<p>@Erothu Don’t waste your time taking the SAT again. At most, you MIGHT go up to 2310. For admissions counselors, there isn’t much of a difference between those two. They read the same. At this point, there is NOTHING you can do to improve. You’re already a junior, so you can’t add ECs. You are in the 99th percentile for SATs, so getting a 2310 or 2320 isn’t gonna do much. Your GPA is already as high as it can me, so just maintain it. All you can really do is write a good essay. That’s it. There are kids who get into Stanford with 2200 on the SAT so taking it again would really be a waste of time. You got a perfect on the math, which should help you at Caltech, but aside from that it’s really a guessing game. There are kids less qualified than you who will get in, and kids who are more qualified because of having 3 years of outstanding ECs. Just make sure your application is in order.</p>
<p>A lot of people here are being condescending and saying that it’s a crapshoot, which really isn’t helpful advice. SugarBubbleTea mentioned that you can’t really add more ECs, which is mostly true, but maybe you could find a way to dig deeper in the activities you’re already involved in. Writing good essays can also help, so maybe brainstorm some ideas now of the experiences you’ve had and how they have affected you. You have a great shot, so don’t let all of the other comments intimidate you. Just remember that you should also apply to some lower tier schools because there is an element of luck involved and it is quite possible that all of those schools send you a rejection letter. If you’re considering UC Berkeley, also think about applying to UCLA and UCSD because it’s pretty much all the same app, and that way if you don’t get in to the school of your dreams, you’ll still have somewhere to go.</p>
<p>The reason they are reaches is because even if you are a top student, like you seem to be, it can be a completely random admission process. I would not retake the SAT, your score is fine. All you can do now is try to write great essays. </p>
<p>Even if you had a 2400 SAT, 20 more amazing ECs, and killer essays, they would still be reaches.</p>
<p>I would also recommend not expecting to get into any of the schools you said (except maybe Berkeley) and just be pleasantly surprised if you get into any of them. Make sure you have many more match/safety schools.</p>
<p>Although your stats are impressive, you haven’t done anything that makes you more impressive than the proverbial Asian with a 2350 taking MV their senior year. They seem to be a dime a dozen at all the top schools.
Your EC’s are really just time fillers. Since you seem to be focused in math, one of the following three things would have been your best bet:
<p>Thank you for all the responses! And I wouldn’t necessarily say they are time wasters since I have been creating organizations from the ground up, leading various clubs and doing the administration. However, @PurePhysics, you bring up a good point about doing harder stuff such as what you recommended. How would one go about doing what you said?</p>
<p>With regards to schools, these aren’t some I have definitely chosen, just some schools I’ve been interested in. Since America is so expensive, instead of UCLA, I was wondering whether I should just put McGill as a safety. </p>
<p>you really don’t need to publish papers or qualify for INTEL/ISEF to show your passion for math. I know people who have gotten into MIT without doing all that. Besides, from your ECs I see that you’re more into MUN, writing, and French. What you need to show in your application is yourself. Write your essay on something you’re truly passionate about, and let your personality and interests shine through. Adcoms are not going to admit you to MIT simply based on how many national awards you got - they want to see who YOU are and what YOU stand for.</p>
<p>Also, your ECs are not time-fillers - don’t listen to PurePhysics because that’s crap. Founding four clubs is impressive, and those clubs are actual competition clubs and honor societies which make you even more impressive. Focus on what makes you tick - is it French? Is it MUN? Is it running? - and show that to the adcom.</p>
<p>At this point, there’s nothing really left for you to DO, as other posters have told you. The schools on your list are reaches for everyone, INCLUDING people with USAMO/INTEL/whatever, simply because the admission process is so utterly random. What you can and should do is brainstorm what you’re going to write your application essay on. Unless it’s for an activity that you’re already doing, it’s probably too late for awards/ECs. Like the others said, dig deep into what you already have and work on how to best present yourself through your essay. Don’t stress out too much about it.</p>
<p>I am from British Columbia, and they give you a gpa out of 5.0! I then convert it to a 4.0 scale, as the counselors say to do. Thanks for all your feedback!
@yoloyng, whats a adcom?</p>
<p>I think you have as good a chance as anyone (barring those apocryphal teenagers who isolate a new gene or write a Pulitzer-winning novel) at these schools, but the admissions offices at those schools all say that they get three times as many qualified applications as they have room to admit. You’re competing against thousands of other students who have similar stats to yours. And they’re all applying to all the same schools you are.</p>
<p>At this point my best advice to you is to find some safety schools that you really like and you would be happy going to, so that next year you’re not one of the people starting threads on this forum saying “I was rejected from Harvard, MIT, Yale, Stanford, Columbia, and Princeton! No, I didn’t apply anywhere else, I thought I’d be bound to get into at least one of those!”</p>
<p>All kidding aside, you have a decent shot at all of these schools. From what I’ve observed, admissions (especially for Stanford) is almost random.</p>
<p>@boblikeschicken You had me worried for a second! Haha, thanks for your input. It’s harder applying as an international because of the huge markup in cost.</p>
<p>You have a great deal to offer, but so do a lot of other students. Think instead of how you can enhance the student body that is place at the school. What can you offer that they do not have? What unique perspectives or experiences do you have that can round out the student body? Put yourself in the shoes of the admissions officer who is at once trying to admit a student and build a class.</p>
<p>I know of a student who graduated top ten in the HS class, 35 Composite ACT, National AP Scholar, All-State Band two years, Marching Band four years, very strong math background starting with honors calculus at flagship university in 9th grade. Stanford declined, as did CalTech. It is possible the differentiation was not there. As far as CalTech is concerned, the student was one of the best math students in the state, but it was hard to tell if one of the best in the country. CalTech’s application included a question on patents awarded and papers published. That’s the competition.</p>
<p>How can you make yourself more interesting to the admissions committee? What can you include in your essays or in the recommendations that speak to those unique attributes?</p>