Chance me for UPenn (ED?), Columbia, Brown, Princeton

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

Hi, I’m an Asian male who goes to school in NJ, please help to look into my chances on my college list.

STATs:

SAT: 1580- 780 English, 800 Math
GPA: 4.0 UW;
SAT II: Math II- 800, Physics- 800, US History- 700
My school does not rank.

AP Classes:
5’s- AP Calc BC; Physics C: E & M; AP Physics C: Mechanics; US History; Statistics
4’s - Physics 1, Computer Science A, English Language

ECs:
Captain of Robotics Team; Vex Robotics - All State (11th grade)
VP of Math Team Bridging the Gap club (9-11th grade)
Local Youth Orchestra- First Violin (9-11th grade)
Varsity swimming team (9-11th grade)
~200 Volunteering hours mainly on tutoring at school

Honors:
NHS (11/12th grade), Science NHS(11/12th grade), Tri-M Music (9-12th grade)

Summers:
2017- Robotics and Theoretical physics research with a college professor
2018- Working in a restaurant as a dishwasher/prep cook (I really like cooking), physics research, and Robotics,

Schools that I am applying:

Reach- UPenn (ED?), Brown, Columbia, Princeton, MIT, Franklin Olin, Caltech, Berkeley, Harvard??
Target- Carnegie Mellon, University of Michigan, Boston College, Georgia Tech, NYU
Safety- Binghamton, Stonybrook

Additional information: I want to study Applied Math major. I took Multivariable and Differential Equations in my junior year and have just completed Discrete Mathematics course in local community college. One thing I regret was not participating in math competitions such as the AMC, which might be a weak point in my application as a math major. Also, my school has a bad record for MIT; no one has gotten in for around 10 years.

Thank you for your time. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

2

You will most likely get into at least a few of the schools you are applying to (I would be surprised if you didn’t). All of these schools are reaches for everyone who applies, and there are so many students applying with the same strong stats. It becomes sort of random whether or not a school will accept you. Your ECs show your clear passion for science/math so that’s good. I would say focus on writing good essays that may set you apart and getting good reccomendations. Good luck!

3

My prediction if you apply to every school you list.

Reach- You will be accepted to at least one of the nine. If you pick one as ED or SCEA you will most likely get accepted assuming that the rest of your application is in line with your STATs and ECs (any chance at swimming at the DIII or even D1 level? If so I’d also reach out to the swimming coach. If they are interested that only helps)

Target- You will most likely be accepted at every school you list (see swimming comment above) You may have to go through a wait list, but if you apply to all of these you will be accepted to all of them.

Safety- Probably not needed, but you will be accepted to both

4

First congratulations you have a fine academic record. But my advise is to be cautious!

Can you get the physics professor to write you a recommendation? Be sure to also follow
the rules at MIT and other choices, for two high school teachers ,but add the college professor as an extra recommendation letter.

Keep safeties on there. Stony Brook is very strong in pure math.

NYU Courant is ranked 1 in applied math in the nation. I don’t know if thats a match or a reach
for most math students, check on that.

One reason I am worried, is your geography does not help you, your race does not help you, and your gender does not help you.
. you are an Asian Male from NJ who wants to study math/applied math and you never took AMC 12.
Can you sign up for the AMC 12 exam?

Schools like Carnegie Mellon recruit math students, (AIME winners, Olympiad winners ) and because you have
no track record in mathematics contests, I agree with you, that may count against you.

You have taken Calculus 3 and Discrete math. Thats good, but remember this, your calculus 3
class may only have covered about four weeks of a ten week college calculus 3 class.

My son took calculus 3 at Front Range Community College,(in Colorado) and got all 100s on the tests.
He got to GaTech and retook Calculus 3. He said that his community college class covered
about two weeks of GaTech’s class, but he did take the proof based Honors Calculus 3 at
GaTech, a very tough class.

I think you have a good shot at your matches, though, but remember to apply by Oct 15 to GaTech.
For New Jersey students, it becomes more difficult to get into GaTech if you wait until January to apply.
Oct 15 is a nonbonding EA program at GaTech. (EA about 15% OOS, RD only 8% in recent years!!!)

Will U of Penn allow you to apply to SUNY and Gatech early if you want to apply BINDING to Penn?
Check on that, as your chance at Penn is much lower than your chance at GaTech, in my opinion.

GaTech is very very strong in applied math, and if you apply by Oct 15, you have a solid chance since you
want to major in math. (if you wanted Computer science, its harder to get in, but still possible with your record)

Getting all As pretty much does almost nothing for getting into your reach schools, except maybe Olin.
Reach schools are about having a hook, Do you gave one? ) your essays, and ECs, and other factors like did your parents attend college? First generation college students take up to 20% of the seats at most of your reaches.

