Duke, Cornell, Chicago, Caltech, MIT, Stanford

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Indian in SC</p>

<p>Colleges:
USC - Columbia Honors
Emory
Duke
UC - Berkeley
Chicago
Cornell
Caltech
MIT
Stanford
Yale
Harvard</p>

<p>Majors:
Biochemistry and Math, Minor in Comp. Sci., Premed reqs.
In Duke, BME will replace Biochem.</p>

<p>Unweighted GPA: 4.0</p>

<p>Courses:
Before 9th:
Algebra 1(H)
Geometry(H)
Spanish 1</p>

<p>9th:
Physical Science(H)
Biology(H)
Algebra 2(H)
English 1(H)
Global Studies 1 (H)
Spanish 2
PE
Freshman Success
Computer Apps</p>

<p>10th:
AP Statistics (5)
AP World History(4)
Precalculus(H)
English 2(H)
AP Biology (5)
Chemistry 1(H)
Spanish 3</p>

<p>11th:
AP Chemistry(5)
AP Calculus BC(5)
AP Physics B(5)
AP English Lang. and Comp.(4)
AP U.S. History(4)</p>

<p>12th:
In School:
AP Physics C- Mechanics
AP English Lit. and Comp.
AP U.S. Government
AP Macroeconomics
AP Computer Science
AP Music Theory
Research 1(H)</p>

<p>USC:
Vector Calculus
Differential Equations</p>

<p>Self Studying:
AP Physics C- E&M
AP Microeconomics
Somewhat AP Computer Science and AP Music Theory(sitting in Computer programming 1, and music theory 1, but doing AP assignments, and taking AP Exam)</p>

<p>Class Rank - 4, top 1%</p>

<p>SAT:Trial 1
Math, CR, Writing
800, 750, 720; 2270 total
Trial 2
Confident that I can get to
800, 800, 750 (2350) by October 6, or at the very least (800/780/750/2330)</p>

<p>SAT II:
Math II, Chem., US. Hist.
800 800 750</p>

<p>EC:
4 yrs District Robotics Team
4 yrs Science Olympiad(event leader all 4 years, overall physical science leader 11th and 12th)
3 yrs Math team
3 yrs SAT TEAM</p>

<p>Awards/Honors:
2nd Place College of Charleston Math Comp. Level 2, 10th grade
2nd place Chemistry Olympiad Regional competition
National Chemistry Olympiad Qualifier
6th place Forensics 9th (Sci. Olymp)
5th place Forensics 10th (Sci. Olymp)
4th place Exp. Design 11th (Sci. Olymp)
3rd place Optics 11th(Sci. Olymp) -medal
1st place Chem Lab 11th(Sci. Olymp) -medal
<em>all Sci. Olymp. awards at state competition</em></p>

<p>Community Service:
20 hr. at Nearby Hospital
2 summers volunteering at local library
116 hr. tutoring at high school</p>

<p>Getting recs from AP Calc teacher, AP Chem teacher, and AP Lit
All known for giving good recs.
Calc and Chem like me a lot...</p>

<p>Essays are pretty good.</p>

<p>My main concerns are the last 5 colleges listed there. Pretty sure I should get into the other ones. I realize my EC's could be considered weak, but I was pretty committed to all of them, except SAT team, which didn't really do much. Robotics generally had one 2 hr meeting a week. During competition season, two or three 3 hr meetings a week.</p>

2

<p>Why do so many people who get 2200+ insist on retaking the SAT? Unless your score is really skewed (like 800/800/600), just don’t. I don’t know what admissions officers think of students like that, but personally I would think them to be insufferable perfectionists… no offense. A score of 2200 already places you in the 99th percentile, and yours is higher than that still.</p>

<p>Your list is pretty top-heavy; I’m hoping you only listed your “reach” colleges here because you need some matches/safeties (other than USC and Emory). Otherwise, your chances are about as good as anyone else’s.</p>

3

<p>I don’t have too many safety colleges, because if I don’t get into high level colleges, I will go to a low reach undergrad and do medical. Probably USC, cuz I’m almost sure I’ll get a full ride there, and I can save money for med school.</p>

<p>With regards to the SAT, it’s because according to the blue book practice tests, I think I can get the scores I listed, or higher (aiming for 2400, as personal goal). Also, if you look at the SAT distributions for a lot of these schools, the 75th percentile is ranges from 2300 ish to 2380. If I get into any of these schools, it will be because of academics, not athletics, or legacy, so I will need to be in that top 25%.</p>

<p>Thanks for the reply!</p>

<p>Also, forgot to mention on the original post, National AP Scholar, but I can’t go back and edit…</p>

4

<p>By 99th percentile, I meant nationally. A 2270 puts you in the running for any school.</p>

