do i stand a chance next year?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Harvard University
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<p>-GA resident, male
-Ethnicity:1/4 Hispanic (Is this enough to only say Hispanic? I think I look somewhat Hispanic, but mostly Asian. Would it be best to just say I'm mixed Filipino and Spanish? My surname sounds pretty Spanish to me.)
-UW GPA: 3.94ish
-Weighted GPA: 4.14
-school doesn't rank, but I got an award for being the junior with the highest weighted GPA, meaning I'm a would-be valedictorian.</p>

<p>SAT I's (I'm retaking this October or November. I will aim for getting as close to perfect as possible.)</p>

<p>Math: 800
CR: 730
Writing:710</p>

<p>SAT II's (should I take some more, I'm also applying to 6/8 of the ivies and Stanford as well)
Math II: 800
Chem: 720
U.S. History: 710</p>

<p>Past AP's: US Gov and Politics-5
Projected AP scores for this year:
APUSH: 5
AP Chem: 4/5
AP Eng. Lang: 4/5</p>

<p>Senior Load
1. AP Calculus BC
2. AP Statistics (is it true stats is not really math, but is more like reading?)
3. AP Biology
4. AP Physics C
5. AP Literature
6. Economics (I wish my school offered AP.)</p>

<p>-school doesn't offer honors classes, but mentions "due to the rigorous curriculum of the school, no classes are designated as honors" in school description.</p>

<p>My only B's have been graphic design freshman year, AP Gov last year(will a 5 on the exam atone for this), and a mandatory composition class at our school this summer? I got straight A's junior year.</p>

<p>-will mention Math, Economics, and Chemistry respectively as my 1st, 2nd, and 3rd choice majors. I want to be an investment banker or hedge fund manager when I grow up.</p>

<p>EC's:</p>

<p>Boy Scouts
-Eagle Scout (just did my board of review). My project was building benches, pressure-washing old ones, and putting sealant.
-Senior Patrol Leader during 10th grade, Patrol Leader during 9th
-broke a national record for hiking. I hiked the Bartram Trail (100 miles/5 days, has a lot of elevation): honored by Governor Sonny Purdue and national head of boy scouts for this feat
-LOTS of community service projects
-raised money for inner-city kids to buy scout uniforms
-Philmont Summer 2010</p>

<p>Tennis (all 4 years)
-private lessons
-varsity tennis</p>

<p>Academic Quiz Bowl team (10-12)-Our varsity teams didn't have enough people, but next year, we will be up to full capacity, so I should have more honors/awards under my belt in this department.</p>

<p>I founded and am president of our school's food critic club. We go to restaurants about once a month and write critiques about them, which are published in the school newspaper. I want to see if we can get featured in the Zagat Survey.</p>

<p>Trumpet
-private lessons
-Superior Rating (9,10,11) at Solo Ensemble Festival
-Community Jazz Band (9-12)
-GISA all-select band member (11th grade) (top band members of private schools in GA)
-played for church on Sundays
-invited to play at school's open house 10th grade</p>

<p>Piano
-lessons
-invited to play at several concerts at school-
-two recitals per year</p>

<p>Young Republicans (should i say this? i know prestigious colleges are very liberal?)
-Vice President in club
-Raised money every year for troops in Iraq and Afghanistan (don't know exact amount, club's teacher sponsor can tell us).
-campaigned for McCain for president, and Saxby Chambliss and Johnny Isakson for U.S. Senate</p>

<p>Duke TIP summer program (summers after 9th and 10th grade, I respectively studied macroecon. and robotics)</p>

<p>Academic Awards:
-Georgia Certificate of Merit
-Phi Beta Kappa Award (given to Junior with the highest weighted GPA in class)</p>

<p>Hobbies:
-food-trying at restaurants (and even cooking some by myself)
-camping/backpacking</p>

<p>Miscellaneous:
I also volunteer at the library during the summer.
-I'm almost certain my PSAT score will qualify me for semifinalist standing in the NMS search. I didn't fill out Hispanic in the ethnicity section, so I wont get National Hispanic Recognition Program Honors.</p>

<p>-I'll probably send in a trumpet and piano music supplement.</p>

<p>Recommendations: I know several teachers at my school who like me and will probably write well about me.
Essay: 1) talk about perseverance, about how I thought I could accomplish anything after my national record hike (would this sound too trite?)
2) talk about how certain adversity in a trumpet competition didn't kill my trumpet passions.</p>

2

<p><a href=“Is%20this%20enough%20to%20only%20say%20Hispanic?%20I%20think%20I%20look%20somewhat%20Hispanic,%20but%20mostly%20Asian.%20Would%20it%20be%20best%20to%20just%20say%20I’m%20mixed%20Filipino%20and%20Spanish?%20My%20surname%20sounds%20pretty%20Spanish%20to%20me.”>quote</a>

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</p>

<p>The Common Application asks whether you are Hispanic and then what your race is. You could say “Yes” to the Hispanic question, specifying that you are Spanish (note, though, that some colleges do not afford an Affirmative Action benefit to those of Spanish ethnicity), and then indicate your race as being Asian.</p>

3

<p>What would happen if I left ethnicity blank?</p>

4

<p>^ Are you referring to the race category or the Hispanic category?</p>

5

<p>the entire race category. Most people on CC just tell me they’d assume you’re either white or Asian, something that won’t give you an advantage.</p>

6

<p>^ Well, Hispanic is not a race; are you asking about leaving that blank as well? If you leave it all blank (which you definitely are allowed to do), it is unclear how the admissions process is affected. It would surely be more advantageous to go with the route that I initially suggested, however.</p>

7

<p>so, do I stand a realistic chance of getting in?</p>

8

<p>Yes, you definitely do.</p>

9

<p>Even if my sat I/sat II scores aren’t crazy high, like some others with perfect scores on CC alone?</p>

10

<p>There aren’t enough perfect scorers for colleges to only accept them; plus, even perfect scorers get rejected. See the admissions part of my guide for lots of relevant discussion: <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/sat-preparation/955109-silverturtles-guide-sat-admissions-success.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/sat-preparation/955109-silverturtles-guide-sat-admissions-success.html&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>I studied Macroecon at Duke TiP too! My ninth grade year! :smiley: And I am from Georgia! :smiley: Dr. Kane rocked! :smiley: I think I know who you are…Rich Gannon?</p>

12

<p>Isn’t Rich Gannon a football player?</p>

13

<p>It’s an inside joke :stuck_out_tongue: That’s not his real name…</p>