Demographics: White, Upper Middle class from NYC area.
Intended Major: Econ, History, or East Asian culture.
Academics: Go to sorta a weird private school.
GPA: (UW: 3.93, W: 4.35) NO AP AT MY SCHOOL, ONLY HONORS
ACT:34 (E:36 M:31 R:36 S:34) 8 in essay (Did no prep for essay)
SAT II: US History and World History:720. Plan on taking Math II and/or Biology (hopefully both will be around 750+ each)
I guess my big hook would be is I am a good essay writer, and a somewhat interesting person.
Extracurriculars: Have been doing all this since sophomore year.
I run a decently sized sneaker blog/Instagram/whatever. Interviewed a couple of famous people in the industry and write reviews.
I run charity sneaker drives through this website as well. First one is currently going on now, and seems to be working out ok.
Resell sneakers/streetwear. Have revenue of at least 30k+ a year
Head of Community Service Club: Have run many successful charity bake sales, coat drives, ETC
Student Ambassador: My school’s version of student council. Help organize various events.
Head of Anime Club: Believe it or not, this is one of my school’s most popular clubs by far.
Lead Guitarist in School Band: Play at all the major events.
Squash: I’ve been playing squash for a while now, and I am around Silver level. Help coach kids at local racquet club.
5 years of Japanese, so I’m doing a sort of cultural exchange program this summer with kids from Japan. I can speak, write, understand, read, very well. I write Japanese rap music
Schools: Duke, Yale (ED/EA some legacy I guess), Tufts (Legacy), Columbia, NYU, USC, Vanderbilt, other T20s.
Questions: Just a little bit concerned to how I stack up against other students
Honestly everything you do sounds quite interesting but you seem to lack any sort of extracurriculars that make you distinct from other applications through achievements on a national or international scale. Obviously this doesn’t de legitimize your activities it’s all still very fascinating but usually you need one or two ECs that have been performed at a very high standard of excellence and awards.
That said, everything else looks good- try to raise your SAT.
Yale, Duke, and Columbia are probably reaches; Tufts NYU USC etc. may be a little bit more possible, especially NYU.
Yeah, my school literally offers no good extra curricular or anything at a national level, so I’m literally trying to work with the best I have right now. Like almost every club you see there, I founded
Wow that really sucks. And this is a paid school? (/ private)
@thebly, I think you have a great shot at USC with a declared major in East Asian Studies and maybe a minor or double major in International Relations Global Economy. USC has good study abroad in Japan which may also be up your alley. Don’t take it for granted though as USC had a 13% acceptance this year. Your essays need to be well thought out and specific. Good luck!
Op is a rock star. If any of the schools listed do not want him/her, that’s their loss, IMO. Things must be beyond crazy-selective these days…
Yeah it’s a private. It’s a very small school, and a lot of the kids are just kids with no ambition or passion to get to a good school at all. It really sucks for me. It’s more of an art oriented school, and a good amount of the kids have ADHD, autism, so it’s hard to work with them and focus their attention. I’m definitely going to say that my school doesn’t offer much opportunities in the EC comments if there are any
You are a competitive applicant. Your stats and ECs are good. Write amazing essays and you could get accepted to any of these schools
Maybe look into participating in other extracurriculars that aren’t affiliated with your school? I’m homeschooled so I, obviously, don’t have any clubs or anything through my school, but I looked around and found multiple other things to get into. I’m from Georgia so it should be easier for you being from New York. If you’re still in high school and like history, Nation History Day is something to try at least once, as well as dual enrollment (if your state allows it, I don’t know about any other state rules on it besides Georgia). Hope this helps!
Maybe look into participating in other extracurriculars that aren’t affiliated with your school? I’m homeschooled so I, obviously, don’t have any clubs or anything through my school, but I looked around and found multiple other things to get into. I’m from Georgia so it should be easier for you being from New York. If you’re still in high school and like history, Nation History Day is something to try at least once, as well as dual enrollment (if your state allows it, I don’t know about any other state rules on it besides Georgia). Hope this helps!
Top colleges like leaders and doers. You are both. I think that you have a great shot. Better than most with a 34 act.
Your SAT II score is a bit low, and the awards you’ve won are nonexistent, so even though you have a chance I’d say you’re going to have to try extra hard to have your application stick out. If you write a super strong essay than you might have a chance at most of these schools. USC might be your best bet, since I’ve seen people with better stats than you get rejected from all the others…
I don’t think it’s all about stats with ANY of the schools op listed. And USC, sadly, routinely rejects high stat students (just like the others).
Yes I have looked into some extra curriculars outside of school as well. I am getting a job this summer, and there are some other programs and summer programs that I am apart of that I forgot to put down
I really don’t think stats, once you get to a certain level, really matter for high level schools. What they’re really looking for is uniqueness, good essays, and extracurriculars.