Demographics
US citizen
Living in California
Attending one of the highly ranked US boarding schools
Asian male
Brother went to Columbia, no other special factors.
Weighted HS GPA (incl. weighting system): 4.58 out of 4.7
Class Rank: school doesn’t release, but at least in top 10, probably top 5
SAT score: 1580 (800 math, 780 reading/writing)
Coursework
5s on:
AP Calc BC
AP Physics C: Mechanics
AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism
AP World History
AP Chinese Language and Culture
Still waiting on AP Comp Sci A score
Got a 4 on AP Chem (should I still submit this? not super interested in chem but idk if the 4 looks bad)
Other classes include:
Specialized yearlong robotics program that our school offers
Took a math-based Game Theory elective
Will take linear algebra and multivariable senior year
Doing a directed study in physics with physics teacher
Highest level in Chinese
Awards
will likely get National Merit Scholar candidate because of high PSAT score
Cum Laude named junior year (only the top 10 kids are named junior year, rest are named senior year)
AP Scholar with Distinction
Extracurriculars
Captain, Robotics Team. my first year was also the team’s rookie year, and we were severely impacted by COVID, but still won a lot of design and game design awards.(9-12)
Internship at Startup. Don’t want to reveal too much info, was working on implementing computer vision in a robot arm using ROS. Pretty proud of this since I’m working sometimes >12 hours a day to get this project going. Will write about in essays. (summer after 11)
Prefect, because we’re at boarding school, prefects oversee younger kids. (12)
VP of MUN, led some delegations and was in charge of training sessions. (9-12)
International Student Mentor (10-12)
Section editor for student run magazine (10-12)
part-time job at electronic stores (summer after 9)
VP of DECA (10-12)
other activities include summer programs at CMU and MIT
spent summer after 9th grade studying to skip over algebra II from geometry to precalc
130+ hours of comm service.
Essays/LORs/Other
LORs:
both will be quite strong, one is from the physics teacher where I did really well in class. He’s also supervising my directed study in physics. Other recommender is my robotics coach/calc teacher, did well in both classes and get along well with him in team.
Essays:
Am drafting personal statement and supplements. Am a pretty good writer but don’t have anything crazy to share about. I’ll just try to write about my life experience in a fun way that shows who I am.
Cost Constraints / Budget
no hard constraints, but advice on costs appreciated.
Schools
Safeties:
UC Davis
University of Washington
Northeastern
University of Santa Clara
Matches:
UIUC
Georgia Tech
UMichigan
UC Santa Barbara
Reaches:
Stanford
Columbia
Upenn
Cornell
CMU
Duke
UC Berekeley
UC LA
Am also trying to decide between REA Stanford or ED Columbia. I love Columbia and have a bit of legacy there, but Stanford is my dream school. But I also don’t want to REA if it’s hopeless. Any thoughts?
Your school should have a lot more focused advice than what we can give here on this forum. They have data on who went where and spend a lot of resources on college counseling compared to a public school.
Anyway, since you asked: 1) if you’re a heritage speaker of Chinese, the language level and AP score is not going to “wow” anyone. If you’re not a heritage speaker of Chinese, then it’s worth stating somewhere in your app.
2) UW GPA must be out of 4.0, so if it’s 4.17, it’s weighted somehow , or your calculation is incorrect
3) GA Tech and UMich are not matches for anyone; UW and NE are not safeties (unless your BS has some “special sauce” that indicates otherwise)
You are a strong candidate - but so are all the others applying to these universities.
UC Davis is not a safety school especially for Engineering nor is University of Washington. I would say a Low Match and all UC’s are test blind so your excellent SAT score will not be considered.
I would add UC San Diego or Irvine for a Match/High Match schools.
You are definitely a competitive applicant and best of luck.
I think your list is a good starting point, but it is still a little random. Think about the schools you put on the list and what made you select them. As you dive a little deeper you might get a little more clarity and find a better mix of schools. For example say you elected Santa Clara because of the philosophy around a Jesuit Education and you like Columbia because you are interested in being in a major city then you might want to consider Georgetown or Fordham.
Your school should have a lot more focused advice than what we can give here on this forum. They have data on who went where and spend a lot of resources on college counseling compared to a public school.
Truth. I’m sure the OP’s college advising office is well-equipped to address all of his questions with more precision and insight.
I see Santa Clara as a safety for you and perhaps Davis.
UW is not a safety OOS - and Northeastern is turning down kids getting into the Ivies. It’s a very tough admit - so not a safety. But as I see you getting into two - that’s great. If you want some flexibility, add an ASU or U of A (big merit).
Your matches are reaches except maybe Santa Barbara.
Your reaches are reaches.
How did you pick these schools - beyond ranking? It doesn’t seem like you have a flow - and you need to find the right school for you, not US News.
Those “highly ranked US boarding schools” have dedicated college counselors who are often well connected to highly selective private colleges. They are likely to be better as assessing your chances at highly selective private universities that others may only be able to say “reach for everyone”, since they may have semi-inside information about what kinds of students each is looking for. They may also be familiar with other less well known highly selective colleges that may be interested in you. So ask your school’s dedicated college counselors about the highly selective private universities on your list.
However, they may be less familiar with state universities in distant states from where the boarding school is. One parent has posted that such a boarding school had little knowledge about US service academies that her kid applied to.
You’ve got a great chance anywhere. Only blemish in the application is that you are an ORM applying for an overrepresented major.
I’m not sure how Columbia values sibling legacy. Did your brother attend Columbia College or SEAS? If SEAS then I think that might help tip the scales. I personally think you have a better shot at Columbia ED over Stanford EA.
My son went to a boarding school, and the college counselors do a bit of horse-trading in order to get the best outcome for the entire class. They will give you the best estimate of where are likely to get accepted. Listen to the subtle clues from them. Also check Naviance (or SCOIR) if you have it.
I can’t help but compare your information with my son’s, and quickly realize that I can’t make a comparison due to many differences between the two high schools (BS vs public). Your SAT scores are similar but no-one cares about it as every college goes test optional. The best way to figure out your chances at various colleges may be via your school’s Naviance’s past records. I’d suggest that to my son.
I agree. I wonder how many applicants at OP’s boarding school are also applying to reaches, yet may be legacy, URM, and/or recruited athletes. The guidance counselor will know.