Chance me for Good universities please!

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Hi Guys! Can any of you please chance me for the following:</p>

<p>-Brown (Kind of a dream I guess)
-Cornell
-NYU
-UCLA
-UC Berkeley
-Johns Hopkins</p>

<p>Also can you explain how to boost chances for admission to these schools if I am not up to the mark? Also please explain what is meant by a "reach", "low match", "high match" and a "safety"!</p>

<p>Thanks! Below is my profile!</p>

<p>Hi. I am an Indian male living in Singapore going to an international school. I have just turned 17 and have started 11th grade a few months ago. I will be applying to universities in about a year's time. Could anyone please tell me what sorts of universities I can apply to with the following qualifications. Note, these are the qualifications I have currently, so it is likely I will have more by the time I apply. I am undertaking the International Baccalaureate program. I am thinking of applying to the US (undergraduate level) for one of the following as majors (or minors): human biology, biochemistry, biotechnology, political science, economics, history, ethics. I am also planning to apply to the UK for one of the following: history, economics, biochemistry or MAYBE medicine. I am 'first generation' meaning my parents have not been undergraduates in America - they have studied in India. </p>

<p>Predicted IB Score:
At present (after first prediction): 40-41
Likely to be: 43-45 (hopefully)</p>

<p>IB Subjects: At higher level (Biology, Chemistry and Economics)
At standard level (Chinese B, English Lang/Lit and Mathematics)</p>

<p>Although I don't study it anymore, I also have a strong passion for History.</p>

<p>SAT I Score:
Haven't done them yet. Doing them soon. First attempt will be likely to be somewhere around a 2100-2150 judging from practice tests.</p>

<p>SAT II Score:
Haven't done them yet. Planning on taking Biology, Chemistry and another subject test (undecided).</p>

<p>Teacher Recommendations:
Likely to be good. Not much development as of yet as I am new to 11th grade.</p>

<p>ECAs:</p>

<p>In School</p>

<ol>
<li>Leader of History Club (Grade 9 and 10)</li>
<li>Grade 9 History Award and Grade 10 History Award</li>
<li>Awarded "Most reputed tutee" award in class.</li>
<li>Vice Chair of Bombay Leprosy Project (helps fundraise for lepers in Bombay) (Grade 10)</li>
<li>Recently became Chairman of Bombay Leprosy Project (in school) (Grade 11-12)</li>
<li>Short term member of SHILPA GC (group supporting a school for the mentally disabled in India)</li>
<li>Member of the School Ambassador Committee (helps look after new students, organize school events, student body communications)</li>
<li>Member of the forum committee (helps organize forums regarding contemporary topics, world issues, economic problems in school)</li>
<li>Previously worked as a journalist for two school magazines.</li>
<li>Volunteering/volunteered for numerous charitable organizations</li>
<li>Singapore Airlines MINDS Center for mentally disabled
-Helping organize activities for primary children at my school </li>
<li>Volunteering at a home run by the Red Cross</li>
<li>Volunteering at Make-a-wish foundation Singapore. Administrative Work mainly.</li>
<li>Selected as delegate to represent school at Harvard Model Congress Asia 2013. Part of Arab League Committee</li>
<li>Part of Organizing Committee for UN Evening - a school event which celebrates diversity of culture, food, dance and music of different nations.</li>
<li>Active member of School Medical Society</li>
</ol>

<p>It is also likely that I will be joining an ethics society, a tutoring program for younger students in school and may also be selected for a 'Student Advancement Council' which helps organize school events. I may also try my hand at developing an iPhone app - as I have gained knowledge of how to do this from a course.</p>

<p>I have also undertaken the National Youth Achievement Award in Singapore - it is also offered by some other countries.</p>

<ol>
<li>NYAA Bronze Award</li>
<li>NYAA Silver Award</li>
<li>Will be getting NYAA Gold Award this year</li>
</ol>

<p>Expeditions:</p>

<p>NYAA Bronze trip: Pulao Ubin Island (Trekking on island)
NYAA Silver Trip: Hong Kong (Trekking in mountains)
NYAA Gold Trip: Perth (Trekking in mountains)
Discover Korea Expedition: Seoul (Trekking in mountains)
Chiang Mai (Thailand): White Water Rafting
Tioman (Indonesia): Kayaking</p>

