<p>I'm an African-American male, senior this year in Illinois</p>
<p>Cumulative GPA: 4.0 (on a 4.0 scale, where an A- is worth just as much as an A+, but honors, AP and college classes don't award extra points)</p>
<p>Our school doesn't rank, but I imagine I'd be in the top 10 of my class of about 160.</p>
<p>ACT 35: English 36, Math 34 (36 on a previous test), Reading 32, Science 36
Best Writing: 7/12
Best Combined English and Writing: 29
SAT 2200: Reading 740, Math 790, Writing, 670
SAT II: Math 1 770, Math 2 770, Chemistry 710 (retaking this in October)</p>
<p>Noteworthy Classes:
-AP US History: 2 on the AP Test (still haven't forgiven myself)
-AP Biology: 5
-AP Calculus BC: 5, AB Subscore:5
-Taking AP Chem and AP Computer Science this year, as well as Calculus III at a community college nearby and AP Physics C online</p>
<p>ECs:
-IT intern at State Farm Insurance Companies this past summer, and will likely do this again next summer
-Worldwide Youth in Science and Engineering Team Member 9-12, possibly captain this year, First Place Regional At-Large Chemistry in junior and sophomore year, Second Place Regional At-Large Mathematics sophomore year
-School Mentor 10-12, tutored students in math and science related classes
-NHS 11-12
-Math Team Member 9-12, 4th place at State in 2-person competition junior year
-Track and Field 9-12, Varsity 10-12, 400m dash, 4x400m dash, likely captain this year
-Football 9-10, Varsity 10, Conference champions sophomore year
-Summer after sophomore year, mentor at Boys and Girls Club of America
-Easter Seals Telethon Volunteer 10-12, answering/making calls for donations 1-2 hours each year, aired on local news
-American Cancer Society Relay for Life 9-10, raised money for cancer research</p>
<p>A bit of a side note, can anyone be so kind as to give me a few tips on making sure whoever reads my essays understands how I stand out from my peers? I've noticed that a lot of people in my more advanced classes are sort of awkward and don't take care of themselves physically, but I'm very outgoing and am quite physically fit for what it's worth. Maybe it's useless to the people at admissions, but it's definitely something I take pride in; it makes me feel more like an individual. </p>
<p>I'm applying at MIT, Caltech, Stanford, UC Berkeley, Georgia Tech, UIUC, and Purdue. My desired major, as of now, is chemical engineering and perhaps a minor in computer science. What do you think my chances are of getting into these schools? I promise I can write a better college essay than my scores indicate (I've always been awful at timed essays).</p>
<p>Thanks so much for taking the time to read this.</p>
<p>EDIT: Also, any chance of merit-based scholarships at these schools?? Thanks, again!</p>