<p>OK so I never thought I would be creating one of my own threads here, but I am beginning to question my plans. I am looking for any advice/comments I can get. Thanks in advance!!!</p>
<p>Here are my stats:</p>
<p>Gender: Male
Location: Florida
Ethnicity: White
Schooling: Public, its decent for the area but it almost never sends anyone out of state or to any "good" schools. Anyone from Florida knows how hard it can be to turn down Bright Futures. UF is the "ivy-league" around here...</p>
<p>Academics -
Rank: 1/~600
GPA: UW: 4.0, W: 6.40 (for reference, I should graduate with a 7.42, which would barely edge out the precious school record =D)
SAT I : 2250 (M: 780, W: 740, CR: 730)
SAT II: Physics 800, Math II 780, US History 720
APs: Human Geography (4), World History (5), Music Theory (5), US History (4), English Language (5), Physics B (5), Microeconomics (5), Macroeconomics (5), Calculus AB (5)
Senior Year Course load: AP Psychology, AP Statistics, AP Chemistry, AP European History, AP Literature, AP Computer Science A, Orchestra (might self study BC Calculus or Physics C depending on how crippling my senioritis gets...)</p>
<p>Extra Curriculars -
Music:
- have played violin for 7 years. I'm currently working on the Tchaikovsky Concerto (so many notes!)
- Bunch of Superiors in solo & ensemble each year as violinist, occasionally I'll accompany people on piano.
- Played bass guitar in jazz band 9th & 10th grade.
- Bunch of 3rd to 1st place awards at regional and state violin concerto competitions
- concertmaster at youth orchestra in 10th grade (I slipped to 2nd last year but will hopefully reclaim my chair this year =D)
- All-State musician since 7th grade (4th, 3rd, 11th, 1st, and 3rd chairs respectively)
- All-County concertmaster several years running
- Traveled to NYC to play in Carnegie Hall with my youth orchestra the year I was concertmaster. (I had solos, can I say I soloed in Carnegie? lol just kidding)
- Won Concerto Competition with youth orchestra last year playing Zigeunerweisen (so fun!). Will perform that with the orchestra in November
- Just got back from a tour of China with my school orchestra. Got to solo in the Forbidden City Concert Hall how cool is that?
- Lots of Chamber/Quartet experience as well</p>
<p>School:
- Founder & President of Tri-M Music Honors Society
- National Honors Society
- A few of the student government clubs
- captain of 1st place team in Math League freshman year. Participated since then but focus shifted more to music after I moved ahead a year in math
- Just started Brain Bowl this year. We'll see how that works out...
- Model UN
- Various academic awards from school and elsewhere that I won't bother to write</p>
<p>Work Experience:
- LOTS of performing. Innumerable weddings/parties/events/dinners etc. as a violinist.
- Freshman and Sophomore year I was violinist of a performing Quartet called New Song Quartet. It involved over 15 hours per week including practice time.
- I began teaching violin privately Sophomore year. I currently have 8 students ranging in age from 6 to 50 and involves 8 hours per week
- Started my own business in 2006 as a satellite of a violin shop called Gainesville Violins. I basically work as a local sales representative for customers from our metro and all of the music programs in the local schools. This involves an insane amount of networking and talking on the phone and doing presentations and talking to people on the phone and driving long distances. It can take 20+ hours a week and has been highly lucrative (especially relative to most high schoolers. I was even able to buy myself a car!). My business has been my pride and joy of my high school career and I will be sad to let go. I'll probably write an essay about it.</p>
<p>Volunteering -
This is where I begin to lack imo. I only have 80 hours logged so far, but most of my community service has been related to tutoring in music and general help at schools. My one true community service project was when I went to New Orleans for Habitat for Humanity, but that was only 40 hours. I have another sheet floating around somewhere with a few more hours on it... Most of my activities which might be considered a "service to the community" I have been payed for, so I can't use them lol. Oh well, I guess thats the downside of being more active elsewhere...</p>
<p>OK so here is the list of schools I definitely wish to apply to:
University of Florida
Columbia (my favorite!) - Fu School of Engineering
Yale
--perhaps Princeton?
--perhaps Cornell?</p>
<p>My question is this: Where should I apply to early? I was thinking I should try Yale's Early Action, but I am beginning to worry that there might be a better option. My main motivation for applying early there at Yale instead of Columbia (my first choice school at the moment) is that I know I would be able to afford Yale simply because it has a friendly financial aid program for middle class (thats me!). At Columbia they predict we'll have to fork up over $30 grand a year, which is out of the question. Unfortunately, my decision (providing I get in elsewhere) will be almost purely financial based. Are there any other early action programs I should give a shot out there? Are there schools I should add to my list? In a nutshell, what are my chances?</p>
<p>Wow I'm sorry this was so long, thanks for reading! Oh just to clarify, while most of my document-able achievements have been in the music-related area, I do not intend on making a career in music. I hope to pursue some type math-ish physics-ish major. (I love physics)</p>