<p>I will also be traveling to Tioman for a HL Biology field course this April/May and will be traveling to Hanoi, Vietnam to work in the Blue Dragon Children's Foundation for a charity service trip.</p>

<p>Outside of School:</p>

<ol>
<li>Tennis experience of almost 7 years (2 years on school team)</li>
<li>1st degree black belt in karate. Likely to be 2nd degree black belt by the time applications start. Almost 6 years experience so far. Style is influenced by taekwondo and so I am able to perform many kicks.</li>
<li>Hindustani Classical Vocal Music training for 5 years. Also participated in group performances at cultural festivals in Singapore.</li>
<li>Learning Chinese outside of school.</li>
<li>I am fluent in 4 languages: English, Hindi, Marathi(Indian dialect) and Chinese (relatively fluent).</li>
<li>Knowledge of several types of computer software - word, excel, powerpoint, bento, dreamweaver.</li>
</ol>

<p>I will be likely to do an internship (most likely with a science body - probably biotechnology/human biology)</p>

<p>PLEASE RATE AND HELP!! Thanks!!!</p>

2

<p>Anything above 40 for IB is a great score so if you’re likely to get 43-45, getting in to your schools of choice shouldn’t be a problem. Your ECAs are also very strong and with a powerful personal statement you should do just fine! Thanks for chancing me by the way, it was much appreciated. One thing I would suggest though, is to up your SAT1 score to at least 2200 for Brown (just to be safe and stand out from the rest).</p>

3

<p>Can anyone also chance me for:</p>

<p>-Washington University
-Tufts
-University of Toronto
-Stanford
-University of Wisconsin
-University of Chicago
-University of Michigan
-Boston College
-Rutgers
-Emory
-Occidental College
-Reed College</p>

4

<p>You’re not first generation if your parents went to colleges in India. You have to list in the Common Application all the post-secondary institutions that your parents attended for Bachelor’s, Master’s, Ph.D whether or not those institutions are in America or not.</p>

5

<p>Good luck dude, you’ll need it.</p>

6

<p>Are you going to be full pay? That will probably be more important than most of the info there. If you are not, you will be flushed most likely, as international students are not reviewed on a need blind basis at any of these schools and/or are not eligible for aid at them.</p>

<p>If you are full pay, they are still all reach schools but your stats are within striking range.</p>

7

<p>-Washington University-low reach
-Tufts-low reach
-University of Toronto-safety
-Stanford-no one from our school really gets in, don’t bother
-University of Wisconsin-in
-University of Chicago-reach
-University of Michigan-high match(The school really likes our school)
-Boston College-high match
-Rutgers-safety
-Emory-low reach/high match
-Occidental College-low match
-Reed College-high safety</p>

8

<p>When you do apply-be more selective with your self-description/resume. Also try to make the most of the 10 choices you have. No more than one or two safeties</p>

9

<p>For your subject test, I would recommend the Math II.</p>

10

<p>Hi. I am an Indian male living in Singapore going to an international school.</p>

<p>***<strong><em>this actually might work against you. Few schools are need-blind for international students, so if you need aid, you’ll be judged in a separate pile from the rest of the applicants and it will be harder for you to get in. </em></strong></p>

<p>I am ‘first generation’ meaning my parents have not been undergraduates in America - they have studied in India. </p>

<p><strong><em>‘first generation’ means two things: your parents were immigrants to the U.S. and then had you, an American citizen or permanent resident. OR, your parents never attended college anywhere. You are neither of those things I assume, therefore, not first generation. </em></strong>**</p>

<p>SAT I Score:
Haven’t done them yet. Doing them soon. First attempt will be likely to be somewhere around a 2100-2150 judging from practice tests.</p>

<p>SAT II Score:
Haven’t done them yet. Planning on taking Biology, Chemistry and another subject test (undecided).</p>

<p><strong><em>You should try to take as many SAT’s as possible. See if you can find some for the languages you know. Obviously only if you think you’ll score well. Especially because you are an international student, taking IB exams, AP exams and SAT exams will be a good marker and allow for colleges to measure you against American applicants. Remember, you can take an AP exam even if you did not take an AP class, though I would not recomend this unless your English is perfect.</em></strong>*</p>

