Chance for Ivy, Wash St Louis, Hopkins, USC, Emory, Scholarship!

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Dear fellow members,</p>

<p>Freaking out about chances! :(
I was wondering about my chances of getting into these colleges...
FYI, financial aid is very important to me because my family’s income bracket with 4 members (including me) is about 30k.
Aiming to go to medical graduate school therefore decent college willing to provide the most scholarship will be more than enough.</p>

<p>In order of importance(not quite sure):
Johns Hopkins
Dartmouth
Washington University in ST Louis
Emory
USC
UCLA
Cornell
U Penn
Rice
A&M
UT
University of Chicago </p>

<p>Gender: Male
Grade: 2nd semester of Junior year
Race: Asian
School: Public in Dallas, TX (rated Silver Medal by US News)
GPA: 3.7 UW (After 1st semester of Junior)
Rank: 65/595 (After 1st semester of Junior)
PSAT: 191 (did not study at all...which i highly regret)
SAT I: Hasn’t arrived. First time taken in May 1st
SAT II: Not yet taken. Taking Korean + Biology + Math II around winter. Expecting near perfect score on Korean and Biology, High on Math II.
AP: Not yet taken. Taking Physics + Calculus AB this week.</p>

<p>COURSES
(Averages are mostly high A+ to couple A-; one or two B)
Freshmen: 5 Pre-AP Courses (English, World Geography, Biology, Geometry, Spanish II)</p>

<p>Sophmore Year: 2 AP Courses (Computer Science, World History) + 4 Pre-AP (English, Algebra II, Spanish III, Chemistry)</p>

<p>Junior Year: 5 AP Courses (English, Physics B, Calculus AB, US History, National Academic Decathlon) + Lab Aide and Junior Early Release</p>

<p>Senior Year: Planning to take 5 AP Courses (Environmental Science, Calculus BC, Art History, National Academic Decathlon) + AP Early Release + Senior Early Release</p>

<p>ACTIVITIES
2 years – National Academic Decathlon
3 years – National Honor Society
8 years+ – Violin Experience
2 years – Small business selling/building/fixing computers through eBay
4 years+ – Church Orchestra
3 years+ – Church Youth Leader
3 Years - Health Occupational Students of America
2 Years - Participated in Relay for Life
2 Years - Participated in National MathCounts
Participated in Welcom Home Troops in National Honor Society
Shirt design nominated for National Academic Decathlon</p>

<p>WORK EXPERIENCE/VOLUNTEER (“+” sign meaning “ongoing until senior year”)
5 years+ - Work/Volunteer hours 3400+ hours (yes, every single Saturday since 8th grade until Junior year. Will be more at the end of senior year)
1+ Year - Graphic Designer at telecomunications/consulting company
5 years+ - Manager of the restaurant</p>

<p>RECOMMENDATIONS
Expecting great recommendations from Calculus, Biology, National Academic Decathlon teachers (not sure how many are exactly required)</p>

<p>BITS AND PIECES
I came to US around 5 years ago and moved one or two schools.
First Generation College
First Generation American
First Generation Immigrant
Tri-langual = English, Korean, Japanese</p>

<p>Thank you so much for any advices and comments! :D</p>

2

<p>You stand a great chance to most of the schools (too lazy to write out each and etc.). Esp. if you infuse how moving around and a life of poverty (dirt cheap sounds good sometimes) has inspired you to work hard. I’d do maybe like comparisons between you and Dr. Ben Carson, who was poor, brilliant, and black (no racist here, lol).
Though I’d personally get the UW GPA to atleast 3.75-3.8ish, and perhaps a leadership position.
First generation college student has a good sway nowadays. volunteering and the job experience with computers and such is good too.
Good luck.</p>

3

<p>[Ben</a> Carson - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Carson]Ben”>Ben Carson - Wikipedia)
Bio on him ^^^ he’s a pediatric neurosurgeon, and I think u plan on medicine as well.</p>

4

<p>wow thanks alot for this info! i’ll definitely make sure to consider that in my essay or so. With these stats, is it quite highly possible to get into Johns Hopkins/Dartmouth?
In addition, I will be improving the class rank more and plan to be near 5% mark.</p>

5

<p>Low reach for JHU and low to mid reach for Darty. It’s a reach because of your SAT and fairly stereotypical Asian activities and interests, but it’s a low reach because of your claimed extensive volunteering hours - though I do have a hunch that schools may attach a huge question mark to your application if you write down anything over 2K hours.</p>

