Chance For Sophomore Applying early

Colleges and Universities A-Z California Institute of Technology
1

<p>I am applying as a junior. I am going to either SSP this summer or Carnegie Mellon's Summer Program for Diversity.
State: NJ
High School- Very competitive, Newsweek's Public Elites
Rank: Top 10% out of 65 students
SAT: 2310; M:800 CR:760 Wr:750
SAT Subjects - Math IIC: 800, Math IC: 800, Chemistry:770
QPA: 96.5</p>

<p>Classes
9th
World Literature - 94
World History - 95
Spanish I - 95
Fitness I - 99
Health I - 97
Combined Algebra (1/2 year)- 100 Math Analysis (1/2) year - 100
Biology I - 94
Technology and Design - 94 Design and Graphics - 96
Foundations of Science (1/2 year) - 94 Sci. Data Analysis (1/2 year) - 94</p>

<p>I skipped Calculus I over the summer, by taking it at Columbia University School of Continuing Education, with a college professor, college students, and I earned 3 credits for Columbia University.</p>

<p>10th
Physics I - 99
Calculus II - 98
Chemistry I - 98
Spanish II - 95
Early American Literature I - 97
US History I - 94
Int.toEgg (1/3 year)-A/Egg.Drawing (1/3 year)-A/3D CAD(1/3 year)-A College Credit for these 3</p>

<p>Currently taking Sequences, Series and Multivariate Calculus from UT Austin</p>

<p>Athletics
Lacrosse - Conference Champs in 9th grade, starting position, JV for 10th, team is top 10 in the state.
Wrestling - No team at our school, so I ran a JV team and had practices every week when the season should have been, and might bring a real team back next year.</p>

<p>EC's
AMTNJ score - 10 @ 1st Place school in Delta Division
AMC 12 score - 96 AIME:Haven't taken yet, 4+ expected
USAMTS - Honorable Mention
QuizBowl - 3rd in New Jersey, SkillsUsa competition (9th)
Class Council - Treasurer (10)</p>

<p>Relay for Life 06-07
Relay for Life 07-08
Volunteering at junior high, helping coach wrestling, and scorekeeping</p>

<p>Thanks a lot.</p>

2

<p>Don't do it! Stay in school the extra year and do research, take college classes (esp. in physics/chem/biology) and explore your interests...you'll never get that year back. Even if you got in before receiving grades for AP/college-level Physics, Chemistry, Biology, English, History, and Spanish, you would probably regret losing that year.</p>

3

<p>Also, senior year will be your last chance in a long time to relax.</p>

4

<p>Seriously, don't do it - wait and apply normally as a senior. While it might appear to be more impressive to have gone to a top school at a younger age, it is not worth it. I have had a chance to communicate with 16-17 year olds and honestly, you can clearly see the difference. Not to say they are not prepared academically - they are extremely smart. But socially, I would not say they fit.
So, although it will ultimately come down to your decision, I would join snowcapk in recommending staying in school, doing research your senior year, taking interesting classes and enjoying this kind of freedom.</p>

5

<p>I was in a similar position (though I would have skipped senior year), and I'm so, so glad I didn't do it. I really would have been behind socially, and while this might not seem like a problem, it's huge. And let's face it--if high school is easy enough that you want to buck out early and go to college, you've got plenty of time to teach yourself new stuff, which can be in a lot of ways much better than being in a classroom. Which is exactly what I'm doing this year :)</p>

6

<p>And I'm basing the social thing off of the fact that I've matured a lot since last year. And even more so since sophomore year.</p>

7

<p>How did you make the AIME's with only a 96... This year's cut off mark is pretty low. Anyway I wouldn't bank on a 4+ with only a 96. Unless you've been really practicing a 4 would be extremely hard.</p>

8

<p>Hriundeli and axxiom: you're right about social awkwardness among grade-skippers, but I wouldn't base anything on that. A lot of people who skip grades (myself included) are extra awkward to begin with :)</p>

<p>That said, I can definitely think of some examples of grade-skippers who really suffered because of their immaturity. One sixteen-year-old flamed out in more ways than one: something about attempting (and failing) to jump barefoot over an open fire in an altered state of consciousness. Another sixteen-year-old put on a suit made out of reflective foil (like those Intel commercials from the 90s) and rode a scooter through the trailer park, begging for attention. When it's that bad, you wonder whether the extra year(s) would have been worth it.</p>

9

<p>Someone else mentioned it, but here goes again-- a 96 will not even qualify you to take the AIME, and you definitely won't get a 4. You need 100+ to qualify for AIME on the AMC12.</p>