<p>As for USC; why are you “almost sure” you’ll get a full ride? I admittedly know little about USC scholarships, but it doesn’t seem like they’d give merit scholarships (and especially full rides) out like candy. They’re not a mediocre, low-ranked school; they’re almost in the top 20 with a sub-20% acceptance rate. You can’t count on going to a “low reach” school. They’re called reaches for a reason.</p>

5

<p>I think you misunderstood when I said USC - Columbia. USC is University of south carolina, not southern california. they have a 70% acceptance rate, not a 20% rate. I know, because, I have instate tuition, I meet the conditions for the highest level state scholarship. So far this means that I have, at the very least, a low tuition. In addition, several students from my school win, each year, an award called Carolina scholars given to 50 students, which is a full ride to USC. Based on statistics of scores and gpa for this award, I have a strong chance at getting the full ride.</p>

<p>By that definition, I correct my self, USC is not a low reach, it is the safety.</p>

<p>The problem with 2270 compared to national scores is that, for the top 5 schools im applying to, these are the 75th%ile scores:
MIT: 2340
Caltech:2380
Harvard:2380
Yale: 2390
Stanford:2330</p>

<p>All higher than 2270.</p>

<p>I appreciate the help. Do you see what I mean about the SAT scores, though?</p>

6

<p>Oh, haha, that makes a lot more sense.</p>

<p>Do you need significant aid? Berkeley is not going to give OOS students much aid.</p>

<p>As for SAT scores: go ahead and re-take them if you want, but adding 80-100 points to your score is not going to be the tipping factor in your decision. Top schools are not going to interpret a 2350 student as more qualified than a 2270 student. Good luck with your apps.</p>

7

<p>K. Thanks.</p>

<p>I realized the Berkeley aid problem, but it ranks better than even yale, in what I plan on majoring in, so I kept it in.</p>

<p>Also, my school is paying for me to take the SAT again anyway, and I already registered, if I let them use my score in the district SAT competition.</p>

8

<p>Nezoo, you have miscalculated 75th percentiles. You have data of adding the 75th percentiles of subsections to create an imaginative 75th percentile for the cumulative which is false.</p>

<p>As a reference, Columbia’s SAT 75th are M790 + W790 + R780 = 2360 but I read in their 2012 brochure that their 75th percentile for the composite is 2320. I don’t have data for every school, but it is illogical for the composite score to equal or exceed the addition of subscores when they are independent, exclusive data. I hope I am clear!</p>

<p>Still, your 2270 is not in the top quarter. It’s ok to give it again, but I hope you understand a stronger score will not improve your chances in most likelihood, you have already crossed the academic barrier.</p>

<p>As for chancing, it is down to the quality and depth of your essays. If they communicate you match the school’s lifestyle and objectives, there should be nothing holding you back.</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

9

<p>Okay, thank on you, collegeconscious, I appreciate it. I realized that I was miscalculating the 75th percentiles, but I knew I still wouldn’t be in it with 2270 in a lot of schools. I am going for a 2400, so if I get that, I think that will help.</p>

<p>In my essays I try to stress a desire to help others learn, and a passion for learning about mathematics and science.</p>

10

<p>Saying that you were committed to all your ECs is the same as saying that you were especially committed to none.</p>

<p>Your chances at the selective schools are low because there is little to distinguish you from the thousands of other applicants with top SAT scores and GPA. Except for CalTech your chances are probably no more than 10% at HYSM.</p>

<p>MIT (and other top schools) routinely rejects applicants with 2400 SAT and their chances are not much higher than those with a 2250+. MIT will look at commitment to math and science and some level of nationally recognized achievement. National Chem. Olympiad Qualifier may sound nice on paper, but that is a large pool of 1000. Top 150 Finalist would be nice and Top 20 Winner even better. Many of these will show up as applicants. MIT also gets between 50 and 100 USAMO qualifers as applicants every year and only about half are admitted. Did you for instance take the AMC? Did you qualify for the AIME? </p>

<p>If I were you I would broaden the mid-range of schools as even school such as Duke, Chicago and Cornell and very competitive, especially in the RD round. They are still reaches for most applicants. Don’t assume anything.</p>

11

<p>Okay, thanks for the honest opinion cellardweller, it’s better to know in advance than to just get a bunch of unexpected rejection letters. What other midrange schools would you suggest for a math major? I did take the AMC12 in 11th grade and got a 94.5, just short of the cutoff. In 10th grade, I got a 93 on AMC10.</p>

<p>Interestingly enough, CalTech is probably my top choice. What do you think my chances would be there?</p>

12

<p>Are you female applying to engineering major? My daughter’s friend was accepted to Caltech last year. According to my daughter, this girl is smart, but not crazy smart so I think you have great chances there.</p>

13

<p>No, I am a male, applying for Math and Biochemistry majors, with a Computer Science Minor, and premed requirements</p>

