Chance me for Stanford and other schools- Junior

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Here's what I have so far:
Gender: Female
Race: Chinese
Location: Wisconsin, in a pretty good school. My grade is particularly competitive... But that's to be said about every year I suppose, right?</p>

<p>Rank: 1st (weighted), 4th (unweighted), top 1%
Class size: 289
GPA: 5.41/5.83 weighted, 3.96/4.0</p>

<p>ECs:
Asian Pacific Islander Club (3 years, 1 year Vice Pres)
Spanish Honor Society Treasurer and Secretary (Probably President next year)
Community Service Club (3 years)
Tutor in STAR Tutoring Program (3 years) and free chem/math tutoring outside of school.
Diving (1 year JV, 1st in JV conference; 2 years varsity)
Regional youth symphony highest orchestra: Principal cellist/Associate principal 2005-2006, 2006-2007. Currently 3rd chair right behind the co principals, so principal is probably given next year. I've been with this orchestra since 6th grade.
Regional youth symphony chamber orchestra: Co principal cellist (1 year)
Pit orchestra for 2 years (Pit orchestra wasn't available this year for strings :( Pity...)</p>

<p>Some Awards:
Intel ISEF-Affiliated Science Fair: 3rd State (physics), 1st Regional (physics)
Policy Debate 2008-2009 (1st place in several novice tournaments and JV, Qualled and went to CFL nationals in varsity and varsity state, and did several other varsity tournaments)
Dean's List/Honor Roll (3 years)
National History Day Honorable Mention State 2009
National History Day 1st Regionals 2009
Various in school math awards/competitions
Was a part of the Wisconsin ARML team (2010)
AP Scholar</p>

<p>Cello is my biggest focus. I've been playing since 4th grade... So here are the awards I have associated with it:
Winner, finalist, and honorable mention 2005-6, 2006-7, 2007-8 respectively in my regional youth symphony.
Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra Stars of Tomorrow honorable mentions (2 years)
Principal cellist in highest school orchestra
State solo and ensemble best score (2 years, soon to be 3).</p>

<p>Courseload:
8th Grade:
Honors Algebra (at high school, I'm a year ahead in math)</p>

<p>Freshman Year: Honors Global History, Honors English, Honors Geometry, Spanish 2+, Biology A, Chamber Orchestra A, PE</p>

<p>Sophomore Year:
AP European History (4), Computer Programming 1A (AP Computer Programming is next, or other wise self study), Honors English, AP Chemistry (5), Honors Pre-calculus, Spanish 3A, Chamber Orchestra A, AP Music theory (Self study) (5 composite).</p>

<p>Junior Year:
AP US History, AP Biology, AP Calculus BC, AP Physics B, Honors English, Spanish 4H, Chamber Orchestra A</p>

<p>Senior Year (expected):
AP English, AP Micro/Macro Economics, AP Statistics, AP Physics C, AP Spanish 5, Chamber Orchestra, AP Computer Science AB, Community internship, and maybe something else</p>

<p>This is the most challenging load available at my school. All A's except for 2 B+s and a B this year (Calc, APUSH, and English). Exams are this week, so I'll see where I end.</p>

<p>Summers
Freshman year to sophomore:
Dartmouth Debate Institute
Northwestern's CTD (Chemistry)</p>

<p>Sophomore to junior:
Summer school requirements like gym and info/tech class
Did some volunteering for the Spanish community. I do a lot of volunteering and coordinating for the Spanish Honor Society.</p>

<p>Junior to senior:
Plan on Stanford Summer Session classes (Chem, Psychology, Orchestra, Anthropology, Computer Programming - I'm still deciding which of these to take) and possibly an internship with the psychology department at Stanford if possible. Otherwise I'll try to intern at Berkeley, even if it means dropping the Summer Session.</p>

<p>Rec's should be really good (my counselor really likes me, and I'm probably interning with him for my business credits). Essays should be good. Will be in NHS by the end of this year</p>

