Chance me for USC and UC's

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>I go to a pretty competitive high school in Orange County, California. I am applying to USC, Berkeley, UCLA, NYU, Boston College, UCI, UCSB, UCD, and UCSD. Here are my grades:</p>

<p>Freshman:
Algebra 2(H)/CP B-/A
Geography/ Visual Imagery A/A
Spanish 2 A/A-
Biology (H) B/B-
English 1(H) B/A
Basketball A/A
Weighted GPA: 4.0/4.2
Unweighted GPA: 3.4/3.8</p>

<p>Sophomore:
Pre-Calculus B/B
English 2(H) B/A-
Spanish 3 A-/A-
World History(H) A-/A-
Chemistry B-/B
Basketball A/A
Weighted GPA: 4.0/4.2
Unweighted GPA: 3.4/3.6</p>

<p>Junior:
US History A/A
Spanish 4(H) B+/A-
Calculus AB(AP) B-/B+
Physics A-/A-
English 3(H) B-/B+
Basketball A/A
Weighted GPA: 4.0/4.2
Unweighted GPA: 3.4/3.6</p>

<p>Senior (These are my grades after the first quarter)
Physics(AP) A
American Government(AP) A
Economics(AP) A-
Psychology(AP) B
Statistics(AP) A
English 4 A
Weighted GPA: 4.6
Unweighted: 3.83</p>

<p>The GPA's listed above do not include basketball.</p>

<p>My school does not offer many AP courses until senior year. But, I still decided to skip some of the available AP courses such as AP Bio and AP US History. I am applying as Business Major. My cumulative unweighted GPA is a 3.56 and my weighted GPA is a 4.1. Also, I am in the top 12th percent</p>

<p>SAT
Critical Reading: 660
Math: 720
Writing: 620
Total: 2000
I will be taking it again in December.</p>

<p>ACT
English: 28
Math: 31
Reading: 29
Science: 30
Composite: 30</p>

<p>Extracurricular Activities
Basketball for my school (Freshman, Sophomore, and Junior Years)
Most Valuable Player of the JV Team (Sophomore Year)
Team Captain (Sophomore Year)
AAU/ Travel Basketball (Freshman and Sophomore Year)
Internship- over 1000 hours
Key Club
CSF
NHS</p>

<p>Recommendations
All should be excellent. My boss, a USC alum (both undergrad and graduate school), is also writing one about continuing the Trojan tradition, how I would be a good fit, strong work ethic, organized, etc. </p>

<p>Background
First Generation Student
Asian Indian
Sister is a USC alum </p>

<p>Essays
I am trying to make them as good as I can.
Most of them are about my internship</p>

<p>I was also wondering how big of a factor senior year grades play in the admissions process. From what I have heard, they do not really matter, but I am hoping that they do. A major reason for why I have not received really good grades in the past years is because I have been busy with an internship and basketball. But now, I no longer play basketball, and that freed up a lot of time for me. As a result of that, I am doing a lot better and have a 4.6 with 5 AP classes.</p>

<p>Please chance me for these schools. I am applying as a Business Major, and as an Economics Major for my secondary option.</p>

2

<p>You will be competitive for all these schools, but you need to add some safeties. What I am concerned about is your choice of schools for business. My family is mixed race Asian and in our community there is a huge bias toward the UC’s and some privates due to perceived prestige. You need to break out of that train of thought and think about where you will get the best business education. First, and this is the reality, most UC’s will not give one iota of real world business experience. UCLA, UCSB, UCD, and UCSD, as far as I know do not offer a true undergraduate business degree. Econ is a social science NOT a business degree and it is not even applicable to business in most contexts unless you want to be an acutary or other related research support position. UCB is OK, but near impossible to get into. UCI now has an undergrad business major, but it began just last year. Business is a tricky thing – you cannot master it out of books. You must actually do it and most of what you learn in school is handy, but not real or even useful until you understand what you’ve learned from a real world perspective from the field. So, here is my suggestion. Rework you list of schools. Look for schools that have these qualities:</p>

<p>(1) The schools offer a hands on, learn by doing, real world approach.
(2) The schools have deep ties to the business community.
(3) The business programs heavily emphasize internships and co-ops for all students.
(4) A large portion of the faculty are entrepreneurs and/or involved in business/consulting. They must be working in business to teach it properly.
(5) The schools encourage and support those that need certifications for their profession to get them while still students. For example, accounting majors should be able to sit for the CPA exam when they are seniors. Finance majors should be ready to take the CFA exam, etc.
(6) All programs should have a international business option/concentration.
(7) All programs should have an entrepreneurship option/concentration.</p>

<p>Look at schools like this: [Top</a> 25 Undergraduate Entrepreneurial Colleges for 2012 | Entrepreneur.com](<a href=“Top colleges and business schools for entrepreneurs.”>Top colleges and business schools for entrepreneurs.)</p>

