Chances for a procrastinating Asian female XD

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>After lurking on CC for ages, I'm finally posting my stats:</p>

<p>Background
Location: New York State (eugh...)
School: Suburban and pretty decent public school (all 3 of our co-valedictorians went to Ivy's, and some other people were accepted to really good schools)
Background: the typical female Asian immigrant (moved to US a decade ago)</p>

<p>Stats and Scores</p>

<p>GPA & Rank: 4.0 UW, 4.775 W, 1st in class of 250
SAT I: 2300 - 800V 770M 730W; will retake in June to bump up math and writing, hopefully get above 2350 or else parents will kill me and you won't hear from me every again -_-
SAT II: Just took them, predictions - 800 Math II, 750+ for USH and Physics
APs: 5 European (10th Grade)
For this year, predictions - [3/4] French Lang (skipped French 4, bad idea from teacher), [3/4] Calc BC w/5 AB subscore (AB class for school, attempted to learn BC material in 24 hrs, not a good idea at all, whoops), [4/5] USH, [5] Physics B, [5] Physics C:Mechanics (self -study), 5's in Eviron Sci/Psych/Human Geo
Next Year's AP Classes - Physics C:E&M (self-study), English Lit, Chem, Bio, French Lit, Economics, US Gov't
Other Classes: Have been in a math program @ local uni for "gifted" MS/HS math students since 7th grade, so racked up a sizable amount of college credits; I'm still taking HS "normal" math courses though</p>

<p>So overall the most rigorous courseload possible, and my counselor thinks I'm insane...</p>

<p>EC's and Awards</p>

<p>**Volunteering<a href="10,%2011,%20%5B12%5D">/b</a>
175+ hrs w/local volunteer program in 2005, still doing a lot this year
"Volunteer of the Year" Award
President's Volunteer Service Award - Silver (175 ~ 249 hrs)
Advisory Board (11, [12])</p>

<p>**Music<a href="9,%2010,%2011,%20%5B12%5D">/b</a>
Concertmistress of Chamber group (11, [12])
Concertmistress of HS orchestra next year
President of Orchestra Board
A+ Solo Evaluation in Violin level 5/6 with different organizations (9-11)
All-County Music Festivals (9-12)</p>

<p>Science & Math
Science Olympiad (9 (MS Team), 10, 11, [12])
- Regional medals, and States 2nd place in Physics Lab in a very competitive SO state
Lab Assistant w/Physics Dept next year
Bausch&Lomb Award (highest sci award in school)
AIME Qualifier, highest AMC score in school</p>

<p>Misc But Still Important Stuff
Editor-in-Chief - School Newspaper (9-Contributor, 10-Editor, 11-EiC, 12-EiC)
Steering Committee - Youth Court (11, [12])
Treasurer - French Club (9-12)
Treasurer - FBLA, Bookstore Manager next year
NHS, hopefully will be elected to an office
Super Teen Award - NextStep Magazine
Varsity Tennis Team (9-12)</p>

<p>I know that my EC's are quite generic, but how average are they? Is there anything that stands out, and where could I improve? Please don't sugarcoat things at all...</p>

<p>I plan to go down either the philosophy/cognitive neuroscience route or the tech/sci/business admin route in college, so I'm looking at schools that are good for both:
MIT (top choice, b/c I'm quirky like that)
Princeton
Caltech
Harvard
Yale
Columbia (good excuse to study the classics w/o parents complaining :) )
Stanford
Wash U
Johns Hopkins
Cornell
University of Rochester
Boston U
Reed College (for my own curiosity; parents will definitely not let me go there)</p>

<p>I'm looking for match/safety school recommendations, and while it's obvious that HYPSM etc. are reaches, to what degree are they reaches for me assuming that my recs and essay will be above average/excellent? Thanks for sifting through this long thread and any advice you can give is appreciated.</p>

2

<p>You won't help yourself by retaking the SATs. The results you have will get you into any school in the country. In fact, it may indicate an unhealthy obsession with test scores to adcoms. You will help yourself the most by making yourself a more compelling candidate; therefore, the essays will loom large in your application. I think you will do fine, but admissions to the colleges on your list are largely a crapshoot.</p>

3

<p>Ah, I understand why I shouldn't retake the SATs, but there are two reasons why I plan to: 1.) I want that 800M - obsession? perhaps, but I'm not content with the 770 2.) Parents will not let me rest in peace over that stupid 770...</p>

4

<p>great chances everywhere</p>

5

<p>If your score on math goes lower, you'll look like an idiot (sorry, it needed to be said). Get an 800 on SAT II Math IIc instead.</p>

6

<p>lol, stupid 770 in math. you can barely add, right?</p>

7

<p>According to my parents, I don't know what adding is... but I can differentiate!!! (sorry, geeky math joke)</p>

8

<p>Sounds to me like your parents are insane... you should give them a swift kick in the nads and go to Reed.</p>

9

<p>Hey, what else do you expect from old-school Asian parents? SAT = THE college entrance tests. Actually, I haven't broken the news to them that Reed seems to fit me well... it's all name for them and they're paying for my tuition... -_-</p>

10

<p>Good fit for MIT and Caltech. I'd add Harvey Mudd. I see those schools relating to you more than ivies.</p>

11

<p>you are insane. I have old school chinese parents (not from taiwan), but they do not care that much about my sat scores. I got a low 790 in writing and they aren't making me retake. just relax 770 in math isn't that bad! Hahahahaha. Besides, your gpa is monstrous although your ap scores are average and you have good ecs like violin or tennis which shows that you are affluent. I hear colleges tend to accept rich kids more since they do not have to give them financial aid! </p>

