I know that all these colleges have insanely low acceptance rates and unpredictable acceptance measures, but please take a look and tell me on a scale of 1-10 my chances for each college.
4.0 unweighted GPA (straight A’s, IB Diploma candidate, potentially 7-8 extra AP tests taken at end of next year. Basically hardest schedule my school has to offer)
2220 on SAT (680 CR 740 M 800 W)
34 on ACT
Currently working a summer internship that gives supplies and aid for schools and education all over the world
Treasurer of National Honor Society
3rd place at regional science fair under physics category
That’s all the stats I can think of right now. Also, any tips for further improving my profile would be much appreciated!
Oh, and I want to major in either Computer or Chemical Engineering
You’ve got the numbers to get your foot in the door, but your ECs seem a little sparse. What state do you live in? What’s your income level (or your parents’)? What’s your race, and are you an URM? All these would factor into your admissions.
@BabylonBabylon Oregon, $50k-60k, Asian (Indonesian), idk if Indonesians are URM’s. What would make my EC’s less sparse?
I would try to see if you can find an internship or volunteer work that’s related to your major. I’ve heard that that usually helps make you more “appealing” to potential colleges, and it makes it look less like you just want to major in computer/chem engineering for the money. So for example, see if you can find an internship at a local chemistry laboratory, or better yet, if you live near UO, see if you can get a gig there.
If you can’t though, don’t sweat it; you’ve got a good leadership position already and 3rd place in that science fair is good. Make sure your rec letters are killer and you start your essay early. Stress WHY the schools you want to go to are the right fit for you, and why you’re NOT just interested in them because of the prestige. Look up the policy on if each school is need-blind or not; if they’re not, it might not even be worth applying, since you’ll likely need financial aid to pay the cost. Lastly, I don’t think being Indonesian should negatively affect your chances, so I wouldn’t worry about it.
@BabylonBabylon Thanks for the advice! I tried securing an internship for things related to my major, but I couldn’t find any…I could only find this one, and I it certainly is better than nothing.
Oh also, I have 200+ hours in volunteering.
Stanford and Caltech are out of reach with your stats and lack of “outstanding” or “international” awards/ EC’s. Stanford likes athletes, stars (as in film), book publishers, etc. Caltech likes perfect to near perfect scores/ GPA’s with lots of quality EC’s and research based activities.
Berkeley is a reach. The UC’s don’t provide financial aid to OOS students, so you will be asked to pay $55K per year at any UC.
Sorry, but these schools are ultra competitive with students scoring 2400 SAT’s and 35-36 ACTs and tons of sports/ec’s.
Find some safeties in-state and schools that your parents can afford or those that will provide merit scholarships for your stats.
Good SAT, ACT, and GPA. Schools like Caltech and Stanford (and MIT for that matter) want to see EC’s in science, science, science. Third place in 1 physics competition is jack-squat to other kids who have higher SATs, ACTs, GPAs, and have won numerous elite science competitions and have been enrolled in elite science summer programs ever since they could read. If you apply to Berkeley EECS, I know it’s one of if not the hardest program to get into in any of the UCs.
My honest advice:
Look for opportunities to intern at local start-ups (there has to be some in Oregon) or chemical engineering firms.
Look to do scientific research in whatever way you can, either independently or with a published scientist.
Become the biggest science/math nerd on the planet and enter every science fair, competition, etc. and win.