<p>Hey everyone, i'm new to this and was hoping for a few thoughts about my chances at a few places, most specifically and urgently Penn's Huntsman Program. I'm trying to decide last minute whether it's worth writing their essay and applying despite the fact that my chances are minimal. I have chosen to apply to more-or-less the top schools in the country (with safeties BU, GW and I hope a couple of UCs) in hope that by applying to more my chance of getting into one is improved. I'm applying to Harvard, Princeton, Columbia, Dartmouth, Penn, Stanford, Northwestern, Georgetown School of Foreign Service, Williams, BU, GW and Berkeley, UCLA, UCSD. I know it's a lot but given my strategy it was necessary. My info is as follows:</p>
<p>SAT I: 1510 (760M, 750V)
SAT IIs: 720 MIIC, 760 Writing, 700 Spanish</p>
<p>AP US History: 4
AP Spanish Language: 4
AP English Language and Composition: 4</p>
<p>AP World History: To be taken
AP Spanish Literature: To be taken
AP Calculus AB: To be taken
AP Art History: To be taken
AP English Literature: To be taken</p>
<p>GPA: 3.8 Weighted</p>
<p>I go to one of the best private high schools in the country, Harvard-Westlake, in North Hollywood, California. It's regarded on par with the top east coast boarding schools. As a result, classes are far more difficult and we are told that the increased difficultly (and it's effect on our GPA) is taken into account by admissions officers. The school is a tremendous feeder into the top schools in the country: 17 kids got into Stanford early, about 20-30 more into ivy league schools; each class has about 250 kids. </p>
<p>In addition to the APs above that i'm taking this year, i'm also in Advanced Video Art II and French I (total of 6 solids and one elective).</p>
<p>Extracurricular wise I have done as follows:</p>
<p>-Varsity Tennis (10th, 11th, 12th) (was asked by the coaches to be manager my senior year, we were CIF-SS DI Champions last year)
-Founded and have served as president of The Young Leftists Club (11th, 12th) - we organize debates and speakers and publish a weekly newsletter that I edit
-Member of the school Admissions Committee (10th, 11th, 12th)
-Movie-making, i've directed several short films and music videos
-J.V. Soccer (9th, 10th)
-Occasional contributor to the school newspaper. I was asked, for example, to write the centerfold article of the edition on the 2004 Presidential Campaign.
-About 4 weeks/year I volunteer for 6 hours at my parish thrift shop</p>
<p>Summer stuff:</p>
<p>-I interned this summer on U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer's reelection Campaign for a month. I wrote about that as my meaningful activity for the common app and how it has inspired me to work in professional politics later in life.
-The summer before last I worked as a co-counselor for my Parish Day Camp
-The summer before that I spent two weeks in Guanajuato, Mexico, on a language immersion course that also included working at an orphanage for part of each day.</p>
<p>Academic Honors:</p>
<p>-Have been on my school's Honor Roll in all grades thus far
-Recipient of National Merit Commendation
-AP Scholar</p>
<p>So the gist of my application is that i'm solid on the academic front with good standardized test scores but my GPA is clearly weak. I am incredibly politically oriented and have put my chosen major as Political Science or International Relations wherever it was asked for (Economics secondarily). The kicker to my application, however, is that I moved to the U.S. in 7th grade from England, giving me, so I claim, perhaps a broader and more global outlook on things. This is the concentration of most of my long essays, the way in which my transcontinental upbringing has affected me personally and how it will contribute to my study of politics or international relations in the future. </p>
<p>Anyhoo that's it I guess. I hope you can all be candid in your comments, if anyone chooses to make any. My teacher recs and essays will all be great. Thanks a lot,</p>
<p>Tim</p>