Chance for Pittsburgh Honors + Merit Aid

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Pittsburgh
1

<p>Based on my Naviance I'm way ahead of the average accepted so I'm sure I'll get in. What about the honors college, though:</p>

<p>GPA: 3.73, 92.1/100 UW</p>

<p>SAT: 2340 (or 1540)</p>

<p>SAT II
Math 2: 790
Chemistry: 710
US History: 730</p>

<p>Seven APs taken. That's about the norm for top students here. NJ school, probably top 10% even though there's no rank.</p>

<p>ECs</p>

<p>*Marching Band
- a LOT of awards here, including best major, best woodwind, etc. Too lazy to type everything out because earlier, I was typing a chance thread for twenty minutes and I click submit and it didn't work, all my work was gone and I was all "fml"
- Leadership positions: Drum major, Vice President, Section Leader (11th), Soloist (10th, 11th), Assistant Drum Major (11th)
- Instruments: Alto saxophone, baritone saxophone, some tenor on the side</p>

<p>*Indoor Drumline.
- Pretty much a winter marching band with only percussion instruments. No leadership positions because they aren't offered.
- Instruments: Snare drum, marimba, some guitar and bass on the side.</p>

<p>*Other musical activities.
- In the school wind ensemble, first chair baritone saxophone.
- Instruments I play that weren't mentioned already: soprano saxophone, clarinet.
- Performed publicly for gigs, churches, etc.</p>

<p>*UPenn Laboratory Research.
- Worked in the Environmental Lab for two summers as a technician assistant and focused primarily on the replication of DNA and its applications in a lab. Too lazy to type out the even better stuff that happened here.</p>

<p>*Science Club/Olympiad.
- Three years in science club, going for Olympiad this year if the officers don't mess it up for me AGAIN.</p>

<p>*DECA
- Several awards on first try in sophomore year, including a few Best Roleplays. Placed top 5 in SJ regionals, was a NJ States finalist.</p>

<p>Other ECs important to me that I didn't mention because I don't feel like it: Intermural Basketball, NaNoWriMo, Biomedical research summer program (at Penn), Interact Club, Volunteering at Chinese School, Student Alliance, NHS, being good looking.</p>

<p>Hooks: Sunk the Titanic
Killed Bin Laden
What's green and smells like bacon? Kermit the Frog.</p>

<p>Recs: English and Mathematics. </p>

<p>Essays: I think it's a good essay. It was something about how I lost 70 pounds during high school by exercise while managing my coursework. </p>

<p>Major: Computer Science. Pre-med/pre-dental on the side (not a major I know)</p>

<p>Go?</p>

2

<p>Probably honors college as well. IMO, the honors college is more valuable for humanities majors than science majors. Perhaps my daughter just took classes at a bad time. She only took physics and chemistry honors classes.</p>

<p>My daughter received full tuition for slightly higher SATs and GPA.</p>

3

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<p>I’d definitely say it helps us Engineering and Science majors! I took all honors classes (Chem, Physics, Engineering-- was already done with Calc) my freshman year and loved the professors. Plus my science friends were able to get awesome internships, Brackenridge fellowships, and amazing scholarships through the UHC and the advisors there. Plus, no matter what your major, all the other things it offers (housing, activities, clubs, mentors/older students to help out, etc.) definitely make it beneficial to ANYone, regardless of major.</p>

<p>Sorry to stand on the soapbox, but I’d hate for people to get deterred from the UHC based on major, it’s definitely NOT an issue.</p>

4

<p>My daughter arrived at Pitt at a BAD time. She took two semesters of honors physics and was in Doc Stewart’s class his last semester–which he didn’t finish. It seems as though DD had a new honors chem prof, too. It was not a good experience…but not because anybody did anything wrong.</p>

5

<p>I think you have a great shot at honors college and full-tuition scholarship, provided you’re out of state and in the top percentile of your class. If you’re not, I hope your high school doesn’t rank. Not that the 92 average is bad, but at some high schools it wouldn’t be top 5%. (Not sure offhand what the honors college actually requires.)</p>