Chances for me? Big schools, mediocre test scores, high GPA, many ECs! Happy to chance back!

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Hello CC Community!
I'm happy to chance back when asked!
CAUTION: Extremely long... </p>

<p>Here are my stats:
•Rising senior.
•Asian-American - First Gen - 2nd to attend college in family.
•Planned major: Chemistry w/ a pre-med route. </p>

<p>Academics:
•31 ACT w/ 12 Essay (2nd time. Planning to retake - Aiming for 33)
•SAT IIs - 730 Math II and 730 Chemistry (Planning to retake at least Math II - Trashing my 660 Bio)
•GPA: 4.45 UW/3.97 W (Ranked 3rd in a class of nearly 300)
Freshman:
•Hon. English I, Latin II, Hon. Alg II, Bio, Chem, Mod Wrld His, Orchestra. (Alg I and Hon.Geo/Latin taken 7th/8th grade)
Sophomore:
•Hon. English II, Hon. Latin Poetry Virgil, AP Chem (3), AP USH(4), Hon. Pre Calc, Physics.
Junior:
•AP Lang, AP Bio, AP Calc AB, AP Stats, AP Gov, IB French ab initio yr. I.
Senior (Planned Schedule)
•Gen Chem I/II, Intro to Fiction, US Lit (All at OSU through PSEOP), AP Calc BC, AP Physics C, AP World @ HS</p>

<p>ExtraCs:
•4 Year Varsity Swimming
•3 Years Quiz Bowl
•3 Years Science Bowl
•VP Student Senate (Policy committee leader in 10th & 11th)
•VP and assistant founder of MEDS Club (Medical club)
•VP FCCLA (community service club - Treasurer in 11th grade)
•Secretary of school's American Cancer Society Youth Ambassadors
•2 years of Mu Alpha Theta (Math Club)
•4 Years of Key Club
•Junior and Senior Cabinet member
•National Honor Society
•600+ Volunteer Hours at Local Hospital
•Quite a few in-school volunteer hours also.
•Local community swim team for 6+ Years.
•Piano for 6 years</p>

<p>Awards:
•Advanced Rudiments First Class Honors with Distinction (Piano in 2012)
•All Ohioan 2014 for swimming -> Going for All American in Feb. of 2015
•I was not on the Varsity team, but my classmates ranked #1 in the regional science bowl competition and competed in nationals. Can I add this to my college resume? </p>

<p>Notes:
•I don't have too many awards.
•II haven't attended any summer programs during my high school career and it may be too late to attend any at all...
•I do have some teachers in mind for letter of recs but not too concrete. Is there a possibility to obtain letter of recs from senior teachers I will have for the first time?
•My course load throughout was pretty good. It is just my test scores that are holding me back.
•I have a few ideas for my essay but nothing too strong. I can call myself a good writer nonetheless.
•My low AP score in chem might be a setback for admissions? </p>

<p>Colleges:
I haven't done any DEEP college searches, but here are a few that interest me.
•UPenn
•Brown
•Yale
•UC Berkeley
•UCLA
•Boston College
•Vanderbilt
•U of Southern Cali
•Northwestern
•Rice</p>

<p>LACs:
•Swarthmore
•Haverford</p>

<p>Safety:
•OSU</p>

<p>Notes:
•I know the few Ivies mentioned above may be huge stretches, but they're worth a shot!
•I have no particular order for the colleges mentioned above, nor do I know my compatibility with any of them.
•I do only have one safety school, OSU. Can anyone recommend any other safety schools for me?
•I like the city of Seattle very much, but I have heard negatives about the schools there. Can anyone say otherwise?
•I have been checking out a few LACs but cannot decide on them. Can anyone bring me good news towards LACs and suggest any more with nice pre-med advising?
•Feel free to recommend any other reach or match schools for me that are known for good pre-med programs that also have great Chemistry programs!
•I'm a fan of individual help and smaller class sizes!
•Need anymore information? Just let me know! </p>

<p>*Thank you for your time! I am happy to chance back when asked! Have a great day!</p>

