Chance Me: (I'll chance you back!) - Ivys and UCs

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

Hey everybody! Any thoughts?
I know this isn’t much to work off, but I’m just curious on whether I should even bother applying to the Ivys.
If you have any helpful tips for me, a junior in his second semester of junior year, please feel free to share them!

Background:
I’m an Asian American male junior from Southern California: I attend an all-boys private Catholic school.
Family income is about average middle class.
One of my parents went to college, so not first generation.

Standardized Testing:
SAT: 2310 (750 CR: 770 Math: 790 Writing)
SAT II: (taking Math II, Chem, AP World, and APUSH)

AP Scores:
AP Human Geography - 5 (self-studied)
AP Music Theory - 5
AP World - 3
APUSH - (taking this year)
AP Language - (taking this year)
AP Chem - (taking this year)
AP Psychology - (self-studying)
AP Government - (self-studying)
APES - (self-studying)
AP Biology - (self-studying)

Transcript:
GPA:
4.12/4 unweighted
4.65/5 weighted
I also received Cum Laude this year (top 10% of the junior class based on cumulative GPA from all years)

Classes: (first semester grade/second semester grade)
Both Honors and AP classes are weighted equally

Freshman Year:
Physics 9 - A/A
English 1 - A+/A
Honors Geometry - A/A
Latin 1 - A/A
Scripture - A+/A+
Human Geography - A/A

Sophomore Year:
Honors English 2: A/A
AP World History: A/A+
Honors Algebra 2: A+/A+
Honors Chemistry: A/A
Latin 2: A+/A+
AP Music Theory: A/A

Junior Year:
AP English 3 (Language and Composition): A
AP U.S. History: A
Honors Pre-Calculus: A
AP Chemistry: A
Honors Latin 3: A-
World Religions: A+
Moral Theology: A+

Senior Year (Planned schedule):
AP English Literature
AP Calc AB or BC
AP Stats
AP Economics
AP Physics C
AP Computer Science

Major School Awards
Outstanding Student Sophomore Class of 2017 (top 5 students overall based on grades, extracurriculars, service)
Cum Laude (top 10% of all juniors based on cumulative GPA)

Minor School Awards
Latin
Silver Medalist, Maxima Cum Laude, 2015 National Latin Exam, Level II
Silver Medalist Summa Cum Laude, National Latin Exam 2015
Bronze Medalist, National Etymology Exam, 2014
Cum Laude Honorable Merit, National Latin Examination 2014
Bronze Medalist Magna Cum Laude, National Mythology Exam, 2013

Extracurriculars:
Captain, Debate Team (9, 10, 11, ~12)

  • Lincoln Douglas (LD) Debate: debates over both continental and analytic philosophy in context of a resolution
    — Sample of philosophers we learn about: Kant, JS Mill, Bentham, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Ripstein, Hobbes, Locke
    ----Sample of research done: critical race theory (LatinX, Asian American, African American, etc.), capitalism critical literature, feminism literature, intersectional literature, ableist critical literature
    ---- Key Words of Topics we’ve had: gun control, jury nullification, resource extraction, right to privacy
  • Train many of the novices
  • Responsible for representing team at club fairs and managing communication throughout team
  • Practice Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday (3pm - 7pm)
  • Attended regional and national tournaments (Washington, Nevada, Chicago, Northern California)
  • Attended debate summer camps for the past two years
    Triple-Octafinalist, Varsity LD, Cal Invitational at Berkeley, UC Berkeley 2016
    Champion, Varsity LD, Damien Debates, Damien High School 2014
    Champion, Varsity LD, USC National Circuit Debate Tournament, 2013
    Second Place, LD, Loyola High School Regional Tournament, 2014
    Octafinalist, Novice LD, Victory Briefs National Circuit Tournament, 2013
    Second Place Speaker, LD, Loyola High School Regional Tournament 2014
    9th Place Speaker, Novice LD, Victory Briefs National Circuit Tournament 2013
    6th Place Speaker, LD, Damien Debates National Circuit Tournament 2014

