Applying to top-tier colleges

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>I am applying to Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Stanford, MIT, Caltech, UPenn, Duke, WashU, Rice, and UT Austin</p>

<p>I am an Indian male
12th in class out of 750 (top 2%)
Weighted gpa is around 5.3 out of 6 (the gpa of our valedictorian is around 5.6)
AP Calculus BC - 5
AP English Lang - 5
AP Stat - 5
AP Physics - 5
AP Bio - 4
AP US History - 3
AP Comp Sci - 3
I am taking AP English Literature, AP Chemistry, AP Government, and AP Economics this year
SAT Superscore - Math 800, Writing 790, Critical Reading - 700
I am taking the SAT in December and I hope to raise my CR score.
SAT II Math II - 800
SAT II Physics - 740
I am waiting for my SAT II Chem score although I predict it will be between 760 and 800.
I am a National Merit Semifinalist
I am a member of the National Honor Society and the Spanish Honor Society</p>

<p>I have been in the orchestra since 5th grade, and have qualified for the Philharmonic Region Orchestra. I have twice been a member of the orchestra that won the honor of being the best orchestra in the state for that year (once in middle school and once in high school). I am currently the Class Representative for my orchestra.</p>

<p>I am currently the Mu Alpha Theta President at my school. I have qualified for the USAMO twice (10th and 11th grade). My AIME scores from the past 4 years, from 8th grade to 11th grade, have been 6, 6, 8, and 9, respectively. I have placed consistently high in local, state, and national math competitions, placing first in the state and top 5 in the nation on some occasions.</p>

<p>I have been a member of the Science Club, the Chess Club, and the Academic Decathlon Team. I have participated and competed at the local, state, and national level in these, although not to the extent that I have in orchestra and math.</p>

<p>I organized and ran a free math tutoring program at my library for the past 2 summers. I have volunteered at hospitals and accumulated around 150 hours from this. I have also voluntarily tutored students at my high school and at middle schools in my district.</p>

<p>I think my essays are strong but probably not brilliant or outstanding.
I expect my math teacher recommendation to be very good, and my english teacher recommendation to be reasonably good.</p>

<p>I also worked as a high school intern at a computer company as a lab assistant. I got a pretty good recommendation from my boss and I intend to submit it to colleges.</p>

2

<p>Are you retaking the SAT? A 700CR is below median at your top schools and will hurt. If you have significant math honors which you imply but don’t list, MIT will be your best best of the top schools, CIT has through the roof CR scores like HYPS.</p>

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<p>yes i’m retaking the sat in december and i hope to raise my CR score to around 750</p>

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<p>What do you plan on studying in college?</p>

5

<p>i’m really not too sure to be honest
at first, i instinctively thought of studying theoretical math/science. like in the school of natural sciences and arts at most schools
however, over time i’ve realized that i haven’t had much exposure to many major areas that may be right for me. one example is business.
so i guess i’m really not too sure although i’m leaning towards math, physics, chem, or business</p>

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<p>

</p>

<p>Double USAMO qualification with decent scores and ec’s? You’re in…pretty much anywhere. I would definitely be willing to bet my money on you!</p>

<p>Harvard: High Match/ Low Reach
Princeton: High Match/ Low Reach
Yale: High Match/ Low Reach
Stanford: High Match/ Low Reach
MIT: High Match
Caltech: Match
UPenn: Match
Duke: Match
WashU: Low Match
Rice: Low Match
UT Austin: Safety</p>

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<p>I really don’t mean to attack you by saying this, but Im interested to hear your response. What is the point of applying to Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and Stanford (not to mention Wash U, U. Penn, and Duke)? Are you just trying to increase your chances to get into an Ivy League/very prestigious school? From your interests and goals, it sounds like you should be applying to U. Penn & Princeton ivy league schools. If you’re applying to Harvard and Yale just to see if you can get in, you’re wasting your time and money and potentially stealing the spot of someone else who wants to go to these schools.</p>

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<p>Hey wow, this is really impressive, I would bet money that you get into every school with scholarship that you apply to. Good job. There is nothing else to say besides, that this resume is near perfect, you’re a very ideal applicant for HYPS. Chance another desi, bhai? <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/592997-help-help-potential-nyu-stern-applicant.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/592997-help-help-potential-nyu-stern-applicant.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>I wouldn’t say I’m applying to Harvard or Yale just to see if I get in. There are certain aspects of both schools that appeal to me. Even though both are liberal arts schools, they do have fairly good math and science departments that receive a lot of funding and have a lot of research opportunities so I don’t see why I shouldn’t apply to them. When it comes to something as important as college, I want to keep my options open. Then, once I see where I get in, I can visit the colleges I was admitted to and decide which one is the right one for me. The arguments that I shouldn’t apply somewhere because it might not be the right college for me, or that I might be taking somebody else’s spot are a bit ridiculous. College admission, like many other things, is based on competition. The students that are the best fits and are most qualified to attend a college should get admission to that college. Time and money are rather insignificant when compared to something that will determine the rest of my life.</p>

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<p>any more opinions?</p>

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<p>I got my chemistry SAT II score back and got a 750. A bit lower than I had hoped for…oh well.</p>

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<p>I’d say any where you want to go. However, like XYZ said apply to the school that suits you best, not the school that has the biggest name.</p>

