Do I have a chance?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Brandeis University
1

<p>I have some odd statistics. I go to an EXTREMELY competetive school with no class ranks; only a percentage system. I do not know where to apply because I really do not mind where I go. My parents want me to go to a name school however, and say I cannot justify going to an out-of-state school rather than an in-state school because of the price differences IF the school has no known name. Anyways, here we go:</p>

<p>GPA Interval Table (358 students)</p>

<p>4.25+ = 3.97%
4.00-4.24=6.15%
3.50-3.99=19.55%
3.00-3.49=25.98%</p>

<p>I fall into the fourth denomination with a 3.1 GPA/3 GPA UW.</p>

<p>My SAT scores were a 670 V, 720 M, and a 620 W. I took the Math SATII IIC and received a 740 and the US History SAT II and managed only a 590. I am scheduled to take the physics SAT II on January 28th.</p>

<p>My ECs are:</p>

<p>Earth Science Team in 9th grade - helped the team place for the first time in school history.</p>

<p>My sport is mountain biking. I am including this because the application is supposed to let the college know who you are, and that is a large part of me. I mention it in my short answers as well.</p>

<p>I volunteered approximately 800 hours at my local library, 110 of those as a “reading buddy” (I read to little kids who had trouble reading, be it learning disabillities or inability to speak English well, etc.) and the rest as an attendant. My essay was based on my experiences with these children and my Grandfather who was a rolemodel for me in teaching the kids how to read.</p>

<p>I was a member of the Science Olympiad in my Sophomore year and I was a robotics team member.</p>

<p>I also did a lot of extracurricular activities involving engineering or statistics; I love computers and did a lot of software development (I helped the efforts in modifying some of the game consoles on the market), I have designed my own engines and transimissions for cars (Similar in respect to the StarRotar Engine, the Quasiturbine, and the CVT), and I am an avid Sabermatrician. Yes, I create baseball statistics. I am on the quest to create objective statistics to best evaluate a player’s worth. I may not have done so well in school, however, I have acheived a great deal on my own. School is just not my type of environment. It is tedious, boring, and repetetive; none of it is applied, and the class around me lags behind my understanding. The teachers are not able to answer the many of my questions, and I continually spark debates among the math teachers in my school because they simply cannot come up with the answers, or confirm my explanations.</p>

<p>I worked as a cashier/porter at Kings for 4 or 5 months and I have done computer repair and math tutoring for the majority of my high school career.</p>

<p>Some other interesting notes: I have played the piano for 7 years and have copyrighted music. Additionally, I have a recommendation from a New York Post editor who, coincidentally (and conveniently maybe) is a graduate of Brandeis.</p>

<p>I am taking AP Statistics (B+) this year, took Electronics Honors (A) Junior year, Chemistry Honors (C+) and Algebra II Honors (C-) honors Sophomore year, and I doubled up in science freshman year.</p>

<p>My poor Sophomore year grades are due to the death of my grandmother. I was unable to keep that from spilling over to my already limited enthusiasm in doing work I did not want to do, so of course, I suffered in those classes which required the most amount of work.</p>

<p>I believe all of the following GPAs are weighted:</p>

<p>Freshman year GPA: 3.224
Sophomore year GPA: 2.449
Junior year GPA: 3.372
Senior year GPA (so far): Around 3.4</p>

<p>So, do you think I can get in and if so, what are my chances?</p>

2

<p>Awefully hard to say. Your SATs are in the Brandeis ballpark, but your grades are not, and your SATIIs are spotty. You have very, very interesting ECs and a valid explanation for your crummy sophomore year (which I hope you told the Brandeis adcoms about in your essay)... My gut feeling, however, is you probably won't get in. But if you don't care where you go, maybe the best thing to do is to go to a state school with a strong math, computer, or engineering program, do superlatively well, and then, based on your undergraduate record, go to a name graduate school. By the way, I'm curious, why did you choose to apply to Brandeis?</p>

