Chance an Asian loser!

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Hey, guys. I'm actually a junior right now, but the college selection process is starting to freak me out. I'd really appreciate your input on which of these schools is even worth applying to. For me, I mean. (I apologize for my incoherence-- I'm pretty tired right now.)</p>

<p>Schools: Bates, Bowdoin, Brown, Caltech, Colby, College of William and Mary, Columbia, Cornell, Rice, University of Rochester, University of Texas at Austin Plan II, Vanderbilt, Yale.</p>

<p>Chinese female in central Texas
Rank: 1/588
PSAT: 231 (CR: 80, M: 75, W: 76)</p>

<p>Courses:
9th: Pre-AP English 1, Pre-AP Algebra 2, Pre-AP Biology, Pre-AP World Geography, Spanish 2, Dance 1, Health, Journalism
10th: AP World History (5), Pre-AP Pre-calculus, Pre-AP Chemistry, Pre-AP English 2, Pre-AP Spanish 3, Dance 2, Creative Writing, Yearbook
11th: AP US History, AP Calculus AB (BC not available), AP Biology, AP English Language, AP Spanish Language, Pre-AP Physics, AP Environmental Science, Yearbook
12th (projected): AP European History, AP Statistics, AP Chemistry, AP English Literature, Introductory Psychology/AP Psychology, AP Government/AP Economics, Yearbook, Yearbook Editor Period or AP Physics C (depending on whether I get an editorial position <em>crosses fingers</em>)</p>

<p>ECs:
Asian Club member (9, 10) president (11)
Yearbook page editor (10, 11)
Key Club member (10, 11)
Literary magazine editor (10)-- only available to Creative Writing class members
Mu Alpha Theta member (10) parliamentarian (11)
Literary criticism competition (10, 11)-- top scorer and only member to advance past district last year; eventually took 3rd place at state
National Honor Society member (10, 11)
Sociedad Honoraria Hispanica member (10, 11)
Latin self-study through UT Austin. A average so far.</p>

<p>Awards/Honors:
Honor roll.
Lit crit stuff mentioned above.
Poem published in Skipping Stones magazine.
Personal essay published in VOYA magazine.
Gold Key for Region-at-Large in Personal Essay in Scholastic Art and Writing Awards.
Top Ten Winner in Creative Communication essay contest.
PTA Reflections contest council honors.
NMSF next fall?
Hopefully some AP scholar-type award after my 6 exams this year?</p>

<p>Summers:
Interned at a local newspaper and volunteered at the public library after freshman year.
(Extended family vacation in China after sophomore year.)
I'm hoping to get into one of my summer programs this year. If not, I'll take a class at the local CC, do some volunteer work, and try to stalk down some local professors who will let me clean their test tubes. XD</p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

2

<p>BEAST.</p>

<p>you're probably in at every school you applied to except brown, caltech, columbia, and yale. Those are the insanely competitive ones that only accept applicants with your stats. but even so, you have great chances at all of them.</p>

<p>just one request. for those of us in your year, can you not apply early to columbia? pleasee? hahaha</p>

3

<p>You seem pretty cool and different from other kids with those same stats. Just make sure you get that across your uniqueness in your application and you should have a more than decent chance at all of those schools.</p>

4

<p>Yeah, same. You've exceeded the benchmark for all those schools to have yourself considered as a seriously competitive applicant. Now your job (as I'm sure you've heard about 284 times before) is really to stand out.</p>

<p>Start writing your essay. NOW.</p>

5

<p>Yes...I repeat the message above; you are a BEAST (in a good way!)...I think you'll get into many of the schools you apply to...if not, we're all doomed!!
P.S. -- You're not an Asian loser...the loser is the white girl who was a member of Asian Club (lols)...</p>

6

<p>Thank you for reinforcing my inferiority complex :(. </p>

<p>In at every school except those super competitive top tier colleges (caltech), where you have a good possibility of being accepted. </p>

<p>Service hours / part time job / SAT (II) Scores?</p>

7

<p>Woah, thanks guys! I was feeling like a total loser for not playing sports (or music), doing Intel research, or participating in USABO...</p>

