chance for california colleges (chance back)

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

not my resume, a close friend’s borrowing account- she is currently a senior

GPA: 4.39 weighted, 3.99 unweighted
SAT: 800 math, 760 Reading
ACT: 34/36

AP Exams: AP Euro- 4, AP Chemistry- 5, AP US History- 5, AP Language and Composition- 5, AP Calculus- 5

Courses:
Freshman- World History, Geometry, Biology, Spanish 2, English 1, Public Speaking
Sophomore- English 2, Public Speaking, Honors Algebra 2/Trigonometry, Spanish 3, Chemistry, AP Euro
Junior- English 3 Honors, Public Speaking, AP Calculus, Spanish 4 Honors, AP US History, AP Chemistry, Physics
Senior- AP English, AP Government and Economics, AP Calculus, AP Spanish, AP Biology, Physiology, Public Speaking

Extracurriculars:
1.) Very involved in music (piano, guzheng (traditional Chinese instrument))
-I started playing the Chinese zither in sixth grade, have continued ever since (because it’s not a very widely known instrument in the US, no competitions)
-started playing the piano in freshman year, worked extremely hard, advanced to level 5 Certificate of Merit in three years
-I devote about 3 hours each day to practicing because I care about technique and detail and also because I love them

2.) Active public speaker in forensics and debate
-won various awards at different tournaments
-involves quite a bit of work and weekend commitment
-honor member of National Speech and Debate Association

3.) Co-coordinator of Red Cross Youth Community Engagement group
-consists of about twenty members
-organizes events like blood drives, volunteer and charity work, and disaster relief

4.) Volunteer Special Olympics swim coach (past four years, spring and fall)

5.) Paid swim coach in spring and summer

5.) Varsity tennis player (not captain or anything)

6.) President of Key Club (which is very active) and Red Cross Club (which is also very active)

7.) Summer activities- I take classes every summer at a prestigious camp like Cognitive Neuroscience, Law, etc all of which involve a LOT of work and studying, as well as coaching full-time

I intend to write my application essay around music and how it taught me discipline and character, etc.

Applying to USC, UC Berkeley, Pomona, UCLA, Claremont McKenna, Harvey Mudd, UC Davis

Chances? I’ll chance back if you link your post.

2

I also forgot to mention- National Merit Scholar semifinalist and volunteer at local children’s hospital.

3

Darn, you are insanely qualified. I wish I could be of more help, but I think I can honestly say that based on stats alone (without even considering your fabulous ECs), all are matches and safeties, with the exception of perhaps UC Berkeley–which is a crapshoot for anyone (nevertheless, I’d say it’s a high match or a low reach at the maximum). Are you planning on applying anywhere else than the UCs? If not, I’d love to hear your motivation. Congrats on your amazing record, and best of luck!
Here’s my link!
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/discussion/comment/19300154#Comment_19300154

4

Your friend has competitive stats. However, it’s hard to call anyone a match at a school with acceptance rates under 15%, such as Pomona (10%), CMC (10%) or HMC (13%). Being female helps some at HMC but otherwise your friend seems qualified but unhooked. Is your friend a California resident? Is she full pay? Honestly I think it helps with the UC’s to be a full pay, high stats OOS applicant. If she is OOS and needs FA, then the UC’s are not good options. She’s competitive for USC but hopefully she demonstrated interest there. I don’t think many people apply to both CMC and HMC. They have very different focuses.

5

USC - Match
UC Berkeley - Match/High Match (a safety for no one)
Pomona - High Match
UCLA - Match (they like numbers)
CMC - High Match (they might like to see more stuff related to leadership in political-ish organizations)
Harvey Mudd - High Match/Low Reach (might like to see more engineering/science related ECs (the forensics debate will look good), test scores and GPA doesn’t cut it for them)
UC Davis - Safety

I could only list the Claremont Colleges as high matches at the lowest because they look for very specific candidates and are extremely selective.

Chance back please? http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1829892-high-sat-mediocre-grades-please-help-chance-will-chance-back.html#latest