EA Caltech 2021 Chances?

Colleges and Universities A-Z California Institute of Technology
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Hey Everyone, I’m applying EA to Caltech. Where do I stand in the EA applicant pool?

Thanks in advance!

Here are my stats:

Asian Male

SAT (Superscore): 2230 (CR-670, M-770, W-790 Essay:10)
SAT II: 800 Math II, 750 Biology E
ACT: 34 (Math:34, Reading: 34, Science: 31, English: 35)
ACT Superscore: 35 (Math: 34, Reading: 34, Science: 35, English: 35)

NC GPA (Unweighted) - 3.96
NC GPA (Weighted) - 5.125
Class Rank: 7/631
Attend Top Public School in NC
Student in North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics Online Program
Taking courses offered nowhere else in the country, which include Honors Medicinal Chemistry and Honors Bioinformatics

AP (7 AP’s taken):
Biology (4)
Calculus BC (5)
Statistics (4)
Human Geography (5)
US History (4)

Senior Year Courses:
AP Computer Science A
AP Physics II
AP US Government and Politics
AP Psychology
Honors Anatomy and Physiology

NCSSM Courses (Semester-Long Courses):
Honors Bioinformatics (Taken)
Honors Computational Chemistry
Honors Medicinal Chemistry

Major Awards: Winner of Genentech Emperor Science Award in Cancer Research, President’s Volunteer Service Award recipient, Selected and Completed NC Governor’s School in Mathematics, Junior Marshal (Top 35 Class Rank), Research Paper accepted by National Journal of High School Science

Extracurriculars:
Varsity Men’s Tennis Player (9-12)
Research Lab Assistant at UNC and Duke (11-12)
Key Club (9-12) / Executive Board Member (10-11)
Science Olympiad (9-12) / President (11-12)
National Technical and Spanish Honor Societies (11-12)
Quiz Bowl Team 9-12) / Co-Captain (10-12)
Tutoring Club (9-12) / President (10-12)
NC School of Science and Mathematics Ambassador (11-12)
NC School of Science and Mathematics SIDE Leader: Create and teach enrichments to K-12 students across NC (11-12)
UNC Hospitals Volunteer (11-12) 200+ Hours
Red Cross Volunteer (9-12) 35+ Hours

Teacher/Counselor Recommendations will be very good, as I know my them very well and interact with them daily.

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bump

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@therealdeal23: I don’t know much about EA stats (and I applied regular decision), so I can’t help specifically with that part.

Comparing with the class of 2019 (currently up at https://www.admissions.caltech.edu/content/class-profile), it seems you’re in the mid-50% for your ACT and SAT scores, so that part of your application should be relatively adequate.

The fact that you’re an Asian male shouldn’t hurt you; Caltech Admissions says they don’t consider race/ethnicity/gender/etc. in making admissions decisions.

It seems that you’re taking advantage of many of the advanced classes available to you, which Admissions likes to see.

Admissions will be happy that you play tennis (it shows you know how to relax and have fun), but you won’t be admitted just because you play a sport.

Caltech always likes research, as it’s a research-centered school.

Just curious - what future are you considering? Chemistry? Medical school after your undergraduate studies? Or perhaps something else? Is there anything in particular that you really want to study, or do you just have a relatively broad idea of your interests? Depending on your answers, I would recommend emphasizing different pieces of info about yourself.

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@Anamfija I plan on attending medical school after my undergrad studies. I’ll probably major in computer science but I am not 100% certain about it.

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@therealdeal23: As you write your essays, I recommend thinking about the following questions.

  • Why medical school? Are you planning on getting an MD, an MD/PhD, or another degree? Is there any specialty that you might find particularly interesting?
  • Why (tentatively) computer science? How would this help you in medical school, particularly in comparison to the majority of students (who will mostly be from biology/chemistry backgrounds)? Would there be any interesting perspectives on medicine or other strengths that this background would give you?
  • Why Caltech? What is available at Caltech and not at other schools that will help you to achieve your vision?
  • Is this potential future something that you would actually enjoy doing? (Also think of any experiences that you've had to sway your answer to this question one way or the other.)

Think of your essays (especially the main essay) as telling a story, with you as the main character. Describe what you are interested in and why. If there is any “turning point” in your life about your ideas for your future, try to include it, but don’t be cliché - be real. Evoke at least one sort of emotion in your reader if possible, whether it’s hope, enthusiasm, hilarity, fear, sorrow, or anything else. And most of all, tell the truth.

To me at least, your overall stats seem adequate (your SAT superscore could be a tiny bit higher, but you’re still within the middle 50% range for the class of 2019’s stats), so I expect that really shining on your essays would help you the most with your chances at admission.

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My general advice to students who are reasonably certain that they want to go to medical school is: go somewhere other than Caltech. Caltech is great for hard-core scientists. The classes there are actually hard, and the last I knew, everyone had to take quantum mechanics (for example). The grading is somewhat more generous than it used to be, but not at all gentle. GPA matters a great deal for medical school. Med schools may give you a little break for a Caltech GPA, but probably not as much as they should, nor as much as you might think. The faculty will not have written letters of recommendation for a large number of medical school applicants, and in any case, will be more interested in the future scientists and engineers (not in a mean way, just that they share interests and goals). Because of the demand-level of your classes, you will have less time for hospital volunteering and other activities that med schools look for. Go somewhere great, but probably Caltech is not really the right choice for you.

There are Caltech cartoons about pre-meds coming to pre-frosh orientation at Caltech.