I am currently a junior in high school. My unweighted GPA is 3.88, and by the end of this year I will likely be a 3.90. By the time I graduate, I will have taken 8 or 9 AP courses. My SAT Subject test scores are 800 and 760.
Here are some of my athletic achievements:
Varsity Table Tennis
Varsity Tennis (Two times state champions) (6 years)
Varsity Tennis- Captain 2017
USTA, represented section in Zonals under 12, 14 and 16 age group
USTA, ranked in Top 10 in under 12,14 and 16 age group in section
MVP Award – Boys Varsity Tennis 2016-2017
US Congressman – Letter of Recognition for Tennis Excellence
I have also done a lot of science research including cancer research:
Multiple Special Awards – Regional and State Science Fair Competition (Multiple years)
Scholars of Distinction in Science – State Department of Education
Stem Communicator Award – Paper Published
Junior Science and Humanities Symposium (JSHS) – Top 10 Papers Award
Siemens Competition Semi-finalist
Shared Research with Indian Medical Association
Here are just some clubs and leadership:
Member of the National Society of High School Scholars 2017
Member of National Honors Society 2017
International First Robotics Competition Team 2015-2016
Voluntary service hours (100+ hrs)
Shared Research with Indian Medical Association
Philanthropy grant to build wildlife in a local school
Music:
Guitar- 8 years
Saxophone- 3 years
I think my biggest “hook” would be how I go to India each summer and share my research with the Indian Medical Association, and assist researchers in labs in India as well. Additionally, I have done some hospital volunteering. I have some other ECs as well, but for now I think these should suffice. Please let me know if you need more information about me.
What are your SAT or ACT scores? And what is your weighted GPA? And do you think you’ll be National Merit Commended or semi/finalist?
It’s impossible to handicap your chances at any of those schools. They are all so competitive that even with perfect stats, all one can say is you have a chance.
If you plan on playing tennis at the next level, and you don’t think you’re D1 or Ivy level (not many are, BTW), then expand your search to excellent D3 tennis programs that are excellent schools: Claremont McKenna, Harvey Mudd, Pomona, Swarthmore, Amherst, WUSL, Johns Hopkins, Williams, Emory. Those schools, and many others, place significant weight on otherwise qualified students who can compete at the varsity level. You won’t get an athletic scholarship, but you will admission.
In addition to these tennis schools, have you also considered UNLV? It has one of the best tennis programs on the west coast in addition to the school’s above
Your stats are fantastic and your ECs show depth and skill. Focus on your essays and get great grades first semester senior year. You are a competitive applicant
I am trying hard to think of a way to give you an idea of just how the tone of this comes across that won’t get me in the sin bin or be unreasonably unkind or simply too sarcastic, and I amn’t succeeding. So, I’ll just suggest that you re-think your phrasing.
Can we guess that one or both of your parents is/are doctors?
No neither of them are doctors. Sorry if I didn’t word it right. I understand that “hook” is generally a term that is used to describe something that increases chance of admission, like being a recruited athlete or legacy applicant. I meant to literally use it as the word that means “draw in”, rather than the word that indicates one of the things I stated above.
Re-read it, imagining that you are an adult, reading a 17yo high school student talking about using their summer vacations to travel to a (comparatively) poor country to bestow the benefit of their research work on the medical profession there.
He is saying that it is unlikely that a 17 year old is providing any meaningful enlightment to the Indian Medical Association. You need to reword it to sound less arrogant.
Okay, well all of the research was I did was post-graduate level since I was able to obtain a mentorship with someone in a university. This findings were completely novel, so nobody in the world would have known about specifically what I researched. My grandma is a doctor in India, so I reached out to him to ask if I could share my novel research with his associates in the IMA. It may sound arrogant, but in reality, I did provide new information for the IMA. I was not providing “enlightenment”, but I think sharing my research is noteworthy.
Your description in post #11 sounds more appropriate and less potentially offensive. Much of this is a matter of phrasing. Your list of ECs didn’t even describe this ground breaking (?) research. Instead, a reader has to wade through uninteresting stuff about you playing ping pong and a fluff letter from a Congressman before even seeing a single nondescriptive line mentioning you’ve done a “lot of research”. If this is truly important research, that should be one of the things you lead with. Your story is that you’re passionate about cancer research and have already discovered _______, which you have had the honor to present to the Indian Medical Association.
One potential hole you’ll want to fill is why only present this groundbreaking information to the IMA? If this is novel data, the American Medical Association would want to know, too, right? It would be worth your time to arrange to present this to the AMA or organization of oncologists in America as well. Or be prepared to explain why it’s only relevant in India so it doesn’t look like you used a family connection to do something to pad your college application.
You have the numbers and your ECs are good, and your awards look above average to me. You certainly have a chance. Write really great essays that reveal your passions and personality!
Still, you should consider some good matches/safeties. I think Northeastern and Boston University are great for pre-med if the environment/campus is a good fit.
I would honestly say that you need to take more AP’s, IB’s, and dual-enrollment classes. I am not trying to scare you but your application is probably going to be low end for Ivy League schools unless you take all AP, IB, or dual-enrollment classes next year. Sorry if it came off rude but I’m just saying that you will have to take harder classes. Maybe you should consider other great schools such as the University of Wisconsin, University of Michigan, Iowa State, Berkley, University of Florida, etc. I personally think that you would thrive in those schools but the Ivy Leagues are probably too much of a reach for you.
I am actually planning on taking 5 AP classes next year. Additionally, the reason I have a lower amount of AP classes is because my school does not provide AP opportunities for freshman and sophomores. You can’t really take too many AP classes until junior year, which is why I am taking three this year. Additionally, the school offers less AP courses overall, so the maximum amount of AP classes possible would probably be around 15.