<p>
[quote]
there are 17 people within the 3.76-3.99 UW GPA bracket
[/quote]
out of how many total students? I'm assuming there are many students considering the number of AP's offered at your school - unless its a small but fancy private. Anyway, I really think you are one of the best candidates I've seen on this board, and only being unlucky or having a mediocre application will keep you out.</p>
<p>there are 77 kids total in my grade. it is a small competitive private.</p>
<p>Ouch, so you're not even in the second decile? damnn</p>
<p>that is quite an impressive looking application...</p>
<p>i think saying good recs and good essay is an understatement. if you win the dupont challenge, i'm willing to bet your essays will be top-notch</p>
<p>good luck, you're gonna do fine.</p>
<p>Ok, not a great class rank. All the same, excellent chance. Thats amazing that you can have that many AP's in such a small school. My school offered about 6 if IIRC</p>
<p>godofwar, your crappy taste in videogames will keep you out ;)</p>
<p>haha, my name name's actually wrathofgod, the card from magic the gathering that kills all creatures.</p>
<p>also, gmman, if u went to the school I attend, u would have some idea of the difficulty and rigor of the courses I take. Last year, even though I took 4 ap's, my hardest courses by far were my honors english and honors history classes, which basically consumed my life.</p>
<p>
[quote]
I'm not too sure about your ECs either--they seem like the kind of things kids do just to get into college. I mean, who enters competitions like the Dupont Challenege with any other motivation other than wanting something to put on their transcript? I think things like the Dupont Challenge and Siemmens Westinghouse may lead admissions officers to question your other ECs
[/quote]
Seriously, ***?</p>
<p>OF COURSE you enter competitions to win! What, do you write essays about science for fun? Do you fill out packets of application forms - including your research abstract and analysis and conclusion and all - for fun?</p>
<p>That made absolutely no sense.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Your Match Level 2 score is also a problem
[/quote]
Sorry man, but a 780 is NOT a problem. Everyone knows the Ivies group SAT II scores so that 780=790=800. After all, small score differences are usually only a matter of a couple questions. Plus, the OP got a 5 on Calc BC and a 5 on the AB subscore. S/he must have been busy pursuing much larger endeavors than memorizing something as trivial as the equation of an ellipse.</p>
<p>wrathofgod, you have an excellent chance for Yale SCEA, and I presume you wouldn't even think twice about applying anywhere else if you get in (except maybe for sport), so I won't even talk about the other schools you're applying to. Can't wait to hear the decision on the Yale board. ;) Good luck!</p>
<p>War Gods (N64) was a mediocre fighting game.
God of War (PS2) was a great platform-adventure game.
You make the call which one he was referring to... :rolleyes:</p>
<p>You have excellent SAT Scores, AP Exams, etc. Your GPA is a bit low, but that could have to do with your school. Remember, it doesn't matter how your school was ranked so much as it matters how much Yale ranks your school. Not literally, of course. I'm just saying that it matters what ties your school has to the schools you are applying to. Do you know many people that went to any of the schools you are applying last year? Is there one school everyone in the top 5% applies and gets accepted to? Like maybe Stanford or Yale. Some schools have these ties and some don't. Otherwise, your school really doesn't stand out and your GPA is low. But then again, you do have 12 AP's with all 5's. Your EC's are decent, but you aren't that focused towards one subject. Colleges don't like people that spread themselves out so much. At least not the most selective. A school like Yale wants a true artist or writer, not a well-rounded person. They want someone that is truly amazing at something. That is why so few well-rounded people are accepted. You have some great chances at all of the schools here, but definitely not a shoe in at any. I'm sure you'll get into a few of these, so I wouldn't worry. All of these schools are great, even UB, which is pretty much a guarantee from in state. You'll get into some great ones and it will just be up to you to decide where you want to go.</p>
<p>p.s. And sorry if I was sounding a little pessimistic. Also, this is probably the kid with the best chances for Harvard on the whole board: </p>
<p>
[quote]
Seriously, ***?</p>
<p>OF COURSE you enter competitions to win! What, do you write essays about science for fun? Do you fill out packets of application forms - including your research abstract and analysis and conclusion and all - for fun?</p>
<p>That made absolutely no sense.
