Do I have a chance at any of these schools?

Chance Me / Match Me!
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<p>Colleges I want to apply to:
UChig, UPenn, Northwestern, UMichigan, Georgia Tech, Cornell, Princeton</p>

<p>GPA: 3.81 UW</p>

<p>SAT I: 2340 (770 M, 790 CR, 780 W)</p>

<p>SAT IIs: 780 Chem, 800 Math II, 770 Math I (probably irrelevant, I took it fall of freshman year)</p>

<p>My school got rid of AP's a few years ago and changed the curriculum a lot, but I've taken the most rigorous classes possible in every subject except English.</p>

<p>I'm not entirely sure how my senior year courseload would translate, but basically it's this: AP Econ, AP French, AP Physics C, BC Calculus, English. I would've taken another class, but I took Stat last year and I already have a college credit in computer science (more on that later), and nothing else really made sense for me to take.</p>

<p>Extracurriculars:</p>

<p>Editor-in-Chief of my school's science journal (something my friends and I started up last year)</p>

<p>President of the chess club (came in the top 10 in a huge team tournament last year, expecting a really good result this year too)</p>

<p>Math Team (3 years, we've won a lot of regional championships)</p>

<p>I play competitive chess a lot outside of school. I won't name any specific tournaments (afraid of being identified), but I've won some tournaments at a famous chess club, and I've come in 2nd place in my section in two huge tourneys (comparable to the Manhattan Open). I also won my county's scholastic championship a couple years ago. For anyone who plays chess, I'm rated around 1950, closing in on 2000.</p>

<p>Teach chess to kids at a local elementary school (I run an after-school club for chess, basically)</p>

<p>Tournament director at scholastic chess tournaments. I referee, keep track of results, help organize the playing hall and sections, occasionally help calculate pairings/tie-breakers, and conduct award ceremonies.</p>

<p>Also in my school's honor society. We occasionally tutor kids, but that's about it.</p>

<p>For my first 2 years of HS I did Cross Country and Track too, but I quit.</p>

<p>The summer before junior year I was in a program at Penn (SAAST, in case anyone's wondering), where I took a college-level introductory course to computer science. I got an A.</p>

<p>And this last summer I interned at a physics lab. I planned to do it for the summer, but I'm still going there now ("mission creep" if you will). The grad student I was working under is writing me a really good letter of rec, and the professor (who's really well-known in his field) is co-signing it.</p>

<p>My teacher recs are pretty good too I think. I'm getting them from my US history teacher and physics teacher from last year, who are two of the best writers in the school (the physics teacher especially is known for writing amazing letters of rec). They both liked me a lot, although US History I got a B+ in.</p>

<p>Also I'm the first generation to be born and go to college in America. My parents were immigrants (they went to grad school here, though). I don't know if this really matters, it just crossed my mind a couple weeks ago.</p>

<p>I'm a white male.</p>

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<p>im sure you will get into at least 2 of them</p>

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<p>Anyone else?</p>

4

<p>There are lots of people who get rejected with perfect SAT scores so no one can tell you that you will get into these top-ranked schools easily. You need some safeties. </p>

<p>Your EC’s are all math and science-based and you quit the CC team, so that might make admissions committees wonder why you couldn’t step out of your math/science comfort level. </p>

<p>Admissions people have repeatedly stated that they don’t want students who are “books” since they have plenty of those in the libraries. What makes you different from those kids that have similar activities? That’s what they will look for.</p>

<p>BTW: first generation college students are those whose parents never had the opportunity to further their educations. It means the student had the disadvantage of not having the “knowledge base” of the parents, so the student has made inroads to get qualified for a college education on his/her own.</p>

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<p>You are not first generation, I think it usually means first generation to go to college any where, not just USA.
But I think you have good chances everywhere but Princeton. More if you apply ED to schools that offer ED.</p>

6

<p>Thanks for the responses everyone.</p>

<p>@"aunt bea"‌ This might be a stupid question, but could you elaborate more on what “book” students are?</p>

<p>I think I heard that colleges like well-rounded classes but not well-rounded students. I’m in Quizbowl too, but I don’t compete in it as often as often as in other EC’s, and I’m not an officer. I’ve mostly been doing it for fun these last few years. Is that still worth mentioning?</p>

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<p>Given some confusion about the various schools and mention of a RD rejection from Penn so early, OP isn’t quite as interested in seeking advice. This thread is old. But for the sake of others who may have similar questions, schools differ in terms of what type of student they seek. Not all schools are looking for “well-rounded classes”.There is a myth out there that schools are trying to replicate what the general US population is like as a small microcosm for each class. That is not the case at all. Competitive schools are looking for the strongest students. They’d be fine with a class consisting only of students with 800s, demonstrated commitment to specific activities pursued over long periods of time with mounting responsibilities and skill in each, and evidence of leadership. Great grades are no longer evidence of being a very strong candidate for a top school because there is such a truncated distribution of grades in most schools. So, it is a given that the student must have great grades. But the student’s choice of courses is very important. I can’t imagine any school rejecting any student for being “well rounded” as long as the student has not dabbled and as long as they student has pursued areas of excellence. Most schools would welcome a well rounded student who is excellent at all subjects but who has won nationals awards in activities pursued over years. </p>