Chance a fool for MIT, Caltech, etc!

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Hey, guys! I’m a long-time lurker and decided that this would be my first post here on CC.</p>

<p>Junior, Male, Asian, at a medium-large average high school in Texas with most APs and IBs available
I’ve taken the hardest math/science focused course load in my school’s history [according to my mom].</p>

<p>Rank: 4/520
GPA (UW): 4.0
GPA (W): 5.63</p>

<p>**9th Grade<a href="Made%2095-100%20semester%20averages%20all%20year">/b</a>
AP Calculus BC
Pre-AP Biology
Pre-AP English I
Pre-AP World Geography
French II Enhanced
Tennis I
Art I
Introduction to Electronics</p>

<p>**10th Grade<a href="Made%2092-100%20semester%20averages%20all%20year">/b</a>
AP Statistics
Differential Equations @ community college (first sem)
Calculus III @ community college (second sem)
AP Physics C
AP Biology
Scientific Research & Design: Engineering (I use the time for working on Siemens Competition stuff)
Pre-AP English II
AP World History
Pre-AP French III
AP Computer Science</p>

<p>**11th Grade<a href="Made%2094-100%20averages%20in%20the%20first%20sem">/b</a>
IB Mathematics HL
Discrete Mathematics @ community college (first sem)
Calculus IV @ community college (second sem)
IB Chemistry SL
AP Environmental Science
Scientific Research & Design: Engineering (I use the time for working on Siemens Competition stuff)
IB English SL
IB Regional Studies
IB French IV SL
Tennis II</p>

<p>**12th Grade<a href="Tentative%C2%85%20is%20it%20okay%20if%20I%20throw%20a%20free%20period%20in%20here%20instead%20of%20economics?">/b</a>
??? Complex Analysis ???
IB Chemistry HL
Scientific Research & Design: Engineering (I use the time for working on Siemens Competition stuff)
IB English HL
IB 20th Century Topics
IB French V HL
AP Microeconomics (Fall), AP Macroeconomics (Spring)
Tennis III</p>

<p>**AP Tests:<a href="9">/b</a> Calculus BC: 5
(10) Statistics: 5
(10) Physics C: 5
(10) Biology: 5
(10) Computer Science: 5
(10) World History: 5</p>

<p>**I am going to test in:<a href="11">/b</a> Environmental Science: expect a 5
(11) English Language: expect a 4/5
(11) French: expect a 4/5
(12) English Literature: expect a 4/5
(12) A bunch of IB stuff: expect 5-7 (highest is 7; passing is 3)</p>

<p>**SAT Subject Tests:<a href="9">/b</a> Math Level 2: 800
(9) Biology: 760 (Should I retake?)
(10) Physics: 800
(10) Chemistry: 720</p>

<p>SATs:
M: 790/R: 740/W: 760
Total: 2290 (Should I retake?)</p>

<p>Extracurricular Activities/Honors:
Volunteered 250 hours at a local food bank (9,10,11,12)
Been taking taekwondo classes for 3 years, will continue (9,10,11,12)
Qualified for AIME thru AMC10 in 10th grade, died while taking AIME (10)
Qualified for AIME thru AMC12 this year, gunned down while taking AIME (11)
Worked on the webpage of my father’s friend’s company’s website (10)
SSP (Summer Science Program) as a sophomore (10)
Well, I miiiggghhhtttt get into RSI (Research Science Institute) this summer. (11)</p>

<p>School-Related ECs:
Playing on school’s varsity tennis team this year, probably next year too (11,12)
School Solar Car Team (9,10,11,12); served as Vice President (9,10), President for (11)
School Poetry Club (9,10,11,12) -- I just love Poetry; served as Secretary for (10), Vice President for (11)
School French Club (9,10,11,12) -- I totally love French; served as Secretary for (10,11)
School Chess Club (9,10,11)
Started School Math Team in this year (11,12)</p>

<p>Hobbies:
Graphic design
Web design
Electronics
Programming (Java, C++)
Reading</p>

<p>Essays/Recommendations:
Been working on essays since first day of sophomore year, so they should be decent
I’m sure I’ll get some good recommendations from my community college math teachers and/or my science teachers</p>

<p>Summary with my hooks and stuff:
Excelled in math and science classes most seniors would take in my freshman and sophomore year
I’m an IB diploma candidate taking IB classes, which are quite rigorous and comparable to AP
I guess SSP as a sophomore is a hook
I guess RSI (mayybeee?) is a hook
I suppose I’m just a nice guy in general.</p>

<p>I plan on applying to:
MIT (my first choice)
Caltech
Stanford
Princeton (just for kicks)
Rice
UT Austin</p>

<p>Questions:
Should I consider replacing AP Mic/Macroeconomics with a free period in my senior year?
Should I retake my SAT Subject Test in Biology (760)?
Should I retake my SAT (2260)?
Should I consider applying to other colleges?</p>

<p>Thanks in advance. I will chance back if you provide a link to yours.</p>

2

<p>I would say SSP is a definate hook considering this year they accepted 72/530. You’re ECs are consistent and you have alot of community service. You will be fine! btw i think you QUESTIONS:

  1. in your free period you should try to be a lab assistant
    2&3) don’t waste your money =] everyone who who applies will have the same scores anyway so for you test scores aren’t even a huge factor
  2. yes, even though yale could be your safety lol. what do you plan to major in?</p>
3

<p>Bring up mah post!!</p>

<p>I’ve always wanted to major in the physical sciences.</p>

4

<p>Questions:
Should I consider replacing AP Mic/Macroeconomics with a free period in my senior year? Yes.
Should I retake my SAT Subject Test in Biology (760)? No.
Should I retake my SAT (2260)? Do you mean 2290? No.
Should I consider applying to other colleges? Yes, but I cannot tell you which ones because I’m not sure what you mean by physical sciences. Do you want to go into engineering?</p>