<p>slight reach for most of the schools so you will probably get into at least 4-5 of them.</p>

12

<p>hikaru2005: wanna take the SAT writing portion for me? I'll pay for your expenses ;) But actually, we're solid middle class who have yet to buy a house (I don't want to move to another district), and I'll definitely need some serious financial aid. </p>

<p>Are my AP scores going to be a problem? I find that things don't correlate score/academic wise - ex. college level math classes, but possible 3/4 in BC Calc...</p>

13

<p>Love your chances at stanford (cuz varsity sports is huge with Stanford especially according to my guidance counselor) I'm impressed that you made varsity tennis as a freshman! good job :). Qualifying for the AIME and being a lab assistant will definitely help your chances at MIT (though I'm not sure exactly what the bausch and lomb award is). You're quite a wellrounded applicant and would be only a slight-mid reach for HYPSM. Caltech is a slight-mid reach as well. JHU, Washu, Columbia, and cornell are slight reach/matches. BU is a match/safety, dunno bout rochester but i'm guessing it's a match/safety. Reed college (liberal arts school in portland as I recall, tell me if i'm wrong) is a safe safety. Actually, you might get rejected cuz you're way overqualified. If there's such a thing as overqualified-ness (I've gotten mixed messages as to whether or not colleges actually do this). Good luck in the future everything looks great!</p>

14

<p>I read your credentials quite carefully and then looked at your college list and it all made sense. You are going for glamour schools. It's very sad that while you admit that your parents are pressuring you for the Ivies and such, you keep the Asian emigrant stereotype alive and work your ass off to go to pride schools.</p>

<p>Keep the stereotype alive and do nothing for yourself...with a list like that, that is where you seem to be headed.</p>

<p>(In essence, I see little in your info that makes you a match for technical schools. You can do the academics but I see no instrinsic passion for these fields. If you try to master everything, you master nothing. MIT, CalTech, and HMC ...the golden trio, as I call them... want smart and extremely passionate <strong>people</strong> in math/science/engineering that do things creatively their own way... not by the way of getting into college or by the wishes of their parents. With this, these schools will see this and you will not get in and you will say that they are crazy because you had perfect test scores and did everything. That, in fact, is the reason why top students get rejected...They don't necessarily want "top" students... they want the most passionate and ingenious ones, which in most cases translates into the best students.)</p>

15

<p>rocketDA: Thanks for your well-thought out post. I understand by what you mean by "master of nothing" and the seeming lack of "intrinsic passion." I do realize that nothing special really stands out. </p>

<p>At the same time, I would like to clarify some things: first, the pride factor is not at the top of my list. I want to go to schools like MIT and Caltech because after doing exhaustive research into the student life at these schools, and more so the academic environment, I do feel that I belong there. (Then again, that's what all the rejected people say as well...) Also, I have a strong passion for physics, philosophy, and community service - for instance, in the little free time I have, I pursue astronomy and existential philosophy and rather enjoy tearing down walls for Habitat for Humanity. The problem is, these passions don't seem to translate into glamorous awards and research. I plan to write my essays on my deep love for philosophy.</p>

<p>So all in all, yes, I am a stereotypical Asian female immigrant. But that only what my posted info reveals, and I hope that my recs and essays will tell a wee bit more.</p>

16

<p>Lol. Tons of kids go to MIT and CalTech cause their parents want them to. And besides, at our age, do we really know what we are going to do with our lives in the future? My advice, your academics are definately strong so you would probably do well in most colleges. Just go with the flow and choose what you want. Retake the 2300 if that is what you really want. If you think you can definately score higher and satisfy your parents, go for it. If you are bored of sats, don't bother. But then again, I might have retaken it if I got your score. The 3/4 in Calc BC may be problem though since that would place you far under the 50th percentile of Calc BC students nationwide... 43 percent or something get 5 on BC. </p>

<p>In the end, just do what you want. And going to Berkeley isn't that shameful.</p>

17

<p>im surprised brown isnt on your list- its quirky, awesome for neuroscience, and obviously prestigious, 3 things that are very important for you</p>

18

<p>to RocketDA:</p>

<p>I find your post offensive. And I'm saying this to you because I'm not Pandora, who is very polite, commenting on it as "well thought-out" although it teems with bigotry. Is is such a crime to want to go to a good college? Because Pandora is, like me, an Asian female, is she not allowed to ask her chances at better schools? Perhaps she isn't asking if she can get into Georgia Tech or other "science" schools because she knows she can.</p>

<p>More importantly, I find it repulsive that you assume that she's "tried to master everything" and has succeeded at nothing. What's success, then, if concertmistress of school orchestra, editor-in-chief of paper, and awards in math and science don't count? What's diligence if 250 hours of volunteering and four years of tennis don't qualify?</p>

<p>You are holding asians to a different standard, are you not? Tell me, if a were kid were to post those stats, would you tell him that he's "trying to impress the adcoms" or would you agree that he's put in a lot of work and he's very "well-rounded"? I'm sure you'll agree that most of us are fairly normal; we can't do more than local honors. That's enough to show effort, passion, and humanity for top-tier colleges. I hope that's enough for you.</p>

19

<p>Now that I read rocketDa's post, it does seem offensive. With your stats (except for the calc score), I'm sure you have a shot at any college. Besides, it is a bit late to add more as I have realized when I looked at my meager list of ECs... You should do fine.</p>

20

<p>You know what's sad is if a mexican kid asks the same thing, he/she becomes "ambitious" and "eager to break down barriers". That being said, RocketDa probably meant well with what he said (meaning you should go with what you want to do instead of going for prestige).</p>