Chances of certain colleges redux.

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Here I am again: The schools I'm comparing myself to are (in order of difficulty to get in) Chapel Hill, Wake Forest, Duke, and MIT.</p>

<p>Male Hispanic
Class Rank: 101/404 (My weak spot, mainly because of horrible 9th-10th grade scores. Increased 20 points from last year. Just need to work on this year, and I might be able to pull myself up another 20-30 points...)</p>

<p>Unweighted GPA: 3.33
So far my weighted GPA overall is a 4.2 (9th and 10th grade, I was the only guy to not get an A in [the mandatory] Physical Education)
9th grade: 4.1
10th grade:3.9
11th grade:4.6
12th grade:5+?</p>

<p>APs:
English Lang. and Comp: 3
Chemistry: 4
US History: 5
To be taken:
Art History (tried to transfer into Physics C afterwards, but there were no schedule openings.)
Computer Science AB
English Lit.
Psychology:
Calculus AB (transferred into AB, for there were no BC openings. I'm the second-highest ranked in the class so far)
Environmental Science (this is the class that will bring my grades down; I have this inability to focus on subjects I have no interest in. Unfortunately, it's a required class for graduation).</p>

<p>For the semester, my GPA should be a 5.2-5.4.</p>

<p>SAT: 1460 (English 760, Math 700)
SATIIs
Chemistry: 710
US History: 790
Math 2c: 700 (retaking; ran out of time the first time)
Physics: To be taken (It's what I want to major in now. I've been teaching myself everything, doing homework from AP Physics C even though I am not in the class, sometimes sneaking onto people's online accounts and doing their homework for them [only did once; the guy then said "what are you doing, you're...not...in...Physics...[sees that my answer is correct] and I just learned how to solve this type of problem], etc. )
Writing: To be taken (The essay will be where I lose most points. If anybody can help, please post suggestions. The multiple-choice is easy, for I know the majority of rules)</p>

<p>Extracurriculars:
9-10th grade: Band. Quit out of boredom. I don't know if colleges will see this as "being true to myself," or will they see it as "quitting."
11-12th grade: Academic Team. Locally famous (at least members of the rival team identified me right away) for a televised match, when I beat their team captain to a toss-up question. On the first day of AP Euro (which I left to enter Calculus), this guy from the rival school I never saw once in my life (APs are taught at a "career center," a centralized area full of AP courses) came up to me and said "You're that mutually assured destruction guy from last year. Ouch")
11-12th grade: Student Council. Ran for Vice President, and apparently came really close. Now a regular member.
YMCA Youth and Govt: A model of the state-level govt. I'm a press member.</p>

<p>Items of interest (everything else)
10th grade: Programmed first videogame in an informal programming competition.
10th grade summer: Worked as a technical consultant for Special Computer Projects. SPC was hired to by Responsive Systems to develop CLAMP for DB2, a program that sorted data into assorted types, depending on whether they were tablespaces, arrays, or indexes.
12th grade: Planning to release a quick downloadable game out by the 6th...really quick. PsyOps, for my Psychology class.</p>

<p>Personality: INTP (this was done professionally, not from e-mode.). Psychologists will have fun with this one, as they see a somewhat troubled kid who could very well be the next Einstein or Socrates...or an absolute failure.</p>

<p>I may very well have Asperger's. I haven't been diagnosed (was once diagnosed borderline autistic, but that diagnosis has been recanted), but I apparently have a lot of the traits associated with it. Very introverted, somewhat hyperlexic, horrible social skills (looking at people when talking to them, etc.). Used to beat myself up (i.e. bang head), but have gotten a LOT better after being on detox.</p>

<p>In 10th grade, I was notorious for being absent. Because of assorted illnesses, stomach ulcers in particular, I managed a total of 32 absences in the year. Do they really consider that?</p>

<p>Also notorious for abysmal organization. We're talking a guy who manages to lose at least 100$ worth of school supplies a year. On the first day of driving with a license, I left the wallet with it on the roof of the car. This lack of organization has consistently ruined my ability to work on essays (they have improved considerably, but are still my weakness. I average an 86 on essays usually.). We're talking about a person that in US History, for the second pair of tests for first quarter, scored a 99 on the Multiple Choice/Fill-in-the-blanks, and a 74 on the essay/free-response (and note, the MC came first, so I cannot use the excuse "studied AFTER the essay").</p>

