Haha thank you! If I am competitive for any college, what can I do in this last stretch before college to increase my chances? *Assuming I stay in an all A’s track.
Related to math, what can I do to reassure colleges that I am not bad at it? Are there any schools you recommend I look into? Where do you think I would be a safety, target, & reach?
Haha no worries! Yeah for business school applications I was thinking of having my business teacher’s recommendation, my math teacher’s, and my MS principal’s. If I had a fourth from the university how would I ask them for a recommendation considering I am working with professors/admin. Also, how much of a relationship do I need to develop to be reasonably asking for a recommendation?
As others have said - you have an 800 in your Math SAT, so that’s about all you can do. Aside from what I wrote, I would guess that Kelly at IU would be a match.
What is your state of residence?
I am from Washington State where everyone gets 1700’s on their SAT’s 
Is it worth talking about how I suffered from depression when I joined the program at the start of 10th grade, like that being the major reason I didn’t perform well? I don’t want it to sound like a cop-out which is why I don’t plan on it.
I just saw this. If you have your product into a department, I would ask to meet the head or the dean, tell him/her you are applying and ask if he/she would write you a recommendation explaining what you do with the school. It should be personal, but personal based on your business relationship.
Hey there, your IB scores and test scores are wonderful. You should be proud.
Its a little difficult for me to make sense of your grades. You mention a C, but yet your GPA is 3.87? And the highest GPA possible is 3.92? What is your class rank?
Ivies/stanford/etc will be looking for students in the top 1-2% of the class. For URMs they are often a bit more flexible. But as an Indian male, you’ll be expected to be near the top. If your rank is not that high, then seriously look at other schools.
Also consider applying ED to school where you have legacy advantage. Undergrad legacy is better than a masters/graduate degree. It sounds like your mom went to some good schools and that can certainly help.
Finally have you considered the UK? They are less focused on the ECs and instead the IB/AP/test scores. And only 3 years for a degree. You’d have a decent chance at the top schools in UK (Imperial, LSE, Oxford, Cambridge).
Yes sorry, the way it’s calculated at my school is A-4.0 B-3.0 C-2.0 etc. I take 7 classes each semester for 4 years = a total maximum total of all A’s (4’s) of 7 classes * 2 semesters * 4 years * “A” gpa - 4.0 = 224. Because I have 3 B’s and a C, that is a total of 3 lost points for each B and 2 lost points for the C. Therefore, my total points is 224 - 3 - 2= 219. Then, 219 (my total GPA points)/224 (total possible GPA points) ~0.977. To calculate cumulate GPA= 0.977*4= 3.91 (Assuming I get all A’s for the rest of my semesters).
With regards to the rest of your message, I think I will apply ED to UChicago as my dad is an MBA alum from there and I am applying for business. I have considered the UK but assumed since they only take into account grades, my low GPA will knock me out despite my IB scores. I do believe I am in the top 1-2% of my class but I will check on that. Is there a way I can keep the Indian Male part “hidden”? I know colleges say they don’t assess that but it’s quite obvious based on admission statistics.
All questions about race or ethnicity are voluntary, but a last name can be a dead giveaway. However, they usually don’t specifically discriminate against Indians as much as lump you in with the rest of the ORMs and ORMs (overrepresented majorities). This would be the same result as not responding to questions about race and ethnicity.
Hey there. I understand your pain. Would not be possible to hide the fact that you’re Indian. It will be obvious based on your name, and your parents names. This is standard part of the common app. Instead I would try to turn it into an advantage. Portray how connected you are with Indian heritage despite growing up here. Trying to hide or minimize it will backfire.
Thanks for explaining the GPA. I was confused because you said max 3.92. I thought that your HS max was 3.92, not for you individually. The GPA looks fine honestly. The one C is unlikely to be the sole deciding factor on whether you get in or not. But be sure to explain/show how you’ve improved.
If you want to show the colleges that you’re not bad at math then enroll in some well known competitions: AIME,Math Olympiad, etc.