14

<p>OP says he is most interested in Caltech. My S got accepted there this past year (and is attending) with a 2350 SAT and 800 SAT II’s. But his grades and school-based extracurriculars were not as good as yours. His one advantage was two years spent working as a summer intern in a chemistry lab at a well-known university, which produced a very nice recommendation from the full professor who headed the lab. As for your current SAT score, it is higher than the Caltech (or any other) mean so you are in good territory there. Our sense was that since our S did have a number of non-science/math B’s in his transcript, the higher SAT score helped him. But you are a 4.0 student with weighted AP classes up the kazoo. Still, it can never hurt to get a higher score. I take exception to those who suggest that top universities reject lots of 2400 applicants. There are only about 300 or so in any year nationwide so that hardly seems likely. For Caltech, it is key to convey a passion for math and science, and those areas do seem to constitute your greatest strength. You accomplish this on the Caltech supplement which has a question specifically designed to test this. We are convinced that this played a major role in S getting in. The key to answering it effectively is to be sincere and come across as a real person. As far as the other top tier schools on your list are concerned, you have really good shots at Duke, Cornell and Chicago (in fact I would be surprised if you didn’t get into them), good shots at MIT and Stanford (although they are more selective than the previous three) and no one would be shocked if you got into Yale and Harvard (although they and the previous two could fill up a couple of freshman classes with the likes of students like you). One last thing. You mention premed. If you want to go to medical school most posters on this forum familiar with Caltech will warn you away from it, since it has suffered far less grade inflation than any other top-ranked university. Unfortunately, college GPA is heavily weighted by med schools, disadvantaging Caltech applicants with relatively lower grades.</p>

15

<p>OP says he is most interested in Caltech. My S got accepted there this past year (and is attending) with a 2350 SAT and 800 SAT II’s. But his grades and school-based extracurriculars were not as good as yours. His one advantage was two years spent working as a summer intern in a chemistry lab at a well-known university, which produced a very nice recommendation from the full professor who headed the lab. As for your current SAT score, it is higher than the Caltech (or any other) mean so you are in good territory there. Our sense was that since our S did have a number of non-science/math B’s in his transcript, the higher SAT score helped him. But you are a 4.0 student with weighted AP classes up the kazoo. Still, it can never hurt to get a higher score. I take exception to those who suggest that top universities reject lots of 2400 applicants. There are only about 300 or so in any year nationwide so that hardly seems likely. For Caltech, it is key to convey a passion for math and science, and those areas do seem to constitute your greatest strength. You accomplish this on the Caltech supplement which has a question specifically designed to test this. We are convinced that this played a major role in S getting in. The key to answering it effectively is to be sincere and come across as a real person. As far as the other top tier schools on your list are concerned, you have really good shots at Duke, Cornell and Chicago (in fact I would be surprised if you didn’t get into them), good shots at MIT and Stanford (although they are more selective than the previous three) and no one would be shocked if you got into Yale and Harvard (although they and the previous two could fill up a couple of freshman classes with the likes of students like you). One last thing. You mention premed. If you want to go to medical school most posters on this forum familiar with Caltech will warn you away from it, since it has suffered far less grade inflation than any other top-ranked university. Unfortunately, college GPA is heavily weighted by med schools, disadvantaging Caltech applicants with relatively lower grades.</p>

16

<p>As the previous poster suggested, if you are serious about premed you may want to rethink applyting to Caltech. Most Ivy League schools with the possible exception of Princeton have serious grade inflation, not grade deflation like Caltech or MIT. You may want to pick schools that have their our med schools as they typically wiill favor their own undegrads everything else being equal. To UC Berkeley you may want to add UCLA. They have increased their OOS student ratio. Michigan and Wisconsin are other excellent state schools with big math departments. Other solid schools with good premed placement include USC (in California), JHU and Vanderbilt.</p>

17

<p>You are certainly very competitive at any school. Unfortunately there are a lot of kids a lot like you applying to all of the same programs and most of your schools have very low acceptance rates. Your chances are better than most but it often turns out to be a crapshoot with these schools.</p>

18

<p>You’re one of the first people I’ve seen whose EC’s really seem to be focused around their chosen major. This, maybe more so than anything else, is the key to standing out at top colleges. So many students think they’ll get into a top college because they have perfect scores, perfect GPAs, and are the head of Key Club, Art Club, Reading Club, and Science Bowl. No focus=no passion=no top college (most likely). You do seem to be very focused, though, so I’d say your chances are high. Best of luck!
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1365139-chance-me-princeton-4.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1365139-chance-me-princeton-4.html&lt;/a&gt;
Please chance me for Princeton? Thanks a bunch.</p>

19

<p>Your course load and GPA is flawless</p>

20

<p>MIT is way too subjective to even chance, they regularly accept normal people with no awards or anything all the time, its just if you’re the FIT.</p>