Chance Me for Stanford and UC Berkeley Please?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

I took this format from a Stanford results thread, so I would love to hear about how I would fare. Thanks in advance! :smiley:
My top 2 choices are Stanford (Computer Science) and UC Berkeley (EECS), so I wanted to see how my chances look for each.

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2350 (750 CR, 800 M, 800 W, 10 Essay)
ACT (breakdown): 34 (35 M, 34 S, 34 E, 32 R, 33 W)
SAT II: 800 Math II, 790 Physics
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.97 (transcript says 4.00 because my 1 B was in AP Calc)
Weighted GPA: 4.36
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Unavailable, but definitely top 1%
AP:
-5’s: Physics C Mechanics (Self-Studied), Calculus BC, Psychology
-4’s: Computer Science, Environmental Science, Macroeconomics (Self-Studied All 3)
-3’s: Physics C E&M (Self-Studied), European History, Spanish Language & Culture
Senior Year Course Load: Multivariable Calculus (Online), AP Statistics, AP Chemistry, AP Economics/AP U.S. Government & Politics, AP English Literature, Web Design, P.E (took 2 math classes sophomore year, so have to make this up)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Not really major but:
National Merit Semifinalist, AP Scholar w/ Distinction, President’s Volunteer Service Award (Gold, 2x), Eagle Scout

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):

  1. Boy Scouts: (Troop Guide, Senior Patrol Leader, Junior Assistant Scoutmaster, Webmaster)
    -Embarked on 65 mil trek in New Mexico (Philmont Scout Ranch)
    -Taught knots, first aid, and wilderness survival to troop
    -Facilitated growth from 17 to 70 members
    -Built Troop Website
  2. Rubik’s Cube: (Club Founder, President) Formerly ranked top 200 in US, started club at school to teach it to peers.
  3. Math Club: (Secretary, President) taught competitive math to students as Secretary.
  4. LEO Club: (Event Coordinator for 2 years) planned every service event for the club, worked with district to plan regional events as well, working on club website.
  5. DECA: (Director, Vice President) Teach business to high school students at weekly workshops. Placed in top 10 at state conference twice.
    Job/Work Experience:
  6. Started a company to spread business education to the world. I created an online Udemy course to do so, with over 3,600 students worldwide as of today. Currently working on a smartphone app to supplement this.
  7. Research Intern at NASA - Working on research project to develop software that processes pictures from International Space Station.
  8. Summer Intern (paid) at a small nonprofit that works with Universities to increase amount of women in STEM fields. Summer 2016
  9. Software Intern at a local startup. Worked on their mobile apps. Summer 2015
  10. Environmental Intern for a local nonprofit. Got funding from Lam Research to work on a Zika Virus research project.
    Volunteer/Community service:
  11. National Youth Leadership Training (NYLT): 1,000 hours from this. I organize and run a summer week-long camp for boy scouts which helps them learn leadership skills. Started as a guide (in charge of 6), now member of Senior Staff (in charge of 60).
  12. Volunteer Web Developer: Built websites for 3 nonprofits.
    **Summer Activities: **Internships (above), Volunteer at NYLT, worked on the business course.
    Essays (rating 1-10, details): Been working on them since July, so they better be at least 8’s. Don’t want to share content.
    -Common App (8)
    -UC Statements (8’s)
    -Stanford Supplements:
    -Intellectual Vitality (7)
    -Roommate Letter (7)
    -What matters (9)
    Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
    -Teacher 1 (9): AP Physics teacher, liked me partly because I self-studied Physics C, even though she only taught Physics 1. Also, I got a 100 on her final, and overall loved her class. She actually wrote the first draft last year, for a scholarship I applied to.
    -Teacher 2 (9): AP Psych teacher, every time I said something in class, she would comment about how interesting it was, and at the end of the year, told me it was always a delight to hear me speak.
    -Optional (8): Course Director for NYLT, said I will have a great impact on society.
    -Counselor Rec (6): Knows me by name, but probably still generic. I was the first student to request an evaluation.
    Other:
    Intended Major:
    -Electrical Engineering & Computer Science (EECS) at Berkeley
    -Computer Science at Stanford
    State (if domestic applicant): CA
    School Type: Public, 500 per class, in Bay Area
    Ethnicity: Asian Indian
    Gender: M
    Income Bracket: Upper Middle Class
    Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): 1st Generation Immigrant, 1st Generation American College Student

Reflection
Strengths: academics (besides AP), community service, general theme of teaching in my activities, relating to my career interest of being a College Professor.
Weaknesses: No strong hooks, low AP scores, recommendations (nothing over-the-top), no spike (unless you count teaching).
General Comments:
Is it worth applying to Stanford early? I’ve heard that if I were to get in regular, I would get in early. However, most of early admitted students are athletes and legacy students. Also, they admit 70% of their class through early, so can someone please explain this to me?

