Chance a student with a great (not Ivy great but still great) GPA strange ECs [Lehigh, Brown, and UCSB in particular] [CA resident, 3.7 GPA (3.8/4.0/4.7 for UC), <$30k; pure math + physics, economics, bioinformatics, or philosophy]

Chance Me / Match Me!
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Before I start, I actually have made a chanceme like 20 days ago. However, within those 20 days some things happened that allowed me to pursuit 2 new ECs related to computer science. These ECs, me finally solidifying my college list, and getting my PSAT score in I think justify a new ChanceMe. If people disagree then I’ll happily take down this ChanceMe.

Extenuating circumstances: Freshman year had depression due to all my friends being junkies and ODing or getting alcohol poisoning. First semester of sophomore year I moved across the country to an apartment with inconsistent electricity and internet
Demographics

  • US domestic (US citizen or permanent resident) or international student
  • State/Location of residency: California
  • Type of high school (current college for transfers): Public IB school. I have no idea how competitive it is I’ll see by how many ranks I shoot up next semester.
  • Gender/Race/Ethnicity (optional): Non-binary (Agender)/African-Asian with Arab/Filipino and Nubian
  • Other special factors (first generation to college, legacy, athlete, etc.): Low Income on a technicality

Intended Major(s)
Pure math + Something else. Most likely going to be between physics, economics, bioinformatics, or philosophy. Comp Sci I used to be very much against but I’m now on the fence about.
GPA, Rank, and Test Scores

  • Unweighted HS GPA: I’m going to predict I still get a couple of Bs so 3.7. UC GPA is like 3.8-3.9
  • Weighted HS GPA (incl. weighting system): 4.5. UC GPA Capped is 4.01 and uncapped is like 4.7-4.8. My school weighs classes the same way UCs weigh classes but with freshman and senior grades included
  • College GPA (for transfers): 3.8-3.9 probably.
  • Class Rank: 123/400 something I don’t remember
  • ACT/SAT Scores: PSAT score of 1460, So SAT will be in the 1460-1560 range

Coursework
(AP/IB/Dual Enrollment classes, AP/IB scores for high school; also include level of math and foreign language reached and any unusual academic electives; for transfers, describe your college courses and preparation for your intended major(s))
4 honors classes (English*2, math*2)
3-4 AP Classes (Bio[4], World History[4], Gov[?], and maybe Macro idk I’m trying to get out of it)
6 IB Classes: HL: Math AA, History, English Lit. SL: Physics, Spanish, and Film (I’m thankful for the last thread because it made me double check with the UC website for whether or not my DE courses count for A-G requirements. My councilor claimed they did and so did the visiting AO from UCLA but apparently that’s not the case. Sports Medicine gets swapped with Film this time around)
15 DE classes.
As the DE classes are somewhat important due to their sheer volume. This is the list of them I’m taking

Summer 2023:
Intro to Chem
Kinesthesiology

Fall 2023:
Intro to Comp Sci
Intro to Psychology
Survey of World Music (honors)

Spring 2024:
General Chemistry I
Principles of Microecon (honors)
Programming Methodology (intro to C++)

Summer 2024:
Intro to Biology

Fall 2024:
Linear Algebra
Applied Differential Equations
Calc III

Spring 2025:
Optics
2 random electives of my choosing. I’m currently thinking of witchcraft and exotic animal management and training (I’m a child)

Awards
I had a selection index of 220 which is 1 under the index for last year so hopefully I get commended status
Some AP Scholar award probably
Extracurriculars
(Include leadership, summer activities, competitions, volunteering, and work experience)
One of the ECs I forgot to mentioned last time was volunteer work. I don’t feel as if this really counts because I am required to do some amount of volunteer work for my IB Diploma but my counselor said I should still list it as an EC if I have nothing else.

