Chance a nervous/scared Asian into Big Schools?? PLZ?!?!!?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>I am currently an incoming senior and was wondering if you guys can give me some advice/ analysis? Here is me in a nutshell (includes the important stuff)</p>

<p>Schools I am applying to (roughly from most desired, to safety schools)
1. Princeton
2. MIT
3. Harvard/Caltech
4. Stanford/Yale
5. UPenn, UChicago, maybe Columbia
Safety Schools
6. UC Berkeley, UCLA, and UCSB</p>

<p>Class of 2010
GPA 9th-12th (unweighted): 3.97/4.0
GPA 9th- 12th (weighted): 4.76/5.0</p>

<p>GPA 10th-12th (unweighted): 4.0/4.0
GPA 10th- 12th (weighted): 4.92/5.0</p>

<p>Any form of A (A+,A,A-) is considered a 4.0, less it is weighted, then it would be a 5.0. This goes for B's and C's as well.</p>

<p>Yes our school has two GPA systems (Of the 37 semester-long classes that I have taken, I got one B+ in 9th grade English)</p>

<p>Class Rank: (not including Spring semester yet, got a 5.0 weighted this semester anyways)</p>

<p>Grades 9 - 12: 5 out of 566, Top .88%
Grades 10-12: 3 out of 566, Top .5%</p>

<p>Yes our school gives two ranks as well.</p>

<p>Sophomore Classes: ("/" indicate 1st and 2nd semesters)
AP World Hist: A/A
AP Biology: A+/A+
Algebra Trig 3/4 Honors :A+/A
English 10 Honors: A+/A+
French 102 (city college): A
Engineering 1/ Computer Science 1 (non weighted): A/A-</p>

<p>Pre-junior summer
Math 138 (Pre-calculus at City college): A
Hist 100: A</p>

<p>Junior year:
AP Computer Science A:A/A
AP English Language:A/A-
AP Physics B: A+/A
AP Calculus BC:A/A
AP Environmental Science: A/A
AP Macro and Micro Economics: A+/A+</p>

<p>Senior Year :
AP Chemsitry
English 110
Advanced Engineering Physics
ROP FIRST Robotics
Political Science 101 (city college)
Multi-variable Calculus (MATH 200)
Differential Equations (MATH 220)
IB Economics HL</p>

<p>SATII's: Bio/m:780 (I need two more already taken in June), expecting 800 in Physics and 800 in Math II</p>

<p>SATI: CR: 750 Writing:720 Math: 790
SAT total: 2260 (scores not that great, hoping to score 2300+ in october)</p>

<p>ACT: (unknown, taken in june as well) Hopefully a 35? How much better would a 35 be compared to my current SAT score?</p>

<p>APs : Biology 5 World History 5 (I took 6 more APs this year, I am expecting all 5's in those too) AP Calcu BC, AP Physics B, AP Environmental sci, AP Macro econ and AP Micro Econ, and AP English Language. Is it important to get all 5's. I mean you don't send AP scores until you are accepted INTO a college right?</p>

<p>Awards/ EC: (roughly grouped into Academic Subject types)</p>

<p>Westmont High School Math Competition:First place team for the Team Written Test in years 2008 and 2009. Overall team winner in 2009. I am a Math Team member. (4 people per team people)</p>

<p>Capital Markets Contest (a state wide contest sponsored by the California Council on Economics Education)- ever team gives a presentation after six weeks of economic analysis. We got first place! and won $500 each and a trip to New York, where we will ring the bell at the Stock Exchange floor and get an interview with NY Mayor Bloomberg! (4 people per team)</p>

<p>California State Economics Challenge Championship (of 200 participating schools): First Place team in Adam Smith Division for state of California. It's an academic competition for economics, kinda like Science Bowl. (4 people per team)</p>

<p>Economics Challenge West Regional (next level after state): Second Place Team for Adam Smith Division in the west region of the United States(out of 7 States). Highest written team score. If we had won, we would have gone to Nationals. (4 people per team)</p>

<p>Kern County Regional Science Bowl: First place team out of 32 competing teams. First team to ever win out of Kern County. We then qualified for nationals. (4 people per team)</p>

<p>National Science Bowl: Third Place on Team Challenge of Bromery Division was the only thing we accomplished. Year 2009 Alumni. We got killed, people at nationals are insaneeeee. But I am a proud alumni. (4 people per team)</p>

<p>National Merit Semi-Finalist : got letter for possible eligibility in may (got 219 in california which qualified last year so hopefully for this year too! ) </p>

<p>National AP Scholar: (hopefully if I get mostly 5's which I think I will) Already have 8 AP's done total</p>

<p>Certificate of Merit (2006,2007,2008,2010): Piano thing, yes I know all Asians play piano.</p>

<p>School of Modern Language Certificate of Excellence: awarded from Santa Barbara City College for performance in French Course 2008. Not that great, but notable.</p>

<p>Play on HS tennis team for 4 years: Most Improved Player for years 2007 and 2008.</p>

<p>Student of the Dos Pueblos Engineering Academy: Part of the FIRST Robotics Team (only seniors, so I start next semester :D)</p>

