Chance Math Major for Cornell ED and Ivies

Chance Me / Match Me!
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1

Intended Major(s): Mathematics

Demographics:

Asian, Eastern USA, no hooks

ACT/SAT/SAT II:

SAT: 1530 (730 R&W, 800 M)

SAT II Physics: 780

UW/W GPA and Rank:

UW: 4.00

W: 4.7

Coursework: AP/IB/Dual Enrollment classes, AP/IB scores, etc

5 for AP gov, physics 1, cs principles, us history,

4 for AP music theory

AP Physics C Mechanics, Calc BC, World, Microeconomics (this year)

AP CS, Stat, Macroeconomics, French, Lit + Honors Multivariable Calc/Diff equations (next year)

Awards:

  1. AMC 12 Honor Roll/AIME Qualifier
  2. Round II qualifier for statewide math competition at a university (Top 10%)
  3. 2x 1st place state piano solo competition
  4. High school diploma + 5 year national honor rollfrom National Guild Piano Auditions
  5. William Knabe International Piano Competition Current Semifinalist
  6. AP Scholar with Distinction

Extracurriculars: Include leadership & summer activities

  1. Mathletes Captain - organize practice problems and run meetings, created virtual countywide high school competition with students from other schools
  2. Mu Alpha Theta President - elected President in club with ~100 students, created tutoring program
  3. AoPS classes - Intermediate Number Theory, Group Theory, High School Contest Math, Introductory + Intermediate Python
  4. Summer Internship at University- bioinformatics research for two summers with applications to mathematical modeling and Python
  5. TikTok - Math-related content, Created AP, SAT review videos, 5 million likes and 10,000+ followers (hopefully can grow it to 100,000)
  6. Investing - reading investing books + articles in free time. Invests own money in custodial brokerage account. Doing my senior research project on this topic.
  7. Piano Lessons - weekly, played for 10 + years, practice everyday, accompanied for voice, saxophone, and violin
  8. Volunteering for music nonprofit- recorded videos for seniors, teaching piano, writing letters to Seniors.
  9. Debate: Public Forum, started in junior year, competes against other schools monthly
  10. Chess: 2 hrs each week coaching at local elementary school
  11. ~200 volunteering hours

Essays/LORs/Other: Optionally, guess how strong these are and include any other relevant information or circumstances.

French Teacher: Had her for two years, probably next year too for AP

Calc teacher - sponsors math honor society and I worked with her a lot

Schools: List of colleges, ED/EA/RD, etc

ED: Cornell College of Arts and Science

EA: Georgia Tech, State School,

RD: Princeton, Yale, John Hopkins, Brown, Columbia, Carnegie Mellon, Duke, Vanderbilt, Rice

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Congratulations on your achievements so far.

I can’t chance you but think it’s likely you will be a desirable applicant for many schools. I would take more time to identify some match schools, and some of your reaches are very different in vibe, curriculum, location, etc. For example, many people woudn’t find both Brown and Columbia appealing. Make sure you are able to demonstrate a fit for each school, while being aware that the AOs are the final arbiters of fit.

What is your budget? Are all of these schools affordable per their net price calculators? Do you have at least one affordable safety that you would be happy to attend?

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I do have a state school that is my safety and all of these schools are within my budget. I am aware that Brown and Columbia are pretty different, but I personally think I can adapt to either environment. I plan to apply to both because with reaches it’s kinda based on luck.

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First - what are your financial restrictions? You are competitive, academically for all, but all are high reaches for anybody. They are also expensive.

You may want to look at a different set of RD applications, too. Harvard, UChicago, and NYU should maybe replace Yale, Brown, and Rice.

What are your matches, and, most importantly, your safeties? GTech is great for engineering, but not for mathematics. As long as you are looking at an out-of-state colleges which is a reach for OOS applicants, look at U Michigan. It is equivalent of most of your reaches, and better for math than GTech.

Good safeties for math, that are not your state school, are Wisconsin and UIUC.

Would a smaller school be attractive for you, like Carleton College?

5

Do you plan to take linear algebra before graduation from high school? Typically it serves as a prerequisite for differential equations.

If you would like to expand or refine your list, this topic may help you with further ideas: For Students Seeking a College Strong in Mathematics.

6

Your accomplishments are fantastic. Your chances are slim because everyone who applies is like you. And the acceptance rates are low. So your chances are low.

Have you considered applying to schools like Arizona, U of SC Or FSU Honors as safeties because you will save hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Your list is fine but you could add an Emory, Rice, W&L and hope for great merit. And add other merit safety/target such as Rochester, Case Western and Miami.

You say Eastern US. What’s your in-state school. Apply there as well.

Good luck.

7

You are a very strong applicant and you are at least competitive anywhere.

You have a rather long list of reach schools. I don’t think that you should think of this as a lottery. I think that if someone from a school that you are applying to were to ask you “why do you want to come to this school”, then your chances are going to be better if you can give them a good answer that goes beyond “you are famous”. Figuring out which of these schools are a good fit for you might be worth the effort.

Whether you should add any matches between your state school and this list of reaches would depend on what your state school is. There are certainly some state schools that are so strong that if it is a safety then there is not point in applying anywhere else other than reaches.

Would you or your parents need to take on debt for any university on this list of schools?

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I have 1 safety on my list which is UMD. I find no point in applying to any other safeties or matches because I think I will be perfectly content there.

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It’s a great school with a wonderful Honors and /or Scholars opportunity.

Apply early. They let you know early. Yes it’s a safety but with string #s and only half admitted, just in case something goes wrong you want to have a safety valve. I might choose one other as a just in case such as U of SC with Honors.

Good luck. You have a solid plan.

10

Is UMD definitely affordable?

If none of your early applications (including UMD) delivers an early admission that is affordable, do you have other safeties to apply to?

Obviously, if UMD does have a 100% chance of admission to you and is affordable, you do not need any other safeties (or any schools you like less than UMD) on your list.

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If applying to UMD, perhaps apply ‘early’ by November 1 (please check) to be eligible for merit scholarship consideration (such as Banneker-Key, full tuition and room-and-board).

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Yes, that is what I am planning on doing.

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Georgia Tech is not a safety for anyone in state. A safety means you are almost guaranteed to get in. Even with your grades and rigor, I imagine there are plenty in your class with similar rigor and grades and expect all of them at your high school (and similar high schools) to apply to GT. The entering class at GT is relatively small (around 3400) this year which is bigger than usual), only 60 percent are in state (2000), 40 percent of those are women, and as an ORM and a male that does you no favors. Too many stories coming out of Atlanta suburbs of similar kids who got waitlisted this year. I agree it is a match but you need a true safety on your list that you want to go to.

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UMD is my safety and I don’t live in Georgia


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While you are clearly a safety at Maryland, I would advise you to choose another to apply. FSU. Pitt. So Carolina Honors. Or a school off a no app fee list. One that requires no extra work.

Stat wise you are clearly in. However, UMD is an upper echelon school and there are several stories on the CC of kids with mind boggling stats inexplicably getting rejected. I can’t imagine it happens to you but with UMD I think a second safety is warranted.

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Sorry. When you said Georgia Tech state school I figured you were a Georgia resident. Out of state it will be a reach

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