Vice President/Co-Founder, Meditation Club (11, ~12)
-Started club to help stressed out high schoolers relax and take a breath
-Have had speakers/field trips

Founding Member, Camera Technician/Camera-man, Broadcasting Club (9, 10, 11, ~12)

  • Broadcast sports games to the student body:
  • Received 25K grant this school year: able to purchase much better equipment (we were broadcasting with iPads before we got official broadcasting cameras, switchboards, TV, etc.)
  • Broadcasting the daily announcements for our school

Member, Junior Classical League (9, 10, 11,~12)

  • Latin language club;
  • Attend local, state, and national conventions
    First Place, HS-1, Open Certamen, SCRAM 2013 Palos Verdes Peninsula High School
    Second Place, HS-2, Open Certamen, JCL State Convention 2014,

I’m also a writer for the school newspaper, but it’s not one of my main EC’s; I’m also an avid photographer (hobbyist)

Volunteer Work:
High School Placement Test Tutor (9)
-Helped tutor middle-schoolers from low-income areas to prepare for the High School Placement Test required by many private schools in Southern California
-4 Saturdays (one month)

Volunteer at Soup Kitchen (10, 11)

  • Worked at Union Rescue Mission in the heart of Skidrow
  • Worked at St. James Episcopal Church in K-Town
  • Helped set-up food/cafeteria; helped make food; helped serve food; helped clean up; help the homeless to their tables
  • Once a week (~4hours)

Events Coordinator/Volunteer at Koreatown Youth Community Center (KYCC)'s Summer Day Camp (summer before 9; summer before 10)
-Worked with elementary students from low-income areas
-Helped tutor/teach and led outdoor activities
-Attended and helped at field trips
-Helped coordinate outings and events for the 100+ high school volunteers
-Received MVP Award: given to top 10 volunteers (based on work ethic, passion, attitude)

Job/Work Experience:
Administrative Assistant for OTEFE Foundation, Inc. (summer before 10; summer before 11)

  • OTEFE Foundation, Inc. is a scholarship company that gives scholarships to college students: receives 1000+ applications each year
    -Retrieved, assembled, filed, recorded applications
    -Performed telephone receptionist duties and responded to emails
    -Proficiency in Excel

Tutor, Self-Employed (11)

  • tutoring three elementary children (Kindergarten, 2nd Grade, 5th Grade): all raised with Korean as their first language
  • 1.5 hour sessions, 1x a week;
  • focus on writing, reading, and grammar
  • all have seen an improvement in their grades since working with me: one has been accepted into Gifted and Talented Education program at her school
  • earnings go towards paying for debate expenses (since we travel often)

Summer Activities:
Administrative Assistant for OTEFE Foundation, Inc. (see above)
California Delegate of the Washington Workshops Congressional Seminar

  • Won an essay contest for a week-long, expense-paid trip to Washington D.C. with 74 other winners
  • Listened to speakers from various backgrounds (political party leaders, economic analysts,etc.)
  • Worked in committees to develop a bill that would be presented in front of all delegates
  • Taxation and Entitlement Committee: our bill (of the three) was the only bill that was passed
    SDC Volunteer, KYCC (see above)
    Online Courses (no certificate received because I did not want to pay $100 for them)
    Debate Camp (2-weeks)
    This Summer: Planning on an internship in Superior Court of California County of LA and/or Red Cross

Misc. Awards
-Certificate of Merit from National Society of the Colonial Dames of America (for winning the Washington Workshops essay contest)
-Silver Prize, UCLA Writing Project Korea Daily Writing Competition
-Two-time Regional Finalist Participant, Science Olympiad, 2013-2015

Other
Intended Major: Economics or Philosophy

Schools:
Columbia
Harvard
Yale
Princeton
Cornell
Brown
UPenn
UC Berkeley
USC
UCLA

*Schools are in order of interest.

I know there’s still a lot up for grabs such as my AP scores, my SAT subject test scores, etc. I just want to have an idea whether or not Ivy’s are something I should even go for.