[/quote]
No, it makes sense. This is exactly what I'm talking about! ECs are SUPPOSED to be things you do for fun! They're supposed to show how you're so passionate about the things you do that you go outside of school to do them! Entering competitions, however, do not show your passion for any subject, it just shows that you want crap to put on your transcript. You apply to college because you want to get a good education and pursue your interests as much as you can. You enter into competitions because... what? You write research papers so you can share your findings with the world--you're not writing papers for competitions to share them with the world. The only reason that I know of for people to enter into these competitions is to put stuff on their record! And as for his Math SAT II, he obviously does a lot of things so that he can get into college--I mean, he's on this board after all. So I would say that it's very likely that he studied for his Math SAT II, and it's not even a hard test--the curve is very generous, and the top 12% of students who take it get 800s. What are you saying? That a 780 = 800? How about a 760? Is 760 = 780 and then 780 = 800 therefore 760 = 800?! Obviously an 800 on the Math IIC is superior to a 780. It may not be a huge difference, but to me, I think it's kind of odd. </p>
<p>g0ldenboy: he has his 4s too ;) And what you're saying about ECs is completely fallacious. I've visited schools, and they specifically say that they want their share of well-rounded students as well as the lopsided ones. In fact, on my visit to Harvard, of all schools, the admission officer hardly talked about anything BUT having well-rounded students. Imagine how a campus would be if every kid going to the school was a savant--it'd be like CalTech! Is Yale CalTech? No, there is a need for schools like that, but Yale is not one. Well-rounded students show that they are interested in everything, and are willing to explore everything. Is this a negative quality? Hardly.</p>
<p>wrathofgod64:
[quote]
Last year, even though I took 4 ap's, my hardest courses by far were my honors english and honors history classes, which basically consumed my life.
[/quote]
I'm curious.. it seems like your school probably would not be able to support both honors and nonhonors, nor would it want to, being such a competitive school. So, all your peers have probably taken this class. Why then are there 20% of the kids at your school doing better than you? They had to take the same Honors English and Honors History classes that you did!</p>
<p>hi, my name is akile, im from berkeley, CA. im new to cc...but anyways, i hav a couple of friends who go to a school that seems really similar to yours. at the school my friends go to, most of the students that are in the top 5% don't have the humungous number of APs you have, but they still get into top notch schools. So I wouldnt be worried.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Entering competitions, however, do not show your passion for any subject, it just shows that you want crap to put on your transcript.
[/quote]
So winning competitions doesn't indicate anything about your competency? You think the reason why so many ISEF winners go to HYPMSC is because of their passion, not because they won international awards?</p>
<p>Of course it's about loving what you do - which would be overall science in the case of the Dupon competition and research in the case of Siemens - but winning competitions means you're more proficient than average, and that definitely is an attention-grabber.</p>
<p>Why else would colleges ask for honors or awards on applications?</p>
<p>Honestly, I have no clue how what you said makes sense. :</p>
<p>Wow, people who are saying percentages are too high
dont know what they're talking about. Acceptance rates
for 1600s at HYPS are 40%, and those 60% that arent accepted
dont stand out anywhere else. This is clearly an all around
applicant in addition to SAT scores. I would say you get in to all Ivies
80% except Princeton (I dont know why).</p>
<p>I'm not saying winning competitions will hurt him--I'm just saying that it's indicative of his personality that he wants to show off his talent in science. I believe the reason why schools ask for honors and awards is not so that people will enter every competition that they can to put on their transcript--it's to reward students who have been acknowledged by people around them for the good work that they naturally do and would normally do. For example, a student may be a National AP Scholar--he wants to make the most of his education and learn as much as he can, and so he takes a lot of AP courses, and because of his intelligence, scores high on them. The Siemmens Westinghouse Competition and the Dupont Challenge seem to me to be more means to an end instead of the end itself. Also, students may be acknowledged by their schools or communities because of their service. I believe Honors and Awards should not be about showing off--they should be things that people have incidentally received because they do the things they love doing well. Do you honestly believe that people participating in the Dupont Challenge and the Siemmens Westinghouse are doing it because they love science? You'd be naive if you did.</p>
<p>hax0r: how many 1600s do you know that get 3.0 GPAs? Most 1600s are naturally good students and are usually motivated, too, meaning that they will probably have some ECs as well.</p>