<p>Can you predict my chances as well?</p>

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<p>Hi mathlete1106!</p>

<p>Your credentials caught my eye, and I’d be more happy to chance you. I’ve chanced a couple hundreds of people over the summer, but I come back once in a while to help out with the admissions process. </p>

<p>Anyways, let’s start with your GPA. Every school has a different GPA scale, but I’ll tell you that a 5.3 is not usually impressive, but given the fact that the highest GPA in your school is a 5.6, I’d say that your school is pretty difficult. Have your GC mention the difficulty of the curriculum in your HS and how competitive it is there (it must be!). According to your stats, you have listed 11 APs. That is slightly above average for the schools you are applying to, based on the CCers I have chanced in the past few months – most usually have 7-9 APs, but keep in mind that the average CCer is an overachiever and not everyone applying to the Ivies is one. </p>

<p>Now let’s look at your test scores. Your SAT total of 2290 is excellent and is in the Top .5% of the US (99.5 percentile). You do not need to retake this test, because it will send a bad message to admission officers (your life = test taking). Let go! You’re a senior – and admission officers aren’t very fond of senior-year test takers, because you have an unfair advantage over those who take it as a junior. Remember that the admissions process is holistic … not one single factor is grounds for rejection … and 50 dollars is so not worth the extra 50 points. On the other hand, your SAT Subjects look fine, and they demonstrate your aptitiude in math. Most of your AP scores are excellent and will merit college credit; however, admissions officers will notice those 3s (3s aren’t highly regarded at the top privates). </p>

<p>Your ECs are excellent, because they demonstrate strong interest in the math/sciences. (That’s why you’re so good at it, huh?) What stands out in your app is that you’ve qualified for AIME for the past 4 years and USAMO for the past 2. That’s HIGHLY impressive — being in the USAMO for 2 years means that you are consistently one of the best 250 HS math students in this country! I’m personally still trying to get past the AMC 12. I feel like a loser … (can you PM me? I’m interested in how you do math!!! … not kidding!) </p>

<p>Anyways, enough about me. Overall, you’re an impressive applicant who obviously is very talented in the sciences and especially, in math. You should be proud of your achievements in high school (but not to the point that you’re egotistical or arrogant), because you are definitely among the best. Boost your chances of admission by writing strong essays — possibly about your passion for math if that is indeed what you truly enjoy doing. </p>

<p>Chances:
HYPMS: Slight reach (yes, you’re excellent at math … but your reading scores won’t kill your chances of admission … because the app process is holistic … i’m giving you a slight reach because even USAMOs are rejected by these schools … admissions here is such a crapshoot) </p>

<p>Caltech: Slight reach </p>

<p>UPenn: Slight reach (Still an Ivy!) </p>

<p>Duke: Match </p>

<p>WUSTL: Match</p>

<p>Rice: Safety match + slight reach for merit money </p>

<p>UT Austin: Definitely in + match for merit money </p>

<p>Another piece of advice: Just as the previous posters have stated, don’t apply to these schools just based on prestige. Just because they’re presitigious does not mean that they’re the perfect schools for you. Apply anywhere you feel you will fit the best. Do a campus tour or learn more about the programs you’re interested at each school’s website – find out if you can stand being at the school for 4 years, because getting in isn’t the only thing you should be concerned about. Can you see yourself being happy there? That’s what counts the most.</p>

<p>You should also consider some specialty schools. Have you heard of the Olin School of Engineering or Cooper Union? They seek out for talented math/science students like you and … tuition is $0!</p>

<p>Good luck, and Happy Thanksgiving!
-ab2013</p>

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<p>man…ab can you chance me ?</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/601606-what-my-chances-good-college.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/601606-what-my-chances-good-college.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>you did amazing and i could really benefit from something like that </p>

<p>if not thats okay too but wow…id be like…set with description like that</p>

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<p>ab2013</p>

<p>I hope you are interested in diplomacy or government and politics. You care about people and write cogently and succinctly. What are your educational interests other than U of Mich?</p>

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<p>i agree barrister ab does an amazing job. shows he actually cares about what he is saying.</p>

<p>if there was a rep button on these forums he would get some from me</p>

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<p>fullyBe careful fromthe south who you take advice from. When someone advises someone with a 700CR applying to top schools not to retake, they don’t understand the process.</p>

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<p>Oh okay. Well I admit I don’t know much about the SAT. I’ve only taken the ACT.</p>

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<p>hmom5</p>

<p>You completely missed the point of ab2013’s post and thereafter insulted fromthesouth for his support! Ouch! I have read more than a dozen books on the college admissions process—in particular admission to the elite schools----and can confidently opine that there is no single criterion for an admissions guarantee. Certainly, test scores alone are not viewed as the most important factor.</p>

<p>On the contrary, most of the top universities look at several variables in concert: test scores, class rank, GPA, curriculum rigor, essays, ECs and teacher recs. Most everyone is aware of that. I’m sure you, hmom5, are as well.</p>

<p>ab2013 showed perspicacity and “CC savvy” by zeroing in on the complete package of mathlete. In this circumstance, a 2290 SAT score is not going to be hurtful to the applicant’s prospects because the AdComs will likely be impressed with the entirety of the portrait that is painted by mathlete.</p>

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<p>thanks for the opinions guys
any other chances?</p>