Chance Me (free cookies inside!)

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>First, the cookies: <a href="http://freebies.about.com/od/foodfreebies/p/faciifr.htm%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://freebies.about.com/od/foodfreebies/p/faciifr.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Now... My chances. =D</p>

<p>About me:
I'm a white, middle-class male from suburbia (great, huh?) attending a relatively prestigious private college prep school.</p>

<p>Non-standard Courseload:
Honors Bio, Chem, and Physics
Honors Algebra II and Geo/Trig
AP English Lang (junior)
AP Comp Sci AB (junior)
AP English Lit (senior)
AP Calc AB (senior)
AP Physics (senior)</p>

<p>GPA: (weighting: .5 for honors, 1.0 for AP)
Freshman: 3.4 (Honors math and science)
Sophmore: 3.467 (Honors math and science)
Junior: 4.0 (Honors science, AP compsci and english)</p>

<p>SAT:
2230 (CR: 760, Math: 780, Writing: 690)</p>

<p>SAT IIs:
Physics: 760
Planning to take English</p>

<p>APs:
English Language: 5
Computer Science AB: 5
English Lit: ?
Calc AB: ?
Physics: ?</p>

<p>ECs:
Lab Manager 9, 10, 11, 12 (System Administrator/Head Lab Manager @ 12) (6+hrs/week all school year)
People to People (Summer '06, Australia/New Zealand/Fiji)
System Administrator at my high school (30hrs/week, all summer '07)
Microsoft Certified Professional
Soccer for 11+ years (Community, not varsity)
30 hours community service (tech work for poor intercity school)
National Merit Commended (possibly semifinalist/finalist)
National Honor Society (once next year begins and I join...)
Took drum lessons a while, now self-teaching guitar</p>

<p>Schools:
Carnegie Mellon
Purdue
Cornell
UMichigan (Ann Arbor)
Johns Hopkins
Northwestern
Penn State (University Park)
Rensselaer Polytech
Rice
Bucknell
Columbia (Fu Foundation)
UPenn
Villanova
Brown
Lehigh
Drexel
UPitt</p>

<p>Frosh and Soph year really killed me... Slacked off big-time. A lot of reach schools on the list, only put a couple safeties up there, but hey - we don't make chances threads for the safeties :P. I'm looking to study engineering, physics, or maaaaybe some sort of IT in college. Not entirely sure yet. Anyone have any recommendations for strong physics programs? I've found great engineering rankings and whatnot, but little on physics. Also any general recommendations for other schools I should apply to are very welcome.</p>

<p>Gracias. \o/</p>

<p>[Edit]: Forgot to mention, school does not rank but I believe I'm about top 25% cumulative GPA, top 10% junior GPA.</p>

2

<p>i think you have a good chance at a lot of those schools. however, i do think some of those ivys are a little out of your reach thus far. maybe if you up the SAT score before applications and focus a lot on math/physics accomplishments in your remaining time, you'll increase your chances (possibly start physics club at your school... or something of that nature).</p>

3

<p>haha 'preppy white boy' stereotype...jk (I shouldn't talk, I get the 'nerdy Asian kid' stereotype lol). As for your chances, no matter what, grades are very important to all top colleges, so many of those on your list are more than a little out of your reach. Yet, despite what anyone here or anywhere else may say, you should apply wherever you feel you would fit in well. College admissions are a notorious crapshoot and there is really no way for an online forum to fully gauge an individual's character through a simple chances post. But, to give you an idea based on the limited knowledge we have of you:</p>

<p>Carnegie Mellon - Low Reach/High Match
Purdue - Safety
Cornell - Reach
UMichigan (Ann Arbor) - Match
Johns Hopkins - Reach
Northwestern - Reach
Penn State (University Park) - Safety
Rensselaer Polytech - Not really familiar w/ it
Rice - I only know its premed is competitive, not sure bout other majors
Bucknell - Safety/Low Match
Columbia (Fu Foundation) - Reach/High Reach
UPenn - High Reach
Villanova - Dunno, probably in
Brown - Reach
Lehigh - Match
Drexel - Safety
UPitt - Safety</p>

<p>Overall, the pluses on your application are your SATs (though SAT I could use a little work to bring you into Ivy range), the upward trend on your GPA, the EC dedication to computers (you might want to consider a comp sci major, you'd have a much better chance), and the AP scores you provided. It would be outright blasphemy for you to apply as a physics major and not have taken Math II, so you should think about doing that. If you don't, your chances will be grim at most of your schools. The negatives are obvious (ie GPA, SAT I little lower than Ivy level).</p>

<p>If you're looking for a good safety school to apply to, consider Rutgers. I used to think it was bad b/c it is the state university, but after researching there, my opinion has changed dramatically. The science facilities/laboratories are simply astounding and overall, I feel they offer a very solid education (just no Ivy prestige). Good luck.</p>

4

<p>Shameless bump.</p>

<p>Also, wanted to add UChicago to the list, for kicks (for physics obviously, as they don't do engineering).</p>

5

<p>Yep, listen to Prospectie and apply to Rutgers. The very sad thing is that it has a mediocre existance in New Jersey, but an outstanding one in other states. You tell someone from New Jersey that you went to rutgers, they will reply, "ugh... rutgers". Talk to someone from outta state, "OH!! RUTGERS!!!" Anyways, Rutgers is very underrated. I am a high school student just like yourself and I currently do full time research at Rutgers Department of PHysics and Astronomy for the summer. I wouldnt be any place else. I picked Rutgers over the resources of Princeton, well, Rutgers is a great great place to be but with a public status. Good stuff</p>

6

<p>Chicago is much more liberal artsy than most of the schools on your list. Plus, it has a core curriculum similar to Columbia College. Of all the schools on your list, I think it's most like Rice and Brown, though I could be wrong.</p>

<p>You have a shot, but it really comes down to how you present yourself on the app. Even if you have slacked off, are you ready to commit yourself academically? Not only that, are you able to bend your mind around really dense texts? Are you going to get a kick out of having long, intense, nerdy conversations? Or is that all going to weigh you down?</p>

7

<p>Well, I've heard UChicago described in both the terms "long, intense, nerdy conversations" as well as "intelligent conversations"; it's a difference of opinion, and while I'm not sure that that kind of atmosphere is for me, I'm not opposed to it either. Basically I want to keep the option open.</p>

<p>And, bump! Input has been very appreciated; a few more chance breakdowns in the style of prospectiveMD's would be very helpful so I can sort of average out a couple people's opinions.</p>

8

<p>Another shameless bump.</p>

9

<p>It's good to keep your options open, especially if you don't know for sure. If the school is still under consideration next spring, then you should make a visit. For some people, the academic focus is just too overwhelming for them (note: it's not a matter of intelligence, but of personality).</p>

<p>If you want loose groupings in reach/match/safety, I would say......</p>

<p>Reach: Cornell, Hopkins, NU, Columbia, Penn, Brown</p>

<p>Match: Rice (high match), CMU, Michigan, Bucknell, Lehigh</p>

<p>Safety: Purdue, Nova, PSU, RPI, Drexel, Pitt</p>

10

<p>Bump again. Hoping for a few more comments. =D</p>

<p>Better than making a bajillion versions of the same thread imo.</p>

11

<p>Pretty please?</p>

12

<p>you're spanish , dont worry</p>

13

<p>I'm white. :P</p>

14

<p>wow i think you have a really good stats</p>

15

<p>I did too until I glanced at everyone else on this forum. :P</p>

16

<p>Bump! Just want a few more bites. =/</p>

17

<p>El bumpo! =D</p>