<p>I'm kind of afraid I'm too average of an applicant at the top colleges.</p>
<p>About me:
South Asian male
competitive public school in New York
will study engineering
first generation college student</p>
<p>Stats:
GPA 4.0 UW (school doesn't weight)
Class rank: school doesn't rank
PSAT: 234 (76 CR 80 M 78 W) --> probably National Merit Finalist
SAT I: 2290 (750 CR 800 M 740 W 8 essay 77 mc)
SAT IIs: 800 Math II 800 Physics 800 Chemistry</p>
<p>APs:</p>
<p>Sophomore year:
Physics B - 5
World History - 4</p>
<p>Junior year:
Chem - 5
US History - 5
Physics C: Mech - 5
Physics C: E&M - 5
Calc BC - 5</p>
<p>Senior Schedule:
AP Gov/Pol
AP Lit
Calc 3
SUPA Prob/Stats
AP Bio
AP German
Architectural Design</p>
<p>ECs:
school newspaper 2 years (copy editor and production manager)
interact club vice president 2 years
science olympiad 2 years
math team 4 years (invited to all-county meet 4 years, invited to all-state meet 3 years)
ARML 1 year
By graduation, will have ~220 hours community service tutoring inner-city youth, sending medical supplies to third-world nations, working at soup kitchen
Attended EPGY twice (programming and quantum mechanics). the second time was on a questbridge scholarship.
Took a programming class at local community college</p>
<p>Random Awards:
science olympiad: gold and silver at county meet; bronze at state meet (in physics)
math team: highest individual score on team once at county meet, state meet, and at ARML.
did well on AATG 3 years
AMC12: 115
AIME: 2 :/
Questbridge college prep summer school scholarship winner</p>
<p>What are my chances at these schools?</p>
<p>Stanford SCEA
MIT EA (if I don't do Stanford SCEA)
Caltech EA (if I don't do Stanford SCEA)
Princeton
Berkeley
Columbia
Cornell
Rice
Harvey Mudd
Northwestern
Michigan
Rochester
Washington (in seattle)</p>
<p>I think your best shot at the superselective schools is Caltech. I'm somewhat pessimistic about your chances at Stanford because I've seen so many high stats kids from my school get rejected in favor of the kids with stellar EC's and only above average intelligence. Don't waste the EA on Stanford; apply EA to Caltech and MIT. You seem like a good fit for both of those places as well as Harvey Mudd, which won't be quite so hard to get in. Your stats will also net you a $10000 scholarship at Mudd if you get in.</p>
<p>Hmmm.
Well, you seem interested in math and science, but your AMC 12 score and AIME score are low. Caltech and MIT are reaches for you, but EA may afford you a chance. </p>
<p>OOS Berkeley is a good match for you. No shame in Berkeley. It is at least top 3 in engineering.</p>
<p>If you browse the MIT threads you will find several kids who were accepted with embarrasingly low AIME scores, so I wouldn't let that be too big of a worry. The main thing is that you qualified and demonstrated passion or w/e. MIT may be a reach, but I don't think it's bc of your low AIME. fastMEd, am I correct that a four or better is generally considered good?</p>
<p>Hmmm.
4 is an ok score (just ok). I had a fever on the day and I got a 4. Generally, the math whizzes at my public high school get around 6 or more.</p>
<p>But to the OP, if you want engineering. </p>
<p>MIT, Stanford, Berkeley. These schools make up the holy trinity of engineering. </p>
<p>Berkeley - From what I've heard, Berkeley engineering is quite rigorous, but companies like them since these guys have a ton of experience and work fast. A lot of people from my high school end up here. In the ghettoes of Oakland. Don't leave campus at night. You'll get shot. Your standards in women will drop cause most berk girls are just fug. </p>
<p>MIT - no idea, but MIT is the holy grail of science.
Massachussetts weather < Cali Weather. Massachussetts beach< Cali beach </p>
<p>Stanford - Better name recognition than Berkeley, but overall engineering difficulty may actually be a bit lower. It is in Palo Alto, where all the rich kids live so if you end up here, you may be able to schmooze with the preppy kids. (This school should be your goal since you are out of state) Nice weather too. Better looking girls. It is also close to this place where you can play Go if you are into Go ( a Chinese board game ).</p>
<p>Don't bother with Caltech EA. Just do stanford. Besides - caltech is in the middle of nowhere, and it smells. Small school. Pasadena, California.</p>
<p>Stanford commands respect wherever you go IMO.
MIT is good too, but you don't get that all around respect. People tend to think you are just good at science/math.
