<p>Okay, so I'm an indian male in the IB program
Taking rigorous IB courses- HL Bio, SL Chem, HL Math, SL Spanish, HL English, TOK, SL History for my 11th and 12th years
Rank (district): 155/19,600
Unweighted GPA- 3.6
Weighted- 6.21
SAT : 1810, CR: 570, W:600, M:640
Teacher Recs: IB chem and IB History- didn't see them, but they both like me and know that I try harder than most students.
Essay for Common App: talked about my achievements during volunteering at a hospital-making wheelchairs for veterans
Extracurricular:
Mu Alpha Theta (9-12th) Geometry team captain, Precalc team captain, Historian
Science Honor Society, NHS, Spanish Honor Society, Marine Biology, FBLA Member
Played piano for 6 years
Member of School Tennis Team </p>
<p>Service Hours: VA Hospital (80hrs) , Rehab Center (50hrs), Relay for Life (22hrs), Horse Equestrian Farm (50hrs), Volunteered at dental practice in England (60hrs) and volunteered to aid with cancer patients in New Delhi (25hrs), India as well as the blind in India (25hrs)</p>
<p>Awards: High Honor Roll, Anne Frank Humanitarian Award, Outstanding Volunteer</p>
<p>Worked at Subway for a few summers!</p>
<p>If your applying to the main campus, I’m not sure that you’ll get in because your SAT score places you at the bottom 25%. However, I think that you’ll have better chances if you apply to Oxford College.</p>
<p>It’s always nice when students take some AP or HL IB courses before senior year. That way, if they do well on the exams, they demonstrate a redeeming test-taking ability in specific subject areas. Unfortunately, the chances for you are pretty bleak for main campus. You should really make sure you do both an application to Emory main campus and Oxford. Both may love the volunteerism, but the GPA and SAT are quite a bit below the middle 50 for main. I am honestly not sure if main campus would be so gungho on admitting even a URM or hooked candidate with your stats. I think most of the URMs who fall below the middle-50 have probably around a 1250. Your stats for Oxford have your GPA within the middle-50 and your SAT just at the 25% mark. Your chances are much better there. </p>
<p>Do you have an idea for an intended major/area of interest?</p>
<p>Thanks, I’m thinking of biology!</p>
<p>Should I even apply to Emory main?</p>
<p>Always apply. </p>
<p>Just be realistic.</p>
<p>Yeah, sciences are very test oriented (especially, biology, home of the pre-meds). If you cite an interest in biology or one of the sciences, ideally it shouldn’t do anything to your chances, but I get a feeling they may definitely look at the score and take it into account (because, though I don’t really think this is true, they’ll likely assume that you pretty much will have to take easier courses to get through. They probably won’t want to select someone who looks as if they’ll end up doing this based on their stats). Send in a dual app. for both. Costs no extra money. In addition, I honestly think the freshman and sophomore level biology courses and training are better at Oxford based upon what some friends have told me. The experience is apparently much richer (especially in the lab component). If it was chemistry, I would perhaps cross my fingers for main campus (especially if one had the intent of skipping gen. chem, because I don’t think Oxford really has that option).</p>
<p>Should I even apply guys? Or just leave it? i don’t really want to go to Oxford College …</p>
<p>And why don’t you want to go to Oxford? Do you have an ego or do you think there is too big a stigma attached to it or something. I doubt you even know much about it. Despite what you think now, it could very well be a good choice and will damned sure provide a better science education than main campus for the first two years (the only people who get a better than normal science education for those years on main are those who are very high caliber and come in and use several APs. And I know, because it’s what I did. If I was a “normal” student or forfeited my credits, I would have ended up in a bunch of lame intro. classes with students who only care about a grade and content that was hardly rich enough to develop my level of knowledge or even solidify the knowledge I had at the time. I have to wonder if I would have even gotten dumber…It appears you may end up in this “normal” bunch, especially if you’re pre-med and will likely be silly enough to forfeit your credits for the “easy A”. In such a case, main campus is not your friend. You probably won’t learn much, and you’ll get a lower grade than expected as would happen in intro. courses at most elite research institutions. At Oxford, my guess is that you’ll at least learn). Don’t be like that, seriously. These days, when shopping for a well above average, a person with an 1210 can’t be a chooser (and this is especially if they are an over-represented minority on almost all of such campuses), no offense. I don’t even know if but so many people even get into UGA with that anymore and I think Oxford is better than UGA intensity and experience wise. You should apply to main and cross your fingers, but you should also apply to Oxford and really reconsider your attitude if you get into either. You will thank your grad. school opps. if you go to Oxford (many of those kids who do decently can pretty much cruise through advanced classes on main campus because their introductory courses developed more skills than those on main). Oxford may not be a very top ranked LAC or anything but is certainly known for its innovation and rich educational experience. If your sentiment is driven by prestige, please drop the sentiment because again, you’re not in the best position to have such an attitude.</p>
<p>Also, what I’m saying about Oxford is not just speculation. I can give you details of an Oxford student’s experience in those critical intro. courses and compare them to mine or a normal main campus biology major. I’ve talked to many from Oxford (about specific details) and there is a HUGE difference in favor of Oxford. Please consider the quality of your education (which sometimes cannot be predicted by rank or prestige) before hastily making the judgement that: “I don’t want to go to Oxford College”. From a former biology major (I did chem too), you’ll want more than what Emory and most top private institutions offer “normal” students for the initial years. Oxford can give it to you. Main campus can only do it with some “tricks”. Luckily, I wasn’t pre-med or anything so wasn’t discouraged from using such “tricks”. If I was an average pre-med, I certainly would rather start at Oxford.</p>
<p>For the record: Of course people don’t take such things into account. They chase the “prestige” and you’ll find that it’s rather meaningless outside of say Harvard, Yale (okay, I don’t think this one is as good as the others), Princeton, MIT, Caltech and Chicago which provide unusually strong introductory science experiences. From the course websites I’ve seen, other elites research schools are rather average (but difficult, often in the wrong ways). One is better off going to some sort of LAC or even some of the better public schools who are known for science education (places like Michigan, Minnesota, Purdue, OSU, and Wisconsin are leaders in undergraduate science education. They are generally much better than many private schools despite the section sizes). Seriously think about it, you’re trying to get an education and a good one at that given the cost (I think Oxford actually saves money vs. many privates too). Place this above the desire to be at a “top” school. Depending on what you’re doing, many are over-rated and some places without the prestige are under-rated.</p>