Chance me for NYU, UCLA, USC, and UIUC?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

I’m an Asian girl who just finished junior year with less than stellar numbers, and I’m really questioning if I can get into these schools right now. Here are my statistics:

GPA (Weighted): 4.108
GPA (Unweighted): 3.6
ACT: 33 (retaking)
SAT 2s: Math 2 780
(Taking bio this weekend)
AP Classes: Will have taken 13 by the time I graduate. I have all 4s and 5s.

Extra-curriculars (I like to think this is a pretty good list. Keep in mind my school in Illinois is 4300 kids and it’s top 5 in the state, (30% asian) so competition is fairly high.

National Honor Society VP
Choir Coordinator (might get Treasurer this year)
Founder and President of a music charity club that I started from the ground up
Played a lead character in the Frosh-Soph play freshman year
Student directed the school musical in Sophomore year (Will be trying for lead next year, and not trying to be snarky, but I really do have a good chance of making it, since they’re doing Miss Saigon, and there aren’t many asians)
ILMEA district choir (hoping for state this year, jazz included)
Tri-Music Honor Society member (running for Pres this year, and I’m heavily involved in music and arts so I have a chance)
Teaches English to senior citizens and public speaking to young children at local Chinese school
Taught English at Suzhou Foreign language school during Sophomore summer
Interning (paid) at China Daily (newspaper company) in Beijing through the American embassy as an editor/translator this summer
Went to DC with Northwestern’s Civicweek program
Model UN member for 3 years
Key Club member for 2 years
Sang in a jazz acapella group for 3 years
Played piano for 11 years and earned level 10 piano theory status

Summary: NHS VP, music and theatre kid, and deep in Chinese heritage.

By the end of senior year, I would’ve accumulated 700+ hours of community service.

I feel that I have a strong extra-curricular standing, but a very weak GPA. I did have a mini family crisis when I was in 7th grade, which threw me completely off course academic-wise (suffered with failing grades and placed in organizational studies) which did affect me in high school due to my poor learning base. I think I need a very strong essay to be even considered.

Are my predictions accurate? Am I being harsh on myself? Are these schools a far stretch? Thanks! :slight_smile:

2

UCLA is full fee and that unweighted GPA, for an OOS student is weak. NYU is really expensive, can you afford it? Same with USC.

3

Realistically, your GPA isn’t on par with the average students who will attend these schools. I would definitely consider them (except for UIUC) reaches, but you’re not out of the game! Also, a school like UCLA will consider an essay a lot less than it will GPA.

4

@“aunt bea” Thankfully my family has a very decent economic standing, and I nearly have a few hundred thousand saved for college; so yes, my family’s well able to pay for it.

5

Please chance me! I will chance back!