Chance a rising senior!

<p>Chance a member of the class of 2010? I'm Asian, AND in the class of 2010...</p>

<p>Stats:[ul]
[<em>] SAT: 2280 (800 CR, 750 M, 730 W) - One sitting
[</em>] SAT IIs: 730 Lit, 800 US History
[<em>] ACT: 30
[</em>] APs: 5 World History (self-studied), 5 European History (self-studied), waiting on US History, Human Geography, Microeconomics & Macroeconomics
[<em>] GPA: 4.0 W out of 4.5 W or so, at last glance - should be higher now
[</em>] Rank: Possibly top 10%
[<em>] Awards: Likely NMSQT Commended (210), Nancy Mullane Memorial Essay (school writing competition, best junior English essay), 18th in OH National French Contest - Grand Concours
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load: AP Statistics, AP Gov, AP English, AP Bio, have not decided others
[li] Extracurriculars: </p>[/li]
<p>At my old school, a small private school for 'gifted' kids (30-odd kids), stayed from 8th grade - 10th grade. Received HS credit all three years.</p>

<ul>
<li>SC Rep (2005-2008), Student Body President (2008)</li>
<li>Newspaper Staff Writer & Editor (2005-2006)</li>
<li>Fencing team (2005-2008), Captain (2007-2008)</li>
<li>Game Club (2005-2008), President (2007-2008)</li>
<li>Film Club, founder (2006-2008)</li>
<li>Drama (2005-2008)</li>
<li>Mock Trial (2006-2007)</li>
</ul>

<p>At current school, transferring back in for 2008-2009 school year</p>

<ul>
<li>Project LEAD (community service & outreach) member</li>
<li>Icarus Literary Magazine Staff & Writer </li>
<li>Newspaper Staff Writer</li>
<li>Volunteer at district middle school, tutoring kids</li>
<li>Elected SC Rep for 2009-2010 school year (end of year elections...)</li>
</ul>

<p>[<em>] Other stats:
[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[</em>] Essays: Should be strong
[<em>] Teacher Recs: Should be strong
[</em>] Counselor Rec: Should be strong
[<em>] Hook (if any): First-generation immigrant
[/ul]Location/Person:[ul]
[</em>] State or Country: Ohio, USA
[<em>] School Type: Competitive public, formerly non-competitive 'gifted' private
[</em>] Ethnicity: Asian...
[<em>] Gender: Male
[</em>] Income bracket: $250,000+
[<em>] Intended Major: Political science / history
[</em>] Major strength/weakness: I've had a very cosmopolitan upbringing and am really a child of two worlds - culturally, Western, American, but with an Eastern mindset and way of thought (collectivism > individualism.) I'm well-traveled and relatively experienced for someone my age (I am among the youngest in the year, which doesn't count for much, but in general.) Leadership skills, interpersonal skills and writing are all quite strong. On the other hand, my GPA is low for Ivy League, and the transition into a mid-sized public school this year has been tough. I have not really shown leadership skills (by the way of formal roles and offices) in my new school yet, partially as a result of the transition but also neglecting ECs for other things.
[<em>] Legacy: No
[</em>] Recruited: No
[/ul]Other Factors: </p>

<p>What do you think? My grades this year have been weaker than my previous three years (more or less straight As, with a few Bs) but this year, at a new school (30-some kids to 700) has been a transition and a lot more academically difficult. I've had several semester Bs (one B+ in AP Micro), and possibly a semester A-. My GPA is definitely low for Dartmouth and top schools in general, but I have relatively high test scores and I'm a strong writer - my essay is going to be strong. I think I might come off as a smart, lazy kid, very focused in one or two areas - which could be bad.</p>

<p>I've left off summer activities (two years of camp at Northwestern, one Duke-sponsored film program at Chapman and one summer working with children with disabilities at a local hospital.) Please chance and let me know!</p>

<p>It’ll be tough. Your scores are typical there and they want both high scores and GPA. This is a very numbers oriented school. For the class of '12, 40% of those ranked were either 1 or 2 in their class.</p>

<p>Do you think deferred ED, accept RD?</p>

<p>@hmom5, but plenty are accepted that are not 1 or 2 in class! </p>

<p>But I really hope you are within top 10% of your class, unless that “top 10%” is referring to your private school ranking…I mean, in a class of 30, top 10% is pretty small, so it’d be acceptable.
Your self-studied AP scores show that you are obviously pretty smart, and fencing is going to make you stand out among other sports players. Your EC’s look pretty strong…the only thing I’m sort of ehh about is the lack of any particular big awards or hooks. But then those are not prerequisites for getting in, so don’t worry about them too much and instead focus on writing a brilliant, stunning, excellent essay!</p>

<p>I were you, I’d apply ED and hope for the best. Oh, and don’t send in that ACT score! ;)</p>

<p>

Dartmouth doesn’t have a fencing team, so I doubt they will be overly impressed that you we on your HS fencing team.</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

<p>limetime, do you know of any writing competitions (still open, of course) that might yield results before November? Thank you!</p>

<p>Try writing op ed pieces for local newspapers.</p>