Chances of Ivy Leagues and similar top schools?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

Race: White + Native American (currently working on getting enrolled)
Religion: Jewish
Gender: Female
Citizenship: Dual US and Canada, currently live and go to high school in Toronto

SAT: On my first practice test with no studying, I got 2000. I plan on doing an intensive SAT prep class over the March break, so estimate my score as 2200+
SAT Subject: Plan on taking French (I speak French fluently so 750+) and Chem
APs: 3 on Bio, I do not plan on taking any more, I don’t even think I will include this score on apps!

Grades
-Grade 8 notable class: Grade 11 French, Grade 10 Business
-Grade 9 average: 98%. Notable classes: Grade 10 Math, Honors Chem, Mandarin
-Grade 10 average: 95%. Notable classes: AP Bio, AP French, Latin, Mandarin, Grade 11 Advanced Functions
-Currently in grade 11, average: 96% (2nd in class of 15 – I attend a very selective gifted high school). All classes: Honors Physics, English, AP Chem, Latin, Mandarin, AP Calculus, AP Psychology, AP French (not the same credit as last year - this focuses on history and literature).
-Grade 12: AP Physics, Mandarin, Latin, AP English Lit or Writer’s Craft. I have taken all other available classes at my small school so I am working with my counselor to see if I could take a few classes at the University of Toronto next year. If not, I will probably devote my time to more EC’s… Perhaps starting a non-profit?

Extracurriculars
-Grade 9: Debate team
-Summer between grades 9 and 10: Final year of summer camp, 2 weeks at Stanford University (detailed below under essay topics)
-Grade 9 & 10: Fencing, have yellow badge
-Summer between grades 10 and 11: NFTY EIE foreign exchange program in Israel, witnessed the start of the war (perhaps an essay subject?)
-Grade 11: Unpaid research assistant internship at a Chemistry Lab at the University of Toronto; 2 hours a week volunteer to teach children at my synagogue; finalist and team leader at data analysis competition; lead in school play. I am planning to start tae-kwon-do within a few weeks: I practiced before grade 9 before my family moved and I already have my first level black belt.
-Summer between grades 11 and 12: I am registered to volunteer for 4 weeks in Nepal. My family is planning to stay in Shanghai for the remainder of the summer (approx. 1 month) where I want to practice my Mandarin (I am currently at a basic proficiency level). I am looking into volunteering to teach English for a few weeks I am there.
-Grade 12: I want to continue my internship at the lab and there is a good chance I might be able to secure another unpaid position at a physics lab as one of my current teachers is a graduate student working in one of the physics lab at U of T. I want to continue on with my current volunteer position at my synagogue as well as to hopefully secure the lead in next year’s school play as well.

Potential Essay topics:
-My experiences in war in Israel
-Discovering my Native American ancestry, going to my tribe’s reservation and meeting long-lost cousins
-Working as a researcher in a lab! I am very excited about this
-My family moved around a lot. I have lived in several cities in Texas, for two years in St. Martin (an island in the Caribbean) and now Toronto.
-For Stanford, I took some online classes at their Online High School program and was able to spend two weeks living on campus and taking a few mini-courses there such as debating and modern Chinese history. I absolutely fell in love with the university and it would be a dream come true for me to attend.

Future Plans
I want to become a scientific researcher, either in medicine, chemistry or physics.
Whatever university I go to, I want to major in either chemistry or astrophysics, minor in the other, as well as doing an additional minor in Chinese studies or Native American studies.

Plan to apply to:
Stanford (plan to apply early decision), Caltech, John Hopkins, Princeton, Stanford, Yale, UC Berkeley, MIT, Imperial College (in London), Cambridge, University of Toronto, Queen’s QuARMS program.

Thoughts anyone?

2

Sorry, forgot to add –
ECs
Grade 10: Took violin lessons
Grade 11: Currently taking singing lessons
Grade 12: My singing teacher says I do some professional musical theatre next year

Awards
Grade 9 Pascal Math Contest Certificate of Distinction
Award in both grades 9 and 10 for being best at math in whole of high school
Placed 3rd in group data analysis competition, planning on putting ‘finalist’ on apps

3

You do need to take the AP exams and get decent scores. If you have AP courses on the transcript, but no AP exam scores reported on you application, colleges will notice.
That you are studying 3 other languages is somewhat odd considering that you intend to study the sciences in college. One of your essays will need to explain this, especially because your summer plan (Nepal) suggests different goals.
I would probably discourage the NA ancestry essay because I don’t see why it’s important to your character.
You should definitely dedicate one of your essays to the war in Israel. But be careful to avoid trying to make the admissions officers have pity for you, because that will not work.
Because your high school is (very) small and you will not have many high AP / Subject Test scores, you will want the SAT above 2300.
But your really big problem are the ECs. One year of violin? Fencing? Debate team? Why did you drop those activities, only to pick up new ones that seem even more random, such as participating in a school play?
You have the hook of being a female going into a scientific field, but as a “compact package” of strong academics and focused ECs, I think you miss.

4

Some tips: only check the box for Native American (not mix race), mention your Jewish heritage/dual citizenship in essays, and break 2150-2200ish and you will be good. Dartmouth especially will want Native American students, but you have to make sure you have a tribe ID. You have a bunch of hooks like NA, dual citizenship, and female looking to go into STEM, so you are on track for Ivies and Stanford.

5

golfer - There were various reasons I wasn’t able to continue some of my ECs, such as moving around, and changing high schools. I was on the fencing team at the high school I spent grades 9 and 10 at, but because my current high school is so small and does not have one, tae-kwon-do is the only athletic option left. Similarly, there is no debate team at my current school. I was apart of my first high school’s drama club as well, however because my current one is a lot smaller I was only able to secure a lead role this year. Would I be able to mention all of this somewhere on my application? Would universities take it into consideration? Also, I forgot to mention, but in Nepal I will be volunteering as a doctor’s assistant at a hospital. As for the languages – I am studying so many simply because I have an interest in them. I’m not just all about the sciences. :slight_smile:
Oberyn - Thank you!

6

Updated ECs
Drama - Grades 8 and 9 I was apart of a youth theatre ensemble outside of school. Grade 9 I was apart of the school drama/film club and I was a lead actor in the film we produced. Grade 10 I had a minor role in the school play. Grade 11 I now have the lead role in my school play.
Singing Classes - Taken every year of high school so far, but now in grade 11 I have increased the frequency as I intend to try and audition for some musical theatre next year.
Athletic - Here is where I am having some problems. I fenced competitively through grades 9 and 10, but had to drop this year due to my school. Would you recommend I try and find a team outside of school to join this year so it can be a consistent EC? I also have a black belt in tae-kwon-do (I stopped practicing in grade 8 due to another move), would it look odd if I started that activity again this year?