All your reach schools are Division 1 swim schools, except Caltech, MIT and Franklin Olin.
You cannot really walk on in swimming Division 1, and unless you are already a recruited swimmer,
your swim record will not matter at all for the reach schools or other division 1 swim schools like Michigan.

Do you want to swim division 3? I know MIT has a process to get your stats to them, if
you want to swim for MIT, do that immediately, but its not always helpful for MIT.

With MIT, having ten years of no admits from your NJ high school does not predict what might happen to you. I do
see MIT accepting students after a relatively long period of no acceptances. Can you put together a Maker Portfolio for MIT?

There are a lot of very very top public high schools in New Jersey, and MIT may favor schools other
than your high school, over the years.

5

@petergriffin19 This is a continuation of my answer above. I just noticed that you are FIRST violin in a NJ orchestra. Do you also play for your school? For MIT, you can submit a violin tape with your teacher or conductor’s recommendation letter, as a Music portfolio. If you have made All State NJ Orchestra, thats the level that MAY help you get into MIT, perhaps.

Submitting an optional music or maker portfolios are the way to distinguish yourself at MIT. If you physics research resulted in a talk or paper, submit that to MIT and other schools.

Look for ways to stand out.

Also U of Michigan is pretty tough to get into, from OOS from MA and NJ, but because you want math and not CS or engineering, I believe you will get in with your very top record.

Is Penn your actual top choice, or you just believe the binding ED will help you? (it will help, maybe it would help MORE at Cornell U, though which arguably has a very very top math program, think about Cornell)

I would not focus too much on the other Ivy Schools on your list , or even cross some off, as its so unlikely for you to get in without a hook, but look at the history from your high school for admissions to Penn, Harvard, Brown, Princeton and Columbia and talk to students from your high school, about how they got in.

Princeton is a very poor bet, since you are from New Jersey. There are just too many NJ students applying.

You should get into Berkeley , its easier for students to get into Berkeley from OOS than in state.
Almost all students at our IB World school with your record get into Berkeley, even Asian American students.
Some are waitlisted and almost all get in off the waitlist.

If you have a hook, then yes, apply to Princeton, Columbia, Harvard, Brown. Brown is the BEST for applied math,
the others all good at pure math.

I don’t see a hook in your record though maybe I missed it. . You seem like a typical
strong math student to me, with well rounded music and sports and some research experiences.

Caltech? Hard to tell. Asian and male make it hard to get in, and there are few seats.

Olin depends on how you interview and get along with others, so big wild card there, you have to fly up
there to get in, and spend a weekend seeing if you fit into that small environment. You cannot major in math,
you must choose Electrical or Mechanical engineering, are you OK majoring in engineering?

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@ivystudenthere Thank you for your response! Yes, I am working on getting good recs and writing a good essay.

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@BrianBoiler Unfortunately I’m not that great at swimming. I just did it for fun and as a form of exercise. Thanks for the advice though!

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@Coloradomama Thank you for your super thorough evaluation and advice! I am now considering Georgia Tech as one of my earlys. I also recently visited Olin, and I realized that engineering could be a great path for me too.

Unfortunately, I am not good at swimming and always just did it for fun and exercise. My violin is okay; I can play some hard songs, but I did not make All State. Do you think I should still send it in as a music portfolio? And for the Maker portfolio, can I send in my vex robotics materials and the theoretical physics paper I am currently writing?

Also, you mentioned having a hook for many of the ivys. I realized I don’t really have one. I am not first generation, I am not low income, and I do not have a legacy. I also have not won any large competitions, but I am entering Regeneron STS in my senior year. What are some other things that can be used as a hook? Can my college essay that is about cooking be used as a hook?

9

If engineering is under consideration you should give Harvey Mudd a shot. Great school for math, chem, comp sci, physics, etc.
Your stats are very impressive, and I’m sure you stand out. I’ve moved around the LA area a lot and there are lots and lots of extremely gifted, super involved, extracurricular maniac type Asians around here yet you still stand out, so I hope that means something to you. But more than anything–having talked to former admissions team members from places like USC, they don’t admit robots and I’m sure your college essay will be fantastic so just make sure you don’t just list your achievements or make yourself seem like some android or the standard asian kid who plays violin and is good at math, let them know what makes you a person, not just an applicant on a screen, be creative in your writing. Pour out your feelings. Make them laugh, cry; make them feel something. It’s all in the essay and the supplements!
As a fellow Asian who’s also applying to top colleges this coming school year I feel ya, wish you good luck, and hope you don’t stress too much!!