<p>AeroEngineer, I think I'll have approximately 120 community service hours by the time I leave high school, not counting summer stuff. I think that's a little on the light side, though, especially since almost all of it is through my school's Key Club and NHS. I don't have a part-time job, but I'm planning on getting one starting either this summer or next year. (I still can't drive, lol.) I'm planning on taking the June SAT II's in Bio, US History, and Math II, and probably the Lit one next October 'cause Math II will probably manage to beast me.</p>

<p>Kingkouture, I've thought about starting on my essays now, but I'm a little worried about slaving over something and then getting slapped with a prompt for which it'd be completely inappropriate. Do you know how much prompts change from year to year? Or should I just write some general memoir-type pieces that I can reinterpret to fit different themes.</p>

8

<p>Your EC's are a little weak and don't exactly go outside the box, with the exception of the literary criticism thing which sounds somewhat interesting.</p>

<p>Your rank is incredible, I suspect you're 3.95-4.0 UW range, which is fantastic. This, along with your rigorous schedule, will be your strength.</p>

<p>I do need more hard numbers though. Do not expect a 23x0 on the SATs because of your PSAT score, there isn't always a direct correlation from my experience. AP scores are important; with the amount of classes you are taking (which is truly mindboggling), you do not want to forward the illusion that you spread yourself too thin. Getting 3's and a significant amount of 4's could make your schedule look bumped up by easy grading (or, to take the cynical route, proves that your teachers are not hard graders and you do not go to a competitive school). And SAT II's are very important as well.</p>

<p>Yale, Columbia, and Brown are reaches right now. Of course, a lot depends on your scores. All I can say now is that your schedule/rank are incredible but your EC's are weak.</p>

9

<p>Ooh, thanks innervisions-- that's some good information. :)</p>

<p>Yeah, my school's actually not that competitive, to be honest. About 60-70% of graduates go to 4-year schools, I think, and we get about 3 National Merit Semifinalists per year. (My class will have more because we're relatively beast?) There's definitely some grade inflation; I think I've got something like a 98 or 99 out of 100 average, which wouldn't really happen at a competitive school... So it's not hard to get A's, but it's still hard to be valedictorian, because all the top kids are so close together.</p>

<p>I'm actually not a natural test-taker at all, so I expect my SAT to be more in the 2200 range, if I'm lucky. With some lame math score under 750. :( I really don't know what to think about the AP tests-- I thought I did crappily on the World History one last year but still got a five, some maybe the standards are low? I'm confident about Bio, APUSH, and Environ Sci, but Spanish is going to be a problem. </p>

<p>And yeah... My extracurriculars are pretty unimaginative. There's not too much opportunity around here, but I'm going to try to take a more active role and run for more positions next year, hopefully institute some change? I'm not sure there's much I can do to remedy that at this point in time, though. Lol, any suggestions?</p>

10

<p>I meant your common app essay-- the one that has the same prompts year after year (even though most people just choose their own topic). Start getting ideas as soon as you can, at least. I ended up writing mine on December 31. Everything worked out, but it was still pretty ridiculous.</p>

11

<p>Ah, that's totally going to be me too. I'm such a procrastinator.</p>

12

<p>WOW ***, I am not really experienced at all these chance threads but if I had those stats and ECs I'd be hella proud of myself.</p>

13

<p>Since you're Asian, you're automatically more likely to get into any college becase you're a minority. That's not exactly a bad thing though; it gives you an unintentional advantage over everyone else!</p>

<p>But other than that, your stats look great! I think you're in anywhere you apply!</p>

14

<p>rebelxt14- i think nowadays minorities refer more to African Americans and latinos. Asian-Americans have hefty populations among many universities. Even worse, at private institutions (because of affirmative action) they're more likely to compete with other Asian-Americans rather than everybody of all races.</p>

15

<p>Being Asian is even worse than being a Caucasian applying to college.</p>

16

<p>OP:
what major are you planning on applying for?</p>

17

<p>Right now I'm considering Biology, Neuroscience, or Psychology, with a minor in something random and fun like Medieval/Renaissance Studies (if available, lol). But if there's an interdisciplinary program in History of Science and Technology or Science, Technology, and Society, I'll either major or minor in that. I'm a little concerned that my EC's make me look like a prospective English major, though.</p>

18

<p>lol. L***a, nice stuff!!!!! Ur ECs are better than mine! I accepted the UIowa's offer. Hopefully, my research stuff will help to make up the dearth of my ECs (do u think so?). but this fall, i'm planning to volunteer in somewhere....</p>