chance: MIT/Cornell/CMU/etc; will chance back :D

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>For those who want me to chance back:
1. Leave your link(s) in the replies. If not, I'd assume you don't want me to chance back.
2. Don't just say "Ivies are a reach for everyone. Good luck"...that's kind of redundant isn't it.
3. Neither should you say "I think you're fine...Good luck!"......</p>

<p>I had an original thread for the exact same universities but this time I would expand a little bit and update some stuff. If you see that thread...(The title is literally the three universities), just ignore it.</p>

<p>If I decide to not tell something on commonapp, I would do the same for MIT if possible.</p>

<p>----School & Academics----</p>

<p>There are ~40 students in my grade.
My school is an international school.
My school just started IB (and high school) ONE year ago.
The best offer received by the seniors of my school (and they were the first seniors of our school) is UIUC (and that's the only offer). (Though for UK 2 people got into Imperial)</p>

<p>Full IB course
--> Physics Higher Level --> Predicted Grade: 7/7 --> Rank 1st
--> Maths Higher Level --> Predicted Grade: 7/7 --> Rank 2nd
--> Music Higher Level --> Predicted Grade: 7/7 --> Rank 1st
--> Information Technology in a Global Society Standard Level --> Predicted Grade: 7/7 --> Rank 1st
--> Chinese First Language Standard Level --> Predicted Grade: 6/7 --> Rank 1st
--> English First Language Standard Level --> Predicted Grade: 7/7 --> Rank 2nd</p>

<p>Predicted Grade: 41/42</p>

<p>(We are not allowed to take more than 6 subjects for 2 entire years....)</p>

<p>Class Rank: n/a</p>

<p>Equivalent GPA:
Grade 9 --> 3.8
Grade 10 --> 4.0
Grade 11 --> 4.0 (on commonapp, n/a)
Grade 12 --> ???</p>

<p>SAT (2310/2400 or 1580/1600):
CR: 800
Math: 780
WR: 730 Essay: 8</p>

<p>SAT II:
Math II: 800
Physics: 800</p>

<p>IGCSE:
out of 9 subjects, 7 A* and 2 A (I doubt this is relevant)</p>

<p>I took several courses on Coursera, 4 or 5 of them are related to math/science/computer science/psychology.</p>

<p>----Miscellaneous----</p>

<p>International -- HK
Race: Asian
Income: Not telling on CommonApp
Father & Mother education level: Not telling on commonapp</p>

<p>----Others----</p>

<p>Academic:
- Rank #1 in HK for Music in IGCSE
- miscellaneous school awards and stuff
Grade 9: Rank #2/~60
Grade 10: Rank #2/~60
Local Top in Science/Math etc. for two years
- Piano Recital Diploma ATCL in Trinity College
- Rank #1 in HK for speech festival recital...??? (lol)
- Harvard Book Prize (lolololol)</p>

<p>Sports (the only two teams in our school is basketball ... and volleyball):
- Tennis - 4 years - Non-team
- Hiking - 6 years - Non-team</p>

<p>Interests:
- School Acapella Vocal Group - 2 years - Leader
- School Casual Ensemble Group - 2 years - Founder+Leader
- School Ensemble - 4 years - there is no leader...
- School Computer Progamming Club - 2 years - Founder+Leader
- Composed School Song
- Movie Making Club - 1 year
- Model UN Club - 1 year (it just started in senior year....)</p>

<p>Projects:
- Camp Organization for students - Name: "Zombie Apocalypse!" - Leader
--> Innovation: special tripwires, traps, had a great deal of fun designing them!
- Smart school project - RFID sensor, designed RFID-tagged student cards, created database for student attendance records and software interface for teachers to check student attendance
--> Customization for school
- Educational game software (learning how to type) for a needy school with specialized adjustments to help autistic students
--> Innovation: Algorithm to detect if autistic students are focusing or not
- Established local secondary level mathematics competition
- Model UN Day encouraging students from all schools to come together, do mock debates, dress, cook etc. in different cultures and stuff. Leader.</p>

<p>Volunteering:
- Sichuan after-quake project - teaching local students arts, english, morals etc. during summer
- Teaching computing to local autistic students
- Art Mural for local community subway project</p>

