CHANCES FOR USC & REA STANFORD

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

Demographics - African-American male, large SoCal public school (4000+ students)

Intended Major(s) - Molecular and Cellular Biology, Biochemistry, Neurobiology

ACT/SAT/SAT II - ACT: 32 Composite (34 English, 32 Math, 31 Reading, 30 Science, 9 Essay) SAT II: 720 Chemistry, 710 Molecular Biology, 800 Math II

UW/W GPA and Rank - 3.89/4.44 (46/1009) TOP 5%

Coursework - 8 APs and 1 College class by end of 12th, STEM medical pathway curriculum (medical-related courses every year) World History (3), English (3), Chemistry (4), Biology (3), Calc AB (no take), Stats, Government, Psychology

Awards - Honors w/ Distinction, AP Scholar, 2nd Place in Local Zoology Science Fair, Solo Music Festival Awards (pretty basic lol)

Extracurriculars - Section Leader, Varsity Marching Band; Section Leader, Concert Band; Varsity Track & Field; Captain/Founder, Science Olympiad; Ambassador of e-STEM academy program; Science and Engineering Research Project Mentor; United Sound Member (teach special education how to play); Kaiser Permanente Hospital Volunteer (100+ Hours); Principal Advisory Committee Member (handful of people chosen by principal to discuss how we can make the school a better place);HOSA Member

Essays/LORs/Other - Letters of recommendation from the director of my school’s STEM program 6/10, both STEM counselors (7/10) and (8/10), Chemistry Teacher (7/10), Essays - not sure yet (probably going to be good)

2

Personally I think you have a better-than-average chance at USC based on your EC’s and GPA. Your ACT is about average for USC but still very good overall. USC is still technically a reach for people with near-perfect scores and GPA’s due to their low admission rate.
I don’t know much about Stanford, but I think your ACT/AP scores are a little low for being competitive at Stanford. You only took four AP exams out of the 8 AP classes you took and mostly scored 3’s; however, your SAT II’s seem to somewhat make up for your AP exams.
I think if you can REALLY sell yourself to Stanford, you have a decent shot, but remember that the admissions rate is still <5%.