<p>FIRSTLY... the question all of you are going to wonder the second you click on this STATS???
-I had a 2280 on my sat (730cr, 760m, and 790w) 760 BioM, 730 USH, and 790 Spanish with L. Val of my 247 person class of a middle range high school with a 4.45. AP Scholar with Distinction. I also took 5 classes at my local CSU.. mostly higher level science classes. Got A's and B's in those.
-I did three varsity sports (very successful in soccer), lead two community service clubs, founded a math/science program for middle schoolers that is running great and will continue after I leave, did really competitive math/scienc Stanford programs two summers of my high school years, and I had a badass personal statement. I worked on it for about a month and its about immigration and how it has affected my academic pursuits, my AP Lang English teacher from last year though it was the best thing she had read written by a 17 year old.
-Im an international student (Mexico) residing in California.
-I am a low income, first generation student.
-I kicked ass in all my interviews, I'm a social butterfly =) </p>
<p>Now for the tips!!
1.) DONT TROLL ON HERE!! Trust me, it is useless and simply misleading to other readers. It is tempting to add 50-150 points to your actual scores, but don't do it. You do no one any good. I tried it when I was an immature sophomore (look back at my first few posts) and found absolutely nothing useful of it so I stayed off CC for almost two years as a result. </p>
<p>2)ACADEMICS: Unless you're a crazy athlete, or have a superbly impressive story to tell, you have to have high SAT's, ACT's, and GPA to be competitive for top schools!! If you are Black/Hispanic/Native American/rare International country applicant then you STILL need decent scores (if you are a wealthy minority then you need 2250+/33+ scores). Admissions officers now that us low income people can't afford expensive prep classes and all that junk, but they still expect us to self-study and get 2050+ SATs/30+ ACTs. If you are wealthier, then admit officers obviously know you can afford and took prep classes, so you should strive to get 2250+ SAT/33+ ACT. You need to have a high GPA in the hardest (or near hardest) curriculum available at YOUR school. Do not worry if your school doesn't have like 50 AP classes. Take all that's available to you and succeed in those courses. Finally, (this is quite obvious but still) you need to be most successful in courses which relate to your possible major. If you don't have one an idea yet, then just try to do well in a range of classes. Do well on subject tests and AP tests. </p>
<p>3) EC's! You should have 3-5 activities (preferably all four years) that you were absolutely focused on. Do not spread yourself thin on a million activities. Strive to be the best in your 1-3 varsity sport(s), drama class, band class, musical competitions, community service clubs, academic teams, etc.. at your high school! Strive to hold leadership positions in these activities too. ECs are super important now that Harvard is at like a 5.9% acceptance rate. These are what will distinguish you from the other 21,000 applicants who also have perfect GPA's and 2100/31+ on their tests! Be focused, be frequent, be a leader, and be successful in your activities. </p>
<p>4.) ONLY APPLY TO 7-12 schools!!! One of the most common mistakes that I've seen CCers commit (including myself) is this one. Instead, apply to two safties (schools you're positive you can get into), 3-5 match schools (Schools you're realistically going to get into), and please ONLY 2-5 reach schools (Schools that you dream of going to but have sub 15% acceptance rates). Applying to all 8 ivies doesn't mean you'll necessarily have a shot of getting into at least one. You will find that if you end up applying to 15+ schools you will have not dedicated the time required to make your application to every school flawless. Remember it's quality over quantity. Make those few reach school apps perfect and you will be pleasantly surprised come late March/early April. </p>
<p>4.) ESSAYS!! Write them, REwrite them, and repeat step two 10 more times. Then have your english teachers read them and repeat step two a few more times. Start early too; nothing shouts "I just want this school for the name" like crappy essays do! Finally, always remember to be unique! Or if you write a cliche essay, then make sure it's the best damn cliche essay out there. </p>
