Dream/Realistic/Safety Colleges for a Sophomore who just moved to America

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Hey everybody! I just moved to America from India and am now in a high school in Chicago (supposed to be 150 or so in the nation). I am a sophomore and I was wondering what colleges I can consider to be my dream colleges and safety schools. I took the PSAT but don't want to mention it (too embarassing). Here are my other stats - </p>

<p>ACT - 34/35 (getting on the practice tests....never actually took a real one)
PSAT - 227 (on my last practice test...80 Math, 69 Reading, 78 writing)
SAT - haven't practiced yet
GPA - 4.0 unweighted (yes I try) and 4.2 or so weighted
EC - scholastic bowl, debate.</p>

<p>Questions I have - </p>

<p>1) Do I have any chance of getting into MIT/Stanford?</p>

<p>2) I'm looking at Univ or IL Urbana Champaign...realistically what ACT/SAT score and GPA do I need (with my current ECs) to have a sureshot chance in?</p>

<p>3) I'm looking to major in either Computer Engineering or Electrical Engineering. What colleges would you recommend for that?</p>

<p>4) My weighted is a bit low but that is because I attended a small school for a while before moving to this big school.....If I take lots of APs through my junior and senior yr, how much can I expect this to go up?</p>

<p>5) How much community service do I need to do per month?</p>

<p>6) My school being big (it sends lots of people to Harvard/Yale every year) offers lots of APs? Is it a disadvantage to me if I miss out on some of them? What I mean to say is....considering that I just moved, will the selection people cut me some slack because I have to take some classes now and I can't fit APs?</p>

<p>7) Is is advisable to take early PE so I can take another AP? (then i would have ALL APs for that semester :))</p>

<p>8) I know I have to take a foreign language to get into college. Can I get into any US Top 10 college with 2 yrs of Spanish? Or do I have to take 3-4 yrs of it? If yes, what is the schedule for local colleges where I can take it?</p>

<p>EDIT - Do you think that my user name is cool?</p>

<p>EDIT AGAIN - OK school rank is 77..just checked</p>

2

<p>I wouldn’t overload too much on AP’s as long as your coursework is getting more challenging, that is the key. You do need more EC’s related to what you want to study. They are weak right now especially since you do live in the Chicagoland area.</p>

<p>As far as taking Spanish for more then two years, that usually is the recommendation for top schools 2 years+, so it is always good to overachieve I guess.</p>

<p>You should be set for UIL-UC since it is in-state. A few more schools to look at:
-Rose Hulman as a safety
-Cornell, Purdue, UM-Ann Arbor, Cal Tech, and UC-Berkeley. </p>

<p>Overall though UI-UC has one of the best computer/electrical engineering programs in the country and you could get a bargain.</p>

3

<p>What kind of ECs do I need?</p>

<p>Will U of I UC favor me over out-of-state candidates since I am in state?</p>

<p>If I do summer camps in colleges in my area, will me credit be passed on to my regular school?</p>

4

<p>You appear to be international–will you be needing financial aid? If so, you will have no safeties except for possibly in-state publics (check the tuition laws) if you can afford them without aid.</p>

5

<p>No I don’t think I will need financial aid. How is Northwestern for engineering?</p>

6

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<p>Whatever ECs you want to do! Many schools just want to know that you participate, especially in something you really care about.</p>

7

<p>Welcome to America, take that spanish class. You will find that you need it in a variety of circumstances. </p>

<p>I believe that in Illinois, if you graduate from an in state school, you are considered in state for residency purposes, but check it out for sure.</p>

<p>Your grades and test scores sound impressive and I think you probably have a great shot at any school you apply to. You don’t appear to have all that many outside interests and since that is relevant for undergrad admission, consider becoming involved in something. Undergrad admission committees (or whomever makes that decision at the undergrad level) seem to think that a history of community involvement will enrich their student population and breed activism and vibrance. Who knows, you may even discover your passions through this involvement.</p>

8

<p>Welcome to America, take that spanish class. You will find that you need it in a variety of circumstances. </p>

<p>I believe that in Illinois, if you graduate from an in state school, you are considered in state for residency purposes, but check it out for sure.</p>

<p>Your grades and test scores sound impressive and I think you probably have a great shot at any school you apply to. You don’t appear to have all that many outside interests and since that is relevant for undergrad admission, consider becoming involved in something. Undergrad admission committees (or whomever makes that decision at the undergrad level) seem to think that a history of community involvement will enrich their student population and breed activism and vibrance. Who knows, you may even discover your passions through this involvement.</p>

9

<p>OK I will try to get more EC’s and so I have a good chance of making it at U IL Champaign… good news…What about the other top tech colleges - MIT, Stanford, UC Berkeley, Caltech? How hard is it to get into these? Do I have any chance of getting in if I maintain my grades and test score (maybe even bump up my ACT to a 36)?</p>

10

<p>Realistically, having an ACT score of 36 vs. 35 or even 34 won’t make much of a difference. Same goes for differences in SAT scores (2400 vs. 2350 or 2300). MIT has even stated that they don’t care about anything above a 700- that is, whether it’s an 800 or a 710 doesn’t matter to them.</p>

11

<p>I highly doubt MIT considers an 800 and 710 the same, maybe a 750 and 800… However I doubt it gives you that much of an advantage.</p>

<p>But I agree that a 34 vs 35 vs 36 won’t keep you out of anything. If you have good grades (which you do) anything above at a 33 or above won’t really matter and you can get in to any top 10 school even with 30s, 31s and 32s without being a URM, Legacy, etc.</p>

<p>Also really get involved in two or three extra curricular, if you manage to get a major award in something and you are involved in a few others it will REALLY help you a lot. Right now ECs are the only thing holding you back. MIT and other top 10s have tons of applicants with 2200+ and 33+ test scores and 4.0s, you need to have really strong ECs in order to distinguish yourself. When I say strong I mean at least state or national recognition in at least one, or a varsity sport/class president.</p>

<p>That being said you are fine for U of I engineering since you are instate. I had 10+ friends get in with much lower stats. I think you have a great shot at MIT/Stanford/other top 10s, but if you are going to major in engineering, its hard to beat U of I, and there is not much point in paying a ton more money to go out of state or private. Especially in EE and Computer, they are top 3 nationally.</p>

12

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<p>Sigh. You want to go to MIT, right? Can’t you do the math yourself? No one here has any idea how much your school weights APs, or how they calculate GPA, much less what grades you are likely to get in them.</p>

<p>In addition to taking note of the excellent advice you’ve been given here regarding ECs and languages, I’d suggest that you make an appointment with your guidance counselor immediately and talk with him or her about how to best prepare yourself for elite college admissions, given your personal situation.</p>