<p>PSAT score of 219 this year - definitely National Merit Semifinalist, and probably Finalist. I expect my SAT score to be higher than that.
Taking the ACT this February and SAT in March.</p>

<p>My sister went to Stanford, so I have some sort of legacy/connection to Stanford.</p>

<p>My list of schools at this point is:
Stanford (my number one school)
Pomona
UC Berkeley
UChicago
Northwestern
Wash U in St. Louis
UNC Chapel Hill
Columbia
UPenn
Yale
Wesleyan
Amherst
Williams
Madison</p>

<p>Financial aid:
Most definitely would need financial aid (after taxes <70,000/60,000)</p>

<p>Please chance and/or give advice on how I could improve my chances to get into these schools.</p>

<p>I'll chance back!</p>

2

<p>wow If you don’t get accepted to all those schools then there is something wrong with the system… Just make sure you do well on the SAT and ACT!</p>

<p>Chance me?
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1075753-snowballs-chance-he.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1075753-snowballs-chance-he.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

3

<p>Bumpity bump</p>

4

<p>I’d say you’re looking good at all the schools you listed, shikubo. However, the problem with Stanford and many of your top picks is that, no matter how qualified you are, gaining admission is always a crapshoot. I hate to say it, but with the emphasis on “diversity” taking over in every school, the fact you are Asian and have music as a hobby/talent makes you but one of many…especially in California. In addition, these days more girls tend to apply to college, so their admissions rate is correspondingly lower. (sad, but true)</p>

<p>For example, our daughter is currently in first year at Pomona and absolutely loving it. She is half-Chinese, her stats were very similar to yours, and she plays piano at the Royal Conservatory 10+ level. We naively thought that combo would be enough to ensure admission to an elite school, but we were advised to play up her artistic and photographic skills as well, and to point to other personal passions or interests in her essays as a means to “round her out” as much as possible. The hoops you have to jump through at the elite level transcend the academic… </p>

<p>Anyway, I have no doubt you will land a high percentage, if not all, of the schools on your wish list. Good luck with your applications!</p>

<p>PS: Check out Pomona’s financial aid. They have a reputation as being very generous and meet 100% of all student need.</p>

5

<p>You know you have an impressive resume, so why ask?</p>

6

<p>Yea I agree with JAC that your pretty much a shoe in for every school on there…
IVY’s are a reach for anyone, but I’ll be shocked if you don’t get into at least one of them…</p>

<p>CHance me back please?
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1075807-chances-junior-please-desperate.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1075807-chances-junior-please-desperate.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

7

<p>@enkephalon
:frowning: I know it makes me one of many, unfortunately… Darn my last name! If only it didn’t give me away as Asian… Hopefully I can convey my passion for music through my essays though, and if I do go through with the Stanford Summer Session and the orchestra class, I hope I can get a recommendation from the summer orchestra director (or at the very least leave a good impression come admissions time).
I’m so glad to hear Pomona’s working out for her! My dad is very against any other school besides Stanford (naive elitist thinking on his part). He believes that with what I have now, I can get into Stanford, because my sister (who was 2nd in her class, but only had theater/stage crew and studio art as her extracurriculars) was able to gain admission into Stanford in 2003. Things are so much harder now unfortunately… and I hope to convince him that I can go to Pomona because I’ve heard it has a lovely campus, great academics, and it’s west coast! He’s particularly adverse to any other school because neither of us know much about the financial aid systems at most other schools besides Stanford and Madison. So hearing that Pomona has great financial aid is wonderful :slight_smile: Thanks!</p>

<p>@thatslovely
I’m like any other of the kids on CC feeling insecure about college… :frowning: It’s just nice to hear from other parents and kids what they realistically think are my chances of getting into my top schools, rather than what I think or what my parents expect.</p>

<p>@Abarith
Thanks! Do you see any schools in particular that seem to be matches for me? I know all the Ivies and Stanford are reaches/crapshoots, but I’m still trying to figure out my safety zone and my match zone. I’ll chance you back in a minute :)</p>