2

how can unweighted be 4.12/4

3

For our GPA unweighted scale, an A+ is a 4.3/4.0; I’ve had a few A+'s. @jackisawesome

4

I think it’s definitely worth applying to some ivies. I don’t know how many you’d get into but you would be a competitive candidate for all the ivies. One problem is though as an over represented minor at those schools you will face tougher competition. With that being said your profile looks strong and I would be surprised if some Ivy didn’t accept you even if it’s not HYP. I think you should get into UCLA and UCB pretty easily due to your profile but also being in state will help (FWIW I think you’d get in OOS too) but those are solid matches for you. USC is also a school I think you’d have a good chance at. As long as you temper your expectations and realize no matter how strong of an applicant you are Ivies can and will reject you for reasons that won’t make sense I think you’ll be fine. Congrats on putting yourself in a great position! You seem very smart and I know you’ll go to a great school. Best of luck!

Chance back? http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1851091-chance-me-please.html#latest

5

I think you have the last three in the bag for sure. You should definitely go for the Ivies if you have an interest in them, and I think you’ll make it into a few of them as you are a really strong applicant. Good job and good luck.

6

It’s worth a try. You seem VERY involved in debate which is good. Make that a major point. Also, what do you plan to do this summer? I think applying to all those Ivies will possibly get you a few acceptances.

7

Be cautious not to take and self-study for so many exams that you sacrifice performance. Also, attempting to create an image or focus associated with your application (such as debate, as mentioned above) could be beneficial.

Other than that you should definitely consider applying to Ivies and other high-ranking institutions and reasonably expect to be a competitive applicant. Truly, best of luck.

8

You’ve got a pretty good chance at Cal, USC, and UCLA. I’d be surprised if you were rejected from any of those three, but consider applying to some safeties anyways.

Ivies are going to be extremely tough since you’re Asian, but you’ve definitely got a much better chance than your average applicant. Schools like Cornell, Penn, and Brown should definitely be possibilities. Good luck.

9

You have a pretty good chance at berkeley, usc and ucla. You’re doing really well in debating, so that’s great. You should definitely apply to the ivies. You can be a competitive applicant to almost every school that you apply to. I’m not familiar with the weighted/unweighted gap system, so 4.65/5 seems low(?)(I may be wrong) But yeah, definitely apply to the ivies, you can be a competitive applicant.

Chance me? http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1864267-one-final-chance-me-post-will-chance-back.html#latest

10

I agree with @puremathisfun on USC and UCLA. It’s cool how well you did in LD, even though LD is weird :wink: (pfer for days) I think doing Calc BC will look better than AB since BC is notably harder. I think if you can write a good essay you could definitely get into one of these colleges!

11

No application to Dartmouth? :frowning:

12

Yes, I think you could be competitive for many schools. But I would advise caution with so many self-studied APs. There are much more important things in life than AP scores, and schools want to see that you will fit into their culture. Someone with 6 APs may have a better chance at getting into an Ivy than someone with 15 if they demonstrate coherent, consistent passions. Debate for instance. You’re good. Just relax and don’t muddle your application by trying to cover every base imaginable. I can definitely see you getting into an Ivy or one of your top schools. :slight_smile:

13

I would have to guess that you will get in somewhere. And Congrats with ranking so high at Loyola. I just visited Loyola last month when I was in LA and it reminds me more of a college than a high school.

14

I had my jaw dropping when I read your stats lol.

15

As others have said, your metrics definitely place you in striking distance of all schools mentioned. It is good that you are grounded enough to realize that grades and test scores don’t an admittance make. Your extracurricular activities are very strong. I am going to dissent from most posters so far; debate is not the strong point of your EC record. Make no mistake, the performance is good, but not so good as to be exceptional for the schools at the top of your list (I go to a low-end Ivy peer school, and those who made debate the focus of their application had 1st place speaker awards and semi-finalist accomplishments to their name). Speaking absurdly fast while trying to cover a 2hr philosophical argument in a nine minute speech may be a feat in itself, but it is well known that the arguments made are shallow shells of legitimate arguments, and that most debaters are functionally clueless about said theory when separated from their cards (I come from a debate background as well, but it was not the focus of my app).