<p>I still need to do the MIT Essay: Could bad writing ability be considered a "difficulty that I have dealt with?"</p>

2

<p>What is your GPA out of?</p>

3

<p>Unweighted:4
Weighted:5 max. One COULD get 6 QPs for having an A in an AP, which is then used as a buffer against grades in other classes...</p>

4

<p>ok i thought it was 5 but this threw me off </p>

<p>"For the semester, my GPA should be a 5.2-5.4." do u mean 4.2-4.4?</p>

5

<p>Nope. 5.2-5.4, meaning a 5. Having 6 APs, with a B+ average helps.</p>

6

<p>At first glance the 101 caught my eye but then I realized it was out of 404 which means you are exactly at top 25%. This isn't horrible but it definitely hurts you a lot when competing for spots to MIT and Duke. Are you from NC because this makes a big difference to UNC?</p>

<p>I think one of your biggest problems right now is your unweighted GPA, it's low compared to the average GPA of accepted applicants to MIT and Duke. Pull that up and you will greatly improve your chances.</p>

<p>As for mental Asperger's and other disorders, I really don't think there will be much sympathy unless there is some medical documentation for your condition(s). And I don't think they would accept "bad essay writer" without a doctor's excuse.</p>

7

<p>I am from NC. And I can provide medical documentation to show that, from 2nd to 6th grade, I was marked off as "Developmentally disabled: writing."</p>

<p>I've already done the MIT interview. Did a long time ago. Any suggestions though?</p>

<p>GPA is especially, because there are some classes I always did horrible in, despite them being easy. Like Gym, Band, and Health Education (all regular, they were the worst classes ever. They were marked as "regular" in level, and no credit boost occured). Should I, to prove my horrible disorganization, send a receipt of all the material I had to repay the school for?</p>

8

<p>Bumping the thread...</p>

<p>So what about Chapel Hill or Wake Forest stats? Forgot to mention Virginia Tech, and if I have time, I'll maybe throw Carnegie Mellon into the mix.</p>

9

<p>Bumping again. And BTW, my GPA/QPA over the past two years is a lot higher than my averages (did really bad 9th and 10th grade).</p>

<p>I mean, we're looking at a .6 average increase with each year. Having a 5 this year in QPA will buff my average quite nicely...so I am on an upward trend.</p>

10

<p>Good luck at wherever you apply to. You seem like an extremely genuine person. Much respect.</p>

11

<p>Thank you, although I am confused by the meaning. Are you saying there are people that post fake credentials?
Ex:
SAT: 1600
APS: took 5 in Junior Year, taking 6 senior, got 5s on 5 exams which he took in junior year. (Spanish, English, Human Geo, Calculus, US History)
GPA:4. QPA: 5
Class Rank: 3/404
ECs: Academic Team, NHS, Service Hours.
Wait a sec, this is not a fake, this is a guy I know.</p>

12

<p>Bumpity bump</p>

13

<p>Yes, it can be assumed that people have "fake" credentials, for braggart purposes here on College Confidential. And other places, to. Oftentimes you find people posting on "What Are My Chances" incredible scores to a) intimidate the competition and b) grow ever more conceited (the word was a variant of conceited that got blocked out by CC) about their non-existent chances.</p>

<p>Sure, there are a great deal of people who have 1600s (well, not really) and fantabulous ECs, academics, et cetera, but then again, the vast majority of us do not have our chips fall in this direction.. What's the going percentage for 1600s? I think it's around .5?</p>

<p>And re: your chances to UNC-CH.. I'd say you have a fair shot, considering you are applying from in-state. I am not too familiar with Wake Forest to say much else.</p>

14

<p>Ah...joy. Let's just hope I did better on the Math 2c than last time (but then again, we could use calculators, and I did [this is technically legal; I wasn't using an unauthorized test aid] program several formulas prior to the test) Duke requires writing, which is why I took it. For the MIT App, I can use the 790 from US History instead.</p>

<p>Physics had some questions I completely was clueless on...all the electromagnetic field ones. I also missed out on the theories explaining the constant universe expansion. Everything else was a shoo-in. Having taken AP Chem last year helped, for I knew the answers to the questions about Rutherford's gold foil experiment, how alpha particle decay works, ideal gas laws, and the conversion of joules to coulombs...</p>

