Chances at WUSTL, etc.

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Hey,
I'm a junior in high school and I was just wondering if what I've done so far still gives me a chance at some of the colleges I want to attend.</p>

<p>Top picks right now are (including dream schools) : Washington University of St. Louis, UCLA, Top Ivy League (Harvard, etc.), Pomona College, Boston College, Stanford, USC, any BSMD programs</p>

<p>SAT Score: 2350
ACT Score: 36
PSAT Score: 228
Unweighted GPA: 3.98 (one B in first semester of junior year in AP Calc, because the passing away of a close family member and other family problems affected my grades tremendously. AP Calc teacher understood and said she would write a teacher rec letter saying that my B was because of family problems. I also had a rigorous junior schedule with 5 APs, including Biology and Chemistry)
Weighted GPA: high 4.5-4.7 ish (gradebook won't show us yet)
Class Rank: 1-3%</p>

<p>All honors classes, two APs sophomore year, five APs junior year, projected 6 AP classes senior year</p>

<p>AP Test scores:
AP European History: 4
AP Art History (selfstudied): 5
Hoping to get all 5s on all AP classes for the future.
Current APs: AP Chemistry, AP Biology, AP US History, AP Calculus AB, AP Lang
Tentative APs (senior year): AP Microeconomics (required), AP Macroeconomics (required), AP Physics, AP Lit, AP French, AP Calculus BC, AP Statistics, AP Government (required) (AP Gov and AP Econ are one class at our school)</p>

<p>SAT II
Math 2C: 800
Tentative: Chemistry, Biology, etc.</p>

<p>Extracurriculars:
Reporter/Editor for school newspaper, three years
Reporter/Editor for large Los Angeles newspaper, two years
Captain of Varsity Tennis Team (2 years)
President of Debate Club (won various awards at the national level)
President and founder of Science Olympiad Team at our school, won various awards
Officer for three more clubs, founder of a non profit organization toward health
Piano player for church for four years
Music for Healing at nursing center, four years
Hospital volunteer, three years
Brain cancer research at City of Hope, two years, work published to scientific community
Hoping to compete in INTEL competitions, Google Science Fair, etc.
Hoping to get more extracurricular activities when possible.</p>

<p>I'm Asian
Really want to be a surgeon, very disappointed at my B in Calculus, but really wanting to get into WUSTL, and any BSMD programs.</p>

<p>Do I have a chance at these schools? Any advice/feedback would be great.</p>

<p>Thanks, you guys are awesome.</p>

2

<p>I think you have a decent shot at all your schools, even though the Ivy’s are obviously still reaches for anyone. And really, don’t worry about that one B. Not a huge deal, your academic stats are already near perfect and it would be a waste of time and energy to fret over that one B. Furthermore, personally, I think you already have a long list of extracurriculars and adding any more won’t be of much benefit as far as getting into these colleges. Increase commitment wherever you can to your current activities.</p>

<p>Finally, I believe the most important part of your application is the essay. Just really make sure you start working on them around summer after junior year. Your essay will be vital to catch the attention of the admissions counselor and set you apart from all other qualified applicants. My biggest regret was not starting the essays soon enough.</p>

<p>Good luck! I feel that you’re pretty much on track for immense success.</p>

3

<p>Thanks for your feedback! I’ll make sure to focus on the essays. </p>

4

<p>I agree with HopefulBadgerPlz. Forget about the B. Your extracurriculars are really strong; the most important thing is to write good, interesting essays about them (or other interests). Keep in mind stories and anecdotes are the most interesting things to read, and they can say a lot about yourself. It’ll separate you from the pack, 95% of whom will just say cliche stuff like “I am extremely hardworking and motivated etc.”. </p>

<p>Also, keep in mind that no one, I repeat NO ONE, has a lock on any of the Ivy’s, or other top schools. When acceptance rates are down below 20%, by definition they are turning away some of the best and brightest. It is, to some small degree, luck. There’s no formula that guarantees your admittance. So be prepared for rejection, not because you don’t have good stats, but because they are steep schools. </p>

5

<p>That sounds like too many extracurriculars. No need to add more. It’s better to be amazing at 1-3 things than do like 10 clubs. The B doesn’t matter. I think your chances are high for those schools.</p>