Chance Me for UMich? Sophomore in HS.

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Michigan
1

<p>Hi, I'm a sophomore, British Indian (although born in USA), and in the top 5% of my class (a class of about 400). I will have taken about 6 or 7 AP's before I graduate, and all other classes as Level 1 (Honors, highest) or Enriched (even higher than Honors for only math classes). I attend a somewhat highly-ranked public high school (top 10 in state). I currently have a weighted 4.3 GPA, unweighted of 3.7.</p>

<p>I'm hoping to bring that up my junior and senior year, which will be a challenge because of APs.</p>

<p>I took the PSAT and scored a 201/240 first try (rough equivalent of 2010 on SATs). I'll be taking the PSAT again and then SAT I in the Fall most likely. Any studying suggestions/ ways to do well? Also, do colleges look at the essay section?</p>

<p>FYI: I will be applying Financial Aid to probably all colleges...</p>

<p>EC's:
-Piano for 10 years- Master Classes and competitions
-I have rowed crew and been in track for the past two years in HS (JV crew, JV track)
-Heavily involved in Mock Trial and Debate Club- invited to opportunities within Town Government, shadowing state officials, I'm now applying to my State Youth Council chosen by the senator.
-Participate in MIT Splash program, take science classes- lab assistant
-Show Choir for past two years (Varsity)</p>

<p>Community Service:
-I live right next to a very impoverished city, so I am part of a tutoring program where I help students with their schoolwork, teach them music, etc.
-Volunteered at a senior home where I helped out, and also played piano for them.</p>

<p>-Total Hours: Around 200. I hope to be doing more this summer.</p>

<p>Misc:
-fluent in Hindi (can read, write, speak, understand)
-hobby of mine is scuba diving- I have been certified for 2 years now.</p>

<p>I know I'm only a sophomore, but I understand that I need to start thinking about college early. My dream school would be Cornell A&S because I am passionate about writing, government, etc., but I also love science and chemistry. The combination would be a great environment for me I think. My plan would be to apply ED.</p>

<p>Other colleges I'm interested in are:
UC Berkeley
UChicago
UNC Chapel Hill
Northwestern
Rice
UMich
Boston College
Safety schools: UMass Amherst, UMass Lowell</p>

<p>Again, since I'm a sophomore, I'm not too sure of exactly where I want to go, but I just want to know how I'm doing to be a contender for top-tier colleges. Please tell me what I should be doing more of, or changing. Please don't be afraid to be harsh.</p>

<p>Thanks for your time!</p>

2

<p>You resume looks pretty good so far for Mich. But like the above poster said, you’re just a sophomore… lots of things change from now until then. </p>

<p>For me, I think Michigan does emphasize grades/scores to a certain extent, but you should definitely have good essays/EC’s/recs. I would demonstrate to the school why you think you would contribute to the community. I really feel like that’s why I got in. My grades aren’t amazing (they’re still above avg), and as an OSS, I wasn’t definite that I’d get in. But I think I clearly demonstrated my passions and how I’d be an active participant at Michigan. Essays can go a long way. You just need to know that one fact to impress admissions.</p>

3

<p>Bump bump!</p>

4

<p>your SAT/PSAT should increase by next year probably even without much studying. You should try to aim for the national merit scholarship next year as well. What are your breakdown scores? I got plenty of tips to help you improve. No, colleges don’t really look at your SAT essays.</p>