college list/research

Parents Forum
1

<p>I posted in college search & selection about 2 months ago, and someone told me to post here :)</p>

<p>It's especially difficult for me to select colleges. My parents didn't push me and I didn't realize I had potential til the end of last year, so I think I'd have to show character through essays, which makes me nervous. I've changed from a very shy, lost person to being increasingly independent/confident and trying to improve on my weaknesses. it looks like I studied a lot but instead I procrastinated horribly last year, which is why I wish I just kept myself busy with interests outside of school</p>

<p>I really like physics (not extremely passionate about it, but stuff like theoretical physics sounds amazing/interesting); always liked math, science, and music. teachers are really cool to me, so I'd prefer a small-medium school that's academically rewarding without sacrificing overall life quality too much. I'm also half-asian half-white, so diversity is relatively important to me, and financial aid will probably be very important (dad moved from CA to SC just this summer, not sure if he will/can help...)</p>

<p>sat: 720 c, 800 m, 730 w (7 essay), sat 2: 790 chem, 800 math 2, 750 us
gpa: 4.0? u / 4.25 w, rank 6 or 7 out of about 600
9th: 7 A's including PE and orchestra, no honors except geometry
10th: 6 A's including PE, honors world history & algebra II
11th: english (A/93% A-), physics (A+/A), AP calc bc (102% A/105% A+/5), AP french IV (A/A/3), AP comp sci ab (106% A+/108% A+/5), AP US (93% A-/93% A-/5), AP chem (98% A+/98% A+/5)
12th: 6 AP - physics C mech/e&m, stat, bio, lit, gov't/macro, psych
- ec: math team/mu alpha theta 4 years (no leadership, small commitment), violinist in school musical 9th (fun & time consuming but only maybe a month), piano 9th-10th (play well but nothing outstanding), chinese school 9th (unsure if this counts), mock trial 12th (hope to have fun and work hard in this :))
- work: 4 hr/week of tutoring for school 11th (not sure if worth noting because the program didn't last long and too many tutors -> cut after 4 weeks), 7.5 hr/week kumon grader & assistant 12th (I like it & incase I need $)
- volunteer: only 60 hours, server/kitchen at senior meal kitchen, volunteer for summer reading program at library
- minor awards: Go Figure! Honorable Mention 9th (unavailable 10th/11th, is honorable mention even worth mentioning?), High School Chemistry Award from American Chemical Society 11th (teacher nominated me, not sure of the significance), AIME qualifier 11th (school's highest AMC12)
- summer: 2 weeks in France (meaningful), 1 week in puerto rico (not meaningful)
- essays: haven't started :(, recs: I didn't even know these existed until after fortunately getting to know my favorite teachers ever very well, they're part of reason I've changed and if appropriate I'd like to mention their influence in an essay</p>

<p>this is my current list?:
UC - since 1 application, will apply to Irvine/SD/LA/Berk, but mostly as backups & cheaper since I prefer smaller
Reed, Carnegie Mellon - I'm hoping these are matches?
Harvey Mudd - somewhere in between?
Rice, Cornell - I feel like I'd be really happy at any of these 5 although haven't got to visit any
I'm lacking private safeties because hard for me to research other than nearby Santa Clara and U of Pacific that I'll apply to if can't find anything else, but donno about these... I'd like something a little more selective than these but still safeties, and I don't like RPI/Rose Hulman's like 3-4:1 male:female ratio
And if I'm finished and satisfied with all my applications, would it be worth the effort to try 1 of h/p/y?</p>

<p>thank you much for any help or opinions!</p>

2

<p>Do you want to attend h/p/y?</p>

<p>Your stats are good and will get you into many very good school but you will need to ask yourself why you want a specific school.</p>

<p>Your list of first 5 sound good as is, esp. if you are happy with them. It'd help if you have specific ideas of the type of campus you'd like (e.g., urban/rural) to determine if you'd need to change anything.</p>

3

<p>I would be so happy to attend hpy, but I'm not sure if that's realistic cause I donno how I'd make my application stand out other than if I somehow had unbelievable essays + recommendations + interview, and I need to find out how to put my personality into all my college applications</p>

<p>it's taken me a long time to pick those 5 schools, and I have reasons for each of them, some more than others. the only things that I think so far could keep me from enjoying living at any 4 years would be maybe texas being too foreign compared to CA, harvey mudd people having personalities I'm not used to or having a too bad a campus design, reed grade deflation, or maybe just the "feeling" you get when you walk on the campus and see the classes/students</p>