<p>Work:
- Designed website for company</p>

<p>Essay topic:
- counselor said that it's interesting and is very personal and real, and shows that although I have a deep level of thinking I'm still just growing up (that's why it's real)
- for MIT: I think I will talk about how computer science can aid musical analysis</p>

<p>Universities:</p>

<p>Dream
MIT (Early Action)
Carnegie Mellon School of Computer Science
Stanford</p>

<p>Low Dream
Chicago U (Early Action)
Cornell
UC Berkeley</p>

<p>Match
Michigan Ann Arbor (Early Action)
UIUC (Early Action)
Georgia Tech</p>

<p>NO EDs.</p>

<p>My safeties are outside US.</p>

<p>that's all.
thanks :D and remember to leave your links if you want me to chance back</p>

2

<p>IB program started only a year ago where you’re at? Considering that and how small your class size is, I don’t think your GPA will carry much weight. Of course, it’s still very important and good that you have a 4.0 (if on a 4 point scale), but your school type may be a drawback. Your SAT scores and ECs are great, but most of the schools you listed accept less than 1% of international applicants…may want to think about that. If you’re poor, I think you’d have a strong chance. If you’re average or rich, you may want to take the ACT as well and prove to them that you’re good all around. I don’t think there’s much more that you can do than take more tests (and score well), get great recs and essays, and hope for the best. I hope you’re accepted!!</p>

3

<p>hmm…I don’t think GPA is affected by class size…I think you’re talking about the class rank…</p>

<p>I do know that the situation is not that bad for international applicants from where I come from. About 50~60 qualified people (meaning, academically around the same as me) apply to MIT each year. Around 5~6 people get accepted. Compared to China, where around 300 qualified people apply and only 8~9 get in, I do think that it’s not that bad, but it’s still not as good as US citizens, but that doesn’t mean it’s worse than 1%.</p>

<p>I don’t know why you suggest me to take more tests.</p>

<p>But I’m not really interested in my chances, since I already kind of know…I’m more interested in what you guys think from what you see. Does it show focus, passion, interest etc. Thanks</p>

4

<p>MIT (Early Action) - Reach
Carnegie Mellon School of Computer Science - Match
Stanford - Reach</p>

<p>Chicago U (Early Action) - Low reach
Cornell - Match
UC Berkeley - Match</p>

<p>Michigan Ann Arbor (Early Action) - Match
UIUC (Early Action) - High safety
Georgia Tech - High safety</p>

<p>Dude I think you’ll get into MIT or Stanford. I know I’ve written reach there, but I think you have one of the strongest applications I may have ever seen. I mean Math, Phy and Chem HL is incredible. Your IGs are remarkable too. No one can argue with your test scores.
I don’t usually give CMU a match, but you deserve it. Great job buddy!</p>

5

<p>wait a minute…how can CMU be a match…I’m applying to their computer school, not others. I doubt that CMU is easy to get in…
Thanks btw, and I don’t take Chem HL but Music HL. (Chem HL is not related to what I like. I don’t just take subjects because they are “prestigious” or anything)</p>

<p>Thanks for your encouragement…could you see my strong interest in music and computers though? that’s what I’m more interested in asking about, cos my essays are not going to talk about these things at all.</p>

6

<p>邊間呀?
1234567</p>

7

<p>MIT (Early Action) - Reach
Carnegie Mellon School of Computer Science - Match
Stanford - Reach</p>

<p>Chicago U (Early Action) - Low reach
Cornell - Match
UC Berkeley - Match</p>

<p>University of Michigan Ann Arbor (Early Action) - Match
UIUC (Early Action) - Safety School
Georgia Tech - Safety School</p>

<p>You have a good chance of getting into Stanford in my opinion. MIT will be harder because of its prestige and the fact that you’re international. Definitely a lot more competition but you have all the right stats. You’ve done a lot of quality things for ECs that are relevant to what you want to do and those will definitely help.</p>

<p>Also, just because i stated reach, doesn’t mean you won’t get it. IT IS HARD but you can do it, you have all the right things going and you stand out a lot.</p>

<p>please chance me back: </p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1522167-chance-me-usc-ucla-please.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1522167-chance-me-usc-ucla-please.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

8

<p>There’s no need for you to know which school I’m from.</p>

9

<p>bump btw #8 is directed at #6.</p>

10

<p>Dream
MIT (Early Action)- High Match
Carnegie Mellon School of Computer Science- High Match
Stanford- Reach</p>