<p><strong><em>these are the only EC’s I thin are going to help you (because the rest you either did for one year only or are just a member of, and they don’t really count for Ivies</em></strong></p>

<ol>
<li>Vice Chair of Bombay Leprosy Project (helps fundraise for lepers in Bombay) (Grade 10)</li>
<li>Recently became Chairman of Bombay Leprosy Project (in school) (Grade 11-12)</li>
<li>Short term member of SHILPA GC (group supporting a school for the mentally disabled in India)</li>
<li><p>Previously worked as a journalist for two school magazines.</p></li>
<li><p>Volunteering/volunteered for numerous charitable organizations</p></li>
<li><p>Singapore Airlines MINDS Center for mentally disabled
-Helping organize activities for primary children at my school </p></li>
<li><p>Volunteering at a home run by the Red Cross</p></li>
<li><p>Volunteering at Make-a-wish foundation Singapore. Administrative Work mainly.</p></li>
</ol>

<p><strong><em>this volunteering is not going to help unless it was a long time commitment</em></strong>****</p>

<p><strong><em>the below are not going to help if It’s something you do this year only. Only long-term commitments you are passionate about help with the Ivies. If you start the activitiers this year, it’s just going to look like you dabbled if a bunch of activities you are not truly interested in or passionate about so that you could get into college (because, think about it, if they were your passion, wouldn’t you have been doing them for years?) That’s not to say tutoring and developing an I-phone app are still good ideas, if you dedicate enough time to them.</em></strong>*
It is also likely that I will be joining an ethics society, a tutoring program for younger students in school and may also be selected for a ‘Student Advancement Council’ which helps organize school events. I may also try my hand at developing an iPhone app - as I have gained knowledge of how to do this from a course.</p>

<p>I think it’s really your outside of school experience that’s going to help you, because it shoes dedication to karate, as well as the fluency in four languages (if you are truly fluent). You have also traveled a lot, which makes you an interesting applicant. </p>

<p>MY chancing for you…</p>

<p>Brown - you have a chance, admissions are kind of a crap shoot for someone like you (an interesting, well-traveled and smart individual who is hard to evaluate because they are international and doesn’t really have the best SAT scores. 2100 is OK for brown. But not that good. MY recommendation is drop all your EC’s this year and dedicate your life to studying for the SAT. If you can somehow manage 2300 you’d look much much better). But honestly I’d say 50/50. And of course, perhaps you have no chance in hell. But I don’t think that’s the case because of the languages and your decent SAT score. </p>

<p>Cornell - 50/50</p>

<p>JHU - they are a sucker for good grades. Probably not. </p>

<p>-NYU
-UCLA
-UC Berkeley
Probably in at all three, BUT, since you’re international, you’d be paying out of state tuition at UCLA and UCB. I don’t see why you would want to do this. NYU is also notable for not giving good financial aid. Rich kids go there.
Of course that advice doesn’t apply to you if your parents are simply paying for college. If not, I would recommend applying to more private universities, similarly ranked to the above.</p>

11

<p>Oh wait I didn’t see you are also applying for these:</p>

<p>-Tufts - probably out
-Stanford - probably out
-University of Chicago - maybe
-Boston College - probably in
-Rutgers - definitely in, but again, why would you pay out of state? rutgers isn’t even that good. do you have family in NJ or something?</p>

<p>I recommend applying to Georgetown, USC, Brandeis, Northeastern, Pepperdine.
PERSONALLY, I wouldn’t apply to any public schools. (again, unless your parents are paying)</p>

12

<p>Also someone else gave you this advice:
When you do apply-be more selective with your self-description/resume. Also try to make the most of the 10 choices you have. No more than one or two safeties</p>

<p>It’s good advice. It sounds from your description like you do EVERYTHING, and you’re a member of ALL the clubs. Believe me, grown ups know what this actually means is that you don’t dedicate yourself enough to anything. You probably do, like, one hour a week per activity. Therefore, they don’t count.</p>

<p>It would be much more impressive if you said: I dedicate myself to karate for three hours every single day after school. Or, I take intensive chinese classes over the weekend for 8 hours a day so i can be perfect.</p>

13

<p>Thank you @Potato Pancakes!</p>

<p>That was amazing advice! I will take all of what you have said into serious consideration!</p>