8

<p>Good luck With Stanford!
You seem like you are already pretty well qualified, keep up the good work!
(good luck with the rest of your music, coming from a fellow orchestra - member!)
Hopefully you will get in to most of the colleges on your list!</p>

<p>chance me back please</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/brown-university/1074681-chance-me-brown.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/brown-university/1074681-chance-me-brown.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

9

<p>good lord </p>

<p>and i wanted to go to stanford</p>

<p>if im competing against people like you, theres no way in hell im being accepted</p>

10

<p>You’re most welcome, shikubo.</p>

<p>Here’s a couple of url’s where you’ll find helpful info for you and your Dad about Pomona FA. From what I can gather, I doubt there’s a more generous school on your list.</p>

<p>[Financial</a> Aid - Pomona College](<a href=“http://www.pomona.edu/admissions/apply/financial-aid.aspx]Financial”>Applying for Aid | Pomona College in Claremont, California - Pomona College)
[Office</a> of Financial Aid - Pomona College](<a href=“http://www.pomona.edu/administration/financial-aid/]Office”>http://www.pomona.edu/administration/financial-aid/)</p>

<p>As for the comparison between your sister’s admission decision and your own, you’re right when you say that the admission process is more difficult now. According to college admissions consultants, all elite colleges have experienced a significant jump in applicants and a corresponding decline in admissions rates. Here’s the info on Stanford:</p>

<p>“In 2003, (2007 class) Stanford’s admit rate was 12.1 percent, noticeably lower than 2002’s 12.7 percent and the preceding year’s 12.6 percent. Applicant admission was 2,350 students out of 19,000 applications. More than half the accepted applicants had a 4.0 unweighted grade point average.”</p>

<p>But this is the important part:</p>

<p>"Stanford’s admits retain the trend of diversity that the University has established in prior years. For the second year in a row, the majority of admits are racial minorities. Thirteen percent of the admits are African-American, 25 percent are Asian-American, 11 percent are Mexican-American, 3 percent are Latino / a and 3 percent are Native American or Native Hawaiian. With minority groups representing 49.9 percent of admits in the class of 2005 and slightly more than half of the class of 2006, this is Stanford’s most ethnically diverse admit group to date.</p>

<p>Last year (2014 class) Stanford received 32,022 applications.* 2,300 students were accepted, or 7.18 percent."</p>

<p>So, between 2003 and last year, a 70% increase (!) in applicants has led to a 41% drop in the admissions rate. As I said, for women and non-URMs, it’s particularly vexing, because gender balance and diversity cherry picking pushes their admission rate even lower. Incredibly, Asians are not considered a minority that deserves attention, and are actually discriminated against in the admissions process. Annoying, isn’t it?</p>

<p>And Stanford is not alone – they’re all fielding huge increases in apps and cherrypicking, that’s why it’s a crapshoot.</p>

<p>Anyway, I do not mean to discourage you, only to caution you to have a few solid backups in place. And my suggestion, FWIW, would be to focus one or two of those essays on something other than music, since your credentials in that realm are obvious. Find some other passions to convey that will help them understand you’re well rounded and (I hate to say this, but they tend to stereotype) an “atypical” Asian.</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

11

<p>@Vanaalst thank you for chancing me :)</p>

<p>@ammad2006 Don’t be discouraged. I’m just another typical Asian applicant haha. And it seems you have a plan to transfer anyway? So we wouldn’t be competing in the same pool for a spot at Stanford. I’m not quite sure how well your plan will work though… (I was visiting threads you posted) I’ve never heard of such a thing before really I guess?</p>

<p>@enkephalon
Thank you soo much enkephalon :slight_smile:
The financial aid is… flat out amazing… It’d be almost free for me haha.
<em>Sigh</em> 70%…
I’ve kind of already braced myself for rejection, because I know I’ll be perfectly happy at Pomona or one of the other schools on my list (I just won’t be out near my sister unless I opt for Berkeley, but that’s far too expensive out of state…)
Thanks for the essay advice too. I was thinking either focus on music or something completely else, since those essays seem to get the best responses. Heh. Darn my 100% Asian-ness.</p>