Chances please!!

Colleges and Universities A-Z Yale University
1

<p>South Asian Female, Junior, US Citizen, from Texas
Economic Status: family income currently ~$40,000ish, one parent unemployed</p>

<p>Class Rank: 5/~600ish
Current GPA: around 4.2-4.3 w, 4.0 uw (yeah, it's on the low end of HYP students...)
SAT: latest is 730M/720W/680CR without much studying (yeah, I know, need to study more)
PSAT: 215(soph), 211(jr) - low (i was sick) but rumor that students in my state (TX) were so bad this year that ~210 will be the NMSF cutoff this year... hoping for the best! but will probably get Commended <em>sigh</em>
ACT: not yet taken, but saw the official prep book and it looks easier than the SAT!</p>

<p>Soph APs:
* AP Computer Science A (5)
all other core classes were honors/pre-ap</p>

<p>Jr APs:
* AP Computer Science AB
* AP Chemistry
* AP US History
* AP Calculus AB [not BC due to schedule conflict, may take BC exam]
* AP English Lang
* AP Spanish Lang [may not take exam, will probably fail since not a native speaker]
currently taking pre-ap physics, a requirement for ap physics at my school</p>

<p>Sr APs:
* AP Biology
* AP Physics
* AP Government
* AP [Macro?]Economics
* AP Statistics
* AP English Lit
- considering AP Psych and/or AP Music Theory if either is offered by school
- may self-study for AP Human Geo to get AP International Diploma; would qualify for foreign-language requirement even without AP Spanish because I speak another language</p>

<p>Extra-Curriculars: [will include senior year]
* Girl Scouts: 4 years [Patrol Leader, may do BGFG Advisory Committee next year]
* Student Council: 4 years
* Key Club: 4 years [newspaper committee, currently running for officer for next year]
* Spanish Club: 3 years [unsuccessful run for officer position, will try again next year]
* Science Club: 2 years [founding member, secretary, lettering supervisor]
* Youth Group: 2 years [secretary]
* Tennis: 2 years [freshman, JV2 teams - did for PE credit, quit after soph year]
* Computer Science Competition Team: 3 years
* Science/Math Competition Teams: 2 years? [this is the first year, no competitions yet!]
* piano player since 3rd grade, self-taught since 4th grade</p>

<p>Volunteer Work:
* 3 years with Cook Children's Medical Center (1.5 as Junior Volunteer, 1.5 as Child Life)
* Tutoring school children of various ages both outside of school and as part of Key Club, Spanish Club, Science Club
* various volunteer work with Key Club including work at the Food Bank, tutoring, HI-KIDS (programs and fun events for low-income minority kids), storytelling at a book store, fundraising
* Serving food with my place of worship for 4+ years
* various volunteer work with my Youth Group including various food and supplies drives and fundraising, visits to hospitals and nursing homes, worship service</p>

<p>Summer Programs:
* Texas Prefreshman Engineering Program (TexPREP): 3 years
* Cook Children's Medical Center Junior Volunteer Summer Program: 2 years
- will do some summer program this year - have applied to RSI and others, will do U Texas First Bytes if I don't get into others since I have been told I am pretty much guaranteed admission there
- plan to do some research this summer, whether associated with a summer program like RSI or something I do on my own (have arranged to work with a professor if I don't get in)</p>

<p>Awards:
* Girl Scout Bronze and Silver Awards, working on Gold Award; Bronze, Silver, Gold Leadership Awards; Cadette and Senior Challenge Awards; various other Girl Scout awards in math/science, health, safety, language, and sports; trained Program Aide
* TexPREP awards: Outstanding in Logic, Computer Science, Engineering, Chemistry, Physics, Writing; Most Improved in Writing and Computer Science [previous year], Biology
* Graphics 2008 (Computer Science competition) - 3rd place team
- currently 3rd place individual in Best of Texas: Computer Science Div. 5A, hope it lasts
- will compete in various math/science competitions like UIL, hope for the best!
- unfortunately school doesn't offer olympiads because doesn't have the $$ to do so</p>

<p>sooooo... do i have a chance? i really hope so, but i'm afraid of the rejection letter.
also applying to other Ivyies, Duke and similar schools, U Cal Berkeley, UCLA, Rice, Stanford
my safeties include U Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Baylor, TCU (already got a full ride!)</p>

2

<p>I don't know what school youre coming from, but your courseload looks rigorous (12+ APs, wow!) you till manage to be top in your graduating class. </p>