Regarding legacy preference at UChicago: the undergrad boost is much stronger than having a parent who attended Chicago Booth. I know examples of kids from my son’s prep school who were accepted to Chicago as legacies. In recent years they have been focused on UChicago College legacies. They also accept the grad program legacies, but not nearly as much. If Chicago is indeed your first choice then apply binding ED1.
You mentioned that your mom went to some prestigious schools. Was her undergrad at one of them (Northwestern, WashU)? If so that would give you a significant advantage over the Chicago Booth legacy.
Another point - UChicago undergrad doesn’t have a “business” major per. They are very big on being liberal arts and anti-pre-professional. In recent years they have introduced the Business Econ minor, and that has caused some friction. About a third of the entire college is majoring in Econ. So they have plenty of candidates to choose from. I would not strike a pre-professional tone when framing your application. They are looking for smart, quirky kids who have an open mind and are willing to embrace the Core. They are not looking to turn the college into a pre-professional factory like Penn, Harvard or other similar peer schools. I would instead steer your application ‘story’ away from Econ. The narrative that you put forth in the application has to reflect this. I know this might come as a surprise.
Forgot to reply back about the UK schools: You’re right that they’re more focused on your grades instead of test scores. But your IB scores are really great, and will the main focus.
The UK colleges are upfront about what they’re looking for in terms of score. Here are the requirements for LSE Bsc Economics:
**IB Diploma**
38 points overall (and above) including 766 in higher level subjects, with 7 in Mathematics.
Please also see subject combinations regarding Further Mathematics requirements.
You could apply ED1 to Chicago, and still apply to one or more of the UK schools without breaking your early decision agreement. The downside is that its very difficult to change majors after you get an offer. And the competition for the high profile majors like Bsc Economics is very high. But the pros are that you can graduate in 3 years. With Brexit and COVID, they are looking for full-pay internationals, so this might work to your advantage.
Wow! This is great advice! Thank you so much! I will definitely apply
My mom went to Northwestern 6 year Med Program, then UMich and Wash U St.Louis. I’m not sure if this would help much though because I have a business background. I will definitely join those math competitions senior year. Are there any I can do over the summer?
Your mom has an undergrad degree from Northwestern? That will make you double (undergrad + grad) legacy, which is a pretty big hook. That will be a huge leg up. It sounds like your mom did residency/fellowship at UMich and WashU. The residency legacy doesn’t help as much. Your dad’s degree from Chicago Booth will certainly help, but not as much as undergrad legacy. It doesn’t matter that your interests are in business and your mom did the medical program. The main thing that matters is that your mom received her undergrad degree from Nwestern.
The effect of legacy hook has been revealed from the recent Harvard litigation. At Harvard, a legacy (from Harvard College) has a 7 x higher odds of acceptance as compared to non-legacy. This translates to a probability of acceptance of around 80%. For more details google the Arcidacono report and take a read. This advantage is not miniscule. The only factors which provide a greater benefit are: athletic recruit, being of a certain race, and being on the Dean’s interest list. Now each college handles things differently, so I don’t know how much weight Nwestern places on legacy. But the advantage is massive.
Sorry I don’t know much about math competitions and the timing of them.
Where ever you end up, best of luck! Please update the thread once you get your decisions.
Wow! That sounds great! I will consider applying ED to Northwestern. With regards to the Dean’s interest list, how do I get on that? The startup I cofounded is working directly with universities now, I think it would be possible to set up a meeting with the Dean in which that could be something I bring up. My mom went to Northwestern for the extremely selective 6 year BA + MD program. I think that means her (undergrad + grad).
Obviously, that is the effect at Harvard. The effect at other colleges will vary. Some colleges (e.g. UCs and MIT) do not consider legacy at all.
The Dean’s interest list is shrowded in mystery at Harvard. During the litigation, they went thru great lengths to keep the process around the Dean’s list a secret. It has been heavily redacted. But a lot of the trial related testimony is public. You can find it by googling.
My guess is that in order to get onto that list, you’ll need to have a parent donate 7-8 figures, be the son/daughter of a famous dignitary or be connected to a Trustee. But I really don’t know. Each school does things differently of course. Most of them have a similar sort of ‘list’.