harder better faster stronger (aka yale scea chances!)

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>so, it's late at night/early in the morning, and i have insomniac. chances please?</p>

<p>Test Scores:
SAT I: 2400 (single sitting)
SAT II: 800 Math IIC, 800 Chem, 790 Spanish (w/o listening)</p>

<p>Academics:
3.99 UW
4.43 W (out of 4.8)
School doesn't rank, but top 10% or so (highly competitive private school)</p>

<p>APs (NOT all my courses):
Soph Year: Calc BC, Chem, Euro, Spanish Language
Junior Year: Stats, US History, Spanish Lit (B+ in one semester :/), Comp Sci A
Senior Year: Bio, English Lit, Psychology, second semester: US Gov, Econ Macro, also taking Multivariate Calc (not an AP though)</p>

<p>ECs:
Debate - 4 years - Captain
various awards, National Forensics League Level of Distinction</p>

<p>Judicial Committee - 4 years - Chair
one of 2 elected members from my grade, roughly same level as student council</p>

<p>JSA - 4 years - Treasurer for a year, State Cabinet 3 years (Director of Debate, Director of Special Activities, Chapter Intelligence Agent)</p>

<p>Mock Trial - 2 years - Captain
prosecution attorney</p>

<p>Cross Country - 3 years (stopped senior year) - varsity
awards: Best New Runner, Eagle Award</p>

<p>Junior Engineering Technical Society (JETS) - Co-Captain (hah.)
2007: 12 place nationally (varsity), 1st place California (varsity), 2nd place regional (varsity); 2006: 1st place regional (jv), 3rd place national (jv); 2005: 2nd place regional (jv)</p>

<p>Congressman Honda's Student Advisory Council - senior year
one of 2 selected reps from my school</p>

<p>NHS - 3 years - Publicity Committee Chair
receiving NHS Leadership Award</p>

<p>Spanish NHS - 3 years
National Spanish Exam: 1st place state, 3rd place national</p>

<p>Piano - 2 years (stopped after soph year)
Certificate of Merit Advanced Level (aka Level X, highest level besides Panel)</p>

<p>Art - 3 years
Scholastic Golden Key Award</p>

<p>AMC 12 - okay scores, qualified for AIME sophomore year, just missed the cut last year</p>

<hr>

<p>so i definitely won't fit ALL of those in my "ec" section, but they'll make their way into my app somehow</p>

<hr>

<p>Misc Awards:</p>

<p>National Merit Semifinalist
Brown Book Award
Excellence in Policy Debate (school award for top team)
Excellence in English (school award for top English student)
AP Scholar With Honor</p>

<p>Work Experience:</p>

<p>Intern at Assemblywoman's office
Intern at law firm (summer)</p>

<p>Comm Service:
-volunteered for summer reading program at local library
-volunteered at center for autistic children
-volunteered as publicity organizer for local Heritage Day event (hundreds of people attended)
(basically, nothing spectacular here)</p>

<hr>

<p>essays: counselor says they're "fantastic," but i'm still looking to improve them
recs: should be good
major: probably poli sci/international relations</p>

<p>my scores are good, my academics are decent, and my ecs are run of the mill compared with those who have started their own companies, volunteered 34,349 hours, published memoirs, won international contests, etc. however, i do what i love, and i love what i do, and i hope that really shows through in my app.</p>

<p>other schools i'm apping to:
HYPS
UPenn
Columbia
UChicago
Georgetown
NYU
USC
UC Berkeley, UCLA</p>

<p>chances pretty please, and thanks in advance :).</p>

2

<p>bumpbumpbump</p>

3

<p>

Volunteering 3 years, 336 days, and 5 hours during high school? Impressive! :D</p>

<p>I’d say you have as good a shot as anyone. I hate to put emphasis on test scores, but perfect scorers really do have good chances at top schools. I don’t know how many achieve a 2400 in one sitting, but I would imagine they’re quite rare. Your ecs are solid, as is your coursework. Your essay will make you or break you, especially at Chicago.</p>

<p>Nobody can give you chances more specific than that, including Yale admissions. This year’s SCEA pool will be huge and extraordinarily talented, so it’ll be tough.</p>

4

<p>Do you have any safety schools?</p>

5

<p>thanks warbler!</p>

<p>safety schools-- usc and nyu, and at least one out of berkeley/ucla. roughly 50% of people at my school get into usc each year (and not even 100% apply), so the acceptance rate there is pretty high for my school, which is why i’d consider that one of my safeties.</p>

6

<p>If I were you, I’d cut school awards like Policy and English. They really are nothing special and seem like another attempt to fluff your resume considering that you’re applying to all the top schools.</p>

<p>Anyway, chances:
HYPS: Depends on your luck, you may be too all-over-the-place.
Columbia: Good chance, but… well, it’s Columbia
The rest: Excellent chance.</p>

7

<p>why are you simply an AP Scholar with Honor? not including senior year, according to what you say, you have 8 APs…making it possible for you to be an AP National Scholar. </p>

<p>did you not take all the AP exams? Why?</p>

<p>congrats on the 2400 single sitting. you are rock solid, academics and numbers wise. your ECs are above average, and although they’re a little spread out, they look good.</p>

<p>good luck! make sure your essays are really good. i think that’s the only thing that will really set you apart</p>

8

<p>oh yeah, i forgot, i’m a National AP Scholar. 5s on all APs so far.</p>

<p>i think i was referring to an old resume when i typed this up lol.</p>

9

<p>well i’m flattered that you think i’d make something like this up.</p>

10

<p>might i ask what you want to major in? i see both engineering and law stuff lol</p>

11

<p>i’m planning on majoring in political science or international relations.</p>

<p>however, i’ve also been decent enough in science/math to stand out a little in those fields as well, thus the somewhat odd combination of law and engineering activities.</p>

12

<p>bump?
:):D:):D:)</p>

13

<p>bumpbump
no more comments? cmon guys :)</p>

14

<p>ethnicity? since that seems to be a factor these days… (cursed asian heritage)</p>

15

<p>yes, i am indeed asian lol (and a girl, if that matters). but hopefully this won’t “hurt” me too much in the admissions process since i’m interested in political science instead of the more typically asian fields of math, science, and engineering.</p>

16

<p>bummmmpppppp</p>

17

<p>no love for the yale hopeful? :(</p>

18

<p>Ur definitely in most of the places… HYPS are definite possibilities for you, just to let you know!
However, Penn will likely wait-list or reject you if you don’t show strong enough of an interest. So if you really want to go there, show interest in your essay.
I know someone who is at Duke on an AB scholarship who got into HYP but was rejected by Penn. Ridiculous!</p>

19

<p>Those are the two worst things to be. But you’re absolutely fantastic regardless.</p>

20

<p>thanks
bummmpppp</p>