Honors 2001-2003
Sang Kai Paik Tae Kwon Do Temporary Black Belt Achievement</p>

<p>Skills Computer programmer and code “hacker”
Proficiency with Office products from Microsoft, OpenOffice, Corel, Adobe, and Linux-related products.
Proficiency with Window$, Macintosh, Slackware, Red Hat, SuSe, and numerous GNU/Linux distributions.
Gimp, Adobe Photoshop, Paint Shop Pro, and advanced graphics and design tools. Visual Basic, Java, C, C++, JavaScript, HTML (web design mastery) Telugu, Hindi, English, Japanese, and Spanish
Piano player from several years of study
Martial Arts study</p>

<p>4.03 --> weighted
3.9 --> unweighted</p>

9

<p>I'm considered a fairly good student at my school -- don't know my rank since we don't use the system and my school doesn't weight by honors -- just AP courses. Crap! I used to be so carefree and now I'm ruining myself because of that nature of mine.</p>

10

<p>any other comments and/or suggestions would be very much appreciated.</p>

11

<p>bump -- getting desperate after widreher's post</p>

12

<p>Widresher is correct. Ivy's are beasts to get into. Plain and Simple.</p>

13

<p>umm.. widreher .. that is not true.. they look for well-rounded individuals certainly, but not every applicant to an Ivy league school has an amazing SAT score and an impeccable GPA. I think it is very ignorant for you to say someone doesnt have a chance at an ivy league school just because they're not perfect, and no one should be; if you have the characteristics a college seeks, and write good recs and essays, the rest of your credentials dont have to be perfect.</p>

<p>1500-1600 SAT? If they always looked for that then none of those applicants would have to worry about anything else, let's think a little bit here.</p>

<p>Ivy Leagues are tough to get into, but you cant tell someone they have no chance based on a 4.0 and rising GPA (gasp! even if it's weighted!).. give me a break</p>

14

<p>what are my chances with the ivys?</p>

15

<p>Widreher, I don't see how you can say almost all Ivy-bound students have 1500-1600 SAT's when Brown, Dartmouth, Columbia, UPenn, and Cornell all have AVERAGE SAT's below 1420!</p>

16

<p>BE UNIQUE! That's my advice. Most applicants to Ivies have similar stats but what matters is how they STAND OUT. I am also a high school junior and what I think stands out about me is my involvement as a teen editor of a national magazine, student advisor of a national student newspaper, and teen correspondent of a state newpaper. I also host a local show. I don't really know at this point but maybe I'll really stand out with the expansion of Project Sanitation (my community project). I am also working on a novel. Don't be so far-fetched. Be realistic but also DREAM!!! Okay?</p>

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<p>Unique eh? Hmm... unique... unique... I like loads of things, but what would make me unique but still be something of a hobby I like?</p>

18

<p>you can't really rate your chances at ivy league schools if you havent even taken your sat's yet. maybe you should realize your dreams of a local community college.</p>

19

<p>Thanks for your reply, but I'm a junior... will take SATs along with my classmates over the next couple of months... I refuse to go to Community Colleges... no college is better for me if that is the case. Washington U. St. Louis already contacted me with their "oh so wonderful" campus... but I really want to get into ivys, Caltech, or MIT.</p>

20

<p>Apparently many thought my post was offensive in some way, or ignorant. First of all, from what I knew, what I was saying was not offensive in any way, it was realistic. Somebody with a 4.0 weighted GPA that includes honors is basically a slightly better than average student; nothing spectacular. And from his first list of extracurriculars you could hardly say there was anything dramatic or spectacular. In other words, he would be behind nearly EVERY Ivy League applicant in nearly EVERY category. Of course, he hasn't taken the SAT yet. But I was trying to be realistic.</p>

<p>Now, given the very good EC's and awards he's now listed, along with the fact he has a 3.9 unweighted GPA and his school doesn't weight honors, that changes the picture. However, remember that based on what I knew, my advice is not terrible. Also, I did tell him that if he did some serious work, he could apply. I just let him know where he stood. And Todd, frankly, I find it hypocritical to attack my comment and then say that IF he wrote a great essay and got great recommendations and had great extracurriculars etc, then his grades and SATs wouldn't matter as much. That's exactly what I told him, if you look back at my post. Give me a break. It's not like espiesior, based on his first post, was showing promise in any of those areas. So it's fine to bring up hypotheticals like "well, even if you're SATs are 1200 and you're grades are low, if you're an amazing athlete or debater or artist they'll let you in." Good teacher recs and essays simply won't cut it, and advice like that IS ignorant. I never said he has no chance, just will have a very hard time unless he works hard.</p>

<p>Espiesior, based on what you've now posted, I think you should apply to some top schools. Take at least the same number of APs in senior year, keep those grades high, and concentrate on the SAT Is. Now I can see you have the potential to be a good candidate for those schools. Finally, don't take anything too seriously you read in this forum. Most people here don't know more about college than you do. Remember that you're a great candidate and any school would be lucky to have you; if you end up at a state school or some lower school who cares? Graduate school is really all that matters anyways :).</p>

<p>Good luck.</p>