<p>Hi, I really want to go to Harvard. It’s been my life’s dream (so far). I’m also applying to other Ivy League and top schools such as Berkeley and Stanford. UCLA and UC Davis will probably be my backup schools. Thanks in advance. Also, I want you all to be brutally honest.</p>
<p>Here goes:</p>
<p>Asian Male
Attending National Blue Ribbon High School
Living in Southern California</p>
<p>SAT I: 1550 (780V/770M)
SAT II: 790 Writing 780 Biology 760 Math IC
National Merit Finalist</p>
<p>GPA: 4.67 (UW) 3.85 (W)
Rank: Top 5%</p>
<p>Varsity Water Polo (Most Improved Award, Team Leader Award)
Varsity Swimming</p>
<p>Piano for 12 years.</p>
<p>Key Club 9-12 (Treasurer, Council, and President)
Science Club 9-12 (Head Researcher, President, Counsel, Board)
Junior Statesmen of America 9-12 (International Leader, Official Middleman)
National Honor Society 10-12
Cancer Research Institute 9-10
Cancer Research Institute 11-12 (Young Scientist of the Year)</p>
<p>PSAT National Merit Finalist
Who’s Who
Siemens Westington Regional Semi-finalist
Bob Thompson Athlete Scholar Award
All-American Schlar Award
AP Scholar
Young Scientist Award
Congressional Honor Award</p>
<p>Summer student at City of Hope National Research Center
Summer student at Children’s Hospital of LA</p>
<p>I’m sure I will have AMAZING recs and my essay should be pretty good as well. Thanks again everyone!</p>
<p>BTW this is my college list:
I've gone over it with my HS college counselor.</p>
<p>Harvard
Yale
Stanford
Columbia
Brown
Cornell
UC Berkeley</p>
<p>you seem too academic...i know you have done waterpolo, etc. but it seems like your awards, are "confined" academically. youre not the MOST well rounded student ive seen, but you do have ECs...other than that im sure you have a great chance. good luck.</p>
<p>I am just curious, but I didn't think they had told who was a national merit finalist yet. Are you assuming because you got like a 240 or do you mean semi?</p>
<p>wat do you want us to say? do you just want us to confirm that you are in?
you know you'll get in to most of your schools, except maybe harvard.</p>
<p>yo, I concur with apollo. You don't seem as well rounded as some IVY league acceptees
well heres my thoughts
Harvard:reach
Yale:reach
Stanford:reach
Columbia:reach/match
Brown:reach/match
Cornell:reach/match
UC Berkeley:match
added
UCLA:match
UCSD:saftey match
Uc Davis:saftey</p>
<p>National Merit Finalist?? Have they released the finalists yet? I thought that was in March/April??</p>
<p>Anyway, you have a pretty good chance, although nothing's for certain. My friend got Seimens and we were almost certain that she would get into Yale EA, but that didn't happen. So, you never know ...</p>
<p>"Also, I want you all to be brutally honest."</p>
<p>okay, it sounds like youre overconfident. a 3.85 uw (i assume you mistyped the uw and w gpa) isnt spectacular for top schools. however, u do have some very heavy, good-quality involvement in science, but it doesnt strike me as standing out from the applicant pool. and after that, theres not much. all-american and who's who dont hold any weight at all, and AP scholar is kinda typical, many kids seeking ivies have passed 3+ AP tests by the time they apply. </p>
<p>it seems as if u have a shot at the top schools, but you dont automatically stand out from the crowd. hard to predict your acceptances but heres my ratings
harvard: reach
yale: reach
stanford: reach
columbia: reach/slight reach
brown: slight reach
cornell: slight reach/match
uc berkeley: match
ucla: match
ucsd: match
uc davis: safe match/safety</p>
<p>as for the overconfident part... UCSF as a safety? (as in u wont get rejected cuz u cant apply? jk).</p>
<p>on a final thought, i did have a friend who had decent gpa, good leadership, volunteer work, good amount of ECs, and a 1550 sat, who was rejected by ucb, ucla, and ucsd.</p>
<p>I am not overconfident. Also, those schools are my safeties.</p>
<p>I am being recruited at all of these schools for water polo/swimming as an athlete.</p>
<p>For the schools that I have listed as my safeties, they are 90-100 percent for me as admissions has contacted me personally and said that I am surely to be accepted unless something bad happens.</p>
<p>If you are actively being recruited for swimming and water polo, even at Harvard, you should be admitted.</p>
<p>First of all, the academic credentials are stunning for a recruited athlete. As of right now, he has gotten a 1550 on the SAT, gotten above 750 on 3 SAT II's, and has been highly involved in research.</p>
<p>For those of you who say he's not involved in enough nonacademic work, he's done piano for twelve years and he is a recruited athlete. The research and the athletics are really crucial. They're what make his candidacy so incredibly strong.</p>
<p>Unless you have some sort of honor violation, disciplinary issue/criminal conduct, show extreme arrogance/bigotry, or have extremely negative yet well-supported recommendations, there is no reason for them to turn down a recruited athlete with statistics that high.</p>
<p>Harvard: Slight Reach
Yale: Slight Reach
Stanford: Slight Reach
Columbia: Slight Reach
Brown: Match
Cornell: Match
UCB: Match
UCLA: Match
UCSD: Safe Match
UCD: Safety</p>
<p>"seeing the light"? amazingly modest, too. you OBVIOUSLY need a big ego boost from all of us, because your head seems to still be smaller than a mid-sized SUV. we can't have that...</p>