Hi, I’m an asian female planning to ED to jhu next school year and am super nervous about my chance to get in
if everything goes according to plan my stats will be:
4.56 weighted gpa (4.00 unw)
1530 SAT 34 ACT
planning to major in bio
good rec letters
Ap calc bc, AP chem, AP bio, AP es, AP Lang, AP lit, AP physics, AP psych, AP hug, AP ush, AP Gov, AP stats, AP csa, AP econ (5s in all except APcsa and APhug)
4 years of research at state college (multiple co-authorships)
volunteering at a local hospital
founded a program at library to teach kids about biology
president of UNICEF club
president of USABO club (some awards)
copresident of Music Club
principal violinist in school orchestra
3-year violin allstate
overall it’s a little underwhelming so I was wondering if I currently have any chance to get into jhu
any tips or help would be really appreciated, as I still have a summer to fix my stats
Looking at your list here, this statement mystifies me and I am genuinely curious what you believe is lacking? Like what do you think the ideal application would have that is completely missing from your application?
Again, in what way? Is there something higher than a 4.0 uw? OK, the 1530 SAT/34 ACT is not perfect, but is pretty respectable and, I believe, within range of students who are accepted.
Here’s the thing: there is no way to guarantee an acceptance. You can do everything right and have perfect stats and you still might get rejected. That’s just the reality of competitive schools.
But you look fantastic. You seem to be doing everything you can, excelling in multiple ways. So that’s great, and I’m really not sure what else you think you should be doing that you’re not already doing.
hi, thank you so much for the response, honestly I don’t know for sure what is missing either, but my application just feels very average.
overall I feel like I am a very skippable candidate because I don’t have any prestigious awards or achievements that would make me stand out for sure. Looking at the forum, every admitted person I’ve seen has won something exceptional at the international level, and it feels I’m missing that eye-catching piece. I’m definitely planning to do more research over the summer, but there’s just no more time for me to get something significant like a first author publication or win any big award.
You’re a competitive candidate, but admissions to highly rejective schools like JHU can be unpredictable. You’ll definitely boost your chances significantly if you apply ED.
I hope you’re building a balanced list of schools in addition to JHU, including a school that will very likely admit you and where you’ll be happy to attend.
Sure, some applicants do have big awards, but many students accepted to top schools do not. Many students accepted to top universities are just really smart, hardworking students, who have taken challenging classes and done well in them, and have ECs that show commitment and passion for their subject. You have all of that, as far as I can tell from what you’ve written.
But, as I said, it can often be so unpredictable. Students with 4.0s sometimes get passed over in favor of students with 3.8s. And students with a long list of awards sometimes get passed over for students who spent their freetime working or volunteering. And sometimes we never know why one student was accepted and another was rejected. So the two best things you can do are:
Do what you love and what you truly enjoy doing. Take your passions as far as you can, without strategizing them for colleges. Be true to who you are and be the best you that you can be.
Have a list of colleges that you would be happy at, including some further down the “prestige” list. Find a couple of schools you like (and can afford!) that have substantially higher acceptance rates. You need to be realistic about JHU’s acceptance rate and have in Plan B unless you don’t draw the lucky acceptance ticket.
And then, when the time comes, shoot your shot. You are a competitive applicant.
But have a back up plan, in case it doesn’t pan out.
Instead of worrying about elusive awards or adding other activities, what might be constructive is to try to be introspective about all of your “whys” and how they tie together to tell a cohesive story about you.
Why biology? Why the particular research you have done? Why did you found the club? Why do you participate in the other activities?
You are only 16 or 17, so everything single thing you do doesn’t have to fit neatly together. It’s ok to explore or do some things just because you enjoy them. But I bet if you started to dig deep, you would see that there are some common threads that could frame the impression an AO will have of you.
This kind of thoughtfulness will serve you well when you apply and will benefit you more than adding an award or an activity. It will help you write a unique personal statement, it will help to frame your activities list, it will help you to convey why you are right for a school, and more. Take time to think about the story of you, and consider making choices that reinforce that story.
Are you Asian, as in ethnicity/heritage…or Asian as in an international student?
Please separate the things that are actual and the things that are planned…
So you in Grade 11 now, yes? So 4 years ago you were in Grade 7- doing meaningful research at State College? Or do you mean that in November, when you are applying you will have completed 3 years and be starting your 4th year of research, and that you are hoping that you will have multiple co-authorships? Whether you were in Grade 7, 8, or 9 when you started, to have a role doing meaningful research at the College- esp under age 16- makes me think you must have Connections.
And have you already done 14 APs between Grades 9 and 10? That is impressive, and frankly impossible at most high schools (even if some of them were self-study). Of do you mean that you will be taking some of those this May, and others next May, and your hope/expectation is that you will get 5s?
When you say “USABO club (some awards)”, do you mean intra-school awards, or did you / do you open to qualify for the semifinal exam?
And being a principle / all-state violinist, being head of three clubs and creating and running a program for children…are these things that are currently true, or roles you hope to have?
Are you pre-med or are you thinking PhD?
90+% of the applicants to JHU will be rejected- what is your plan B?
