Chances for Linguistics + Ancient Studies major?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>White Female
California</p>

<p>GPA: 3.87UW/4.16W
Rank: School doesn't rank, but at least top 10%</p>

<p>PSAT: 207 (commended)
SAT I: 2200 (760CR, 640M, 800W - best sitting)
2260 (760CR, 700M, 800W - best composite)
SATII: US History 780, Lit 760, Chem 710, Japanese 620 (retaking) </p>

<p>By the end of high school, I'll have taken AP US, AP Chem, AP Lit, AP Physics, and AP Calc AB. Also AP Japanese (if it's offered). This is about as tough as my schedule can get, since my school doesn’t have APs until junior year and there are relatively few history/language APs offered here. And I’m obviously not a math/science person. :P I hope this won’t be held too much against me in the admissions process.</p>

<p>Community College classes:
Intro to Linguistics (A)
Cultural Anthropology (A)
Probably Anthropological Linguistics in 12</p>

<p>Latin 1 Honors (online)
Will start Latin 2 H in the fall</p>

<p>Extracurriculars/Awards:
-Badminton JV, 9-10
-CSF, 10-12
-Went to Japan for 2 weeks before 11th grade, homestay; this was really big for me… it’s what sparked my obsession with languages
-Student Ambassador to Japanese "Sister City" before 12th grade (4 ppl were selected and given a $1000 scholarship each) – this is taking up most of my summer; I’m going to meet the mayor in this Japanese city and do a homestay there with someone and then bring her with me back to California
-Taking an ancient studies mini-course at Brown Uni this summer before 12th grade
-Walton Peace Essay Finalist ($100 awarded)
-Self-study Russian, 2 years
-Writes (written a novel, but it's not published or anything)
-Piano, 10 years; I’ve started composing songs (just one or two, but I like them :))</p>

<p>Job: sorted music for founder of Netscape (9)</p>

<p>Second semester of junior year, I came down with a condition called Bell’s Palsy – paralysis of one side of the face. It’s usually temporary, and although recovery takes 3 weeks for most people, I’ve had it for almost 4 months and only now am I seeing some change.This is an uncommon disease that strikes 1 in 5000. My grades have dropped a little as a result of this. By “a little” I mean most likely getting a B in PreCalc H and a C+ in Chem AP.</p>

<p>I want to double major in linguistics/ancient studies or classics.</p>

<p>So, what are my chances at:</p>

<p>UPenn CAS (ED)
Brown
Georgetown FLL
U Chicago
Brandeis
Berkeley
Cornell
UCLA
Rochester
NYU
Stanford
Swarthmore
UC Santa Cruz
UC San Diego
Boston University
Oxford (linguistics course)</p>

<p>Yeah, this list is big. I hope to narrow it down a bit. Do I have enough safeties and matches? Also, do I have any shot at all at UPenn ED?</p>

2

<p>Yummy...I mean good chances</p>

3

<p>Any other opinions...?</p>

4

<p>No yes no?</p>

5

<p>I think you have a nonzero shot at UPenn ED, which is a compliment coming from me. Your SAT and GPA are OK (not above the 75th percentile but they won't keep you out). You say you are a writer, which is good: if you can use your skills to write about writing, that could be a great hook for getting in. I'd emphasize your novel as your 'hook' unless you've moved on to other things.</p>

<p>[url=<a href="http://college.mychances.net/view/?id=20&app=college%5DNash%5B/url"&gt;http://college.mychances.net/view/?id=20&app=college]Nash[/url&lt;/a&gt;]&lt;/p>

6

<p>Thanks for the reply. I definitely see what you're saying. I'm just worried that writing about writing puts me in the "writer category," which has lots more people, whereas if I try to make myself out more as "linguistics girl," I could stand out more. Ie., I collect Disney music in foreign languages - maybe I could talk about how that relates to my love for linguistics in an essay? Or I could explain how I love to read a Japanese comic (in Japanese) about ancient Egypt, and tie it into languages + ancient history?</p>

7

<p>Niomi:</p>

<p>UCB/UCLA: Match
UCSD: Safe Match
UCSC: Super Safety</p>

8

<p>flopsy - Really? UCLA/UCB are matches? I was under the impression that they're harder to get into than that...</p>

9

<p>Hmm... what about ALL the colleges I listed? Do I have enough safeties and matches? Do I have a shot at all of them? What can I do to boost my chances?</p>

10

<p>La dee la.</p>

11

<p>Anddd let's try this one more time.</p>

12

<p>Ehhh, stop the bumping. ;) Anyway, your list is very impressive! I'd say you have excellent chances anywhere you apply. But don't write about something just because you think it may appease the adcoms. Why? Because you clearly have passion, so just write well and genuinely about that passion and you'll write a great essay.</p>

13

<p>Thanks! Now I just need to figure out which passion to talk about :P</p>

14

<p>No need to pick just one. ;)</p>

<p>[url=<a href="http://college.mychances.net/view/?id=20&app=college%5DNash%5B/url"&gt;http://college.mychances.net/view/?id=20&app=college]Nash[/url&lt;/a&gt;]&lt;/p>

15

<p>Okie. Thanks!</p>

16

<p>UCSC, Rochester, Brandeis- super safeties
BU - low match
I would consider everything else either a reach or a high match. I would choose a few more lower matches, since most of your choices are known for being really difficult to get into.</p>