chances at these schools and any suggestions? PLEASE READ!

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>*just as a note, i know this is a long list of colleges. i have not decided which part of the country i'd like to go, so i'm very undecided.
-i'm a junior currently researching colleges. i'm a Korean female attending a competitive IB public school(Robinson Secondary) in Northern Virginia.
-i have a long list of school's i'm interested in.
-my career goal is to become a veterinarian and to major in biology, animal science, or zoology.
-i would like to know what schools are matches, safetys, and reaches for me.
thanks!
here are my stats
*9th grade GPA; 3.8 =(
-Honors Biology
-Honors English 9
-Honors Geometry
-Honors World History I
-Japanese I
-Symphonic Orchestra
*10th grade GPA; 4.0 (Straight A's all year)(yay GPA rise!)
-Honors Chemistry
-Honors English 10
-Honors Algebra 2
-Honors World History II
-Japanese 2
-Symphonic Orchestra
sophomores were not allowed to take AP/IB classes at this school
*11th grade GPA (moved to new school); 4.1 (straight A's so far)
-AP US History
-IB Biology SL(HL class got cancelled)
-IB Physics I SL
-IB Math SL
-English 11
-Latin 1 (did not offer Japanese at new school)
-Symphonic Orchestra
*summer 2006
-Animal Nutrition at Cornell Summer College for Veterinary Medicine (3 credits)
*projected 12th grade GPA; 4.2-4.3
-IB Math HL I/AP Calculus BC
-AP Government
-AP Literature and Composition
-IB Psychology SL
-Animal Biology at George Mason University
-Latin 2
-Symphonic Orchestra
*i'm probably top 2-3% of class; at least top 5%
*projected SAT; 2100+ (aiming for 2300; taking in June and October 2006)
*projected SAT II US History; 700+
*projected SAT II Biology M; 700+
*taking SAT II Math 2C and maybe korean and world history
*ECs;
-horseback riding since 9 year old
-piano - kindergarden-10th grade
-received Honorable Mention at a coupe of local piano competitions (not a big deal, i know)
-violin – 4th grade-present
-American Philharmonic Youth Orchestras 7th grade-present
-Junior District Orchestra assistant principal 9th grade
-Senior Regional Orchestra 11th grade
-Northern Virginia Therapeutic Riding Center volunteered 9th grade-10th grade
-Lost Dog Rescue Group and HART 90 Rescue Group – 11th grade
-National Honor Society
-Toshiba Exploravision 10th grade
-pit orchestra of the musical “Crazy For You” 10th grade
-pit orchestra of the musical “Beauty and the Beast” 11th grade
-member of church choir and church youth group leader
-principal 2nd violin at school's Symphonic Orchestra
-Cornell Veterinary Medicine Summer College summer 2006
-accepted into Department of Defense and George Washington University Science and Engineering Apprentice Program for summer 2006
-planning to enter the Siemens Westinghouse Competition over the summer and hoping to be one of the 300 regional semifinalists(or whatever they are called)
-vice president of school orchestra
-nominated for National Honor Roll, Who’s Who Among American High School Students
-letters of academic recognition from Virginia House of Delegates and Virginia House of Representatives
-all A honor roll all quarters beginning in 10th grade
-i can get excellent teacher recommendations and pretty sure about stellar essays.
*the colleges i'm looking into are; (my whole list from Collegeboard.com )
-Brown U
-Claremont McKenna C
-Columbia U Columbia
-Cornell U
-Dartmouth C
-Georgetown U
-Harvard C
-Northwestern U IL
-Pomona C
-Stanford U
-Tufts U
-U Calif Berkeley
-U Calif Los Angeles
-U Chicago
-U Michigan
-U Southern Calif
-U Virginia
-Vassar C
-Wesleyan U
-Yale U
-Notre Dame
i know my list is long, but i'm really undecided as to where is the best for me.
i'm looking for a school that has a competitive science program, but isn't so cutthroat and is a little laid backand relaxed. i'm really interested in the UC's and USC, Stanford, Pomona, etc., because it'd be easier for my family, because my dad lives in korea, and if we lived in california it'd be easier for him to come here. also interested in Cornell because of their Animal Science major.
what are some schools out there that i should be looking at? i'm very new to the college research process...and i need some good advice </p>

