Chance me? I need advice!

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Hi I am an upcoming senior and would like to know what my chances are of going to UC Berkeley, UCLA, Stanford, Yale, USC, or Columbia with a Pre-Law major. I am a Mexican from a low-income family and go to a public high school in SoCal that doesn't have many valedictorians (1 last year) or many graduates that go to prestigious colleges. So here's a rough look at what I hope will get me into the school of my choice. </p>

<p>GPA: 4.0 (Unweighted)
- Mostly A's and A+'s in case this helps. Hardly any A-'s. </p>

<p>Rank: 1 out of 462</p>

<p>SAT I: 1930
- Math: 680, Critical Reading: 550, Writing: 700
- Going to retake</p>

<p>SAT II: Spanish: 750, US History: 700
- Thinking about taking more this November but don't know which to take. If you have any suggestions for me please let me know. </p>

<p>AP: US History: 5, English Language and Composition: 4
- Taking AP Government and Politics, Economics, and Psychology this upcoming year. I plan on self studying one more. Again, if you have any suggestions for me please let me know. </p>

<p>Extracurriculars and Honors (In no particular order):
- 9 Blue and Gold awards in English I, Biology, Spanish II, English II, Chemistry, Geometry, Spanish III, Algebra II, Spanish IV. (Only given at the end of the school year to one student per subject. Most prestigious academic award at my school.)
- Class of 2013 Vice-President this year
- Key Club Vice-President this year
- National Honor Society
- National Society of High School Scholars
- California Scholarship Federation
- Model United Nations
- Math and Science Club
- Student Board Representative at my school district's board meetings
- Strategic Advisory Planning Committee Board Member at my school district
- Some volunteering here and there but nothing too big</p>

<p>Thank you for reading and if you have any advice, questions, or suggestions of other schools I would have a better chance at let me know.</p>

2

<p>If you get your SAT up to a 2100 I think you have a great shot at all these schools. Get it to a 2250 or so, and I would bet on you getting in. If getting that high on the SAT doesn’t seem feasible, try the ACT. Many people do better on one rather than the other. </p>

<p>Also, remember to add some safeties to your list just in case.</p>

3

<p>Sat and lack of ec’s are going to make it very difficult to get into ivies</p>

4

<p>Make sure you pick some safety schools</p>

5

<p>Thanks for the advice. I had an inkling that my SAT score and my EC’s weren’t going to be that good that’s why I am for sure going to work on them this upcoming year. As for the safety schools, I have other schools in mind I just wanted to list the ones I was aiming for the most. Anyways, thanks again for the feedback.</p>

6

<p>You need to take another SAT 2, probably Math. Some schools won’t consider a language (Spanish) score on the SAT 2 if you are a native speaker.</p>

7

<p>Low SAT I for most of those schools (VERY low for Yale; they average around 2200-2250). I’d try the ACT if the SAT retake doesn’t go well. My first SAT school was just a little higher than yours, but when I took the ACT a month later I got a score that puts me in the 25-75th percentiles range at most (maybe all, I’m really not sure) top schools, even though my SAT is far below.</p>

<p>1/462 is a very impressive class rank, even if it isn’t a prestigious school. That’s more kids than were enrolled in my entire high school (my rank was exactly 1/100 my last year… lol). Also make sure you do well on AP Government, that’ll look good for your major!</p>

8

<p>Yeah I was hoping to self study another subject so that I would be able to take another SAT II this November and increase my chances. I was also thinking of trying out the ACT because I had heard before that it was much easier than the SAT I. I just wasn’t sure though because someone from my school got accepted to Yale with a 1970 SAT I score but I guess mainly because that person’s grades and classes were very good. Anyways, thanks again.</p>

9

<p>That person that got in from your school had one of 3 things going for them.</p>

<p>1) They were a recruited athlete.
2) They were a URM, like you, and had great other credentials.
3) Their parents donated a lot (read: millions) to Yale. </p>

<p>As for the ACT being easier, thats not true. Its not easier. Its just different. Some people may find it easier because they may prefer how the test is laid out and the types of questions, but by no means is it definitively easier.</p>