<p>Review the above link and seriously look at those schools. Also, keep these schools on your list: USC (high match), Stanford (high reach), Berkeley (high reach), NYU (high match), Boston College (reach), UCI (match), and add Cal Poly San Luis Obispo (high match) and Cal Poly Pomona (safety) as well. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is actually my favorite business program in California.</p>

<p>Base your decision on the seven points above. Good luck and get a business degree that is actually useful and do not graduate without at least two serious internships and/or one entrepreneurial project or business study abroad experience. Good luck!</p>

<p>Where do I get my opinions from? I have 27 years of international business experience. I speak 3 languages and have done business in 25 countries. I have an MBA from a top school and own my own financial services practice.</p>

3

<p>Thank you for your response. By the way, I want to be a banker. I was wondering if that changes the list that you gave me.</p>

4

<p>I have another question. I am new to this website, so I do not really understand the terminology that well. What does “high match” mean? Is that good?</p>

5

<p>High Match means that you are qualified but it will be somewhat more difficult to get in than a Match. i.e. The school is more competitive.</p>

<p>So, you want to be a Banker. Unfortunately, that is not enough info. Do you want to be an investment banker? A retail banker? A commercial banker? A banker that specializes in international trade financing? A banker that focuses on mergers and acquisitions? A banker that works for non-profits in micro lending in developing countries? An international development banker working for the World Bank or any number of regional counterparts. Do you want to be a government banker working for the Federal Reserve or possibly for the US Mint? I am not trying to be mean, but you need to put a lot of thought into this. For example:</p>

<p>*Investment Banker – Wharton, Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, Rutgers (NB), any top state school with prestige, etc. MBA preferred for advancement.
*Retail Banker – Two year AA degree from your local CC. Any local state school.
*Commercial Banker – Any solid state school.
*International Trade Financing – Georgetown, Univ of South Carolina, Univ of Miami, any school with a major emphasis on Global business and international trade.
*Mergers and Acquisitions – Wharton, Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, Rutgers (NB), any top state school with prestige, etc. MBA preferred for advancement.
*Non-profits in Micro Lending in Developing Countries – Georgetown, Wharton, Harvard, Princeton, Rutgers (NB), any top school with prestige, etc.
*International Development/World Bank – Georgetown, Wharton, Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, Yale Rutgers (NB), any top school with prestige, etc.</p>

<p>There are many, many options…</p>

6

<p>Another thing, why banking? This is a dynamic industry that is currently undergoing tremendous change and instability. Then again, that can be said for many industries. Do some research…</p>

7

<p>I want to be an investment banker, but I do not think that I would be able to get into those colleges that you listed. I would be lucky just to get into USC</p>

8

<p>Also, can you please chance me for the other schools that I listed?
Do you know how much senior grades factor in for admissions?
Can you please recommend some more schools for me that I have a decent shot at? (I would prefer to stay in California, but I am not completely adverse to going to an out of state college)
Thank you</p>

9

<p>For California you have plenty of choices:</p>

<p>USC is a great choice – Great alumni network and not a bad business education.</p>

<p>Cal Poly San Luis Obispo – This is still my favorite business program in CA due to the hands on focus and loads of internships. USC alumni network may be more powerful than Cal Poly, but at Cal Poly you will know how to be an investment banker upon graduation.</p>

<p>UC’s – These will always look good on a resume. The problem is that you will not get a real world education and may graduate with no experience at all. If you go to a UC you must go out of your way to arrange internships and “pull” the education to you and get lots of outside experience. Only, UCI and UCB have a true Bus Admin degree. Do not shy away from a UC, just know that if you want to be competitive and really understand what a banker does, you will have to make it happen on your own.</p>

<p>Other schools that are great are Stanford, Loyola Marymount, and don’t forget the Claremont colleges. Claremont McKenna could be a great business alternative in a Liberal Arts college. Pepperdine could also be a decent option. Also try Santa Clara – if you like tech and investment banking in that arena this could be a great school for you. Mind you might end up working in Silcon Valley.</p>

<p>There are lots of great options in CA. Try these!</p>

10

<p>Thank you.
Can you please chance me for Claremont McKenna, UCSB, UC Davis, and UC San Diego?</p>

11

<p>Claremont McKenna - High Match, UCSB - Match, UC Davis - Match, and UC San Diego - High Match</p>

12

<p>USC - Match
Berkeley - Reach
UCLA - Reach
NYU - High match
Boston College - Match
UCI - Match
UCSB - Match
UCD - Match
UCSD - High match</p>

13

<p>USC: High Match
UCB: High Match
UCLA: High Match
NYU: Match
BC: Match
UCI: Low Match
UCSB: Low Match/Safety
UCD: Match
UCSD: Match</p>

<p>Chance me
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