Chance Me HYPSM

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

Hi, I’m a junior applying to college in the fall of 2015.

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): 2370

ACT: Didn't take

SAT II: Math II 800, Physics 800, Chem 800

Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0):3.98 

Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 1 percent

AP (place score in parenthesis): AP US Government (5), AP Politics (4), AP Physics C (5), AP Calculus BC (5), AP Biology (5), AP Spanish (4), AP Computer Science (5), AP Statistics (5), AP Lang (5)

IB (place score in parenthesis):

Senior Year Course Load: AP Politics, Seminar in College Mathematics, AP Statistics, AP Physics C, AP Spanish, AP Lang, Engineering, Chamber Orchestra

Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AIME qualifier (not sure if that counts, not USAMO), various research papers published, Ralph Waldo Emerson Prize

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): School Chamber Orchestra (concertmaster violin), App Development Club (founder/president 10-12 assuming I don't get overthrown :P), NJ All-State Orchestra (11), Physics Club (president 11-12)

Job/Work Experience: Conducted research at various universities and got some papers published in physics/engineering

Volunteer/Community service: Part of school club, but nothing major

Summer Activities: Orchestras, aforementioned research, did a few writing/essay camps

Other:

State (if domestic applicant): NY

Country (if international applicant): USA

School Type: Public (~500 students in my grade)

Ethnicity: Asian (Chinese) yeah I know it'll be tough :(

Gender: Male

Income Bracket: ~200,000

Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None

Unfortunately I know that my extracurriculars are all pretty generic for an Asian applicant, but I geared them toward what I liked and what I felt would continue to interest me in the future. That way, even if I don’t get accepted (which is the likely scenario) I can still enjoy my life.

2

Its a big reach but why not take a shot. You should also apply to other top schools like Berkeley, UCLA, Duke, Vanderbilt, Rice, Hopkins, the lower ivies like Dartmouth, Penn, Cornell. So many schools out there, don’t confine yourself to HYPSM.

3

Yeah, I’ll definitely apply to those schools. I heard UC schools banned affirmative action, is this true?

4

You have a very solid application. GPA and test scores basically perfect. ECs very impressive as well.
While HYPSMs are a reach for anyone I think you have a strong chance.
Have you considered submitting some of your research papers to Intel STS / Siemens? That would bolster your chances significantly assuming you make finals.

Yes UCs banned affirmative action.

5

As you put together your application, put a little more emphasis on your literary side than you did above. I don’t mean you should lie or hide your other accomplishments. Just present it with a little more depth and cohesion.

6

Thanks for the replies! Is there still enough time to send something for Intel STS or Siemens? I checked it out and it seems interesting.

@WasatchWriter, how would I make my literary side more evident in my application? Through essays, or could I attach my paper as a supplement from the Emerson Prize?

7

For starters, list your ECs and awards thematically, so that the literary stuff comes together. Maybe your guidance counselor or a recommender could give it a few sentences.

It’s hard for me to know if that’s the best use of your own essays and such. Especially for the top-top schools, it might be better that write a supplemental essay that demonstrates your literary abilities.