The strong point of your EC’s is the clubs you have founded. This means that you found a need in your school that wasn’t being filled, and solved a real (albeit small) problem. Not only that, but the action you took to solve the problem was actually implemented, and if you have gone on field trips then it means someone has funded your idea (presumably the school). This makes it much easier for a school to get behind the idea of funding your education :). This initiative is highly lacking among most students, high achieving or otherwise. They also show a unique frame of mind that presents you in a positive light. Unlike debate, sports, math team, robotics, etc. No coach told you what to do or how to improve; the effort was entirely self-motivated and self-implemented.

Your metrics (although as you pointed out many are still pending), are strong enough to land you in an Ivy League school, provided you continue the good work and make a good case in your essays (arguably the most important part of your education). Make sure you know teachers well enough to get personalized recommendations, which are critical. As for self-studied AP’s go ahead: as long as you can get a 4 or 5 on all self-studied AP exams, you are only further showing your ability to motivate yourself to excel successfully. If your record was 20 5’s and a 2310 SAT but nothing else, people would be right to fear the impression that would leave. Your EC’s however, leave nothing to be desired. The key is elucidating your strengths in this area in essays. Strengthening your already impressive academic record is icing on the proverbial cake.

If you were to apply today, assuming comparable scores and accomplishments in other areas:

Columbia: Low-Mid Reach
Harvard: Mid-Reach
Yale: Mid-Reach
Princeton: Mid-Reach
Cornell: Low-Reach
Brown: Low-Mid Reach
UPenn: Low-Mid Reach
UC Berkeley: Match
USC: Safety
UCLA: Low-Match

Point of comparison, I was waitlisted from Harvard and Upenn, accepted to Dartmouth, and rejected at Princeton (these are the four Ivies I applied to). I had slightly higher academics, parity of SAT score, and marginally inferior extracurriculars. While there is high variance in the admissions process, this should give you an idea of where you stand; you are far from guaranteed admittance, but you are coming from a strong position.

16

when you calculate your unweighted gpa, change all of your 4.3 from the A+ to a 4.0. That is how colleges would see it

17

@hellothere1334 Thank you so much for your input! Your comments about my participation in debate were particularly helpful, since most college confidential users don’t actually know much about debate and only see the awards and automatically applaud it; thank you for giving me a heads up.
I had a few questions:
I have won two national circuit tournaments: would this give me a strong leg-up or would colleges not care too much?
In addition, would you recommend my focus of my application being debate (which I have a stronger passion for) or my other clubs (meditation and broadcasting: I have a strong passion for each, but less so than debate).
My plan right now is to improve my debate skills heavily over summer; hopefully do well at 3-4 tournaments at the beginning of next year; apply early action and get deferred; then be able to update my resume with some good debate results. What would you recommend?

(I’m also currently working on two service projects right now: One, which is my main focus, is a project based on an idea similar to Humans of New York, where I go speak to and interview the homeless of Los Angeles to share their stories via social media. Should I invest a lot of time in this or should I dedicate more time to my EC’s)

18

I’d say you have a very good chance getting into those schools, but that is assuming that you get mostly 5s on ur AP Examinations. Here Are two tips:

If you have done anything related to a career or major of interest, put those activities as a priority, because that shows that you know what you want to do

Rare academic awards such as the AP scholar awards and completion of dual enrollment courses. Make sure that your essays are solid, or they could be your downfall.

19

I think you have a really solid chance at all of them. Your unweighted GPA should not be above a 4 (that means A+ are being weighted) but I think that in addition to your really good grades and test scores, your ec’s and obviously excel at most things you do! I think any college would be crazy not to accept you. The only thing in your way is other kids who are just as driven and successful as yourself but I think for sure you have done everything possible to secure your chances so good luck!

20

holy mother of god these are excellent stats. at this point you should apply to all of those schools and because they’re all terribly competitive hope for a bit of luck but you seem to be an EXTREMELY qualified applicant. also LD debate is awesome :slight_smile: