<p>I am a rising senior. Quite frankly, I'm very much afraid that I'm a below average applicant at the top colleges.</p>
<p>About me:
-Eastern European femaleAmerican citizen
[Originally Bosnian refugee
first in Germany (immigrated when she was 3), then in US (immigrated when she was 7). She has had 3 major moves in her lifetime (from Bosnia to Germany, from Germany to NYC, and from NYC to another part of NY state). Her first official language was German (which she also took in high schoolswitched from Spanish in grade 8so as not to forget it, since it is not spoken at home). She started learning Sebo-Croatian (unofficially, from family) before she learned German and that is the language spoken at home. Sadly, she can only read and write it in the Latin alphabet, but she has plans to continue learning the Cyrillic.]
-Attends a competitive public school in New York
-will study psychology [but philosophy, biology, and international affairs/relations are also interests]</p>
<p>Stats:
GPA 3.88 UW [school doesn't weight]
Class rank: school doesn't rank
PSAT: I forgot, but I was in 97th percentile or so
maybe 208 --> offered College Plans Reporting Service [but stupidly I forgot to use this] --> will probably be commended or something like that
SAT I: 2180 (700 CR/720 M/760 W/11 essay) [Im planning to retake this exam in the fall.]
SAT IIs: 740 US History [I have to take at least two more of those.]</p>
<p>APs:</p>
<p>Sophomore year:
Physics B - 3
World History - 5</p>
<p>Junior year:
German - 5
Lang & Comp - 5
Chem - 4
US History - 4
Physics C: Mech - 2
Physics C: E&M - 1
Calc BC - 4 AB subscore - 5</p>
<p>Senior Schedule:
AP Gov/Pol
AP Lit
AP Bio
Calc 3
SUPA Economics [will end up taking both Economics AP exams at the end of the year]
German Independent Study
Choir
Orchestra
Health
Ceramics I
PE</p>
<p>ECs:
-Has written articles for school newspaper all four years in high school.
-School newspaper editor for 2 years [Feature section editor and In-depth section editor]
-Science Olympiad for 4 years [5th in Forensics sophomore year regionally. 3rd in Forensics Junior year regionally. 6th in Food Science Junior year regionally. Did not attend state meet with team because she was a chair at Model UN conference.]
-Model UN for 4 years [has won Best Delegate, Outstanding Delegate, and Honorable Mention awards at several conferences. Has also chaired, or run, several committees at Model UN conferences.]
-School Orchestra for 4 years
-Chamber Strings for 3 years
-School Choir for 2 years [Sophomore and Senior because it wouldnt fit in for Junior year.]
-Sang in All-County Choir Sophomore year [You have to be in the general school choir to be eligible for all-county, so I couldnt do it Junior year.]
-Select Womens Choir for hopefully 3 years [if I get selected this upcoming year], but for at least two years
-Private violin lessons since 5th grade
-Private voice lessons since sophomore year
-Has been involved in theater as an actress and as part of stage crew for 3 years of high school [didnt have time Junior year]. Ill try to make it to pit for the musical next year if I dont get a part.
-Volunteered 6 hours a week at an inner-city school for half of sophomore year, but didnt go back because my friend forgot to call them back [I regret that now].
-Randomly writes poetry on her own when inspired [I guess I could give them a sample or two if I think any of it is good enough].
-Started an a capella singing group/band with 3 other friends, but that accidentally died. We have been meaning to regroup [Is this even worth mentioning?].
-Will begin helping a psychology graduate student with research for her dissertation starting in September of next [Senior] year probably about twice a week if possible [typing, copying, and sitting in on interviewseveryone has to start somewhere].</p>
<p>Tentative ECs:
-Senior year, I plan to start a club devoted to Slavic Culture in my school [for having fun with my friends purposes, not just so that I can start a club].
-Is looking into getting a job senior year at her mothers insistence [basically because I might have to buy my own laptop, but I dont think Ill be able to fit it into my schedule].</p>
<p>Summers:
-Traveled Europe after freshman year of high school.
-Attended CTY for one summer [after sophomore year, which was the last year I was eligible to go because of my ageI just wanted the experience.] and took a course in Ethics.
-Took a course at the University of Rochester [Course # 396: Existential and Humanistic Psychology] and received a grade of A.</p>
<p>Random Awards:
-Science Olympiad: 5th at county meet sophomore year. 3rd and 6th at county meet Junior year.
-Did well on AATG for 2 years [most of the AP class wasnt taking it when I was a Junior and the teacher forgot to mention it to me, so I did not end up participating in it]. I was the only person in the school to receive a dictionary for AATG achievement both years [Im pretty sure that signifies that I had a perfect score each time].
-Freshman year I did an enrichment project in English where I had to read Sir Thomas Moores Utopia, write a paper that was to be evaluated by a committee, and make a presentation to the class about it. I was one of a few people who completed the project successfully.
-Finalist in the Cornell Essay competition [34th place, I believe].</p>
<p>Random, but important:
-I screwed up my junior year because I let the personal problems I was having have an effect on my grades [overall averages Junior year were: 2 Bs, 2 B+s, and 2 As in the 6 AP classes that I took, an A in orchestra, an A in PE first semester, and a B+ in PE second semesterthis one was because I missed PE for AP exams and the teacher didnt have time for me to make it up], but I have grown as a result of these experiences. I can give you more details about that if you ask. Im not going to screw around next year and will hopefully end up with straight As like I have been used to getting every year but Junior year.</p>
<p>What are my chances at these schools? Please classify them as reaches, matches, and safeties if you can and give me some comments and advice about what you think my overall standing is. Any advice would be appreciated.</p>
<p>Yale SCEA
Harvard SCEA [if I don't do Yale SCEA]
Stanford SCEA [if I don't do Yale or Harvard SCEA]
Wellesley
Dartmouth
Duke
UPenn
Princeton
Columbia
Cornell
Northwestern
WashingtonU in St. Louis
UMichigan
Rochester
UChicago
Johns Hopkins
Tufts
I was also thinking of applying to Oxford and/or Cambridge in England, but I think that Im too late to apply for those.</p>
<p>What schools, other than the ones that I listed, should I consider applying to? Im thinking of applying to 15, because I am afraid of not getting in. My mother has threatened to send me to college in Germany if I do not get into a good enough school and I certainly would not be able to survive college there. My German is good, but not that good.</p>