<p>MIT (my first choice) - meh.
Caltech - dunno.
Stanford - maybe. 30% chance.
Princeton (just for kicks) - maybe. 40% chance.
Rice - yes
UT Austin - already in.</p>

<p>I feel like your EC’s don’t super reflect your math and science abilities… Your course load is very impressive though!</p>

5

<p>By physical sciences, I mean subjects like physics and chemistry.</p>

<p>Keep chancing me! Will chance back if you provide a link to your chancing page!!!</p>

6

<p>Pretty nice Math courses…
SSP and RSI will really really help you with MIT, I’m willing to bet that you’ll get into MIT.</p>

<p>MIT (my first choice) -high match
Caltech -high match (you’ll at least get into one of the two techs i believe)
Stanford -reach
Princeton (just for kicks) -reach
Rice -high match
UT Austin -safety</p>

<p>Stanford and Princeton just looks for different things in applicants other than just pure beastly math abilities. Tech schools seem to love RSI and SSP.</p>

<p>change me back
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/914606-chance-me-ivy-stanford-other-top-schools-please.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/914606-chance-me-ivy-stanford-other-top-schools-please.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

7

<p>Thanks! I forgot to mention that I was also an AP Scholar with Distinction and a National Merit Semi-Finalist, even though that stuff shouldn’t be that substantial in your chancing of myself.</p>

<p>Keep it rolling!</p>

8

<p>b-b-b-bump</p>

9

<p>You shouldn’t retake your SAT I and Biology. They’re good enough for these schools. You could focus on participating in any research/science competitions like Siemens, Intel, and get one or two awards. Anyway, based on your current profile, you stand a good chance for Caltech and MIT. However, if you do get into RSI or one or two major scientific awards, you’ll definitely get into Caltech/MIT or both! (:</p>

10

<p>The thing is your academics are great I don’t think raising them by a few points is going to make that much of a difference. But the thing is with MIT and Caltech most people who apply already have superb academics, so be sure to write very interesting essays for our application essays as well. Physical Science is a good topic to be very philosophical in. I think doing that is what got me into MIT. My scores were nowhere near yours. But beware a lot of people I know got higher scores than me and got rejected. So be generally interesting is my advice.</p>

11

<p>Should I consider replacing AP Mic/Macroeconomics with a free period in my senior year? No.
Should I retake my SAT Subject Test in Biology (760)? No.
Should I retake my SAT (2260)? No.
Should I consider applying to other colleges? Only if they are colleges you honestly want to go to. Don’t apply to schools you don’t actually want to go to just because they are easier to get into, if that’s what you’re implying. Keep your eyes open, do your research, and if something piques your interest, go for it. </p>

<p>Despite the quality of your stats, it’s difficult to put anyone at all into the “match” category at most of those schools. I would say MIT, Caltech, and Rice are low reaches/high matches, while Stanford and Princeton are reaches, as they are for everybody. However, I think you’ll get into at least one of the five. </p>

<p>(And it goes without saying that UT Austin is a match.)</p>

12

<p>Bring up my post!</p>

13

<p>Get into RSI. it will give you your first glance into how elite programs view your app.</p>

14

<p>Don’t retake. You’re good.
Enjoy yourself senior year & keep working on what you love.
Good luck!</p>

15

<p>Warning: being a male and an Asian will probably put you at disadvantage if you apply to MIT (remember the AA!) </p>

<p>Be prepared.</p>

<p>For others you are so good. Definitely a HYPSM-bound student I assure you :)</p>

16

<p>Very good stats here. Your GPA is excellent, and you have gone beyond the hardest courses available to you so that’s a plus. Your SAT score is great too. Same with your subject tests (all universities except for Georgetown require two now so just send your 800s). Your ECs are pretty good and I am not sure about SSP, but if you do get into RSI then it would be great, from what I’ve heard.</p>

<p>Just a couple of things though. If you are a full IB candidate then the colleges will only look favourably at you if you have a 39 out of 42 predicted with at least two 7s in Higher Level, so when you state 5-7s for IB, I would really recommend you get at least three 7s and three 6s. Secondly, your school ECs seem pretty good but I wouldn’t mention school chess club for one or two reasons - firstly, I am not sure if you have leadership and secondly, you haven’t made much of an impact with the club. When the admissions committee reviews your ECs, they see how your ECs can help aid, improve and fit in with the atmosphere at the university. From your chess club, the admissions committee will not see any characteristic apart from commitment, but you have shown that through other clubs already. Personally, a rule I follow for ECs is the following: don’t mention it unless you have leadership or you have made an impact on society without leadership (which is usually unlikely). But in the end, it’s your choice.</p>

<p>The final thing I wanted to bring up was the fact that you designed websites for a friend of your father. Do not mention this. Colleges do not look favourably upon students who have utilized connections or money to get a job that they might not have been eligible for. I’ll give you an example. I was recently selected out a thousand candidates to be part of a summer job, which is ranked in the top 10 internationally. My friend, on the other hand, got into a banking job that his father runs. I also had the opportunity to do the same job so I contacted the admissions office. They said that they like people who have got into a job based on their calibre not based on their contacts. They said that I was chosen because I fit perfectly. In other words, you show that you were chosen through your SSP and, possibly, RSI but not through the websites.</p>

17

<p>One problem I have;</p>

<p>Have you never taken linear algebra?! tisk tisk! Take that instead of Complex Analysis for sure (complex analysis is also pretty boring relatively speaking).</p>

<p>Other than that, your awesome :P</p>

18

<p>You’re amazing! Good luck (both with college admissions and with RSI)!</p>

19

<p>Your in asian</p>

20

<p>^??? Why single out the fact that he’s Asian?</p>