2

<p>Yale high reach
Brown and Upenn reach
Rest mid to high match</p>

3

<p>Chance me back </p>

4

<p>If you pick up those test scores Vanderbilt and Rice are good matches.
My chance thread: <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1665451-chance-a-rising-junior-for-all-the-top-schools-and-whatnot.html#latest”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1665451-chance-a-rising-junior-for-all-the-top-schools-and-whatnot.html#latest&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

5

<p>are you in-state for california? or instate for Ohio? I’ll assume OSU is in-state. Also, if you’re really interested in medical, i think you have the profile to have a good chance at BS/MD programs, so consider some of them.
As it is now I would say. not doing any internship or something of the like this summer is going to hurt you big time, try to get involved in something (do volunteering at the least), if you’re low income, ANY job will look great.
Upenn: high Reach
Brown: Reach
Yale: high reach
Northwestern: Low reach
Rice: low reach
Berkeley: high match/low reach
Vanderbilt: low reach
USC: high match
Boston College: high match
UCLA: match/high match
Swarthmore: high match/low reach
Haverford: match
OSU: safety. </p>

<p>chance back? <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1665423-downwards-trend-poor-class-rank-high-aspirations-will-chance-back.html#latest”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1665423-downwards-trend-poor-class-rank-high-aspirations-will-chance-back.html#latest&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

6

<p>

Look into Ohio Wesleyan. It would be a safety or low match. Outstanding scholarships and also excellent at science. Small classes too.</p>

<p>You need more matches too. Far too many reaches on your list. From Ohio? Add Miami to your list.</p>

<p>

LACs, individual help and small class size go hand in hand. Haverford and Ohio Wesleyan are LACs. Almost all good LACs have excellent pre-med advising.</p>

<p>

Which schools are you talking about? UW is an outstanding state university. Seattle University is a typical, very good, Jesuit school. I lived in Seattle for over ten years. Very good schools there.</p>

<p>For pre-med, Seattle University might some excellent opportunities, considering that it is within walking distance of three of the major hospitals in Seattle (including Harborview, the emergency hospital).</p>

7

<p>@tooty44‌, Thank you for the encouragement! I will chance back! </p>

<p>@theanaconda‌, Thank you for your input! I will be glad to chance you back.</p>

<p>@NROTCgrad‌, Thank you very much for answering a few of my questions! I don’t really have much drive for Miami or Ohio Wesleyan. Of course, if OSU is the only school I am accepted to, knock on wood, I’ll be happy to go! Also, thank you for the feedback on the schools near Seattle. UW seems like the more prestigious school over Seattle U. How is the pre-med program at UW? Can you consider Seattle U or UW to be a safety/match school for me? Let me know! THANKS! </p>

8

<p>Which state do you live in? Also, your stats look very good, but keep in mind most of your schools want the best of the best; there are also other students that are competing against you that are even better than you. You have a great chance at most of your schools, but if you get that 33, your chances will be even greater.</p>

9

<p>@bjjvja27, Thanks a lot. That gives me hope. Any additional college recommendations? Possibly safety/math schools? Thanks in advance!</p>

<p>To all: I live in the state of Ohio. I was hoping my All-Ohioan Swimming in the awards section deviate from this question, but I guess not :stuck_out_tongue: </p>

10

<p>@Kokko2k15‌
I recommend University of Wisconsin-Madison, University of Michigan Ann Arbor, Purdue, Indiana University Bloomingdale, and Georgia Tech as safeties. Although they may be safeties for you, these are still very good schools, especially for chemistry.</p>

<p>also, if you have the time, can you please chance me? thanks
<a href=“UIUC Chemical Engineering or DGS? - #2 by billcsho - Chance Me / Match Me! - College Confidential Forums”>UIUC Chemical Engineering or DGS? - #2 by billcsho - Chance Me / Match Me! - College Confidential Forums;

11

<p>@bjjvja27‌, Chanced back. Thank you for the list of schools. I’ve been looking into U of M, but the cost is probably going to make me deviate from it. However, it’s worth a shot. Thanks again. :slight_smile: </p>

