<p>These are just some I'm applying to...but I am feeling a bit discouraged by my standardized tests. Here's the profile. Any advice and opinions are appreciated. Thanks!</p>
<p>Major: Engineering
Ethnicity: Chinese (Female)</p>
<p>Class Rank: Top 1% (450 to 500 students...will need to check)
GPA: 4.0 (out of 4.0)...so, straight A's</p>
<h2>AP Classes:</h2>
<p>Calculus BC...5
Physics C...4
Comp Sci A...5
Stats...4
Jr. Eng...3 (a let down)
Biology...currently enrolled
Chem...currently enrolled
Spanish...currently enrolled
US History...currently enrolled</p>
<p>SAT
2160...one sitting</p>
<h2>SAT II</h2>
<p>Math 2: 800
Physics: 780</p>
<h2>PSAT</h2>
<p>225</p>
<h2>ACT</h2>
<p>Math: 36
Eng: 33
Overall: 33</p>
<h2>X-tra Curriculars</h2>
<p>FIRST Robotics w/ leadership role
Spanish Club w/ leadership role
Recycling Club w/ Leadership role
Science Nat. Honor Society
Tennis
Swimming
Violin for 11 yrs, piano 8 yrs
Over 300 hrs. volunteering
Summer internship </p>
<h2>Significant Honors</h2>
<p>INTEL Science Fair
National Merit Semifinalist
Robotics Competition awards
Some National Writing Award...PTA reflections...
Many, MANY school awards</p>
<p>Yale - Reach
Cornell - Low Reach
GATech - Match
Carnegie - Match
Berkeley - Match
Stanford - Reach
Duke - Match</p>
<p>Hard not to be a reach at Yale and Stanford. Try taking the SAT again and make sure you hit on your passions in your essays. Grades and great, ECs are great, but you really need to make sure you stand out. Don’t take the Yale and Stanford reaches as a bad thing. I’ve never seen an application that wasn’t. Remember - 10 applications for every spot and about 7 of those are qualified. You’re qualified, but you have to get from 7 to 1.</p>
<p>Thanks!..I will be taking the October SAT but most applications are due before that. I won overall and 1st in County regionals and state science fairs and was a finalist at the international one in San Jose last year. </p>
<p>I was wondering…what things could I become involved in that would help. I used to do Beta club but when I started a huge research project in which I spend 4 to 6 hours after school (every other day) in an engineering lab, time was an issue. Should I still mention Beta club on college apps even if I had to quit?</p>
<p>In addition, does it improve my chances to get in considering that I am a female interested in engineering? And is it any better to apply to a liberal arts type school with engineering as a major. For example, Yale is good in sciences and all but it is also amazing in liberal arts. Will applying as an engineering major help me?</p>
<p>Also, I appreciate the welcome! I have been addicted to CC for a while but now that college apps are approaching, I may want to ask for some personal feedback. :)</p>
<p>Yale and Stanford, very unlikely. After that where you’re from will weigh heavily as will the overall application. You’re in the running for cornell and Duke but will have to differentiate yourself. Cmu and Berkeley look good.</p>
<p>One more thing…I know that colleges want to see you really involved in a few activities than superficially involved in many…but I’ve seen so many application stats on CC and from other students in school that have many activities along with a leadership role in most of them too. I’m trying to stay away from that, but does that actually help? Do colleges figure out that some activities are a joke and solely based on popularity vote? </p>
<p>Sorry for so many questions. But, thanks for all the help!</p>
<p>Berkeley (College of eengineering) - low reach to reach
Duke - low reach to reach</p>
<p>Cornell - Low Reach</p>
<p>GATech - Match
Carnegie - Match</p>
<p>I won’t say you’re a match for Berkeley College of Engineering. Almost everyone applying (and admitted) there have similar stats, and it has an admit rate of less than 13%. Cornell looks brighter for you as it has a higher acceptance rate in the college of engineering, something like 26% as one Cornell alumnus posted it here on CC.</p>
<p>Last year Cornell engineering accepted just under 22% of applicants. However, looking inside that, 35% of female applicants were accepted, more than twice the rate of male applicants.</p>
<p>Cornell has for years affirmatively tried to attract women interested in engineering, and this is reflected in the respective entrance odds, and the class composition. Don’t know about any other engineering schools.</p>
<p>Well, given the Intel ISEF Finalist status, I think your chances are quite good. I’d say Yale and Stanford can count as low reaches in perspective.</p>
<p>tompell…nowadays, do Asians really count as minority? I feel like its almost expected for us to be really competitive and get good grades/scores and whatnot. Won’t that put me at a disadvantage then?</p>
<p>tompell, it’s true that OP is a minority. However, Asians are ORM’s (over-represented minorities) in the college admissions process. That hurts our (I’m Asian too) chances, while African-American and Hispanics (URM, or under-represented minorities) have a better chance.</p>
<p>thanks for the support on INTEL, but unfortunately, an INTEL finalist is just someone who qualifies to participate in the international science and engineering fair…I mean, I placed overall in the county regional and state fairs, but at the international one, I didn’t win anything. </p>
<p>I would also like to know more on the extra-curriculars I am doing and whether I should try to get more leadership roles or not?</p>