Chances and suggestions, please?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Hey, I'm new to this thing. If you need more info or simply want to bash me, feel free to post or PM me anytime. </p>

<p>Ok, so here we go.</p>

<p>I'm an Asian male, a junior in a new, competitive high school in NJ.</p>

<p>GPA: 4.4 w (weird scale, don't ask)
Rank: Top 10% (no rank) out of 500 </p>

<p>SATs: 2240 comp (junior year); 710 CR 730 M 800 W (12 essay)
PSATs: 227 (Semifinalist and above?)
ACTs: 35 comp (junior year); 35 English, 32 math, 33 science, 35 reading (9 on essay)
SAT IIs: 800-U.S. History (I know I need to take 1-2 more for certain colleges on my list, but I'll just put down the concrete ones so far rather than speculate)
APs: U.S. Gov/Pol - 5 (just took the Calc AB test today, and will take the USH2 and English Language ones by the end of the testing season)</p>

<p>Some background:
My school is very new; 6 years when I first came. That's why I was able to start up so many clubs. </p>

<p>Also, I am currently in a magnet program within my high school that focuses on law and public service. (I'm in the first class!) This magnet program decided most of my classes for the past three years; for instance, English and Social Studies have been locked classes (only SS will be droppable next year). Also, our electives are chosen for us, limiting us even more. </p>

<p>ECs:</p>

<p>Mock Trial: Co-Founder (Frosh) and have been either an attorney or an expert witness for the past three years. This year, as a part of a 4-attorney team, we took county championships in the NJ competition. </p>

<p>Amnesty International: Co-Founder (Soph) and treasurer.</p>

<p>Forensics/Debate Team: Founded this year after new principal agreed to fund the team. Everything (creation/planning of events) has been done by me or the teacher who supports the team.</p>

<p>JSA: Member for 3 years</p>

<p>Model UN: Beginning in senior year, as the budget has passed allowing for even more after-school activities to be created. </p>

<p>Sophomore Class VP / Junior Class VP (I am also going to be the inevitable Senior Class VP. All of this is due to an extraordinary speech I made in freshman year.)</p>

<p>1.5 years volunteering at various positions in a local hospital (about 120 hours)</p>

<p>Senior Class Schedule:
AP Physics
AP Statistics
AP English Literature (program)
Honors Western Civ. (no other APs available in our school that aren't science or language based)
Honors Senior Seminar (program)
Gym (Not an honors course)</p>

<p>Extra information:
I moved into this town in 8th grade. I was supposed to enter high school in Honors Geometry, Spanish II, and Lab Biology. I was pushed back a year without consultation by the high school, so that I was forced to attend Algebra I, Spanish I, and Physical Science Lab. I had only 2 honors courses in freshman year as a result (program classes). I studied math on my own during freshman and sophomore years, skipping 2 courses in 2 years (only one skip allowed per year). I entered AP Calc AB junior year as a result, a course ahead of my peers instead of behind. I took summer courses in Sophomore year and skipped chemistry to go to physics this year. There is one key problem to this, however; while I was going at a faster pace than my peers, I was still receiving the same credit (my school gave no credit for the courses I took; it merely allowed me to skip the course in school after taking the school final exam). Regardless, I have worked hard and this is my result.</p>

<p>My passions are in law, government, politics, and public speaking. Everything I have done in the past three years has been for one of these four things. My college and career will be definitely centered around those four things as well. I tend to be mature around strangers and immature around friends. I have a sense of humor that is wider than the length of any pair of outstretched arms.
I like to think that I'm a good writer, and I'm certainly able to entertain and capture people when I speak, both publicly and privately. </p>

<p>So what do you think? Did I miss anything? What do you think I have a shot at?</p>

<p>Harvard is my dream school, but I understand that it's a complete crapshoot once you get up that high in the university rankings. </p>

<p>Other schools I like:
Yale
Dartmouth
UPenn
UChicago
Brown
Colgate
Bowdoin
UVirginia
Georgetown
Cornell?</p>

<p>Any other suggestions for colleges? Otherwise? I'm here.</p>

2

<p>You should get into some of the schools your list. You have the stats. Start thinking about letters of recommendation, and how to obtain really good ones. You should read a book on how to apply to the Ivies and top schools. Think about the finances seriously- whether or not you need aid and qualify for aid. Pick a couple of safety schools. Look at some of the top liberal arts schools, too. It just sounds as if they suit your interests, and they are very likely to admit you. You could use them as safeties and low matches.</p>

3

<p>thanks OneMom, I appreciate the response. Do you think that NYU, Swarthmore, and Amherst are good matches/safeties? </p>

<p>Also, anyone else willing to give me some chances?</p>

4

<p>you have some pretty good stats...in fact they looked similar to mine. and i also lived in NJ and am an asian male. i now go to swarthmore. let me say this. living in NJ and being an asian male makes it harder to get into the top colleges.</p>

<p>i would say harvard and yale are definite reaches (for anyone really)</p>

<p>upenn, dartmouth, uchicago, brown, swarthmore, and amherst are also probably reaches (maybe along with cornell and georgetown...though i think you have a shot at those schools).</p>