<p>Stupid me, I answered 15 and got 1 wrong, thereby missing the qualification mark.</p>

10

<p>Well, 96 may qualify this year. Last year was 97.5 and that was with calculators. So I'm fairly certain 96 will make it. I am taking the B date anyway, so its not as if I'm stuck forever. And I've been prepping for AIME since before AMC, so I am pretty sure I can get at least a 4.</p>

11

<p>I got a 99 last year and dind't make the AIME. Were teh cutoffs different between A and B?
When will we find out when the exact cutoff is this year? Will a 99 make it?</p>

12

<p>Yea, i think the cutoffs were different between A and B.</p>

13

<p>Yes the cutoff was different for A and B last year. The cutof for 12A was
reduced to 97.5 and I think the 12B cutoff was 100.5.</p>

<p>...I did skip Grade 1 but am a mature 16 year old looking forward
to college this year compared to a number of 18 year olds who act
quite strangely at school</p>

<p>:)</p>

14

<p>hi arwen15 (and OP),</p>

<p>i don't doubt that you're mature enough for college, but i do think that it wouldn't be a good idea for you to apply now. since you've already skipped a grade, applying early would make you 2 years younger than everyone. i was a year younger than everyone in my year, and i think there are a lot of subtle ways in which this affects your college experience and your friendships, which i think would occur even more if you were 2 years younger.</p>

15

<p>Playing devil's advocate for a moment: I turned sixteen in the summer, and am a frosh at Tech. I don't consider it a handicap in any way: I actually do talk to people, I'm doing fine re. workload, and am not very inclined to flame out in a silly way. Then again, I should note that I'm probably one of the sixteen-year-olds Hriundeli's talked to, so it is entirely possible that I'm missing something and am in fact a social misfit. Don't think so, however.</p>

<p>Really, it seems to be a very case-by-case thing. There were absolutely no opportunities left for me at high school (I was a senior at fifteen, in an academic system with almost zero flexibility), so college was honestly the only possible option, and I don't regret it yet -- would suggest thinking things over very, very carefully, though. (For the record, I know at least one other sixteen-year-old student and a few seventeen-year-olds. They seem to be fine, and social, and reasonably well-liked.)</p>

16

<p>@arcticshadow:
I believe that arwen15 has already been accepted into multiple highly selective schools.</p>

17

<p>:) Susan4 :). Yes, I have been lucky in being accepted to both my top
EA choices and in getting a likely letter from one of my RD top choice college
as well. </p>

<p>arcticshadow, I have studied with the same students in my public HS for the
last 10 years(since grade 2). In fact very few of my grade mates even realize
my age....(and I am mature enough to let my really nutty ideas be experimented/
executed by those immature 18 year olds....he he :cool:)</p>

<p>I know what you mean though since I have seen some students skip around
grades and classes selectively (usually Math focused) and end up not
having a whole lot of friends. My experience was different in that I take all
the classes my friends take and augment for enrichment (like thesurrealist). Also,
I think in my case since my family is definitely not rich it helped reality
sink in real fast and early.
:D:p:)</p>

18

<p>Seeing people like arwen and thesurrealist make me think that it might not be such a bad idea as the other posts have implied. I can't help but feel that I should at least apply to a few schools (two to be exact), and then check out my options from there.</p>

19

<p>As I've said - it will ultimately come down to your decision. </p>

<p>I've been thinking about what I said in the previous post, and I would like to note that the people I was talking about seemed out of fit according to me - other people might find them perfectly in place. So, take what I said with a grain of salt.</p>

<p>Ah, forgot to say - there are also people of my age that seem socially awkward... so it's not only the "young ones". Therefore, if you do apply and get accepted, and decide to go early, you will not necessarily flame out or be a reject, but you should excercise caution. </p>

<p>thesurrealist, there are other 16-17 year olds at Caltech besides you (if you are who I think you are) and the person from alley 2 (and besides phlogistonfreak who sometimes acts like a 5 year old, especially when it comes to squirrels and extreme poo-poo-headness :p) :)</p>

20

<p>I know all the people Hriundeli is talking about, and I'd like to corroborate with his post. However, there is at least one "young one" who is, to completely honest, very much disliked by a sizable portion of the population. It may not be solely because he or she is younger, but from talking to this person and others I have gathered that the age disparity does make a big difference in maturity level - especially when it comes to talking about <em>yourself</em> in conversations.</p>

<p>That being said, there are people my age who are not necessarily liked. But this seems to be less a function of maturity and age than one of general annoying habits or being arrogant.</p>

<p>One specific case shouldn't deter you from applying early. But it seems that a larger proportion of younger students happens to stand out, and not necessarily in the best way.</p>