6

<p>Thank you for your input. Do you think if I were to receive 2200 to 2300 SAT score, it’ll greatly improve the chance of getting into Darty? Also, the volunteer/work hours were at my parents restaurant. Because of financial recession, they had to remove the single employee left and only my dad and mom were working on the restaurant. Soon enough, need of help arose and I’ve been working whole Saturday during weekends (about 13-15 hours) and received about $30 a day. Would be beneficial to include such information or would that lead to controversial “child labor”??? :confused: (I’m currently 17 so I started helping them around when I was 13-14…)</p>

7

<p>Actually, that raises a sticky situation because frankly the schools can’t tell if your parents are just “giving” you the hours or if you’re actually volunteering/working for them - they can call and “verify” all they want, but it’s your parents that will be picking up the phone, and they know that.</p>

<p>It’ll put a double question mark there, if you will.</p>

8

<p>Well yeah but you can put how you working there and having a tough money stituation helped shaped you in your essays. that’d eliminate suspicioun and giving you a kick ass essay topic.</p>

9

<p>Just a thought…Princeton might be a school to look into. They do give need based financial aid. Check out this link on Princeton’s website re: what they give in aid.</p>

<p>[Princeton</a> University | Who Qualifies for Aid?](<a href=“http://www.princeton.edu/admission/financialaid/how_it_works/who_qualifies/]Princeton”>http://www.princeton.edu/admission/financialaid/how_it_works/who_qualifies/)</p>

10

<p>Whoa, 3400 hours of community service, makes me look like I haven’t a care for my community lol xD</p>

11

<p>thanks for the suggestion Kerry and it’s bit funny how I got requested material of the undergrad admission just yesterday. But would I even have a chance to be admitted in Princeton?</p>

12

<p>Well I’ve heard of rather weak students get into top ivies, it’s not IMPOSSIBLE, but it’s still really hard. Though I’m guessing she/he meant it more as what colleges offer good financial aid?</p>

13

<p>that’s what i was thinking ha. so do you think clearly mentioning and verifying that I worked at parents’ restaurant would be better than not mentioning that it was my parents’? I’m thinking I should be clear about it and connect the hook of facing difficulty in financial situation because first of all, having 3500+ experience will clearly bring attention to the college admission and likely for them to check about anyway…it will be very frustrating if it did not count since I worked and helped them out when all my friends’ were going to parties and frolicking about. Just great.</p>

14

<p>Yeah mention that in ur essays bro!
“Every morning, the bell rang signalling us to file into our respective classes. ‘Dude! that party was awesome!’, ‘You should’ve been there, it was so much fun!’ were all common phrases I heard on my way to class. As for me, ‘I was at my parent’s [place of business] trying to help them make ends meet and run our livelehood, using dreams of a better future and grease as fuel.’”</p>

<p>Your welcome, have fun writing the rest of it lol!</p>

15

<p>oh wow thank you so very much for the kickass starter! :smiley: i really appreciate it! I personally find it quite challenging to start off the essay with strong eye catcher but this will help alot! </p>

<p>could anyone chance me once more for the listed colleges please! thanks thanks!
i will gladly chance back as well</p>

16

<p>suush1, Princeton already mailed you their application materials? That’s quick, wish I could get mine soon :(</p>

17

<p>mhmm they have. But it’s probably nothing except gettign my hopes high and tease me :frowning: don’t worry mate, you’ll get yours really soon! </p>

<p>Guys, do you think there’s chance for me at Brown???</p>

18

<p>I don’t know if you’ve ever been to NH, but I live there and am honestly not even considering Dartmouth: first off, University of Chicago is a much more impressive school to attend, as well as most other schools on the list. Second, New Hampshire is boring, especially Hanover. Hanover consists of Darmouth and the local high school… that’s about it. It’s a good school, obviously, but you might want to get out more and get more outside experience; it’s college, after all.</p>

19

<p>^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
It depends on the major too. UofChicago is consistently rated #1 for undergrad (and grad) economics along with MIT and Berkley.
Just one example, but you have to research colleges based on your major as well.</p>

20

<p>I’m thinking of majoring in biology and minor in either German or chemistry(blech :() so is there considerable chance for me at brown/Chicago?</p>