3

<p>I know it's tough. I've been running around in circles trying to find schools to apply to... I may do exactly as you suggested, but we shall see... I would like to go to Brandeis because it is a school with an outstanding reputation, located near a city that I love, and it has a good business program which I would love to take part of. I also hear that it has a beautiful campus.</p>

<p>By the way, I just took a Physics SAT II practice test and got a 700 without studying. If I could bump that up 50 points by studying over the next couple of weeks and get a 750, you think that may push me over the fence?</p>

4

<p>It may. It may. Though I have a feeling it will leave you sitting on the fence with no inkling of which way you will fall. All I can say is don't count on Brandeis. You may get it BUT make sure you have applied to a number of less selective backup schools that you wouldn't mind going to. Boston U might be a good choice. Ditto UMass in Amherst.</p>

5

<p>Brandeis loves interesting people, and you seem like a pretty interesting guy (or girl, whatever). I'm not even bothered by the low GPA. What worries me is when you say "School is not my type of environment." You seem quite intelligent and creative and a good fit (most people here are pretty quirky) but can you handle the courseload? Brandeis is a tough school. Over the course of the semester there are tons of papers, quizzes, tests, and midterms that seem to spring up out of nowhere. Granted, most colleges give exams, but Brandeis is known to be especially demanding. I think you have a good shot, and if you do, get ready to work your ass off.</p>

6

<p>Stain, I think you misunderstood - mostly due to my lack of explanation.</p>

<p>High School requires you to take many courses which you do not want to take. High school classes move at a pace to please the class, not the individual. High school classes are repetetive, continually reitterating a point that I can easily comprehend after one quick lesson. This may be due to the fact that I was forced to take standard classes after my poor showing in sophomore year, but it is undeniably present.</p>

<p>Basically, as I see it, high school really does not mirror the real world at all. Where in real life do you sit in a monotonous environment waiting for a bell to ring to allow you to move on to your next task? Only if you're a teacher.</p>

<p>It is not that I am afraid of doing work. Believe me, I put in countless hours when I am interested. The hard part for me is to get interested. In college, you are required to take SOME courses, but not a math, science, language, english, art elective, technology elective, etc. In college, you take classes that better your understanding of a topic that you are interested in, hence why you are majoring in it.</p>

<p>Sorry, but the way I see it, high school and college are completely different animals - especially in taking classes that interest you.</p>

<p>I do appreciate the input though! Thanks for the vote of confidence!</p>

7

<p>Hey you never know, i got in with a decent GPA 3.7 out of 4.0 but my test scores were way under, you have better ec;s then me, so have an interview show your interest and wait! get some backups just in case though</p>

8

<p>Thanks a lot for the input. I really appreciate it! Any other opinions?</p>

9

<p>I'm also worried about that low GPA. Science courses especially are known for their difficulty. And don't think that you'll never take a course in college that you won't love. You WILL get at least one bad professor. Probably more. You'll take a course that seems interesting at first, but isn't really what you want. You'll have to fill requirements for the University. You'll have to fill requirements for your major. I'm a chem major and must admit I wasn't tickled pink by physics or linear algebra. But I had to work in those classes even though I hated them. If you wouldn't be able to, consider somewhere else. Also....</p>

<p>"it has a good business program which I would love to take part of. I also hear that it has a beautiful campus."</p>

<p>I don't think we have an undergrad business major, just so you know. There's a few programs and the grad school is excellent, but you would have to major in something else. And, while I love the campus, it's a bit ecclectic and some people don't.</p>

10

<p>I guess we will have to see then. I do not bore easily by math and science. I do when I am forced to dwell on a topic I already thoroughly understand, but I do not think that happens so often in college, does it?</p>

<p>I would major in computer science, economics, mathematics, or physics and minor in one of them as well. Business is something I would go for after. This would enable me to keep my options open for a career later in life.</p>

<p>In terms of the campus, don't most colleges strive to achieve diversity?</p>

11

<p>I meant ecclectic in the architecture. The campus doesn't really match.</p>

12

<p>Eh, I do not really care about the styles of the buildings and how they look. I care more about what the school can teach me and how much information I can absorb while I am at the school. The diversity of the architecture should not have much of an impact on my ambitions.</p>