<p>I'm an asian girl, rising senior, international citizenship but I got to an elite boarding school in the states and also have permanent residency. I'm applying for financial aid, but the schools I'm applying to are need blind I don't think that will be a problem. My stats are:
GPA 3.6 top 25%
ACT:35
SAT: 2160
Sat II Math II: 720 (but retaking)
Sat II History: 640
Sat II French with listening: 640
Though not EVERY SINGLE ONE of my classes is an AP, most of my classes are extremely rigorous, and my junior year gpas were 3.74, 3.88, and 3.8 (we are on a trimester system)
I haven't gotten my AP scores yet but I took Calc AB and AP US (tho I'm not gonna get a good score on that I don't think but it doesn't matter cause you don't have to submit AP scores right?)
I'm going to take the Physics Subject test and Chinese as well as the Math IIC again, and I'm hoping to do a LOT better on those. If I submit the ACT instead of the SAT I do they see the SAT score and does it matter? and if I only submit 2 or 3 Sat IIs do the other ones matter?</p>
<p>Extracurriculars: I'm the Co-President of our school's Asian affinity club, as well as the co-president of an Ancient Asian games club that I co-founded. I'm involved with the school's two orchestras in which I am the principal timpanist (a not overly popular instrument so would this help me?) and I've played piano ever since I was 4 years old. I'm also an editor of the school yearbook, and a member of the french club as well as the international students organization since freshman year. I've also studied French my whole life until the end of sophomore year, when I went on a summer academic trip to France where I studied and lived with a French family for five weeks, although my SATII scores still sucked..but theres no way to retake them becuase I switched over to Chinese. However, I am hoping to major in French in college and my dropping of the language was not due to a lack of interest but rather because I had also wanted to take Chinese since freshman year but the schools curriculum would not let me take both at the same time, and I hope to make this point very clear to the colleges I am applying to. This past spring break I also went on a school community service trip to New Orleans to work with Habitat for Humanity building houses, which is done by lots of students I guess, but this trip held special interest because I grew up in that city but left a few days before Katrina and wasn't able to go back for the next three years until that trip. I'm thinking about making this the topic of my college essay.</p>
<p>I've heard that ED for Columbia is a lot easier than RD, and I even know a girl who got in ED last year from my school who did not have stellar grades (3.6 also) and was not extremely book smart, but she said she was very passionate in her interview and essay, so I'm hoping to do the same.
However, I'm not confident I can be as lucky as her, so I'm having a tough time deciding between Columbia and Johns Hopkins for early decision. I love Columbia for its opportunities, and I'm not one of those kids that only want to go there for the city, I'm actually worried about the costs of living in NY. The financial aid policy is also VERY attractive to me (100% coverage and a no-loan policy). But there is a very good chance I won't get in and I don't want to waste an early decision because that is my best chance for getting into my reach colleges. Columbia's ED rate is 24% and regular is about 10%, while JH's is a little more than 40% ED and around 24% RD. I think my chances at JH are also boosted because I'm humanities oriented and that would distinguish me from the loads of medically-oriented applicants at that school. The Hopkins app essay is also good for me because I've spent a long time thinking about my major (i'm actually hoping to double in French and Psychology and do a year abroad) and I think I would do very well on that essay. However, I'm worried about the Financial aid package I would be faced with because overall ED packages are less than RD and Hopkins is listed as only providing 95% of students with full aid and I don't want to fall into that 5%.</p>
<p>So what do you say? Which should I go with? I would love going to both schools I think but the financial problems are the biggest for me. Is that a legitimate worry for Hopkins? I know I have a chance to back out if the aid package offered is not enough but I don't want to have to "waste" a ED. I know I would be happy at both schools, so its just a matter of deciding. I know I wrote a lot lol and I'm sorry but I wanted to get everything out there.</p>
<p>THANK YOU SO MUCH WHOEVER TAKES THE TIME TO REPLY TO THIS HUGE POST!!!</p>