"bad" at math, good at standardized testing?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

Hi! I’m looking for my chances at top level schools (HPYS, JHU, Duke, Berkeley) and especially Harvey Mudd and Williams (sorry! I know this is a lot). I just need some reassurance- my parents are being very controlling and I would like an outside opinion.

Grades:
3.76 GPA (Unweighted) at end of Jr. Year, probably going to go up Sr. Year (fingers crossed)
5.00 weighted
B Sophomore year in Calc BC
Double B’s (same teacher, awarded same grade for both classes) in Physics C Mech. and E/M Junior Year
C (YIKES) Junior Year in Multivariable Calculus (Dual enrolled at UNC)

Took three honors classes on top of 7-period year long workload Jr. year at NCSSM- biomedical engineering, computational science concentration (online)
Was accepted to said school but declined (parents)

AP’s: AP Physics C (E&M, Mech.) AP Calc BC, AP Chem, AP Lit, APUSH (5 on everything but calc(4))
AP Scholar 2015

Part of school’s PLTW engineering program

Testing:
2230 SAT Sophomore Year (770 Math, 770 Writing, 690 Reading)-probably won’t retake, will stick with ACT :slight_smile:
36 ACT (35 Math, Science, 36 Writing, Reading)
SAT Chemistry: 800
SAT Math II: 770 (Might retake)
PSAT: 1500

Honors, EC’s, bibbity bobbity boo:
Coming up on 4 years of XC and Track
Science Club (Science Olympiad) member, current President. Lots of shiny medals.
Elected SGA officer
National Honor Society Chair (basically co-captain with 6 other kids)
Coordinator/former Eurochallenge participant (national semi-finalist freshman year)
Published research paper in actual journal (not a big journal though)
SAIL (Academic Integrity) award Soph, Jr years (Teacher nomination)
120+ volunteer hours at a summer camp (science) for kids
brief peer tutorage stint
Volunteer Internship at UNC Biomedical Research Center
Volunteer Internship with the Dept. of Forestry

I’m female. Asian. No felonies. (LOL. My parents would murder me.) My teachers tend to like me- bubbly, I participate, crack jokes bad enough to make people cry, etc.

Any commentary would be appreciated, including advice on how to get my parents to lay off a little. Thanks!

2

Fellow Asian here.
To be honest, your do your parents know that those schools are reaches for everyone? Honestly I wish I could tell you that you’re a shoo in to all of these but you haven’t cured cancer yet, so while you definitely have a chance, it’s about as good as all of the applicants who apply. I’d say you have a better chance at Harvey Mudd than the others though.

Also do you truly want to do engineering, or are you parents forcing it upon you? (Just wondering)
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/discussion/comment/19872899#Comment_19872899
Chance (roast) me back! :slight_smile:

P.S. I’d say props for having no felonies! A true feat indeed!

3

Also, just make sure whenever your parents are around, you’re working. It’ll give them some peace, and even if you screw up a test, they’ll at least know that you put effort. (Unless they want “results” regardless of how much work you put in then you just gotta stick it out lol)

4

DurejaVu Thank you so much for replying to me! I do enjoy engineering and science. I just wanted more of a definitive NO on some of these, so I could crush my soul preemptively and not apply to them. Usually, my parents don’t care about my academics, but this college thing has them bouncing off the walls and right onto my head.

5

Can one bump oneself? Because that’s what I’m doing right now.

6

Haha so it looks like your problem is that you actually have a chance at these Schools. Well the best you can do is apply to a few matches and safeties. Good luck!

Also I just asked people to chance me back for more replies