Chances

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>I'm wondering what else I should do ...I've got to get out of California.</p>

<p>I'm a rising senior, Asian female, US Citizen. Like, apparentely, everyone else.
I have a 4.0 unweighted GPA and I'm ranked 1 out of...like, 740. I know, big class, but it's a pretty good school.
My ACT composite is 34, and my SAT I is 2350 (780, 780, 790), but my essays for both weren't so good (8). But I've only taken each test once, if that makes a difference.
For SAT IIs:
Math IIC (800)
Literature (800)
Biology E (750)
My PSAT sophomore year was 225, junior year 221.</p>

<p>I'm taking the most rigorous courses offered at my school, so I'm in IB, but I only have about 4 AP classes all four years. </p>

<p>My junior academic classes were
AP Biology (5)
AP Calc/Math IB SL (5/6)
US History IB SL (6)
English 3 IB
Spanish 3H
Theatre Studies IB HL.</p>

<p>My senior schedule should be
Biology IB HL
Theatre Studies IB HL
AP Government
English 4 IB HL
Spanish 4 AP/IB SL
TOK.</p>

<p>We're usually only allowed to have six periods a day, but junior year I had seven.</p>

<p>For ECs
-JV volleyball (9,10), and I helped coach in 11 and possibly 12
-EIC of the school yearbook (was on staff 10, 11, 12)
-staff writer/photographer for the school newspaper (10, 11, 12)
-senior writer for the Los Angeles teen newspaper LA Youth
-freelance writer; I just got published in a music magazine and worked for a while with This American Life -yeah that didn't work out to well, but it's good material for an essay
-Improv Comedy (11, 12)
-theatre productions
-High Honors for Monologue -British Arts Awards (drama)
-Vice President of MUN (participated 9, 11, 12)
-working on publishing my own online magazine
-HOBY Youth Leadership Representative
-Class Cabinet (10, 11, 12-maybe an officer)
-NHS (10, 11, 12)
-I'm organizing a panel on the different religions at my school, hopefully to dispel some rumors and such...</p>

<p>ECs I'm not too sure about:
-the principal wants me in some kind of new Human Relations group, but it's a vague idea for now
-I might be blogging for the Bill Richardson campaign</p>

<p>Community service-wise, I have IB, which requires 150 CAS hours (Creativity, Action, Service) and NHS.
I'm also a Senior Girl Scout, and I have my Gold Award (sort of equivalent to Eagle Scout). My project encouraged local kids to continue reading by involving them in the publication of their own book.</p>

<p>I should be getting excellent recommendations, and though I got an 8 on my essay ...I'm a writer, so my essays should be all right.</p>

<p>I'm interested in: Columbia, Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Georgetown, Brown, and...I guess UCLA and UCBerkeley.
Oh, and major-wise...probably Econ and Poli-sci.</p>

<p>Thanks, guys. :)</p>

2

<p>Good GPA, good SAT, OK EC's.
Typical Asian applicant.</p>

<p>Columbia: Maybe
Harvard: REJECT
Yale: REJECT
Princeton: REJECT
Georgetown: In
Brown: Maybe
UCLA: IN
UCBerkeley: IN</p>

3

<p>^Typical asian applicant? No matter how true you think that statement is, saying that type of thing really undermines the individual's accomplishments (and in a really racist way). If a white person had this list of accomplishments, it wouldn't be typical?</p>

<p>Ignore Gaffe, and probably the rest of this forum, the "negatives" that come with being Asian is grossly exaggerated here. You shouldn't take any superficial evaluations received from desperate teens ages 16-18 here seriously.</p>

<p>But if you're going to get a superficial evaluation, here's a more realistic look: your stats are highly impressive considering your GPA and test scores. Believe it or not, you don't need to have cured cancer to get into top schools. Your ECs are fine, just write good essays as everyone should. Apply to all the schools you want to, you have a good chance of getting into at least one top ten school.</p>

4

<p>UCLA and UCB, but not Stanford??</p>

5

<p>Yeah, not Stanford. I know, really, not so much the typical Asian, haha. UCLA and UCB, I'd rather not, but they're my safeties, and well, they make more sense financially. Though I don't like to decide based on money...</p>

<p>Thanks, rence, I feel the same way about the typical Asian thing. It is a reality that it doesn't really add any points to your app if you're Asian, but it can't hurt that much. And what am I going to do about it ...wear a Native American headdress to my interview? </p>

<p>Thanks again, guys.</p>

6

<p>I should clarify: typical Asian applicant from California with a high GPA and high SAT 1 who wants to apply to Ivy Leagues. Compared to other Asians who are academically accomplished, not much stands out, i.e. ECs.
You think I am undermining her accomplishments, but she will be in a competitive applicant pool where many people have similar academic statistics. Therefore, something special (non-academics) would make her stand out.</p>

<p>Race is an important factor in a college acceptance. An URM with a 4.0 GPA and 2300+ SAT 1 will have a greater chance of getting into the OP's colleges and might even take her spot. If a white applicant has this list of accomplishments, s/he has less competition, making him/her more likely to be admitted.</p>

7

<p>Thanks for clarifying that -it sounds much better, haha. And I get it. That's pretty much all my school. But once again, not much I can do about being Asian.</p>

<p>So like I said in my first post, I'm just wondering what else I need. I don't want to do anything for the sake of colleges (like research, if I hate science.), but I do need something "special", even more so because I'm Asian. So. It's true. </p>

<p>May I add that the yearbook has won a Columbia Scholastic Press Assoc. Silver Crown and a JEA-NSPA Pacemaker and Best of Show 2007? Does it matter? And is freelancing enough?</p>

8

<p>There's not much you can do since you're done with junior year.</p>

<p>You can include those awards if you want.</p>

<p>Maybe your writing will be your 'special' thing.</p>

9

<p>That's what I'm going for...actually, I'm doing a lot my senior year, insofar as community involvement (HR group, campaigning, city's Youth Advisory Board, and various panels involving the student body).</p>

<p>But yeah, I'm pushing writing. Haha.</p>

10

<p>i disagree, i don't really think you're typical at all. i don't really know many asians at all who do writing/drama stuff, maybe you should bring all of that stuff out in your application. I think that you have a chance at a lot of those schools.</p>

11

<p>I think people here should stop being so critical and so angry. I am an Asian female with a significantly lower SAT score (by about 100 pts) and comparable ECs to the OP. I was accepted to 2 upper level ivies, another top 5 university, and several top 20 universities. </p>

<p>OP, I'd say you're right on track for ALL of the schools you listed. My only advice is to write kick-a** essays. You DEFINITELY NEED those -- do not underestimate the power of a good essay. In my opinion, you should be stressing more about writing an amazing essay than about more/better ECs. Everything else is certainly on or above par, but you just need to show them that you are a real, living human being. </p>

<p>Best Wishes.</p>

12

<p>That definitely makes me feel better, thanks GooGoo16. And it IS tough -when it comes down to college app time, it kind of hurts to condense all you've dedicated your last four years to into a short list and hope that it can stand up to other students' short lists.
That said ...I do think it's important to only have ECs that you care about. At a lot of Ivy information sessions, they harp on that.
Especially during your interview, if the alum says "So why have you competed in so many math competitions?" and the only thing that comes to mind is "Well, they look damn good on my college application"...that sucks. And they know.</p>

<p>Done proselytizing.
I haven't started on my essays, but I'm kind of gathering my thoughts. Lots to say.</p>

13

<p>Great chance at the UCs, but you are one of a huge number of very similar looking candidates to the ivies from an overrepresented state with a ton of Asian applicant at ivies. It will come down to your essay and recs, they need to be stellar.</p>