<p>8th grade: (Does this EVEN COUNT?!?!!?!?)
1st place in County Science Fair for Physics
3rd Place in State Science Fair for Electrical </p>

<p>Clubs:
President of a Sustainability Club.
Treasurer for Math club.
Vice President for Science Bowl Club.
Vice President of Ping Pong Club (yes I know very asian). </p>

<p>I have a lot of other minor stuff, such as writing Op-Eds for newspapers and promoting sustainability in my club, but if I write everything I did, it would probably already bore you guys to hell.</p>

<p>I think I am gonna start a new club with friends next year for Science Olympiad. I am not really doing it for college, more just because I loved the competitions and science in general.</p>

<p>Over 250 hours of community service for Cottage Hospital. Not a huge big deal </p>

<p>THIS SUMMER'S ACTIVITIES:
I am interning at the Electrical Engineering Department at UCSB this summer with a professor who is well known in the Semiconductor Device field. (GaN semiconductor stuff)</p>

<p>I am also trying to intern with a UC Santa Barbara economics professor as well.</p>

<p>LETTERs OF REC?
For now, my AP Environ teacher will probably write a letter of rec for me, but I doubt he is a good writer. My Econ teacher will for sure write an awesome one for me. I think I can get my physics teacher to write one for me as well (hopefully better than my environ teacher). If all goes well, I could get a letter of rec from mentors during my internship overthe summer too.</p>

<p>Long list, but I hope you guys can read all of it and give me feedback!</p>

2

<p>bump 10char</p>

3

<p>Every school on your list is basically a crapshoot until you get to your “saftey” schools. The true saftey on your list is UCSB. You are probably in at UCLA and Berkeley but I wouldn’t be suprised if one didn’t take you. That being said, you have a shot at all the schools on your list so good luck, but maybe add another saftey.</p>

4

<p>lol I am a Californian who lives 1 miles away from UCSB. I KNOW I am going to get into all 3 UC’s. I am way too familiar with UC acceptance.</p>

5

<p>bump 10 char</p>

6

<p>It’d be a dream to call Berkeley a safety.</p>

7

<p>I also KNEW I would get into UCB. </p>

<p>And didn’t. </p>

<p>Recipe for Disaster:</p>

<p>UCB Engineering + Male + Asian = fail</p>

<p>In general, any school with around a 20% admit rate is far too selective to call a safety under any circumstance. Your application looks great, but it only makes your chances at those top schools as good as the next person’s. Add some matches and a safety or two. Or failing that, write unbelievable essays.</p>

8

<p>I base my chances on a few reasons for UCB</p>

<ol>
<li><p>I am in state, and statistically I have more of a chance.</p></li>
<li><p>I have seen many many students from my school get accepted into UCB for the past THREE years. These kids have standards WAY lower than mine. Lower SAT’s, less EC’s, etc. But they still got in. So it is not like I am being a cocky idiot, I am just extrapolating based on past facts.</p></li>
<li><p>Look, if a 2260, 780+ on SAT II’s, and all those EC’s can’t get me into UCB, then what kind of people would get in? Face it, if UCB is this selective to the point where decent scores and strong EC’s do not even make the cut, then it would be like a Harvard or Princeton, of which it isn’t. </p></li>
<li><p>Lastly, what can I do? I am an asian, and yes asians will have a tougher time. I am just trying my best to make my chances higher by being active in everything I do. Being a smart asian is better than being an idiot, right?</p></li>
</ol>

9

<ol>
<li>Same.</li>
<li>Same.</li>
<li>Same. Although not as many math/science ECs (for whatever that’s worth to the UCs). I had a 2310 and a 35, with a 790 Chem and 740 Math.</li>
<li>Same.</li>
</ol>

<p>Ever heard of the Siemens Competition? The Intel STS? RSI? AMC/AIME/USAMO? There was a guy who did all of those and made semifinalist for Siemens and Intel who was rejected from MIT, Princeton, Harvard, and Duke, among others. You can see his stats in the MIT decisions thread, it’s right after my post towards the end.</p>

<p>Don’t take it for granted. Extrapolation means basically nothing, especially for this past year (which was murderously difficult) and the coming years, which may be just as bad. All I’m saying is don’t treat UCB lightly. You have a list that consists of the top 10 or so schools in the nation. Always assume the worst will happen and apply to some schools that are matches in terms of acceptance rates.</p>

<p>For example, if you want to go into engineering, look at schools like GaTech, UIUC, Purdue, all of which have acceptance rates over 60% (I think). These are still great engineering programs, they’re just not as selective as MIT or Caltech.</p>

<p>I’m not saying you have no shot. I’m saying be cautious. Honestly, I wish you all the luck in the world when you get your decisions back, but I also don’t want you to be crushed if you end up going to your last choice school.</p>

10

<p>If you are so confident about yourself then why even ask?</p>

11

<p>First off, I agree with Henry_WA.</p>

<p>I wouldn’t be surprised to see rejections from at least 3 or 4 schools on your list. (Probably HYPSM, but who knows…) The fact is that there are too many overqualified kids like you.</p>

<p>Your UCs are your best shots but are not really safeties. Find a real safety. good luck.</p>