<p>urban/rural... I think anything but very rural or low safety would be fine. the weather I could deal with unless very hot/humid, but houston sounds bearable especially if I visited my home for the summers. basically I'd probably spend most of my time in the campus no matter where</p>

<p>I really like reed's silent amazingness, and my aunt+uncle live in oregon. harvey mudd seems amazing for math/science and a small community. rice diversity, name, quality of life, financial aid seem so amazing. cornell is amazing, and science. carnegie mellon would probably be my 5th favorite but still seems pretty amazing</p>

4

<p>I think you have a decent chance at CMU, the only thing is you have to apply to a particular school (or schools) there. I think a lot of your application is going to depend on teacher rec's and your essays to tip you one way or another. Nothing is standing out in your list. (Well qualifying for AIME is quite an achievement.) My feeling from your list is that Princeton would be the most likely of HYP to appeal to you. My son got waitlisted at Harvey Mudd last year with similar stats, but different ECs. (Fewer of them, but state medals in Sci. Olympiad and very good recommendations for computer programming freelance work.) I have a nephew who loves Rice - his grades were more mixed and he has the advantage of coming from the east coast.</p>

5

<p>I think you should consider adding the University of Chicago to your list, especially if you like Reed, as Chicago attracts many of the same students . Chicago has 4000 undergraduates, so it is a nice mid sized U.- much smaller than the UC's and slightly smaller than Cornell. It's reputation in Math and Physics as strong as the Ivy's, particularily in the academic community. Just a suggestion.</p>

6

<p>thank you</p>

<p>hm... do you think I should add more safeties then? I'm hoping that I can get into at least 1 of those 5 but that seems discouraging :( I think University of the Pacific would be nice but need to visit, and Santa Clara donno either but good to have safeties</p>

<p>U Chicago... it seems good but really really good I donno, like obviously good, and even more selective so would be tough... maybe I'll research more. "uncommon app" is intimidating</p>

<p>what about Rochester? I was considering adding that because of physics, music, and selectivity maybe better chance, and don't know anything about it that I wouldn't like... haven't yet found things that I'd really like though. but "meliora" is a really good motto :) how many private schools would be good to apply to?</p>

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<p>If you are interested in theoretical physics, I don't understand why you are not applying to schools like MIT, Caltech, Harvard, Princeton, or Chicago. Most of the universities/colleges you've listed, such as CMU , Harvey Mudd or Rice, are actually better known for their engineering/CS programs, more so than their science departments.</p>

8

<p>rochester was the first one that came to mind</p>

9

<p>You know what? I looked at your list and thought "That's a really good, thoughtful list of schools." The one that stands out a little is Cornell, which is bigger than the others and not known for intimacy, doesn't have any merit aid, and is the only one not in or near a large city. But Cornell is great, and you would probably love it, so why not?</p>

<p>I don't know enough about financial aid at those schools, though. If you are going to qualify for significant need-based aid, you may not have to worry too much about it. But if you need merit aid, you may want to identify a couple more schools (like Rochester) that are slightly less competitive and where you would look like more of a compelling star. I would also encourage you to explore some slightly less popular LACs with merit aid programs. They tend to be pretty hungry for science students, and you can get a great education there. Swarthmore would be a good fit, but it's super-selective and no-merit. I don't know enough about less-famous LAC science programs, but you should research places like Grinnell, Macalaster, Kalamazoo, Franklin & Marshall . . . Also, if you are female, definitely Smith and Mt. Holyoke.</p>

10

<p>Rochester is a great choice,as is Franklin and Marshall. Both are known for their science programs, both have very good merit aid. (When my son was looking at colleges, and tentatively thinking astrophysics, these were his probable safeties.)</p>

11

<p>Mudd is your reach. Cornell and Rice are less selective. </p>

<p>I'd say you have a pretty good shot at Mudd (40-45%). You're lacking in the ECs and I'm assuming you are a guy? If not, your chances are way higher. So your chances at all your other schools are even higher than 40-45%.</p>

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<p>Nice try. Mudd, Cornell, and Rice all have about the same selectivity numbers, but Mudd's admission rate is a little higher than the other two. Mudd may have a slightly stronger applicant pool in the sciences, but it's a big stretch to say flat out "Cornell and Rice are less selective." They aren't.</p>

<p>That said, the OP would probably look a little more unique at Rice (5% California students) or Cornell (>10% California) than at Mudd.</p>

