I’m a current sophomore. I’ll be a junior this fall, meaning college applications are coming close. I was wondering if I can get some feedback on improving my chances? I mean I know there’s always a possibility to get rejected and I probably would be XD lol. But I would like to raise my chances if possible:
So here are my stats:
Current Weighted GPA: 4.6
Current unweighted GPA: 3.85
(My school calculates unweighted GPA a bit different. Usually school gives 4.0 to both A and A+ but my school only gives 4.0 to A+ while A gets. 3.85 lol)
SAT/ACT: haven’t taken yet. Would be taking it in junior year
Subject tests: probably Math2 and Physics
Current rank: 5/449
School: public
I live in the US, MA lol
Ethnicity: Asian, Chinese. I was born in the US tho
AP:
Freshman: not allowed
Sophomore: APUSH, AP Seminar
Junior: AP Research, AP Calc AB, AP World, AP Language, AP Statistics, AP Physics
Senior: AP Spanish, AP Calc BC, AP Gov, AP Environmental Science, AP Economics, AP Psychology, AP Literature
(These classes do interest me so I don’t think I’ll dieZ even if I do, I’m sure I can manage my time well)
*aiming for capstone since it’s research based
EC: (I’ll just list the 10 I’ll put on my common app to makes things simpler)
1.) founder and VP of Science National Honor Society
We never had an SNHS in our school and I don’t believe we ever had one in our city, my friend and I decided to create this club. We often do volunteer at local hospitals or just any science related events. At the end of the year we conduct science fairs. Sometimes we even conduct fun lab activities after school. We do fundraising mainly for cancer patients as well. So far, our community projects were planting plants in our cities and having recycling bins for the cafeteria. We’ll def do something more legit next year lol. XD Our purpose is to mainly bring those who are interested in the science field to bring awareness of the scientific aspect of our society.
2.) active member of the Alliance for Climate Education
This is not an in-school club. Basically this is an organization to gather youth to make a difference in addressing about global warming. I’ve only recently joined it, and so far, we have a lot of events during the week where it’s mainly held in Boston. Global warming is a current issue and I honestly think it’s a huge honor to be part of this organization. I’m hoping to be more involved next year. i was also thinking of merging this with SNHS such as creating global warming for projects.
3.) President for Relay for Life
This club is mainly focused on cancer. Our biggest event of the year is the Tufts University Overnight walk, where all the “Relay for Life” members are gathered to fight against cancer. Throughout the year we fundraiser money for cancer patients through bake sales or even craft. This year we raised 1K while may not be a huge accomplishment to some, but I personally think this is a huge step for the whole club. I’m hoping to raise up to 10K next year.
4.) BioBuilder
This is a 6-week session held during the school year that I am definitely going to be doing next year. My friend done it and she said it was a lot of fun since there was a lot of hands-on lab experiments. The program is held during April I believe and it’s at MIT. I’m hoping to gain more experience through the program.
5.) BioSequencing at Tufts
Now this summer program is going to be something I’m doing this summer. It’s a 6-week program in which I will have the opportunity to learn important molecular biology and genetics laboratory techniques, work with a next-generation DNA sequencer, and use advanced computer technology to gather and make sense of the data.
6.) Dana Farber cancer institute
This is a 6-week volunteering program which I was going to go this summer but it was past the deadline, so I’m going to do next summer. I’m very hoping as volunteers, we can really make a very real difference on cancer.
7.) American Cancer Society (ACS)
Also an organization that isn’t in school. I like to be involved with organizations that relates to cancer, especially on the aspect of raising the awareness of cancer, since many do not recognize it until they themselves have it. I’ve only recently became a member, where I’ll be attending to the events and possibly become a part of advocating for them as well this summer.
8.) American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Also an organization outside of school. I mainly joined this on the issue of global warming. I’ve done several research projects and presentations on this specific issue, and I plan on taking it to another level. I want to bring this issue to a broader spectrum of audience since this is such a current issue and also a deadly one. I really hope I can get my voice heard in this association.
9.) President of Interact Club
This is mainly a volunteering club. We often hold food drives for those in need. We volunteer at local libraries and festivals in our community. We perform at least two projects a year, which are both mainly servicing the community. This year, we held food drives in our local community for those in need. Both the officers and advisor found the experience to be very rewarding since so many people came.
10.) Founder and President of Culture Connection
This club is going to be officially launched this fall. This club is mainly to celebrate the Chinese culture. We collaborate with the Chinese Culture Connection which is a non-profit organization where we tutor kids but also teach them their Chinese heritage. We will hold ceremonies, end of the year festivals and volunteer for culture related events. We don’t want to just solely focus on the Chinese culture, but also have others celebrate their own culture as well. This is one of the club that I’m most passionate in.
I do NHS but not sure if I should put it in there since a lot of people do it lol.
Questions:
1.) Should I include the activities I’ve done over the summer? They do teach me things and I learn a lot from them. But I know colleges want to see long term time commitment. Since the program is only 6 weeks long, would it be a let down if I include them?
2.) One of the extracurriculars I had was a Chinese culture based, where I try to show the appreciation I have for my culture. However, I wasn’t sure if it was too much of a stand out compared to my other extra curricular? So I wasn’t sure if I should keep it.
3.) I plan on maybe majoring in either science or math, so that’s why my EC is mainly science based. I really do not want to come off as fake since I do put in a lot of time in the clubs and organizations I’m in. I just wanted to know what was the first impression you had?
4.) Just some feedback would be great. You can be brutally honest with me lol, I can take it haha. I would also love some college recommendations as well! 
thanks! :)))
My college essays would prob be about my experience at the Chinese restaurant my father use to own or (random) about the tree that was cut down in front of my house (lol I did actually cry because of that… omg) I’ll know what to write as time goes on. Hopefully it won’t be crappy lol