Chances please? at HYP, UChicago, Swarthmore, etc.

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Asian female, Competitive Pennsylvania public school</p>

<p>Unweighted GPA: 4.0
Weighted GPA: 4.75
Rank: 1/350</p>

<p>SAT (combined): 780 CR, 760 M, 800W = 2340
SATII: 770 Math II, 760 US History, 750 Chemistry
ACT: 35</p>

<p>AP Scores: US History 5, Calculus BC: 5, Chemistry: 4</p>

<p>EC's:
-Yearbook: Editor-in-Chief (10,11,12)
-Science Club: founder/president (10,11,12)
-STAND: Vice-President (10,11,12)
-Multicultural Club: secretary (9, 10,11,12)
-Recycling Club: president (10,11,12)
-Literary Magazine: Chief Literary Editor (10,11,12)
-write articles for community magazine
-Math League
-have research experience from UPittsburgh lab regarding neurosurgery</p>

<p>-15hr/week part-time job at a bakery/cafe since summer</p>

<p>Awards:
-National Merit Semifinalist
-AP Scholar
-PA Governor's School for Sciences
-accepted to PA Governor's School for International Studies
-first place PJAS Science Fair
-various essay contest awards
-Quill and Scroll, NHS, all that obligatory stuff
-various school awards (Dean's List, Student of the Year, book awards)
-Chemistry Olympics, Science Bowl, other science stuff</p>

<p>Community Service:
-2 hour/week volunteer at hospital's information desk (10,11,12)
-volunteered since 9th grade at township library, 1 hour/week</p>

<p>Also
-recommendations should be <em>amazing</em>
-essays should be pretty good, if I don't procrastinate</p>

<p>The school I'm applying to are: HYP, Stanford, Case Western, Swarthmore, Pomona, Carnegie Mellon, UChicago</p>

<p>Please be realistic with my changes/lack thereof. Thanks guys!</p>

2

<p>I'm new on CC, but what I've read of other posts, you seem to have a very good shot at all the schools (HYP would most probably be the greatest reaches, of course). But at those colleges you listed, people with good scores and ECs are common, so you have to make your application stand out.</p>

3

<p>How do you Americans manage so many extracurriculars? With you as the chief of nearly everything, what do the rest of the 350 students in your year do? :confused:</p>

<p>Sorry, thats not helpful. I'm just a bit freaked out by the Long list of extracurriculars i find here.</p>

4

<p>Wow, your stats look amazing. HYPS are obviously lottery schools, but you're definitely a top contender for those schools. siiighhh...Man...now I feel like I have no shot.</p>

5

<p>Get an 800 in Math IIC NOW. Besides that, you have a good chance at each of your chances, even considering that each of them are basically coin-flips.</p>

6

<p>HYP - Reaches
Stanford - Reach
Swarthmore - Slight Reach/Match
Pomona - Slight Reach/Match
UChicago - Match
Carnegie Mellon - Match/Safety
Case Western - Safety</p>

<p>You have all the academic stats you need - now you just need something to "stand out" from the crowd in order to land at HYPS. A controversial article in your literary magazine perhaps? Something that was showcased in your local area newspaper (other than about your awards/high stats)? I think the essay becomes more important for students of your caliber because even here on CC they all start to sound alike - "2340 SAT blah blah blah editor of yearbook blah blah blah chemistry olympics blah blah blah..." The essay can be used to highlight something unique about you.</p>

<p>Seriously, imagine that an HYP adcom has to reject 6 out of the 10 applications with stats like yours - something unique must stand out or yours will go in the "deferred" pile.</p>

7

<p>Sometimes, "standing out" is just a matter of being lucky. I have friends who attend the schools that are referred to as a single letter-- some of them are fantastically interesting, some of them are just smart kids whose files were read after the coffee break. I think we have too much of an HYP fetish.</p>