Hi, I’m new to this website, and I’m in need of help. I’m a senior in a highly competitive high school and currently applying to colleges. I really want to narrow my list of universities, and I don’t really know how. I would greatly appreciate the feedback! Please be as blunt as possible.
Schools: University of Texas at Austin, Texas A&M, UC Berkeley, University of Chicago (DREAM SCHOOL so I’m EA), Cornell, Columbia (<-- trying to choose between the two Cs), Duke, Rice, Vanderbilt, John Hopkins (another dream school but not as high as UChicago), and Northwestern (Considering: Yale (??) or Pomona)
Stats:
SAT: n/a
ACT: 31 (retake?)
SAT II: WHistory- 680, USHistory- 680, BioM- 610 (I know they are horrible, sorry. Considering not sending)
IB Diploma Candidate: Scores out of 7 (HL: English, Geography, Economics (Mirco and Macro)) (SL: Spanish (6), Math, Environmental Science, Biology(5))
Unweighted GPA: 3.776/4.0
Weighted GPA: 4.48/5.0
Rank: 76/756
AP Scores (self report or no?): AP Human Geography (5), AP US History (5), AP World History (4), AP English Lang (4), AP Bio (3), AP Spanish Lang (3)
Senior Year Course Load:
Note: For the IB classes, I’m taking both the IB and AP exams, so this year I have a total of 12 exams to take.
IB TOK (Year 2)
IB HL English Literature
IB SL Environmental Systems and Societies
IB HL Macro and Micro Economics
AP BC Calculus
Newspaper/Journalism Honors 2
AP Physics 1 (Self-study)
AP US Government (online)
Teacher Assistant for IB Geography
Junior:
IB SL Bio
IB English Language
IB/AP Human Geography
AP US History
IB SL Math
Newspaper/Journalism 1
IB Spanish 4 Language
IB TOK (Year 1)
Sophomore:
PreAP Algebra 2
PreAP English 2
PreIB Spanish 3
AP World History
Speech/Health (4.0 but required for graduation)
PreAP Chemistry
Freshman:
Theatre 1 (FA cred)
P.E.
PreAP English 1
PreAP World Geography
PreAP Spanish 2
PreAP Geometry
PreAP Biology
Extracurricular Activities:
- Co-president and co-founder of a student volunteer organization at my school; tied with a local non-profit and currently volunteering/working/tutoring at four local elementary schools for educational opportunities for their students and to help in any events they need extra hands for
- Editor-in-Chief of my school’s newspaper
- Staff writer for an online lit mag since June 2016; recently made and has a decent following; Toronto-based and writes primarily towards a female audience about social issues, culture and feminism
- Cultural representative/volunteer at the Indonesian Consulate; I help sell food, make the food, teach traditional dance, perform in dances during festivals, set up/clean up for events, etc. I’ve been doing this since I was a freshman
- Volunteering/tutoring in general for students and at events (for National Honor Society and National Spanish Honor Society) and at hospitals and other similar events (for Students without Borders (a student branch of Doctors without Borders) and Red Cross).
- Representative for NHS, NSHS, PAWS (People for Animal Welfare and Safety), Feminist Club, Red Cross and Students without Borders
- I’m getting a job at my local Barnes & Noble so hopefully that helps too
Awards:
- AP Scholar with Distinction
- IB Anticipated Diploma Candidate
- National Hispanic Recognition Program Scholar/Finalist
- Silver (2015) and Bronze (2016) Awards in the National Spanish Exam (non-native speaker)
- Bronze Awards in District UIL for English in Ready Writing and Journalism in Editorial Writing
- Top Seller in 2015 for newspaper subscriptions at my school
- (Applying to some other scholarships/awards, etc.)
Summer activities:
- For the past two summers, I’ve interned (unpaid) and volunteered at MD Anderson Cancer Center in two different fields of study: Epidemiology and Infectious Disease. I’ve helped with medical research, clerical work, clinical work, patient care (both in and out of ICU), shadowed and learned about the inner workings of a hospital and medical research and had to complete a research project on a specific field within oncology (specifically I did breast and ovarian cancer)
- Babysitting for my neighbors and family friends
- Journalism Camp for one week at a in-state university
- Volunteered at Texas Children’s Hospital and at the local zoo
- Worked in my school’s book room to help pass out textbooks to all grade levels in my school of 4000+ students; also was given a leadership position to help the freshman class out with what high school life is like, bring them on a tour, give advice, etc.
Service Hours: around 500 or so
Essay: Pretty decent; I’m a strong writer, and I’ve had my college essays revised and edited by friends at school, friends currently attending university, and a college counselor.
Recommendations: Hoping for some good ones. I have my junior year IB Bio teacher, junior year English teacher, junior year Spanish teacher, sophomore year PAP Algebra 2 (I’m good friends with her and I’ve known her for some time); and my IB counselor (who is also my Geography/Environmental Sci teacher)
Additional recommendations: I’m thinking about asking the fellow and/or the associate professor I interned for over the summer; maybe even a professor from Stanford that I interned for last year
State: Texas
School Type: Public (Class of 756)
Ethnicity: Mixed Race (Hispanic and Pacific Islander)
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: roughly around $120k (Note on the income bracket: My father is in the medical field but my mother is unemployed, so that’s why it is that high. Also, my dad went to college and my mother didn’t (she left without a diploma because she couldn’t afford staying in school).
Additional Info: URM, female in STEM, parents were immigrants (now with citizenship).
Possible Majors: Molecular and Cell Bio, Cancer Bio, Bio (in general) (considering double major with humanities)
Thanks again!