Chance me please for HYPS! :)

<p>Hello [: I've posted before in this forum, but I recently retook the SAT and earned a few more awards. Also, I'd like some more feedback. Thanks!</p>

<p>Stats:</p>

<p>Basic info:
Gender: Female
Race: Asian
Location: South Carolina
School Type: Public, sends very few students to top schools each year
Intended major: Mathematics
Additional info: - Attended three different high schools in two states over the course of three years
- Accepted to MIT early action</p>

<p>School stats:
GPA: 3.92 UW, 4.95 W
Class rank: 9/450</p>

<p>Test scores:
SAT: Taken three times, highest scores all from most recent sitting. 2290 (760r/800m/730w)
SAT II: 800 Math 2, 770 Biology M
ACT: One sitting, 35 composite (36 math/36 reading/35 english/34 science/8 essay)</p>

<p>AP Scores:
5s on: Biology, Calculus BC, AB Subscore, Chemistry, Physics B, Physics C Mechanics, Statistics, US History, World History
4s on: Psychology, English Language</p>

<p>Courses:
Overall course load: Most rigorous
Senior courses: Dual enrollment Vector Calculus/Differential Equations @ University of South Carolina, AP English Literature, AP Macroeconomics/AP Government, Masterclass Orchestra, Research 1 Honors, Desktop Publishing I (Online for grad. req)</p>

<p>Awards:
AP Siemens Scholarship
National Merit Semifinalist
National AP Scholar
USAJMO Qualifier (2010)
AMC 10A/10B SC State Winner (2010)
3x AIME Qualifier (2009, 2010, 2011)
3x winner of Columbia College Math Day for Girls
Numerous awards (over 30) in local, state, interstate, and national math competitions
Semifinalist in regional JSHS competition for a research project in math</p>

<p>Extracurriculars:
Math team/Mu Alpha Theta (7-8 years), team leader (9/10/11), co-President (12)
SC All-State/ARML Math Team (3 years)
Florida ARML Math Team (1 year)
Science team (2 years), event leader (12)
Quizbowl (3 years)
National Honor Society (2 years)
Beta Club (2 years)
Ocean Science team
Junior Civitans
Heath Occupational Students of America
Junior Classical League, historian (9)
Dance crew</p>

<p>Volunteer work:
MathCounts coach at local middle school, meets once a week, about 30 weeks a year (100ish hours?)
Volunteered at Habitat for Humanity over the summer for a month
Tutored math/volunteered at math competitions through Mu Alpha Theta</p>

<p>Work:
Test writer for the Florida Association of Mu Alpha Theta (since July 2010)</p>

<p>Recommendations:
Econ teacher: ? She likes me a lot and I have top grades in her class, but I've only known her for half a year
Biology teacher: Good
Counselor: Good
Additional rec: Teacher at middle school who I help coach MathCounts with, amazing rec</p>

<p>Please chance back, lolz.
There’s not a flaw in your application, except that “go the extra mile” ambiguous aspect. But I understand- not everyone can start their own business or spend a summer researching AIDS. :slight_smile: It seems like nowadays you need something like that to get into HYPS.
Remember, breadth and depth. Breadth and depth. This means you should go for depth in mathematics (you already have) but also explore more artsy areas. Show motivation.</p>

<p>I would give you a 50-50 shot for each of those. Maybe a little less for Stanford and Harvard. But you’re probably bound to get in somewhere.</p>

<p>Thanks! Chanced you back.</p>

<p>@helloworld You have some great academic stats that will give you a boost. The only thing that I would say might set you back is that your ECs revolve around academics, which won’t make you stand out too much against other candidates of the same ethnicity. However, considering you got into MIT, I think you have over 50% chance in my opinion. You’re also from a state I don’t see often here, so that might help you. Good luck!</p>

<p>I think you have a a great shot at HYPSC (and of course M).
The fact that you’ve already been accepted to MIT says something about your application. From what I’ve read of your resume, I can see you being accepted to all of these schools because you have many of the “shoo-in” credentials they look for (i.e. AIME, Siemens)
As far as a concrete answer goes, I’d say you’ll get in to all but one of these schools because of the sporadic selection process. Good Luck to you! </p>

<p>Please chance back: <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1233558-my-story-will-my-dream-schools-understand-6.html?highlight=my+story[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1233558-my-story-will-my-dream-schools-understand-6.html?highlight=my+story&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>By the way, now that you have been accepted, do you mind sharing your MIT essays with me? I’d be glad to do the same in return. PM me? Thanks <3</p>

<p>I think you have a fighting chance, even though ur XCs are academic based, you’re so accomplished in those areas that colleges will know you committed to ur hobbies. Your numbers(grades and scores) are fantastic! </p>

<p>Im curious though, how did u become a test writer? </p>

<p>Any tips for another math lover?</p>

<p>Thanks for the feedback!</p>

<p>@questionsg: Chanced you back! I don’t think I have my essays saved on this computer, sorry ]: but I can tell you what I generally wrote about if you’d like.</p>