<p>5.) LETTERS OF REC!! Get to know your favorite teachers and your counselor (obviously in a core class) and become friends with them. The best letters of rec are the personal ones!!</p>
<p>6.) INTERVIEWS!! First, if you didn't get one, then its not the end of the world!! I didn't get any to some of the colleges that I got into (Stanford or Penn). If you do get one, then be friendly, eloquent, intelligent, and most importantly!!.. let your most valuable characteristics shine through =)!</p>
<p>7.) NEVER COMPARE APPLES TO ORANGES!! If you are a wealthier applicant, then do not hate on a minority boy/girl because they got in with "crappy scores" when you got rejected with a 2300. And if you are a poorer applicant (like me =) ) then don't complain about having terribly low scores (1800/28 or below) compared to rich applicants with 2300+, because it is very possible to do well on these tests without a fancy prep class (I did!! =) )! So basically, do not go on here comparing yourself to others (unless they're in similar economic and scholarly situations to you haha)!! Strive to be the best in whatever is available to you. </p>
<p>8.) INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS!! Okay, so we have it the hardest for colleges in America... especially for the ones that are need-sensitive schools. But still strive to be in the tippity top top of your country!! Remember that top schools like Harvard/Dartmouth/Yale/Amherst/Princeton are need-blind but still are extremely competitive. Just strive to achieve the best you can do in your country, colleges will see this and at least one top school will probably reward you with a nice acceptance =)! Finally, I know our situation sucks (trust me had I been born north of the border and been a "Mexican American" then I could've easily expected likelies from HYPSM plus a lot of others) but make the best of it!! </p>
<p>9.) DON'T WASTE TOO MUCH TIME ON HERE!! It can be addicting, but it is much more beneficial to be doing something outside then being in front of a screen reading dumb kids complain about their 2350s/35s haha. Like keep it to 10-50 posts total from the time you're a freshmen to the time you're a senior. </p>
<p>10.) DENIED, WAITLISTED, OR YESSS =)! Don't be miserable if you didn't get into your dream school.. remember that life goes on and no one will probably care if you went to an Ivy when you're 40. They'll care about who you are and what you've done. If you're waitlisted (Darn Yale... grrrr) then you can chose to remain on there (about 2/3 of the people for top schools usually do), but you should probably be getting ready to attend a school you did get into. Only a few kids usually get off waitlists. If you are in, then celebrate!!!! </p>
<p>10) COLLEGE DECISIONS!! Never ever ever... ever!! listen to where people tell you about where to go. Listen to yourself and go where you feel you fit best!! Visit (or virtual tour or something) and get the feel of the campus. Don't come on here and start a stupid "X VS Y" thread. All of those opinions will be terribly biased. Do not chose a school by its reputation or ranking!! I doubt a legit employer will ever be like "Oh this guy ONLYY went to Duke (or some other school of similar caliber).. Lets chose the Yale/Harvard guy!!" Trust me, ever since they announced that I got into Harvard at my high school (on friday 3/30/12) I've been told by like 100 people (most of which know nothing about good schools) to go to Harvard. Ignore peer pressure! **but of course, if money ends up being the issue and loans aren't your thing, then go to the best option with the best aid!! </p>
<p>This will be my last ever post on College confidential... (message me if you are a younger applicant with a question!) I ended up getting into: Dartmouth, Princeton, Stanford, Harvard, Cal, Middlebury, Penn, Cal Poly SLO, Cornell, UCLA, and my local csu. I got waitlisted to Yale and rejected from Columbia, Amherst (I talked to the soccer coach too so I was really shocked..), and Johns Hopkins.. all of which are need-aware for me. I did get full rides from everywhere I got except Cal, UCLA, Cal Poly, and my CSU so yeee =) </p>
<p>I am leaning towards Dartmouth (Love the size, dream school, best undergraduate teaching on Earth, pretty good rep, and far from home), Harvard (Research, Location, far from home, and dude its F****** Harvard), or possibly Princeton (Far from home, also best undergraduate teaching on Earth, love the size, and a really good rep).. I am probably going to visit all three of these and chose on May 1st. Its been awesome, later CC!!</p>