<p>thanks again you guys!</p>

2

<p>As long as your projected scores become actual scores, you're in good shape for most of the schools you've listed. Just remember that these things are somewhat unpredictable- study hard.</p>

<p>Provided the scores are favorable, the essays will determine your acceptance. If you have the time, you might want to get an early start this summer.</p>

<p>ps- National Honor Roll and Who’s Who are complete scams. They're noncompetitive awards given out by for-profit ventures that just want to sell books, certificates etc.</p>

3

<p>thanks for the tip about National Honor Roll, and Who's Who...:)
and i'll definitely get started on apps...i know the common app for next year is out already...
thanks again!</p>

4

<p>Yale, Harvard, Stanford, Cornell, Columbia: Reaches</p>

<p>Georgetown, UVA (in-state), and Tufts: Matches</p>

<p>The rest are reaches-to-matches. You don't have any safeties on your list, but you're definitely competitive at most of your schools given your projected scores.</p>

<p>[url=<a href="http://college.mychances.net/view/?id=20&app=college%5DNash%5B/url"&gt;http://college.mychances.net/view/?id=20&app=college]Nash[/url&lt;/a&gt;]&lt;/p>

5

<p>bummppp
anyone else?</p>

6

<p>sunnex3:</p>

<p>UCB/UCLA: Match (out of state)</p>

7

<p>Why do you have a frowning face next to the 3.8? I can think of many adults who are wishing right now that they'd maintained a 3.8 at any point while they were in high school. Don't be so hard on yourself!</p>

<p>Your stats are fine. You shouldn't be worrying about that so much; however, the reality is there are around 40-60,000 other applicants applying to the same schools as you with the same statistics--perhaps even more, I'm really not sure of the exact same numbers. When it gets to this point, numbers are not what matter, but rather the essay and your own personality. So it's good to see you have some nice ECs (music, horseback riding). And winning any local competitions on piano is good, so don't act like its not a big deal! :-p</p>

<p>Really, you seem like you're in a good spot. NOTHING is garuanteed though, and I think if you were able to do something related to your interests and outside of school, it would be good. For example, my sister was into earth sciences, and she helped build a miniature satellite that were launched into space. You seem interested in biology...have you considered trying to volunteer in something related to that? I wouldn't know the exact options available, but something like that could show you're more than just a "striving academic Asian". And I hate to use the stereotype, but the reality is that stereotype is present in some adcoms minds. You want to be you, and not a stereotype.</p>

<p>There was one thing you said that I find interesting though; you said you wanted a laid back environment that wasn't so cutthroat. However, nearly all of the places you mentioned are quite cutthroat, and Cornell is known for being especially cutthroat. If you want someplace that is nice and not so intense, Pomona could be a good bet, and I would dare to call it a match for you..</p>

<p>BUT, based on the "vibes" I'm getting from your post though (can you tell I'm from California?), I think you might like Stanford. The truth is, it IS rather cutthroat, but it's also in California and you can therefore always escape to the beach with a bunch of surfer dudes or hippies if you ever feel it's necessary (though Palo Alto isn't really near the beach...but oh well). I would suggest if you are able to, try to visit it at some point, perhaps in the fall. I get the feeling you'd like it, and if you were to apply EA there, your chances at getting in there would be better.</p>

<p>Umm okay...so that wasn't really saying your chances at any place. I kinda babbled on there. Since I am from California, I guess I can be a good judge for your chances there. But, this is all assuming your SAT scores actually ARE in the 2300 range. I thought I was going to have pretty good SAT results on verbal when I took it in April, and was shocked to find...well, not so happy scores. Even though you SHOULD be okay, with all standardized testing, surprises do occur. Anyways...</p>

