chances for selective schools! please help

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

I am interested in applying to Yale, Columbia, Stanford, UPenn, Cornell, UC Berkeley, UCLA, University of Michigan, Harvey Mudd, and Carnegie Mellon this fall as match/reach schools. I have a lot of interests (hence the random awards and ECs and classes).

Intended major: Computer Science
GPA: 3.86 UW, 4.56 W
ACT: 35 (on first take)
SAT II: math 2 800, physics 780

Classes I took:
9th Grade: Honors Biology, Honors Information Technology, Honors Modern American History, Spanish 2, Honors English 9, Freshman Band, Honors Algebra 2
10th Grade: Advanced 2-D Art & Digital StudioArt, Honors Computer Science, Honors Chemistry, AP Government, Honors Economics, Honors Precalculus, Honors English 10
11th Grade: AP European History, AP English Language and Composition, AP Spanish Language and Composition, AP Physics I, AP Calculus AB, Glee Choir, Sports Medicine
12th Grade (planned): AP English Literature and Composition, AP Computer Science, AP Physics 2, AP Statistics, Speech and Debate class, Acapella Choir

ECs
Varsity Cross Country - captain
Varsity Track and Field
Student Senate
Science Olympiad - varsity
Rotary Club
Head coach of middle school MathCounts
Head volunteer of middle school Google Computer Science Club
Varsity Speech and Debate - captain
School Academy of Science - officer
School Literary Magazine – editorial staff
Research Team
California Scholarship Federation
Indian Youth group - secretary
International Business Alliance Program - helping business in Africa - fundraising chair
Acting (classes, musicals, and agent bookings in TV shows and commercials - perks of living in LA!)

Major Awards:
Volunteering Award for 400 hours of service (science camps for youth, tutoring, local events, library)
National Center for Women in Technology, Aspirations in Computing National Runner Up and state winner (2 years in a row)
District research fair winner
Speech and Debate National qualifier and state finalist
Science Olympiad regional awards
Highest distinction for district solo and ensemble saxophone competition (rank 1)
The Outstanding 11th Grade Singer award from school choral department (given to only one person)
Varsity letter for cross country
Master the Mainframe IBM Part 1 and 2 finisher
Various awards for programming

2

Great ACT score and amazing awards! Only things preventing me from telling you that you have a good chance is your GPA and common ECs. Although it seems that you are dedicated, it seems that you aren’t dedicating yourself to a particular thing; colleges want to see that. If I were you, I would try to spin your acting as it’s the most unique of your ECs (IMO). I don’t think you’ll have a problem getting into the latter 5 colleges on your list (excluding Harvey Mudd), but the others may be a little bit of a stretch.

3

thank you for your help! I agree that I should’ve dedicated myself to a particular thing but it was just so difficult since I have so many interests. I’m worried about my UW GPA but I also had to move across the country to a very competitive school after my sophomore year so it was a little hard to adjust.

4

read costco essay its fine to have lots of interests

5

@theofrelord true! thanks!

6

What’s your home state? If UMich, Berkeley and UCLA are all OOS for you, they are not safe – probably high matches or low reaches – and they don’t give much aid OOS.

Yale, Stanford, Columbia, Penn, Cornell and Mudd are reaches for just about everyone and CS at CMU is probably a reach too.

I think you should choose a couple of private matches (like Case Western, U Rochester, Lehigh, Tulane, Wake Forest) and a safety or two – maybe your flagship, a less selective state school, or a less selective private. In all apps, make sure you like and fit well with the schools and that you can afford them without taking on mountains of debt.

7

These are reaches for everyone, but you are an amazing student who should not get discouraged by this intimidating process.

I see you have 400 hours community service - was this completed only during the high school and during the school year, or was this mostly a summer thing? Community service is looked at differently by different schools - especially the elite schools. By this, I mean summer activities doing Community Service may appear “forced” or phony, especially if done in connection with the wealthy-parent-paid-for-trip-to-fill-in-the-blank-third-world-country-to build-x-project, but 400 hours is pretty terrific in any event. Lots of kids reach 100-200 hours, but since you have so much more, it may be worth considering writing your essay about why you’ve done so much in this area. Now is not the time to be humble.

NCWIT is a nice feather in your cap, and it will show that you stand out among other applicants.

I think you have a realistic shot at one or more of your reaches, if your essay rocks and you get a “this is one of the most amazing students in my career rec letter”

That being said, you have not indicated where you fall in class rank. Are you one of 40 kids with a near perfect GPA in a school that regularly churns out dozens of co-valedictorians? Or are you, as I suspect, one of perhaps only a handful of fantastic achievers. Your ACT and the NCWIT makes me think you are pretty darn special.

8

@prezbucky moved from Michigan to California last year