Berkeley is good too. Engineering is top notch, but it just doesn't command the same prestige as Stanford except among engineers.</p>
<p>Try visiting these places to get a better feel for them. Some of the colleges on your list have very different cultures. Prestige is something to consider but only after you decide where you would be a good fit.</p>
<p>I should probably mention that Stanford is my top choice by far right now, and that's unlikely to change. I've spent 7 weeks there the last two summers through EPGY so I've gotten to know the place pretty well, and I LOVE it. I would definitely be happy staying there for 4 years (or more).</p>
<p>I'm going to go visit MIT and Princeton next week so I'll see how that goes, but I highly doubt they can top Stanford as my #1 choice.</p>
<p>As for Cal-tech, I won't have the chance to visit it unfortunately, but I've talked to a couple of people who go there and a few that have visited. I know it's not the same as a visit, but it's the best I can do.</p>
<p>MIT and CalTech are far more likely to accept you than Stanford; your perfect math and science scores are seemingly the holy grail at CalTech, and they will get you very far in MIT admissions too. Stanford, however, might be more likely to find fault with your modest ECs, especially at a competitive NY public.</p>
<p>i'd actually say MIT and Caltech would be less likely to accept him, because while his gpa and test scores are top notch, his math/science stuff outside of the classroom is a little bit lacking, and he won't stand up to the RSI kids, etc, while his EC's as a whole aren't too bad (plus Stanford gives a slight bump to east coast applicants that MIT doesn't). I'd say a little better than 50/50 shot at Stanford EA, and probably more like 40% at MIT.</p>
<p>I'm not quite sure what everyone on here is smoking.</p>
<p>You have a 4.0 UW GPA and you scored 800 on 3 SAT II tests and the math portion of the SAT I. You scored perfect scores on 6 out of your 7 AP tests, and a 4 (second-best score) on the remaining one. You scored 740 plus on the other two parts of the SAT I.</p>
<p>You've taken nothing but tough courses, and you've won awards in math and science and you've got good leadership showing through on these ECs. You will be a first generation college student.</p>
<p>Thus, you have a 70% to 75% chance of acceptance at anyplace you apply to--and this includes Harvard. (Check out the stats if you don't believe me--out of people applying to Harvard with at least four 800 scores, 70% are accepted.) </p>
<p>Don't get me wrong--you'll still have to write a good essay--and you'll still need to get great recommendations--but you don't have to fret that you don't compare to others--that's ridiculous.</p>
<p>I say apply to Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Stanford, Caltech and MIT. Apply to Northwestern as a safety and Washington as a super safety. You'll be accepted at both of these last two--and at least two out of the other six I've mentioned. I'd apply to Princeton ED or Stanford SCEA if I were you (and if you are really interested in engineering), otherwise I'd apply to Harvard or Yale. UC Berkeley for nuclear engineering would be the only other school I'd consider.</p>
<p>You see, this is where I would normally tell you to apply to HMC. However, judging by your scores ECs, I don't think you are the type of student HMC is looking for. There is a reason why HMC sends out the "Get a life" letters to freshmen who get too many high-passes.</p>
<p>Correct me if I'm wrong, but I see someone who worked a little too hard in HS.</p>
<p>rocketDA, what specifically gives you the idea that I worked too hard? </p>
<p>btw, a 4.0 gpa means nothing at my school. my school does not distinguish between someone who got 3 A's and 2 B's in a class and someone who got 5 A's (4 quarter grades and the final exam grade). We also don't distinguish between an 89.5 and a 100+.</p>
<p>your ECs consist of academic-related clubs or community service groups. i think these things are really great things to do, but when i don't see anything like music, sports, or anything that you use to gain a different perspective on life i think that your goals throughout hs were just to get into the best college possible. was your hs experience driven by trying to get into stanford, caltech, or mit?...or was it driven by a passion and thirst for knowledge and perspective; to become a whole individual who understands society and himself? many top colleges know that the latter is the person that they want.</p>
<p>if you apply to mudd, they'll probably accept you on the basis of numbers. is that what you want? i, personally, find solace in knowing that they had additional reasons for selecting me other than quantitative attributes.</p>
<p>hmc, in particular, wants students who have 'lived' a bit, if you know what i mean. i'm not saying go out and smoke pot and drink, but there is more to life than academics and service. </p>
<p>get selfish and do something for yourself, not some college.</p>
<p>rocketDA, I think that you might just be a bit jaded by what you see on CC. Are there people who do what you think the OP is doing? Yeah. But does that mean that everyone who has mostly academic and community service EC's is just doing it to get into a top college? I don't think so. There are, actually, quite a few altruistic nerds out there whose interests happen to look good on a college app.</p>