I’m currently a junior and would like to know if I’m on the right track! I’m hoping that by asking now, I can work on the areas that need improvement so that I’m ready when it’s time to apply this fall.
Profile: Asian (Indian), Female, Private Co-ed High School with recognizable academic rigor
Location: CA
UW GPA: 3.9
Weighted GPA: 4.4
SAT 1: CR 750, M 750, W 740 (composite 2240) --planning on retaking this (is that advisable?)
SAT 2: Planning on taking Math 2, Literature, and US History (aiming to get at least mid 700s on all 3)
PSAT: 221
AP: 5 on Psych, 4 on European History (planning on taking Micro & Macro Econ + US History)
IB: HL English, History, Art, Biology, SL Math and Mandarin, Theory of Knowledge (had all As this first semester)
Also taking 2 community college courses this semester and am on track to receive As for both
Took a course at UC Berkeley previous summer and received A+
ECs
Girl Scouts, Model UN (9-12, VP 11th grade, P 12th grade), Speech & Debate (Speech President 10th-12th) (many many awards), Journalism (VP 10th-12th), Student Council (VP 10th (hopefully 12th as well)), National Honor Society (11-12), Current Events Club, Math Tutor
Lots of community service and a track record of leadership
Spearheaded award-winning girl’s self-esteem project which I received a grant for
Any advice and input would be greatly appreciated.
Dang! Your PSAT is one point under the cutoff for California. That sucks! Your courseload looks great, SAT looks awesome(I assume you’ve looked it up before but it’s a high 33 on the ACT which is awesome!), and your ECs could use a little bit of work but they’re not bad by any stretch of the imagination. Volunteering sounds good but “lots of hours” is ambiguous. 100 hours? 12000 hours? are they logged? Your race will play against you tho, especially as an Indian. Overall, your app is strong. In terms of improving I’d recommend taking AP tests for things like math because you’re taking SL which isn’t normally considered rigorous, but depending on your major, it might not matter at all.
Also, all your ECs seem to stretch in to 12th grade which you’re not even in… strange.
Right now, I’d say that Dartmouth is a mid reach. You’re not amazingly set, but you’re not behind at all.
Your essays and recommendation could be especially important, since all your other qualification are entirely competitive, but do not separate you from other “distinguished applicants.”
@qpqpqp - Thanks for the advice! I took it again on the 24th, so hopefully that’ll help a bit. The 2240 was from my first test, and since Duke superscores, I’m hoping at least one of the sections’ score goes up. I’ll know in a few weeks.
@MandarinSin - Thank you so much! I should have stated this in the original post but the 12th grade inclusion is just an assumption. A position in student council isn’t a given, so that’s why I said it explicitly for that one. And yeah, haha one point off for CA. It’s a bummer but nothing I can do to change that so I’m trying to to scrutinize it too much.
I’m more of a humanities student (I’m hoping to go into law), which is mainly why I opted to do Math SL. I’m debating working towards taking AP Calc next year (in addition to Math SL year 2)- would you recommend that? I’m leaning towards no, mostly because I’m already studying for the Math 2 subject test this June and I’m not pursuing a STEM major. Still, I’d be really appreciative to hear your thoughts on that. Thanks again and in advance.
@TopTier - Thank you, too! I’ve read many of your previous replies and threads and you seem really informed and accurate when responding to these “Chance Me” threads. I’m glad to hear that I’m at least a competitive candidate, and I’m hoping that I can use the rest of this year as well as the summer to distinguish myself.
Dartmouth’s an amazing school and I’d be extremely blessed and lucky to gain admission, but I’m hoping I can increase my chances as much as possible so less is left to luck.
@wellaw202, the math helps to show you’re well rounded in the same way that humanities help to show that STEM students are well rounded;however, I think that the Math 2 and SL will do great especially since you’re not doing STEM!
Going to respond to the SAT thing… there’s no need to retake it… it’s not like they’re admitting and denying based on 50-100 points(I hope not anyways)
