Chances: Harvard and Penn

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Currently a junior. Don't lecture me for considering college too early, yada yada.</p>

<p>Before reading my stats:</p>

<p>What I want in a college:
- Access to a major city
- Great study abroad program
- Active interfaith community
- Great IR/Econ programs
- Offers French and Arabic
- Offers grants for study abroad projects
- Offers on-campus social science research opps
- Diverse student body
- Close community
- Amazing resources
- Challenging</p>

<p>I've been looking for a program that merges international affairs and economics, and Penn Huntsman seems to be the perfect fit. However, I plan on pursuing a PhD, not an MBA. I want to pursue a career in policymaking or economic analysis, rather than management, finance, marketing, or trade.</p>

<p>Alright, and now for the stats.</p>

<p>Basic Stats</p>

<p>Race/Gender: Chinese/Female
Location: Virginia
School: Competitive IB school
Courseload: Full IB Diploma Candidate</p>

<p>SAT: 760CR/800M/800W
SAT II: Math IIC- TBA, US History- TBA, French- TBA, Chinese- TBA
GPA: 3.93 UW, 4.10 W
Rank: School doesn't rank; top 10%</p>

<p>Amnesty International
President of Chapter
Virginia Student Coordinator
Coordinated state-wide student membership campaign
Coordinating DC area benefit concert</p>

<p>Model United Nations
Vice-President of Chapter
USG of my school's conference
1 Best Delegate Award
2 Outstanding Delegate Awards
2 Honorable Delegate Awards
2 Verbal Commendations</p>

<p>Interfaith Liaison
Student interfaith ambassador
Hosts seminars encouraging interfaith dialogue at various high schools
Sponsored by GU and the FFC</p>

<p>Student Alliance for Nuclear Security (SANS)
Founder and President
Received $1000 grant from NAPF
Using grant to coordinate DC-area conference in Oct. 2006</p>

<p>IB Student Advisory Board
Appointed member (1 of 12 juniors)
Coordinating events for the ONE Campaign</p>

<p>Volunteer Experience
U.S. Holocaust Mem. Museum~ 100 hours
VA State Legislature Campaign intern~ 150 hours
Tutoring inner-city ESL students~ 60 hours
Youth Advisory Council at teen shelter~ 50 hours</p>

<p>**Random Stuff<a href="Should%20I%20even%20bother%20to%20include%20this?">/b</a>
Member of French Honor Society
Member of Mu Alpha Theta
Member of National Honor Society
Most likely National Merit Semifinalist</p>

<p>Misc. Awards
1st: Swackhamer Peace Essay Contest
1st: Society of Professional Journalists Essay Contest
1st: Children of Abraham Peace Essay Contest
School nominee (award pending): NCTE Achievement Award</p>

<p>Summer Stuff
Freshman: CTY Lancaster, Logic
Soph: Previously mentioned volunteer work
Junior: Hopefully TASP, if not: political internship in DC</p>

<p>**Recommendations<a href="1">/b</a> Will highlight character, intellectual potential, passion for HR.
(2) Will highlight debate skills, open-mindedness, leadership within school.
(3) Will highlight leadership and initiative at the state level. </p>

<p>Essays
Might write about..
- interfaith movement?
- human rights activism?
- opportunities in DC?
- religious discussions at Starbucks?
- who knows what inspiration I'll get?</p>

<p>What are my chances for:
[ul]
[<em>] Penn Huntsman
[</em>] UPenn (the College)
[<em>] Harvard
[</em>] London School of Economics
[<em>] Johns Hopkins
[</em>] Georgetown
[<em>] American
[</em>] Columbia
[<em>] UChicago
[</em>] Tufts
[/ul]</p>

<p>What other schools should I consider?</p>

2

<p>Bump? 10char.</p>

3

<p>Very good in all (very organized post, btw). Harvard is based on luck, so best of luck.</p>

4

<p>It looks pretty good, but I do have one comment. While I (as well as other CC posters, no doubt) appreciate the highly organized, professional-looking chances post, you might want to tone the resume-ish feel on your college applications. There's nothing wrong with being cute or funny or sentimental in an essay (as long as it's not overdone).</p>

5

<p>
[quote]
Very good in all (very organized post, btw). Harvard is based on luck, so best of luck.

