Chance for Ivys and Stanford?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Hey Everyone,</p>

<p>Thanks for taking the time to read this! :]
I've been really confused by the advice my senior friends are giving me. Some say I'm screwed over by lack of passion and I have no chance at any of these top school but other tell me I'm set for at least Berkeley and I have a really good chance at schools like MIT. @.@</p>

<p>I'm hoping you guys can give me a more balance view and some helpful advice. </p>

<p>Major: Computer Science Major</p>

<p>Gender: Female
Race: Asian
Class: Junior
Academics:
GPA UW: 4.0 (school doesn't do weighted)
SATs: 2380: (CR: 800, M: 800, W: 780)
SAT Sub: 800 Math, 740 US His, I'm pretty sure I can get 800 Phys
PSATs: 231, I've been told I might get NMSQT!
ACT: didn't take it.
APs/Honors:
Fresh: Chinese 4 H
Soph Year: Chinese AP(5), Chem H, Pre-Calc H
Junior: (not taken yet) AP Calc BC, AP Physics C (both) American Lit. H
Senior: (signed up for): AP Stats, AP Bio, AP English, AP Comp Sci, AP Gov
I've basically taken the hardest classes my school will let me. </p>

<p>ECs
Sports:
Badminton: (10,11) (I'm terrible like...JV)</p>

<p>Music:
Marching Band: 9-12 <3333 I've been an officer since Sophomore Year, Probably going to be Section Leader Next Year. Uh...we're 200 people large, Flute
Band: Second Chair Flute (9-12)</p>

<p>Clubs:
FBLA: VP Competitions (I run competitions for like 100+people) It's like a 250 person club. I might be president next year, I might not...kinda iffy
Competitions: 2nd Nationals MIS, 7th State for Introduction to Business (These are not legit competitions by any means, My national title was between like 15 teams)
National Chinese Honor Society: President/ Founder, I'd say we have 40-50 People and like 15 "real" members
Interact: Reg. Member</p>

<p>Summer:
COSMOS Program at UCSC
Yale Ivy Scholars Program</p>

<p>Volunteer/Work:
uh....random stuff with Interact
IT Department at the Veterans Hospital this Summer</p>

<p>What are my chances at:
Harvard
Standford
Yale
MIT
UPenn
NYU
Berkeley (Safety)
UCLA (Safety) </p>

<p>Also, what kind of school might be willing to give me scholarship money to attend...(Obviously not the ones that list!)</p>

2

<p>You will definitely get a scholarship to NYU and you have a good chance at all of those schools.</p>

3

<p>You’re highly intelligent, but your extracurricular activities are lacking. </p>

<p>You claim that you want to major in computer science, but nothing on your application, outside of the IT summer experience, corroborates this assertion. In other words, your application doesn’t convey passion. Get involved. Volunteer during the academic year, start a club at your school, invest resources into improving your school’s IT department, etc. Do something. </p>

<p>It pains me to see that such a qualified applicant may get rejected from many top schools (i.e., Harvard, Stanford, Yale, MIT, and Penn) because she couldn’t properly convey her passion over paper.</p>

<p>If you don’t do something about your EC’s, you’ll likely end up at NYU, UCB, or UCLA. Those are fantastic schools, but you can do so much better.</p>

4

<p>You’ve got the stats, but not much beyond that.</p>

5

<p>Go learn C++/C# FAST, develop your own video games/computer programs. You’ll be set.</p>

6

<p>how are berkeley and ucla safeties? Hopefully in the sense that you’d choose those last…</p>

<p>Here on CC, we define safety as one you are sure you will get into. Although i dont think NYU is safety, its definietely more safety than those two.</p>

7

<p>basketballbabe, UCs are a lot easier to get into if you’re instate and the system is not as holistic as at private schools. She’s almost guaranteed admission into both Berkeley and UCLA.</p>

8

<p>Hey Everyone,
Thanks so much for the advice!</p>

9

<p>I gained admission to Brown, Columbia, Princeton, Brandeis (with full tuition+room+board), and I got rejected from UC Berkeley (in-state)</p>

<p>I suggest you throw in one extreme safety from the UCs, JUST in case. I doubt you’ll need it but it doesn’t cost too much extra and it’s not any extra work to check another box.</p>

<p>You have the stats, but I agree, you will probably need to express more passion on your applications. I think you should definitely focus on trying to convey that you’re not only GOOD at these things, but that you truly enjoy them and are passionate about them in some way. </p>

<p>When application season comes your way, work hard on your essays and try to really make your personality pop and try to convey some kind of passion in them. Essays are probably the easiest way to represent who you feel you are as a person and why you’re interesting enough to be admitted to schools where many applicants have excellent stats as well.</p>

10

<p>kinda random question but do you go to lynbrook? im kinda getting that vibe from what your stats are</p>

11

<p>You are in.</p>