Your awards are incredibly impressive, and that might make up for the GPA. I would say HYPSM are reaches, but with a good essay and letter of recommendations, I wouldn’t be surprised if you got in. Good luck!
Thank you, @cationcath
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- Camp Instructor, MIT’s Fabrication Laboratory (Fab Lab), Summer of Sophomore year. Taught Maker’s Camp for students aged 8 to 12 in Arabic (in a Middle Eastern country). Took a course modeled after an MIT class.
I speak four languages: English, Arabic, French, and Chinese (though only the first two fluently)
I am the sole inventor on one U.S. Patent, and two of my papers have been submitted for publication at reputable journals (but not Nature or anything).
I used my junior year project to create a business, winning the local business competition. I actually have an investor! So woo! IDK how progressed it will be by the time apps are due, though.
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Your GPA/grades are not as strong as others, but who cares.
If you get good letters of recommendation and write thoughtful essays, you will match one or more of the top schools. Try to get a reference for your time at MIT. You will need to tell people about your research background (including your work in the 9th grade) and your time at Fab Lab (certainly for H and MIT). You may want to consider bioengineering. Since you are biracial, you have some freedom in completing certain parts of the application.
In your statement(s) of purpose, discuss your research background and how it relates to your choice of major. Indicate that you are interested in pursing research at your chosen school, along with an interest in graduate studies later on. The goal is to discuss your interest in conducting research at a research institution (which HYSPM are) and to draw attention away from your grades.
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Since you are biracial, you have some freedom in completing certain parts of the application.
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What does that mean, @jsm2015?
@rhandco - Well, I’ve only included academic classes here and in my GPA.
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What does that mean, @jsm2015?
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Indicate that you’re African-American on the application.
you have a 3.74 with non A’s in 60% of your classes.
Don’t go for the schools you barely squeak in - go for the school you will do even better than high school. What about your state flagship? Schools that will give you automatic merit for your test scores?
She has 3 B+'s. Big whoop. An A- is like 90, 91, 92…meaning she can certainly handle any school.
Your sister applied 10 years ago? Yes things have gotten harder. But you may provide a combo some schools want: a very high scoring, bright and introspective candidate who happens to also be a URM…
Thank you @HRSMom - my GPA is a bit stressful for me at times. It’s a byproduct of working 20+ hours in the lab each week. 
@ClarinetDad16 - I understand that will affect my candidacy at these schools, but I definitely think I can handle the workload. The low GPA is a byproduct of choosing 20 hour/week lab work and running my own company, as well as heading three academic clubs, alongside the most challenging classes available at my school.
Those that get 4.0s here make the conscious decision not to partake in ECs.
You probably, as most students, will not get into an Ivy. They reject 90-95% on average of applicants. That leaves you dozens of schools that will want you, and when you pinpoint your parameters come up with a final list you will be happy at that should admit you. Find the best fit (not the best name) and you will be on the road to a great college experience. best of luck!
I’m not nearly as pessimistic bout your chances as @ClarinetDad16. I’m not sure which of the schools you listed might be the best fit for you.
@renaissancedad STEM programs are extremely competitive.
Take a guess what school this profile is from?
College of Engineering
ACT Score: 31-34
SAT Score (no writing): 1400-1520
TOEFL: 105-112
High School Class Rank: 92-99%
“STEM programs are extremely competitive.”
@ClarinetDad16, I understand that, but the OP is not applying to an engineering school (I would have guessed UCB or Cornell from your description), she’s applying mostly to universities where you don’t need a declared major, and her background is eclectic and diverse.
From what I can tell:
- URM status
- Standardized test scores
- Curricular rigor
- Innovative ECs like FabLab
- Depth of STEM experience, including ISEF awards, patent, publication, research internship
- Entrepreneurial experience
- Multicultural/language background. How many applicants have taught in a foreign country using a foreign language that was not native to them?
- GPA/class rank (3 B+'s, 2 of them as a freshman, so Stanford at least would discount them in their re-calculation)
- Income
- Exclusive preparatory school background
There’s a lot about the OP that stands out. I could see your projection coming true, but I could equally easily see her getting in to Stanford with her re-calculated GPA and her clear “intellectual vitality” demonstrated through her outside pursuits. In fact, I could see Stanford preferring her over many her classmates with more perfect GPAs but less outside achievement. I think that she’d have a better chance there than at engineering colleges. That said, the odds are still low, so having a range of options is important.
Thinking more about ideal “fit” for the OP, Stanford and Duke (not on the OP’s list, but a school which I think she should seriously consider) seem like great fits. I would also encourage her to take a look at UChicago and Rice. I agree that she should think about “fit” rather than name, and probably broaden her scope a bit.
@renaissancedad that is the Engineering School profile for University of Illinois.
Imagine what the stats are for the “prestigious” private STEM programs?
I’m really not sure why that’s relevant. The OP is not applying to public engineering colleges. “Prestigious” private STEM programs use a much more holistic approach. I just don’t understand your reasoning.
@ClarinetDad16 - I’m applying to the College of Arts and Sciences at all of my universities, rather than the Engineering School.
I definitely understand it’s competitive. So your opinion is that I will probably not get into any Ivy League schools (which include the “”“lower ivies”"" like Cornell, Brown, etc.)?
@Anonymoose3 would your enrollment at a non Ivy be considered a failure?
Or is attending a “bottom Ivy” a disappointment too?
Some call the irrational obsession to attend an Ivy school as EICD.
Elite Instiution Cognitive Disorder
There is a cure, broaden your horizons and find the best fit. The college where it just feels right, that when you are there you are confident you will do well, be happy and successful. I truly wish you well.
@ClarinetDad16 - I think you are putting words in my mouth, most probably due to the amount of time you spend on CC with obsessive teens.
I have plenty of schools that I would absolutely love to attend and at which I am guaranteed admittance, (and have already received $80,000 scholarships) but I would like to apply to some reach schools as well. When composing a college list it’s important to be aware of where a reach is and where a “you’re an idiot if you waste $75 on an application” is.
I only used the term “”“lower ivy”"" (in three quotation marks to signal my intense disagreement with the phrasing) because it was necessary to signal the difference in selectivity. I would like to know now if it’d be a waste of time to apply to any Ivy League schools (from HYP to Cornell) right now so I can scratch them off my list.
Right now, I am choosing my reach schools, but in order to do that I need to know what a reach is for me and whether they’re ‘reasonable reaches’.
It is worth your $$ for an Ivy app (or 2:) I like your profile so far. Put out a great essay and good luck!!