2

I’d apply early action because it looks like there’s a 9% acceptance rate.

Respect on the Boy Scouts and Philmont (tough). Some of the best overall ECs I’ve seen in a while.

The only thing that will hurt you on your app is being Asian.

Of course Stanford is a reach, but you’re qualified for sure.

On Berkeley, we need to know your UC GPA (which I’m sure is fantastic with all the advanced courses you’ve taken, but we still need to know before we can chance you).

You can find it here https://rogerhub.com/gpa-calculator-uc/

3

Thanks for your insight Jpgranier!

Here’s what turned up for my UC GPA Results:
3.96 UW
4.54 W
4.29 Capped

Thanks!

4

I think you have a very good chance at berkley! Stanford is a total wild card, though. I think your test score is probably fine, considering you are a minority. good luck! chance me? http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1930377-what-are-my-chances-for-usc-and-emory.html

5

Thank you @tallykaye! I just chanced you.

6

http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1903428-faq-uc-historical-frosh-admit-rates-by-hs-gpa.html

2015 frosh applicants to UCB with HS GPA >= 4.20 had a 46% admit rate. However, EECS is one of the most selective majors, so it should be assumed to be significantly more difficult to be admitted to than overall stats indicate. Applying to L&S would be more in line with school overall stats, but then you would need to earn a (currently) 3.3 GPA in the CS major prerequisites to declare the L&S CS major.

Although Stanford does not officially admit by major or limit declaration of the CS major, the huge increase in popularity of the CS major there may mean that admissions readers hold prospective CS major applicants to a higher standard just to avoid having a frosh class that is mostly CS majors.

Make sure that you have safeties that you like.

7

How do you have time to do all that? Wow!
Yes you should apply early and you have a good shot. Last year 745 applicants were accepted REA. The RD class was around 1350. You could get deferred and still have a good chance to get in. Yes they add recruited athletes and legacies but you let them know you really want Stanford and I think they appreciate that. I think you are a lock for UCB

8

@chunkylumbee I had to trade between sleep and work I-) . Thanks for your insight! Much appreciated!

9

@tallykaye
URM (underrepresented minorities are:
African American
Hispanic-American
Native American
Pacific Islander (Tongan, Samoan, etc.)
Basically, these are cultures that traditionally don’t send their kids to college for a host of reasons.

It’s something that the colleges need for their diversity, stats, etc.

Asians and Asian Indians are ORM (or overrepresented minority)

ALSO, UCB is a California Public university. Affirmative action is against the law in California. Can’t use it to gain admission.

10

Your job/work experience is very impressive. I had a lower SAT I score, not a legacy, athlete, or URM and got admitted early action to Stanford. Your chances are as good as any applicant. I don’t understand your comment about Stanford admitting 70% EA. The percentage of students admitted EA is far less than that; actually less than most comparable colleges.

11

Aunt bea, I am sure you know this. While affirmative action is not legal in California, Berkeley and almost all public colleges use a holistic approach to admissions taking into account such factors as race to diversify the student population.

12

If they actually do so (which they are not supposed to), then being a male Asian Indian applicant for engineering or CS would more likely be disadvantageous than advantageous.

Also, most public colleges in California do not use holistic admission. Only the UCs do, but there are far more CSUs and community colleges than UCs.

13

The public community colleges I am aware of in California have no entrance requirements. Any person can take classes at a community college.

14

@googledrone Thanks for pointing that out. I meant 70% of the class is admitted through regular action, not early action. I mixed the two terms up. Also, thanks for sharing your experience. I’d like to give you a belated congratulations on getting in!

15

You will get into Cal not Stanford.

16

I can’t say about Stanford, but you’re a great fit for Cal. Gotta say, I love the LEO club. Also, as stated above, best group of ECs I’ve seen in awhile. :slight_smile:

17

Seems like there is a lot of overconfidence here.

18

@ucbalumnus That’s definitely boosted my morale throughout the past few days.

@preppedparent Thank you for your insight!

@Sterny16 Is it because of the essays?

19

Being realistic, you should not think of UCB as anything close to a sure thing like the other posters have suggested, since less than half of applicants in the top GPA range were admitted in 2015. If you apply to EECS, you should expect admission to be more difficult than for the school overall.

20

Not because of your essays, because people with near perfect everything get rejected from Stanford all the time. Cal seems to me like a match school for you as your GPA and sat scores are above average for most people who get in. You have a ton of ECs solid GPA and near perfect test scores. Not saying it’s a sure thing (you never can with top schools) but I would not be surprised at all if you got in.