1: Introductory mathematical encyclopedia type beat: It’s a basic book that serves to introduce younger kids to higher level mathematics (focus primarily on analysis, statistics, geometry, and modern algebra)
2: Edutainment youtube channel: I make videos explaining various proofs and why they’re interesting.
3: Live-streaming: I stream content. This is also where I upload work I’m doing for my next 3 ECs.
4: Fantasy Novel: Writing a fantasy novel. No idea how long it’ll be or how good but it’ll be completed before applications most likely
5: Rapping: I spit barz. I’m going to probably spend about 6 months just making the best singles I can before starting to make an album
6: Fashion design: I like doodling clothes. Not much more to it. I plan on selling my designs after I get accepted to college for some quick cash.
7: Model United Nations President: After I moved across the country I founded a MUN club at my school.
8: Community Service. Required to do something in community service. I don’t really know what it is since I’m supposed to plan it out next semester so I’m just sort of sitting here pretty lol. School requires at least 100 hours so I’ll probably get somewhere around that many hours

These next 2 ECs are the ones that I think have the ability to heavily sway an AO but idk man I’m not one of them. If I did know I wouldn’t be here
9: Original Research. I’m going to keep it real with everyone here. There is no shot in hell I am completing this research project. The topic I am researching is more on the level of a Nobel Laureate’s studies than anything else I know. But it’ll be fun to try even if it fails. I’ll most likely just publish the notes I took on this research and hope that someone who has an actual education can finish it. Research pertains to the simplification and reduction of data structures through the usage of modern algebra.
10: App/website development. This is actually pretty reasonable for a high schooler to finish. Since the nature of the app and its idea is really simple I can’t really go that far into describing it until after I publish it.

Essays/LORs/Other
(Optionally, guess how strong these are and include any other relevant information or circumstances.)
Idk man I’m just sorta out here
Cost Constraints / Budget
(High school students: please get a budget from your parents and use the Net Price Calculators on the web sites of colleges of interest.)
I have a range now. It took me needing to do a bunch of crafty discussions with my gramps so he doesn’t get angry. He’s apparently fine with spending 50,000 USD per year to send me to Oxford. since he’s obsessed with Oxford and is willing to go to debt for me I’m going to guess our actual budget is about 20-30k
Schools
(List of colleges by your initial chance estimate; designate if applying ED/EA/RD; if a scholarship is necessary for affordability, indicate that you are aiming for a scholarship and use the scholarship chance to estimate it into the appropriate group below)
If I knew which schools were reaches or safeties I wouldn’t be here right now.

Either way I finally have a college list:
ED 1: Brown University.
ED 2: Lehigh

Applications due early (all non UCs are EA)
UCLA
UCSB
UCB (maybe. I’m not actually very thrilled about this school)
University of Southern California (maybe. I really like this school but their math department is missing some courses I’d really like to take)
Humboldt State University / CalPoly Humboldt
Boston University
MIT

Applications due at a regular date:
Southern Methodist University
Carnegie Mellon
Ole Miss
Harvey Mudd
High Point

Also including:
UToronto, Oxford, Imperial College London, some German universities, and University of Amsterdam.

2

Previous thread:

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Based on your intended primary major, some of these schools may be of interest:

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Thank you for this list!

I’m not entirely certain if I want to be adding any more colleges just yet. I already think I have a pretty bloated list and I really don’t want to be asking my teachers and counselors for too many rec letters. I think I’ll just do my research on this list and replace Ole Miss, SMU, USC, and UCB with schools here of equivalent acceptance rates

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So you have Humboldt and High Point?

If you’re ok at those, Ole Miss and likely SMU and can afford them, then the list is great.

Best of luck to you.

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Humboldt university is honestly a pretty underrated university. I think the reason why it’s not that popular is because they don’t really advertise themselves that much (especially in comparison to other schools). I think that after a couple of years Humboldt will have the same name recognition as the rest of the cal polies.