<p>I really like your Girl Scout Activities, but the rest of your application seems to be a laundromat of activities and events that you forced yourself to do to look good for college admission officers. (Im not at all saying that you do stuff to impress them, but you come off that way.) And Yale (which I assume is the college you will be applying to since you posted on the Yale Board) is NOT a fan of this. I mean, where is your passion? Key Club, Spanish Club, Science Club. I wouldn't even mention Tennis. You've only played for two years and your "did for PE credit, quit after soph year" makes it sound like another thing you did to add to the list.</p>

<p>And you do a ton of volunteer work. And thats AMAZING. But lets try to get you focused.
Looks like you have an interest in Comp Sci. Try to elaborate on that. Enter more competitions. Get a rec from your comp sci teacher. Try to take initative outside of school. Is there any place hiring IT Interns around your area? Maybe over the summer you can work as a summer intern and program stuff for a major business. (Colleges like you see you take initiative and get a job yourself, rather than get into a program.) </p>

<p>Also, Texas Prefreshman Engineering Program. (if this was before the summer before high school, it doesnt count) </p>

<p>So. Youre on the right track academically (try to do well on your AP exams and you got a TON so work on getting 4s and 5s not just taking the course) and become more focused with your activities. This summer before senior year is really important. (I doubt with your lack of research and 2100 PSAT will get you into RSI, its VERY selective...so don't depend on it.) So try to find something meaningful and something that sparks your interest. </p>

<p>Good luck! Hope this helps.</p>

3

<p>also, work on leadership
You lack big leadership positions which may be due to you wanting to do everything in school, further supporting my argument. </p>

<p>Concentrate on one activity and show your passion for it. Will get you a leadership position.</p>

4

<p>i think you have a good chance!</p>

5

<p>thank you so much for the advice and replies! This will all be really helpful. (Unfortunately, I was indeed rejected by RSI, but I have applied for others and made arrangements for independent research with the help of a UNT professor) The first summer of TexPREP was the summer between eighth and ninth grades, but the next two were the following consecutive summers, so I guess two of the years will count. I earned all but the Outstanding in Logic, Most Improved in Computer Science, and Most Improved in Writing awards in the second and third years, so omitting the first year won't take away too much from my list.</p>

6

<p>The summer prior to entering 9th grade does count - it's considered "summer 9th grade", inasmuch as the summer before 10th grade is known as "summer 10th grade, etc...and the summer between 11th and 12th is "summer 12th grade."</p>

7

<p>I'll sum it up in a line or two.</p>

<p>You're resume is pretty boring. </p>

<p>Girl scouts is the only thing that jumps out at me.</p>

<h2>maybe the Student Government too- but lacking leadership positions is a downer.</h2>

<p>You have a chance just like every other unhooked applicant- so give it a go! If you're afraid of rejection you're better off not applying if it's going to hurt you- because chances are you'll be rejected. More specifically, 93% chance rejection give or take.</p>

<p>My advice- apply. It's your one shot! Good luck.</p>

8

<p>Mal77, I agree that the resume is pretty boring but I don't think that it is the Girl Scouts stands out the most. There are plenty of active scouts (including boy scouts, I'm an Eagle myself) apply to these prestigious universities.</p>

<p>jennieblue22, let's get a bit more focused on the activities that embody your passion the greatest. You are spread out all over the board. For example (I got into CalTech and I'm still waiting for other universities to give me their decision, which I'm feeling optimistic about), I published and presented a research paper at a research conference at UC Berkeley on a floating windmill that my research group and I developed. I was later invited to write a book chapter for the International Association of Engineers (IAENG), due to the strength of the paper. I am only one of the many people who are published authors applying to Yale. Also not all research paper authors are the same, since most of them just have their names attached to a professor's paper without contributing much (if at all) to his/her research. Pursue what you truly want to do and become an expert. If you show this, I'm sure Yale will see and appreciate you for who you are. Good Luck!</p>

9

<p>I gave the girl scouts comment in context to the OP's resume.</p>

<p>Cheecheepong gave some great advice. Good luck.</p>

10

<p>I have to agree... your resume is pretty boring. What is your passion?</p>

11

<p>Good luck！</p>

12

<p>Thanks! My real passions lie in science, music, and computer science.</p>

13

<p>You have a pretty good chance
I think you would have a likely letter if your essays are great!</p>

14

<p>^</p>

<p>For real? I would think there are so many unhooked but well qualified ORM's to merit a likely.</p>

15

<p>She is a low income applicant.
If her essays speak well, and if she does not apply through questbridge, she might just...
I may be wrong</p>

16

<p>No I see your point. Just from what I've seen from likely posts before it doesn't seem likely (no pun intended) to receive a likely just for one hook (not a big one either).</p>

17

<p>
[quote]
and if she does not apply through questbridge

[/quote]

wait, so it's NOT a good idea to apply through questbridge?</p>

18

<p>why isn’t it a good idea to apply through questbridge?</p>