<p>i think you are a match for colgate, bowdoin, and UVA (though you're out of state so who knows). nyu should also be a match.</p>

<p>nowadays its getting harder and harder to get into the top schools as more and more people apply. 5 years ago, you would have probably made it to many of the schools you want to apply to. now...it's not as definite.</p>

<p>good luck!</p>

5

<p>Swarthmore and Amherst safeties? I hope you don't apply to either if that's how you view them.</p>

6

<p>ek1099 - I appreciate the response and thank you for your candidness. I love being on the crest of a wave of applicants.
unregistered - to be honest, I just looked at the mail that I got from colleges and picked the ones that seemed pretty cool. Upon further inspection Swarthmore seems pretty good (I'm all about the writing), although I might not get in (small school?). Also, I probably won't apply to Amherst because it doesn't seem to be my type. By any means, these colleges are not safeties.</p>

7

<p>I can't really understand how someone would be into both Swarthmore and Dartmouth at the same time, but more power to you.</p>

8

<p>Yale- Reach
Dartmouth- Semi-Reach
UPenn- Reach
UChicago- Should be good
Brown- Semi-Reach
Colgate- Good
Bowdoin- Good
UVirginia- Good
Georgetown- Good
Cornell?- Good
Harvard- Reach</p>

<p>As you stated earlier, once you apply to those elite colleges, everything becomes a crapshoot</p>

9

<p>It looks like you made an error reporting your ACT score; your section scores don't add to a composite of 35, they average to 34.</p>

10

<p>oh, damn, yea, that's a typo - thanks for that.</p>

11

<p>I think that NYU is safe for you. Also, U Chicago, probably even Cornell. For safe LACs, check the number of Asians. If it's relatively low, you will be fine. You are obviously a good candidate even for the top schools. It just a matter of how many spaces are left by the time they consider you. Apply as early as you can, everywhere. Some additonal places to consider as easier schools to get into might be U Rochester, Rice, Northwestern, Boston College, Tulane. Boston University and George Washington University are both a lot like NYU, and might be worth considering as safeties. They also give out a lot of merit aid.</p>

12

<p>You have a great shot at any of the schools on your list, and I certainly encourage you to apply to top colleges.
However, I do think you need to apply to one true safety, and I would suggest spending some time deciding what you really want in a college. There's still plenty of time left in your college search, and I'm sure you'll be able to come up with a good list.</p>

13

<p>Big thanks to pinnipotto and OneMom for your responses; they are some of the more positive things I've felt about this entire college applications process.</p>

<p>I visited Columbia today and I really like the atmosphere and location. Can somebody chance me for this school as well, please?</p>

14

<p>just because i want a couple more opinions, bump.</p>

15

<p>oh, and i was elected Senior VP just today. apparently my class appreciated my speech revealing my unholy addiction to political office.</p>

16

<p>I think that you have a good shot at Columbia, as good as anyone's. It sounds like a great school for you, too. Just remember that chance does play a role, when many of these places are accepting 15% or fewer and say that at least 80% of the applicants are qualified. Qualifiications, packaging, and chance all play a role. You have a strong focus on your interests and that will help a lot, and you do have the qualifications. I do think that you will get into some top schools, but just have a few easier ones on your list, too.</p>

17

<p>Bump Bump Bump</p>

18

<p>did someone bump? firefox to the rescue!</p>

<p>for top schools: decent test scores. good ECs. what's your unweighted gpa? top 10% is terrible for a rank.</p>

<p>assuming that you mean that you are in the first decile but probably top 1%, then you should get into either harvard or yale and in at the rest. if you are indeed ranked 10%, then you are reject for hy and middle ivies and possibly in at others</p>

19

<p>Appreciate the bump and the chances; my school only told me my weighted GPA and my decile, nothing more. I'm probably not the top 1%, unfortunately. Let us journey forth into explanations...</p>

<p>My school is particularly annoying because there are two 'learning centers' (60 kids) in our 500-strong class. My LC is brand-new, so all of our classes are unchartered and frankly unplanned. For instance, we had a Constitutional Law course (required honors class that is...well, useless) this year that had so few grades that forgetting to put your name on a project would drop you 3 percentage points (I am not joking). A marking period had 200 points, of which most people got around 160-180 because our teacher would take off random points on projects, making an A+ literally impossible. In comparison, our APUSHII class averaged about 2400 points per marking period, with most people earning around 2100-2350 (it's a difficult class, but at least its not hinged on nonessential things). Our grades and thus GPAs and ranks are completely skewed. </p>

<p>The Constitutional Law teacher is being replaced for next year's kids =/</p>

<p>The other LC is focused on languages. They take all honors language classes (more honors earlier than we can, like Hnrs. Russian I and Hnrs. Spanish II freshman year when no one else can take an honors language until junior year at best) with experienced teachers. At least 2 of the top 5 in the class are from that learning center; they each have 5.0+ GPAs somehow.</p>

<p>Blah. Screwed.</p>

20

<p>Yeah...I agree with what Firefox is saying. I think you're very solid, but I'm not sure how committed you are to EC's. Only you know that, and you should make sure adcoms know that. 10% isn't too strong, but it wont disqualify you either. A good shot at your schools though. Good luck!</p>

<p>chance me too! :]</p>