<p>so i'm thinking a lot about admissions, like i'm sure many of you are.</p>
<p>sat 1: no composite score, only took exam once
math: 720
crit reading: 800
writing: 780
total: 2300</p>
<p>sat 2s:
biology e: 800
math 2: 800
chemistry: 800
us history: 780</p>
<p>ap tests:
computer science ab: 5
calculus bc: 5 (ab subscore 5)
chemistry: 5
physics c mechanics: 4
physics c e&m: 5
biology: 5
statistics: 5
us history: 5
european history: 5</p>
<p>taking aps for microeconomics, macroeconomics, us government, art history, psychology in spring.</p>
<p>studied at harvard last summer:
american foreign policy: B+
globalization & terrorism: A</p>
<p>varsity debate team member.</p>
<p>national merit semifinalist (may be a finalist later too, not a sure thing)
a bunch of meaningless minor awards that don't mean anything.</p>
<p>looks fairly impressive... right?</p>
<p>i'm admittedly a little lazy. bad trait to have, because my transcript has Bs everywhere... and last year, i became rather depressed for some personal reasons i'd rather not talk about here, so my grades fell entire letter grades and i ended up with nearly all Bs for second semester of junior year (barely avoided a C in physics c). i think i've recovered now, but:</p>
<p>cumulative GPA currently around 3.8 (weighted) using my high school's system, maximum score is i think 4.7 with all honors or ap classes. most students here seriously applying to ivies, etc. have at least 4.2 or higher. more than a few have legacy.</p>
<p>my college counselor looked at records of previous students that applied to NYU last year, and a majority of people with 3.8 gpas did not make it in. makes me reconsider what schools i can get into.</p>
<p>i'm also a chinese american from an upper-middle class family that goes to an elite private school, in the san francisco bay area. affirmative action, etc. is not going to be giving me any benefits for admissions. quite the opposite if anything.</p>
<p>anyway, since my top choices like columbia, chicago (elite east coast schools in urban settings) are more of a pipe dream now, i've been looking more at my old safeties and at the UC system... i'm particularly fond of berkeley, amazing school.</p>
<p>what do you think about my chances for berkeley, UCLA, UCSD?</p>
<p>and i guess while i'm at it, NYU, Georgetown, and Reed?</p>
<p>(i'm fully aware that graduate school means much, much more than undergradate education. but this is still the next four years of my life...)</p>