13

<p>Don't be afraid of the "uncommon" app.! Initially, it may look intimidating, but you can always write an essay on your own choice of subject. Print out the prompts, and think about them for a while. And remember, there is no "correct" way to respond to them. They are meant to be launching pads for your imagination. Have fun with them if you like. Chicago uses them to get a glimpse at how you think as well as how well you write[ which you will find IS a very important skill there]</p>

14

<p>Completely agree with atomic fusion. Your choices are well thought out. You'll get into the UC's, Reed, and Carnegie-Mellon with little difficulty. You'll very likely get into Cornell and Rice. Mudd will be more difficult with SAT medians close to 100 points higher than Cornell (and you're "another Californian"). I'd agree about getting in there being a coin toss.</p>

<p>With your physics bent, if you're game, I'd second adding Princeton to the list.</p>

15

<p>I second much of what JHS has said in his posts. You already have a very thoughful list. I think that given your Chinese American and Californian background, you will have a good shot at Rice. It is a wonderful school. </p>

<p>Suggestions made here of MIT, Princeton, Caltech, Harvard etc are probably super reaches for you.</p>

<p>I am sorry to say that it will make a difference whether you surname is Chinese or the other way around. While it may be minimal, admission often hinges on small differences in super competitive college admission.</p>

16

<p>Hmm. I get the sense that you might be able to write a very original essay. Others have given you good safeties. I'd just say I wouldn't cross off Princeton for you - super high reach but if you really loved the sound of it it's not like they'd scoff at your application. It sounds as though your life led you to humility and only now are you starting to find ambition. That's kind of a sweet combination if adcoms are feeling human one day....</p>

17

<p>
[quote]
Nice try. Mudd, Cornell, and Rice all have about the same selectivity numbers, but Mudd's admission rate is a little higher than the other two. Mudd may have a slightly stronger applicant pool in the sciences, but it's a big stretch to say flat out "Cornell and Rice are less selective." They aren't.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>The common myth about admission rate being completely analogous to selectivity has already been dispelled countless times here so I won't even bother. All I will say is that Mudd is ranked #1 for LAC selectivity in USNWR above Amherst, Williams, Swarthmore, and Pomona. Cornell and Rice are not more selective than those four schools and most would say those four are on par with mid-ivy selectivity. If you believe in the transitive property then that would also mean that Mudd is more selective as well.</p>

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<p>sorry, I'm a guy, never edited my profile</p>

<p>super reaches, at first I looked into h&y more than p because knew a little more about them, so I'll try to find more about Princeton which already sounds really nice. even the "in brief" book has really good paper...</p>

<p>need-based aid, while I haven't yet tried calculating this with my mom, I'm assuming/hoping it would be high.. I think it would largely depend on if my dad's salary is included</p>

<p>Grinnell at first sounded really nice, although I haven't found enough about how I would like being there. I feel reluctant to add a nice LAC like Grinnell or F&M if it affects my focus on other applications, but I'll think more about them or replacing a school with one</p>

<p>U Chicago app, I might try :) I think I'd want to research a lot before trying the application though because not sure if I'd fit in totally</p>

<p>My last name is Italian.. would that be worse?</p>

<p>Alumother, thank you. after recently I started feeling that way a lot and hope that things will be ok, I almost get scared of new ambition and actually thinking more of myself. unique essay... I hope so</p>

<p>thx very much for time and care :) it feels really nice to have help and encouragement. at first I thought I might have to rethink my 1st choices because of low ec, more competitive every year, and not knowing how admissions think. all of this college stuff sort of came to me near the same time and I'm intimidated by how I'll be fitting applications in this year. most of my friends don't know much either and are only applying to CSU/UC, or are extremely busy with their own homework/applications/We the People and stuff... I didn't start my small 1 hour of homework last night til after midnight because spent hours looking online about this. I hope that as long as I don't worry too much and actually get started filling out/thinking/writing, which I'm sure I'll do very soon...</p>

<p>my last year US teacher told me her grandmother went to Reed and was surprised I was thinking about it cause it was very liberal? so far I'm open to a lot of political ideology stuff but not sure if I should be considering this about colleges</p>

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<p>Ah a Chinese-speaking applicant with an Italian surname. That is worth a few points in admission. I, years ago, applied as an Italian-speaking Chinese. Got into everywhere I applied. Wish you a most happy journey.</p>

20

<p>I can't speak Chinese :(</p>