CalTech: Chance at all?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>I am a junior about 5-9 months away from starting my apps but still want some stats on if I stand even the slightest chance at getting into CalTech</p>

<p>wGPA: 4.2-4.4 (Damn low i know...)
SAT: 1520
newSAT: unknown</p>

<p>AP's: Chem(5), WorldHistory(4)
SAT2: Chem(800), Phys(760), Math IIC(740)</p>

<p>Out of school science activities... how much would you judge as being enough?</p>

<p>Personally I have only 2 MINIMAL (notice the boldness/size of minimal) out of school science relations:</p>

<p>(1)Aeronautics club, building model airplanes that take into account the physics of flight (or mainly physics). Newbies always start out learning the basic equations and then learn how to apply and then when they understand the basics, they apply by building an actual plane thats faster, stealthier, blablablablabla, whatever goal they aim at (numerous amounts). planes range from common paper airplanes to metalwork.</p>

<p>(2)Community service at a nature center that mainly deals with environmental bio around the chesapeake waterbay shed area. Constantly working on further promotion posters/articles to preserve the bay. Go camping sometimes too :)</p>

<p>It is quite clear that CalTech admits only the best of the bestest, in reality i've been quite a big loser in school, my gpa's not the highest and no research or science awards.</p>

<p>But i did try to get involved with in school competitions and research.</p>

<p><<chemathon>> Yearly event held in MD that makes highschool students compete in regards to chem. Our school always wins except for 1998, yet i didnt make the last cut (sigh*...failure written all over my face, can't even make this...)</chemathon></p>

<p><<another chem="" event="">> It was held by National Chem Society, I made regionals which was held in philly with one team from each state permitted. Lost regionals so really nothing achieved.</another></p>

<p>Overall, School competitions/competitions as a whole was a failure to me. I am considering writing the two events in my essay b/c it shows devotion in a way(towards science) yet, it also depicts a HS Junior who can't even make his schools chem team, therefore he is not fit academically to attend CIT. </p>

<p>I assume CIT judges heavily on devotion and passion toward the science/maths</p>

<p><<physics bowl="">> Physics event, it is currently underway at the "draft and cut for the school team" phase. If all goes well, I'll win the National's (which i doubt)</physics></p>

<pre><code>Is that adequate enough at a minimal level in reaching CIT's calibur??? Im really curious... Does CIT want people with more passion or more knowledge. I do realize knowledge is key yet i seem to be failing at winning certain struggles :(

I can confidentally say my knowledge is passable yet I have no record besides a constant flow of straight A's in my science classes to prove so...Besides my GPA is not that great. I have no concrete detail to support my passion in becoming a CIT'er. I am in a bad situation
</code></pre>

<p>Please someone bump this :)</p>

2

<p>no, you look really good. You have some good chance. What youre taking ?</p>

3

<p>I screwed up my freshman year with almost all reg classes except for one honors...(biggest regret up till now*) So classes were as easy as hooligans during freshman year in HS</p>

<p>My science courses weren't rigorous sophmore year, h chem and h bio were the only science, with alg2/anal (sigh*....another big regret in my life, math class level) and the rest either ap or honors</p>

<p>junior year i take apChem and am passing it with ease beyond imagination, h phys with ease, precalc (lets not talk about math*) h english11, apworldhistory, apjava2 and thats about it.</p>

<p>I already planned senior year, i picked much harder classes than the other years. apBio which is easier than apChem so pass with ease. APeconomy macro/micro, APlang, APphysics,French3 Honors (ouch*), AP Calc BC</p>

<p>Thats about it :(, It looks pretty bad, especially when compared to those international competition winners from like taiwan or india or wherever else</p>

<p>Oh i left out my EC'S although they aren't that important:
Chemistry, Cricket, Aeronautics Club
the rest are shown above</p>

<p>I don't join things that are ******** and fill up my app like most people do, I want to show CalTech that I am not doing EC'S for college but out of pure interest and with passion toward every one of them. Somehow i'll write that on my essay in a better form if it seems argreeable.</p>

4

<p>Get involved in some serious research. Do it at like, the nearest Ivy League or top 15 college, and try to make sure it's about something really complicated that even a genius at CalTech might be impressed with. </p>

<p>If you're smart enough to get into CalTech, the professor you work with will write you a really killer recommendation, and you'll have a really great chance at CalTech.</p>

<p>And well, if you're a good match for CalTech, you would really love doing something like that.</p>

<p>Seize the summer.</p>

<p>Joey</p>

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<p>Caltech is very numbers oriented! ECs (research etc.) are really taken into much consideration. Caltech typically just admits the highest SAT/GPA combination, according to a professor I spoke with.</p>

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<p>golubb_u, that was most valuable to me, my SAT i have a whole 6 months to work on so im fine with that, gpa is killing me...definentely average for CalTech isn't 4.2-4.4</p>

<p>jprencipe, your info will also be cherished, I believe i can impress a mentor, as to something really complicated....hm......going to be hard for me to find one at this time of year. (Ouch*)</p>

7

<p>The folks from admissions over on the caltech forum would have some issues with what you are saying golubb_u.</p>