[/quote]

This doesn't seem quite right. Granted, I was admitted to Harvard, so I have some motivation for wanting to think that it's not just "luck."</p>

<p>From what I can gather, Harvard wants to select the most "extraordinary" applicants it can find. It's a fascinating admissions policy because its premise is so blindingly straightforward: they want "the best." In admissions parlance, "the best" applicants are usually referred to as "future leaders."</p>

<p>Now, there's the catch. How can you decide about "the best"? It's certainly subjective and open to interpretation, and weird things happen (hell, they admitted me!). Some quirks of the process don't seem to make sense: how does, say, being a top choral singer make you a promising "leader"? But, for better or worse, Harvard's intent is to pick the most "extraordinary", and it's critical to somehow make an application compelling enough that it can really come across as extraordinary.</p>

6

<p>First off, like the neat format of the post.</p>

<p>As for your chances, your stats and extracurriculars are very solid. I say you have a decent shot at Harvard, Penn, and Columbia and a good shot at Chicago, JHU, and Georgetown. You will almost definitely get into American and Tufts. I don't know much about the London School of Economics, but for Huntsman, I know you need to be completely fluent in two languages, and that even then, the selection process is pretty insane.</p>

<p>Good luck.</p>

7

<p>I would recommend against LSE for your undergraduate education -- not only is it really more of a graduate school, but I think that you're plenty competitive for some of the elite American u/g programs which are considered better anyway...</p>

8

<p>You have absolutely no chance at any of those schools....</p>

<p>you should just give up........</p>

9

<p>you seem like a wonderful person. you'll be fine so no worries.</p>

10

<p>are you a junior?</p>

11

<p>TASP? I hope you make it.</p>

12

<p>Yes, I'm a junior. I don't like this thread anymore.. how can I delete it?</p>

13

<p>Unfortunately, there's no way to delete threads you "don't like."</p>

14

<p>as a graduate of the LSE and Stanford, I would suggest the LSE is matched only by Harvard and Chicago in the sphere of economics.</p>

<p>If your mathematically gifted and interested in Econometrics there is no-where better than the LSE.</p>

<p>However, the strength of the LSE remains in economics and politics only, and you won't get the prestige (in the US) that you would get from HYPSM.</p>

<p>My LSE degree at about 3.6 GPA was good enough to get me into Stanford, so I think you can consider the LSE a good option, just not one with a lot of trimmings and extras.</p>

<p>Harvard should be No.1 - but difficult for even the best candidates to get into.</p>

<p>LSE for economics has an admittance ratio of about 1 in 27 and is the most competitive economics course in the world. I know of hundreds of brilliant overqualified students turned away from the LSE because of its small size.</p>

<p>The others are much less competitive than these two, but will still offer you excellent courses.</p>

<p>Chicago/Harvard/LSE should be top of the list for Economics.
HYPSM should be top of the list for Prestige</p>

<p>As a student who has applied to the UK and US, its a hell of a lot easier to get into the US than UK. I recieved offers left right and centre from HYPSM (all bar Harvard), but was rejected by the LSE lol!</p>

<p>Best of luck - you seem very competitive and no doubt you will get several offers - just don't be surprised if you get a rejection from the LSE - thats no reflection on you - just the competition.</p>

15

<p>I don't like that I have to compete with you next year.... :(</p>

16

<p>UPDATE:
[ul]
[<em>] My GPA, by the end of junior year, will be 3.88 UW, 4.02 W. I'm still within the top decile, however, since my school is competitive and its grading system is tough. GPA = primary concern.
[</em>] I won first place in Virginia for the National Peace Essay Contest. National awards are announced in June.
[li] I will be attending TASP this summer.[/li][/ul]</p>

<p>How do these changes affect my chances?</p>

17

<p>And also, major mistake: I won 2nd Place for the Children of Abraham Peace Essay Contest, not 1st Place.</p>

18

<p>Congrats on TASP :)</p>

19

<p>Thanks! My iffy GPA worries me, however.</p>

<p>Freshman year: 4.0 UW
Sophomore year: 3.79 UW
Junior year: 3.85 UW</p>

<p>Switched schools between freshman and sophomore year.. will that make up for the decline?</p>

20

<p>I honestly think you'll be fine. How are the SAT scores (April test) ?</p>