<p>@cheesedude: Thanks! I just asked to be a test writer (I used to live in Florida and compete at the very competitions I now write tests for) so they let me haha. & I’ve just done a lot of things with math and gotten really involved, participating in competitions, self studying past problems, tutoring, etc. If you didn’t already know, artofproblemsolving.com is a fantastic website. Their books are really good too for high school level competition math.</p>

<p>yea that would be helpful.</p>

<p>While the admission to MIT is super, it doesn’t say much for a female about her chances at HYPS. Girls have a big advantage at MIT they don’t have at the others.</p>

<p>Who knows? You have competitive enough stats, although neither rank or scores put you above the 75th percentile where unhooked candidate want to be at these schools. Ad being Asian from SC is certainly better than being from NY, NJ, CA. So they’re possible.</p>

<p>Homogenous application, girl in math outweighed by fact that 1. your math awards aren’t that stellar for HPYS’s purposes, 2. you’re asian. As waverly said, the fact you’re a girl will not help considerably at HPYS. The only thing I see which considerably makes you stand out is the Siemens AP award. Better make interview/essays rather interesting.</p>

<p>Thanks for the feedback. Bump!</p>

<p>if i can ask what’s your financial situation? to me this looks completely fantastic, i had much less involvement than this just took high level classes in math and did a few projects and got into harvard and MIT, only thing was i taught myself programming and worked as a software developer doing apps and contracted projects for some major companies in order to support myself through the end of high school because our financial situation got totally messed up. i think that’s what got me in. if your financial situation isn’t great you’re in. even if it is, if a girl in math like you isn’t a shoe-in at those places just because of how cutthroat it’s become, makes me wanna retire and go live on a beach in some third world island and forget about this stupid rat race. these things should be numbers-based, at least you got into MIT girl your future’s set no matter what you do</p>

<p>your best shot is try to write original essays, only weakness in your app could be that you’re too one-sided and focus mostly on math. harvard likes personable people, i knew of multiple USAMOers who didn’t get in or got waitlsited this past year cause they’re just not well rounded enough (all guys though). also, what’s the reasoning of someone above that being a girl won’t help at HYPS? aren’t women in math/science encouraged everywhere or am i behind the times?</p>

<p>You are very focused on Math - I think Harvard, Princeton, Stanford are a reach. Most everyone I know who got into those had a clear other spike (music or athletics) or they won academic challenges at the international level. Community service is a bit thin too. But who knows, being from S. Carolina may help. Hey you got into MIT ! That is pretty awesome…I think you’d have a chance in Caltech though you did not apply there.</p>

<p>You got accepted to MIT, so I wouldn’t be surprised if at least one of the big guys took you in! Hell, since you seem to love math and science MIT is the best school of the bunch for that…well unless you want to go into pre-med which is Harvard all day.</p>

<p>I think what I said in your first thread holds. You got into MIT because you’re a female who is extremely talented in math in which case being female served as a pretty big hook applying to MIT. Given that HYPS aren’t as STEM focused, and there is no shortage of female applicants, these schools are undoubtedly tougher. Rank, esp. in a school that sends few people to top schools, and SAT convey that with the exception of math, you’re not academically “strong” which is not to say you are weak by any means. ECs will matter more to pull you up, but they seem to be lacking.(I know it has to do with attending 3 high schools). Your talent, given that you’re female, might be enough to pull you up, but that seems like the only argument when the admissions committee discusses your app. It’s a tough call.</p>

<p>Thanks for the feedback!</p>

<p>Btw, as for attending a school that sends few people to top schools, my class at my school is super competitive this year, the most competitive class ever probably. So far, 5 people (one being myself) have gotten into top 10 schools, and a couple more have also gotten into upper tier schools. In previous years, only 1 or 2 people have gone to such schools. o_______O</p>

<p>Bumpppppp! [:</p>

<p>Honestly, I’d say you are an above-average applicant.
Yes, you’re female, but quite honestly, I see no harm in projecting this outcome for you: If you got into MIT, you will likely get into one of the HYPS schools. It is all simply the regular Ivy crapshoot now. Apply. Write stellar essays…stand out from the crowd when you write them. And then hit submit and relax! You ARE a strong applicant…all those awards do not slip into the pile.</p>

<p>And, actually, MIT does have a gender gap, but it is not as women-needing (pardon my lack of sophistication there) as RPI is. So, I say that ANYONE, including you, who got into MIT EA is pretty smart! Kudos! :)</p>

<p>As for the Ivies, again…you have a chance. Apply and wait and see…and if the outcome is sour…so what? You got into a wonderful school EA. And, like I said earlier, you have a above-average chance of getting admitted to HYPS. </p>

<p>Hope I didn’t waste your time! :slight_smile: Congrats on the MIT acceptance!</p>