12

<p>I think Umich is very hard to get into and can’t be considered a safety. </p>

13

<p>Seattle University is almost certainly a safety for you, or at least an easy match. UW would be a safety if you were a resident, but might be a high match since you are out of state.</p>

<p>UW is definitely the best college in Seattle. Presumably it has a good pre-med program because it also has a medical school and hospital (right there on campus). UW also has a lovely and compact campus which is easy to get around. Is a short bus ride from downtown. Lots to do. You would probably love it.</p>

<p>I encourage you to explore LACs. Seattle U. is not a LAC, but the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma is one, and is quite good. In general, LACs will offer you excellent scholarships. With your swimming background, have you looked at Kenyon College in Ohio? Fantastic school!</p>

14

<p>@NROTCgrad‌, Thank you for the positive encouragement. I will be sure to look more into the programs at Seattle and UW concerning pre-med! Also, yes I have looked into Kenyon College. I actually have senior champs there every year at their pool! I might not swim in college, but if my swimming record gives me a boost, hey, I might as well go D3. Actually, I wanted to lean away from any Ohio school besides OSU as a safety. I really want to get out of Ohio haha… Thanks again! </p>

15

<p>@sallymeno11‌, That’s what I thought too haha… </p>

16

<p>Thanks for chancing me! Grades and rank are great. Scores are good but obviously theres room for improvement. For senior year definitely try getting some more leadership positions in some of the clubs and activities your involved in, and try to make your membership more meaningful. </p>

<p>UPenn: Reach
Brown: Reach
Yale: High Reach
Northwestern: Low Reach
Rice: High Match
Berkeley: High Match
Vanderbilt: Low Reach
USC: High Match
Boston College: High Match
UCLA: Match
Swarthmore: Low Reach
Haverford: Match
OSU: Safety</p>

17

<p>UPenn: Reach
Brown: Reach
Yale: Reach
Northwestern: Low Reach
Rice: High Match
Berkeley: Match
Vanderbilt: Low Reach
USC: Match
Boston College: Match
UCLA: Match
Swarthmore: Low Reach
Haverford: Match
OSU: Safety
chance back-<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1665744-accounting-chances.html#latest”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1665744-accounting-chances.html#latest&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

18

<p>@PMLAPA‌, Thanks a lot. I’m a VP in three clubs and elections from the rest are pretty much set in stone. Are there any more little things, any other small things I can do to boost my resume? Thank for the the chances. Also, are there any more low match or safety schools you can recommend to me? </p>

19

<p>First of all, let me say that you grades are ideal for all of these colleges. Your extracurriculars are pretty good, and for the most part they are what they are at this point. The one area for improvement, which I’m sure you are well aware of, is the standardized test scores. Have you tried taking the SAT at all? It just depends on the person, but that may be your better test. Just practice and see what you think. Based on your current test scores, here’s where I think you’re at. If you are able to raise the ACT to a 33 or above and/or are able to score a 2200+ on the SAT, each of these schools will drop one category (Reach to low reach, low reach to high match, etc.) Best of luck!</p>

<p>Upenn: Reach
Brown: Reach
Yale: High reach
Northwestern: Low reach
Rice: Low reach
Berkeley: high match/low reach
Vanderbilt: low reach
USC: High match
Boston College: High match
UCLA: Match/High match
Swarthmore: Low reach
Haverford: Match
OSU: Safety</p>

<p>Chance me back:</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1662544-chances-at-harvard-yale-princeton-mit-brown-columbia-dartmouth-tufts-duke-amherst.html#latest”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1662544-chances-at-harvard-yale-princeton-mit-brown-columbia-dartmouth-tufts-duke-amherst.html#latest&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

20

<p>@RugbySingh‌, Chanced back. Thank you for your input. Can you recommend any safety/match schools for me by any chance? As you can probably tell, that’s what my list is lacking haha… </p>

<p>@235423‌, I’ve never taken the SAT and I think I might not take it. It might be too much to study for and my PSAT scores were quite low (without studying though). I’m in my summer before senior year and I’m focusing my time on improving the ACT and SAT II scores at this point. Thanks a lot for the chance and encouragement. Are you able to recommend any match/safety schools OOS? Thanks! </p>