From a suburban high school in Detroit Metro Area
GPA:3.85 unweighted (School does not rank or weight students GPA)
Courses: Honors track for math and english since 10th grade
AP Classes:
Sophomore: AP Government(5)
AP World (5)
Junior:
AP Chem (3)
AP Bio(3)
AP Enviornmental Science (4)
Senior:
AP Calculus AB
AP English
AP Spanish
AP Statistics
Scores:
ACT: 3 settings
1st: September 2014 31 (31 E, 36 Math, 28 reading 28 science,)
2nd: March 2015 32 (32 E, 25 Math, 31 Reading 31 Science)
3rd: April 2015 (33 E, 35 Math, 32 Reading, 32 Science)
Extracurriculars:
Model UN 2012-p
Quiz Bowl 2012-p (Co-captain/ chair)
Swam for a swim club during school year after school 2012-2014
Fishing Club 2014-p (Event Planner)
Rotary Interact 2014-p
It’s hard to say. Your GPA and ACT are high but could be higher, and obviously being Asian doesn’t work in your favor. It all comes down to essays and recs, so I’d get to working on those. Definitely worth the application fee. Narrow it down, though. Eight Ivies applied to would be overkill.
(I’d recommend you consider writing about the fishing club; that’s a somewhat unusual EC especially - let’s be real for a moment - for an Asian kid. Could set you apart).
Race affects your admissions the way it will affect everyone’s. URMs (latino, black, and native american/pacific islander, in increasing order according to the “boost” they get) will benefit from affirmative action. ORM applicants (asians, which I assume you are, judging by your username) are hurt by AA. Whites face slightly tougher odds than the average, but given what asian applicants are up against, we’re in no position to complain.
Honestly, the Ivies are all pretty high reaches for you. Your gpa is not that competitive, your test scores are average and your ECs are below average. You didn’t list any awards or honors. I hope you have some. You are in the most competitive demographic group which means you are up against many 4.0’s with very high test scores and strong ECs that typically includes state or national recognition. There are only a limited number of spots at these schools so if you don’t stand out from the tens of thousands of others who apply, it’s hard to get the golden tickets. By all means, give them a shot but just make sure you have match and safety schools in the mix. Good luck!
Your ECs are pretty generic and don’t show a passion. Also consider the fact that you should really show passion for your field through awards, clubs, activities, internships, etc.
Don’t listen to @gearsstudio, he knows nothing if he thinks you have almst no chance. Just show passion in your EC’s and you’ll have way better chances.
Show your passions through your ECs and SELL YOURSELF UP! Humility is great, but don’t be afraid to brag on yourself at points. Your scores and GPA are not bad at all, however race may hurt you. I can see you having a decent shot at Cornell!