High Point is a university that I really feel as if I should be on the fence about but I really just can’t bring myself to be. It’s definitely a finishing school but they do offer an honors program that seems really interesting for me. However yeah, it’s still got that problem of being a finishing school but I think it serves as a good enough safety net for me, especially if I apply for the honors college.

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Since you will be very advanced in math by the time you graduate from high school, be sure to check each math department’s upper level and graduate level offerings to see if it has enough to keep you interested.

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It is a new Cal Poly so I hope you’re right. I’m sure it is a great school - it just was unusual to your list but it’d be a great get.

Please check the curriculums in your major - at all the schools.

Good luck.

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You had 200+ replies to your original thread so I’m not sure folks can add more food for thought. For me, your list is all over the place both academically and financially, but I respect the fact that you aren’t just chasing prestige and have some awesome safeties that you would be happy attending. I’m 100% sure that you will gain admission to more than a few of the schools on your list and really, all you need is one, right?

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Original thread was mostly spent on a bunch of things that I don’t really remember anymore. That thread was mostly meant to help me identify universities and this one is with a list that is mostly rigid with 4 exceptions that I’m still looking into. + I think my chances do change at least a little with me now no longer being TO and having the 2 new ECs that weren’t on the original thread

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Indeed, I believe that for most of the highly prestigious schools they’re not accepting all of those credits which I’m fine with because I still get to skip a year with my calc BC. So while those 3 may not transfer, I at least can pack my GenEds 2nd year and then have a 4th year spent taking upper level electives and getting rec letters for grad school

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So you have a budget - will all these get you there - have you run NPCs? I can’t imagine High Point will, as an example.

I think your volunteering for IB is volunteering. I don’t think it matters that your ECs are CS related, etc.

#9 should not be on.

#10 - if you do it - but it’s not going to make any difference.

That you have ECs matter - once you start going over board, you’re not scoring extra points.

The SAT isn’t real until you have it - but with a 1460-1500, you’d still be TO at some schools.

Best of luck.

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I’m not one of them either, but this doesn’t sound real or convincing to me. What does “publish the notes” mean? Are any AOs going to fall for this? Highly doubtful.

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One thing no one mentioned in your last thread was the possibility of just getting a part-time job after school. It’s the one thing, if I were a AO, that would come across as genuine and would count just as much as any EC you’ve mentioned so far, especially for someone who is first gen and asking for a lot of FA.

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Your list is interesting. You have a range of different types of schools. I’m sure you will end up with some good choices.

High Point - you really should do a deep dive and make sure it is right for you, especially as a NB person. I have been getting their mailings for the last couple years after meeting a rep at a college fair and at first the glossy brochures made the campus look like Disneyland. But I feel like they are getting more aggressively “God & Country” with eagles and American flags plastered all over them. It gives me the ick. I’m sure it’s perfect for some people but it does seem like a place where fit really matters.

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Boston University does not offer EA. You’ll need to move it to the RD list.

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Probably not but I’m more just doing this for my own curiosity and as stated with the hopes that someone more talented than me can pick up where I left off.

When I say “publish the notes” I mean as in publishing all of the notes I have made for my work on the topic up until I decide that it’s no longer in my ability to finish it. Since this will most likely be not extremely far into the research, that means that it’ll probably be a collection of literal notes on what I found worked and what I found didn’t, some ideas I had on why things worked or not worked, and things that I haven’t been able to determine if they worked and what I think I should’ve done to do that.

AOs aren’t going to fall for it but this is just research for my own curiosity, plus it also gives me valuable experience for the previous encyclopedia since I can say I have some experience in the beginning stages of research

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Oh damn I thought they had EA but ig they only had ED. You’re right I’ll move it

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A junior with no real budget and not test scores should not have a college list anywhere near rigid yet. Keep exploring. How many have you visited?

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How come #9 shouldn’t be on? While the research is “incomplete” I still feel as if it’s a major enough time sink that gives me valuable experience for the future since my intentions are to pursuit a terminal degree at some point.