<p>I know I have some pretty glaring deficiencies, esp. for the places I'm applying to, and I'd like to know what I could do to fix them with the time I have left. I'd also like to know how important my art portfolio would be in applying to certain colleges, and whether or not a good portfolio might help make up some of the gap....The latter is actually something that I really would like an answer to, because none of the people around me have a clear idea of how much that affects an Ivy application. </p>
<p>To tell the truth, I started my college search pretty late, due to some extenuating circumstances, so the list is probably subject to some change at least. However, I figure that if I set the top as my goal, I'll stand a better chance no matter where I apply. Any information or advice that could be given would be appreciated. </p>
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<p>11th grade
Asian-American (Chinese 1.5 gen)
Male
Kentucky</p>
<p>I'm applying to both normal colleges and pure art schools, so:</p>
<p>Colleges:</p>
<p>Yale
Columbia
UPenn (affiliated with PAFA)
Carnegie Mellon
Duke
Ohio State (basically a back-up, in comparison...)</p>
<p>Art schools:</p>
<p>Cooper Union
RISD
MICA
SAIC
PAFA (affiliated with UPenn)</p>
<p>Intended major:
Fine arts or illustration (although I'm considering double majoring if I don't go to an art school...)</p>
<p>Unweighted GPA: 4.00 (as of now)
Weighted: 4.375</p>
<p>AP's taken:</p>
<p>AP World History (5)</p>
<p>AP's taking:</p>
<p>AP English Comp
AP US History
AP Studio Drawing
AP Physics</p>
<p>Planned AP's for next year:</p>
<p>AP English Lit
AP Calc BC
AP Comparative Government/Politics
AP Computer Science
AP Studio 2-D
AP Studio 3-D
AP Art History</p>
<p>(I may drop one or the other depending on how ridiculous it ends up being)</p>
<p>The school I'm at happens to offer a pretty wide selection of AP courses, so this is not exactly the most intensive schedule ever. My next year just may be the worst senior year of anyone in the school though.... Ah well.</p>
<p>PSAT: 216 (10th), 228 (11th) (pretty sure I made semifinalist at least, but my citizenship status may be a problem here...)
SAT I: 2170 (M: 800 W: 700 R: 670) without studying in March, currently studying to take it again in June
SAT II: none yet, studying for Oct/Nov.</p>
<p>ACT: 35 (but without the writing section, so I'd have to take it again if I wanted a score that counted). studying for June</p>
<p>Extracurriculars:</p>
<p>Painting murals for the school (volunteer basis)
After-school math tutoring, 30~ hours so far this year
Table tennis team (no captain position, no varsity as of yet...)
Art club (no leadership position as of yet...)</p>
<p>That is literally it, unless there is something so insignificant even I forgot it. My weak point is blindingly apparent. </p>
<p>Awards:</p>
<p>Scholastic Gold Key (2009)
Scholastic Silver Keys (1 in 2009, 1 in 2008)</p>
<p>Portfolio:</p>
<p>Photobucket</a> portfolio</p>
<p>This isn't all my work or even necessarily my best work, but it's the selection I've been sending out in summer program applications, so it's a decent representation. Hopefully (definitely) I'll have improved on this come crunch time.</p>
<p>Misc.:</p>
<p>This is all "if" stuff so it doesn't exactly help the chancing, but at the very least, it's what I'm planning on doing.</p>
<p>Currently looking for a job, hoping to find one and hold it through the summer and senior year
Hopefully attending either the Marie Walsh Sharpe Art Foundation Summer Seminar or MICA's pre-college summer program, though there's the off-chance I don't get admitted to either
Currently looking for art-related internship opportunities for the summer and next year
(in particular, I'm hoping to get a position at a local art museum, although that's far from guaranteed)
Currently looking at summer/night college course offerings to see if I can get some credit</p>
<hr>
<p>As mentioned, one of the main things I'd like to know more about is whether or not applying as an art major with a portfolio could possibly make up for the enormous dearth of quality extracurriculars. I'm enormously uncertain about how much value is placed on an applicant's artwork when applying to colleges; my art teachers have no real experience with anyone looking at the Ivies, and my other teachers have no experience with a student applying as an art major. Obviously, this varies depending on the applicant's work, but....all I know is that with the way I am now, the odds are pretty steep.</p>
<p>There's another thing I'd like to know. Since I was in middle school, I've spent a lot of time taking care of my younger siblings, as both my parents were either finishing up a degree or working a bit late, and we can't well afford a babysitter. It's part of the reason I don't have any great extracurricular commitment, although it'd be a little dishonest to say it was wholly responsible. Would there be any use in talking about this in an application? </p>
<p>Many people I've spoken to, including my parents, feel I should because if it were another family's children, it would count as a babysitting job. That's true. But it wasn't another family's children, and for the most part, it was unpaid as well (I thought it would be a bit base to be paid to take care of my own siblings when it was a necessity). It feels a bit wrong for me to be flaunting that as a credential, and it seems like it might be taken as a desperate grasp for <em>something</em> that could pad out my application. I'm really not so sure it would help my chances at all. Should I just go for it, or am I right in thinking it should be left out? If I did include it, how should I handle it? As a job or volunteer work? Just talk about it in the essays? I'd like some more opinions on the matter, and it seems like the ones here would be more valuable than most.</p>
<p>The third and final thing is....in relation to the art schools in particular, what are my chances of getting a good merit-based scholarship? I'm not terribly confident in my portfolio, but I think just getting in won't be a problem. However, tuition is steep, and it'd be impossible for my parents to foot the bill with our current financial situation. Need-based aid is right out for most schools; their income is high enough, our expenditures and debts just happen to be higher. That's one of the reasons I'm looking at the Ivies; their threshold for need-based aid is a lot higher. I'm currently looking for some good schools where I stand a better chance at admission and aid, but it's aiming high can't do any harm, I guess. </p>
<p>(and of course I could settle for a lower tier school and probably be happy but I at least want to do what I can with what I have left)</p>
<p>Thanks in advance for any help you can give me. If there's a subforum that would be more appropriate for any of the questions I've raised, please let me know, so I can make a topic in the proper location.</p>