Currently Junior. Asian American with a family income of $30K, fee waiver for SAT and lunch, gonna have to get a job senior year to pay for stuff.
GPA: 4.5, UW: 3.8
Isn’t that important compared to what really matters tho: Class rank, top 9-10% at the start of senior year. I’m planning on taking summer AP courses before senior year. Took all AP and pre-ap courses when available except for us history.
SAT
Expecting 1540+. Got 1470 (740 erw 730 m) on my first test with hella dumb mistakes so I can bring that up December probably. I hear subject tests won’t matter but I’m confident in math 2, physics, bio and chem
EC’S
-HOSA state qualifier in 2 events, uncommon for most competitors. Prepared speaking & Current events.
-TSA state qualifier in tech competing
-Self-teaching Harvard CS class and Python, as well as being the first in my school to self-teach Calc AB junior year with precalculus
-ACE engineering involved mentor as well as planning on getting an internship senior year in either CS or engineering
-Marching band, not important so I might leave it off tbh. Might have to quit it in senior year because of financial issues in my family.
-USABO top 20% scorer on the open exam - involved in biology tutoring as well junior for JMA and have been taking health science courses for 2 years. I don’t want to major in biology but I’d love to pursue it in some way
-STEM TALKS writer and blog poster, planning on entering writing competitions this year to share my passion for STEM and write a lot about it. This will also help me work hard to improve my writing ability for my essays next year.
Most of these ECs began junior year besides band, HOSA and USABO
I’m assuming you are in state. Its unfortunate that you are not in the top 6% because I would think you have a really good shot. Get that SAT and especially math score as high as possible. Spend a lot of time on your essays. UT is a possibility for you but definitely not guaranteed. Do look at other programs in the state. You would be a guaranteed acceptance at all other public universities. At UT Dallas, you could probably get a full tuition plus $3000/semester scholarship award if you get your SAT score to the 1540 level. Apply to UT but also apply elsewhere because they can offer some other things like money and honors.
As noted in another thread:
Texas Advance Commitment
https://texasadvance.utexas.edu
If in-state applicants have $30k AGI or less, you get full tuition for 4 years.
@GTAustin Thanks a lot. It really frustrates me that i didn’t make top 6 because i could have easily had I taken the GPA-boost courses most kids in my school did. I took health science classes which were waited a 4.0 on weighted and unweighted scales in order to learn if it was a career I wanted to pursue, but in turn that, along with marching band, dropped my class rank about 5%.
Also thanks to @bemart14 that could really help. Side note, I’m not sure if my family income may be a couple above $30,000, it could be around $30,500 or $30,100 but hopefully I can get enough aid for that deal as well as heavy aid or scholarships in other colleges
I am trying so hard for NMF but I feel like I’m not at that level where I can make 0 stupid errors on a standardized test. The SAT i took in august I made 7 dumb errors in math that could easily have been fixed. Not to mention mis bubbling 2 questions in writing.
You did the right thing about exploring options in HS. Good luck on the PSAT for NM. Even if that doesn’t work out, just getting the SAT score will open doors for you. Again, apply to multiple schools so you have a choice both academically and financially. You will succeed where ever you go.
It’s certainly a possibility, but it’s never a guarantee. I would also apply to Texas A&M as well. The good thing about EE and CS majors is that you don’t need a prestigious school to get a good job. You could apply to U of H, UT-Dallas, or Texas State, and be just as well off. Texas State might offer you a partial scholarship.
Quick update: Got 1540 on dec SAT, 750/790, no national merit on psat, and thinking about Aerospace engineering instead!