<p>Low Dream
Chicago U (Early Action)- High Match
Cornell- Match
UC Berkeley- Match</p>

<p>Match
Michigan Ann Arbor (Early Action)- Safety
UIUC (Early Action)- Safety
Georgia Tech- Safety</p>

<p>The only reason I say high match/reach on some of these is because of your leadership positions. I mean, obviously, you’re a gifted student and you excel in all of the classes you take. However, it’s the lack of audacious leadership ventures that keep people out of, say, Stanford (not so much MIT or UChicago.)</p>

<p>Regardless, you’ll get into either all of these schools, or miss out on a few. </p>

<p>Chance me back :)</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1520857-chance-me-these-8-lacs.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1520857-chance-me-these-8-lacs.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

11

<p>I think you have a high shot at those schools. I would suggest that you try to do something to make your more well-rounded if you wanted to, because your stats look great! Of course being an international is a disadvantage, but your rank, ecs, and test scores are great! Make yourself look like an actual person on the page (when writing an essay). </p>

<p>chance me back?
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1518519-chances-ivies-duke-uchic-stanford-please.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1518519-chances-ivies-duke-uchic-stanford-please.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

12

<p>thanks!</p>

<p>to be honest I never liked being a leader except for the things I enjoy.</p>

<p>as for being well-rounded, what do you suggest me to do? I didn’t list down the following:</p>

<p>Japanese Club
Environmental Club</p>

<p>and some others…but since there’s no space on CommonApp, and I don’t really like them anyways, do you think I should put it?</p>

13

<p>I don’t even why I go on this site. Everyone’s stats make me feel so stupid.</p>

14

<p>holy **** you have amazing scores and ECs!!! all other parts of academics are fine. i like how you created the math competition, and you have some other pretty quirky things like the camp organization (WOO CAMP!). </p>

<p>MIT- reach (it is for everyone)
Cornell- low reach
CMU- low match</p>

<p>chance me? :smiley: <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1522760-chance-top-schools.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1522760-chance-top-schools.html&lt;/a&gt; thanks!!</p>

15

<p>to #13</p>

<p>PLEASE don’t feel that way!!! I’m sure you have something better than me in a lot of other fields. Look, MIT may not accept me at all, but may accept you. You never know. You shouldn’t think that I have better stats and that’s all that matters. What matters is your potential. And MIT looks at that. And potential isn’t something that could be written out (it could only be merely implied). You may have much greater potential than me and you don’t know it. So don’t worry about that. As long as you write in your true voice and show your true self in your essay, the universities will know your potential and your personality. Look, Einstein worked in the patent office. Of course people didn’t know his potential, but he knew. If you trust in yourself and follow your dreams, you could do great wonders. Comparing yourself to other people won’t make you happy. Why, the top in my class is even more crazy than me in stats (2400 SAT, 42/42 predicted grade etc.) , but I don’t bother because I know we are two different people. Doesn’t mean that what I did or what you did in high school determines whether we are successful or not. Please don’t think it that way (tbh you may think that I’m just trying to clear my guilt, but I sincerely do not wish to see someone giving up just because they are comparing to others).</p>

16

<p>Good stats overall, and I would say everything depends on essay and a little luck from now on.great job! I would get rec letter emphasizing your school conditions</p>

17

<p>Wow that was really nice of you To say! But no I mean I’m no where near good enough for MIT or anything so prestigious. This site almost just takes me into like a whole new world. I attend just the average public school in the middle of nowhere. And I take all AP classes and have an awesome GPA and in the top 5% of my class, and everyone especially my family thinks I’m so great. And I ce on here and idk it’s just crazy how intense you guys work, like I thought I worked hard! I suppose I’m a tad bit jealous. Anyway congrats on all that you have accomplished and good luck with your future endeavors! :)</p>

18

<p>If you think you worked hard, you did. MIT did reject someone who built a nuclear reactor in his garage…so everyone has the same chance. Just give it a shot. There’s no way to know what your potential is until you try :)</p>

19

<p>Looking really good, also worth considering applying for Harvard, Yale, Princeton etc…</p>

20

<p>Not interested in Ivy Leagues except Cornell. Too mainstream (lol)</p>