15

<p>Another bump.</p>

16

<p>Like a necromancer, I revive this post.</p>

17

<p>So what about Wake Forest?</p>

18

<p>Haha, all I can say is that apply and you will find out. The only thing that's holidng you back is perhaps the application fees, but you may be able to afford it, so who knows. MIT is a long shot for anybody, but they are weird; people say this a lot, but you just need to show your "passion". You're plenty quirkier than a lot of other people who post "chances" threads, and in this way you stand out. So I would never rule out any of those schools for you...</p>

19

<p>Hmm...cool. The MIT guys are weird? And all this time, I thought that it was only coincidence that their staff includes the definitive anarcho-syndalcist (Noam Chomsky) and the inventer of the online "worm" (Robert Morris), among others. If they truly are weird, I think I would fit in just fine...</p>

<p>I had best throw in that I know several languages that while I'm not fluent in them, I can speak them with a slight accent. I speak slightly accented Spanish (from hearing parents argue in it constantly...they sound like an Univision show.), German (taught myself through audiotapes), and Latin. I know some really primitive Russian (basically, I can recite the Cyrillic alphabet and a few simple words) and hope to work on it.</p>

<p>What about being nominated "most memorable" in Senior superlatives...it's frivolous but if you're known for doing the unpredictable, like programming a problem solver (a series of "find the missing variable" algorithms) onto a TI-83 while in the middle of a pep rally, only to show it off to the rest of the class, or for odd fashion sense (try heading to prom in aviator shades and a bomber jacket), you know you're a little off-beat.</p>

<p>The Asperger's might be valid, we never know. My brother does have low-functioning autism, and I was once (it was soon revoked; the tests were skewed) diagnosed w/ borderline autism in 2nd grade. It took me forever to learn how to speak, and I was on an IEP to help me catch up in speaking&writing abilities (I had no trouble reading though. I could read just fine, and possess a verbose vocabulary) throughout elementary school. It's scary how nowadays, people say I am one of the smartest people they've come across, and ask me for help understanding diffrential equations, or finding the center of mass, yet this contrasts with the labels I received in elementary (mainly "retard" and "it").</p>

<p>So, now the only problem is the essay. I have two choices: How I deal with stress, or what world do I come from (read: a very dysfunctional one. An ESL dad who cannot speak either English or Spanish very well, an overprotective mom that rants on about your disorganization and "as smart as you are, why did you leave your wallet on the roof of your car," my low-functioning autistic brother, and my all-around normal sister).</p>

<p>What I do for entertainment should be a cinch. I'm into RPGs in general. Tabletop, console, LARP (Oh, I'm interested in MIT's Guild of Assassins BTW). Such is my interest that I have actually programmed a few, and have turned Starcraft into one...</p>

<p>The optional essays, do they help? For the "what have you created?" what should I mention? Should I mention Quest TI-83, or my Physics super-program that worked so efficiently, the teacher ended up threatening to (colloquially speaking) f--k up my life if I ever distributed the program to other students? Maybe I could mention the super-solvers I programmed to use on the SAT Math section (or not; they'd call me a cheater. It takes work to program this stuff!)?</p>

<p>Finally, I've found several examples of how the MIT crew runs through admissions. HCB (general performance in Humanities) will be OK, for while I have exceptionally high scores in History (despite managing to score a 50 on an essay once), English is not so hot. Math should be half-way decent, except for Pre-Calc (at least I'm pulling an A in Calc this year though...unfortunately it's AB). My strength will be SCB, as for the most part (exception: AP Chem [came Soooo close to a B, and yet so far. I cannot believe I lost that test outright! At least I managed a 4 on the AP Exam...too bad MIT doesn't take AP Chem] and APES [simply flunking; no excuse]), I'm an A student in all I've taken.</p>

<p>Speaking of AP exams, I'm wondering if I should switch the exams I'm scheduled for. Technically, I don't have to be in a class to take it's corresponding exam, so should I take AP exams completely different from the classes I'm in. Like, let's say that I really don't feel like taking the exam for AP Art History, and would rather take it for Physics C...or take the BC Calc exam instead of the AB...would it be possible?</p>

20

<p>Bumping again.</p>