<p>-Claremont McKenna: Match, maybe a safety.
-Pomona C: Match to slight reach.
-Stanford U: Reach, perhaps a Slight Reach if you apply Early Action
-U Calif Berkeley: Match to slight reach
-U Calif Los Angeles: Match
-U Southern Calif: Match, unless you get a 2300+ SAT. Then, it would be a Safety, and they MIGHT end up offering you a full ride with extra spending money! On another note, if you want laid back...well...let's say USC is not afraid to party!</p>

<p>I would STRONGLY suggest applying to Univeristy of California at San Diego as an additional safety. If you are interested in biology and the sciences, they have a pretty strong program there, and a VERY strong bioengineering program. If your SAT is above a 2100, you should be in there without a doubt, and you wouldn't even need to fill out another application since you are applying to the UC system anyways! Also, if you are wanting a super-safety, try UC Davis -- Average SAT is in the 1800 range, so even if you don't get the 2100+, I would still call it a safety of sorts.</p>

<p>Hope this post was helpful and informative, even if it was long! :)</p>

8

<p>If you are serious about veterinarian sciences and want to start taking courses in this directly, go to UC Davis or Cornell--the best two schools in the country for this.</p>

<p>If, on the other hand, you want to take a lot of medical science courses and then figure out what to pursue, go to John Hopkins, UC San Diego, UCLA, UC Berkeley, Northwestern, Duke or Rice.</p>

9

<p>thank you very much to everyone who replied. it has helped me enormously in narrowing down my school list.</p>

<p>anyone else have any opinions?</p>

10

<p>Claremont-McKenna is not a science oriented school. I agree with the poster who recommended UCSD. It is very strong in biological sciences. Unless you score 2100+ on the SATs you will be a reach for UCLA and probably Cal, too. The average UC weighted GPA for acceptees to UCLA was around 4.25 this year. Being OOS, you will need to do better
If being a veterinarian is your goal, UC Davis is a good bet, as you would get in with no problem with your credentials. Undergraduate research opportunities are available to students at UCD at the vet school if you look for them. That will help you with vet school apps. Good luck.</p>

11

<p>i'm pretty sure i'll have a 2100 SAT if not higher...and i'm retaking in october too...but about the GPA, i have had straight A's...but i do think the weigthing system for AP/IB classes is different in california than in virginia...and my area is known to have a harder grading system...how does the UC GPA work anyway? a little confused...but thanks for the advice</p>

12

<p>For your regular GPA, you assign the following values, A=4, B=3, C=2, D=1, and F=0. For your weighted GPA you assign the values the same for the regular courses, but for honors courses (APs and IBs only) you assign A=5, B=4, C=3, D=2, and F=1.</p>

<p>Then both GPAs are computed the same. Each value is multiplied by the number of units the class is worth. The grade points are totaled and divided by the total number of units attempted.</p>

<p>To give you an idea, the average applicant accepted this year at UCLA had a weighted GPA of 4.25 and took 18 honors courses--meaning this person had a unweighted GPA of 3.875. This can be computed by subtracting 18 from the total grade points of the average student (presuming they took 6 courses a semester for 8 semesters, they took 48 courses, so if all classes were worth the same the total grade points would be 204, less 18 would be 186). Dividing this 186 by the same 48 total gives the 3.875 average.</p>

<p>Since some of the top students will go to other schools like UC Berkeley, Harvard, Yale, Amherst, Dartmouth, etc.; the total weighted GPA of the entering class will probably be around 4.17 W GPA. This means their UW grades were around 3.795 (computed the same way).</p>

<p>Also, the University of California is very good at reporting their numbers. They not only put out the W GPAs right after sending out acceptances, they also list the average number of honors classes taken--and they report this info on a campus by campus basis. So for any campus, just multiply the number by 48, subtract the number of honors classes, then divide by 48 and you'll get the UW average for that campus. (go to <a href="http://www.ucop.edu%5B/url%5D"&gt;www.ucop.edu&lt;/a> for the statistics)</p>

13

<p>Holy Cross might be a school of interest-very strong in Latin/ Classics, near Tufts Vet School. HC also offers merit aid and is 1 hour from Boston.</p>