Help and chance a hopeful Junior for HYPSM: Need advice for tailoring app

Chance Me / Match Me!
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<p>I figure I'll add some sort of key to start. I'll make things I've already done in normal text and things I have made efforts to start/ will almost certainly do (in parentheses). I'll add possible activities in the future [in brackets].</p>

<p>Objective Stats
Demographics: White male, Catholic School, probably 2nd best in my city of ~1million in Kentucky, family in 120k range</p>

<p>Tests: 230 psat (so I'm guessing around 2200-2400 SAT when I take it, right?)
35 ACT without writing, which was really stupid in hindsight
SAT II: 780 Math II, 700 Spanish Listening *not sure if that is good since I'm non-native
Will take chemistry in spring, probably retake anything else I might need in fall (Spanish)</p>

<p>GPA: 4.0 uw, no idea weighted
Rank: My counselor estimated 1st, or at least tied, out of ~330. I take the hardest schedule available, so if I maintain my A's I shouldn't fall.</p>

<p>Schedule: Frosh: all honors classes
Soph: all honors + AP Art History (4)
Junior: honors + AP Lng Cmp, AP USHist, AP , AP Chem
Senior: All AP's: Spanish, Calc BC, Physics C, Bio, Lit, [Java, study hall, Euro? idk)
I took 1 year theology courses grades 9-10 and will take 2 semester-long courses each year from junior to senior. I'm worried that these will lower my weighted gpa.</p>

<p>Subjective~ish
As I stray way from objective stats and head to more subjective ones, remember the tags. (Probable) [Not sure, need help]</p>

<p>Awards:
Grand recognition Duke Tip 7th
Gold Medal National Spanish Exam 8th
Principal's List <em>Straight A's in a quarter</em> x9
Merit Scholarship- I get about 25% off tuition at my school for getting 99 percentile on entrance exam <em>This is the highest non-need based amount</em>
National Spanish Honor Society
Other Awards are in EC *Eagle Scout, etc.
[Intel STS if I'm lucky]
[Some sort of olympiad]
EC:
My main EC will be academic team. I was captain of the JV team Soph, and (will be captain senior year). We've won lots of smaller tournaments and some bigger ones, but the #1 school in our area beats us about 70% of the time in the finals. ([I'm thinking that next year I will also be able to take home some NAQT wins that will propel us to national competitions.)]</p>

<p>Chess- I peaked at 1200 USCF in 7th grade and basically stopped playing after that. This is not a bad rating for a rather casual player, but it doesn't stand out. I go to some meetings at my school but not many. I'm not even sure if I should mention chess, or if I'm allowed to mention middle-school exploits, since I got a bunch of awards pre-HS.</p>

<p>NHS- (Really want to run for some sort of positions, hopefully president).</p>

<p>Boy Scouts- Eagle Scout, Crew Leader on High Adventure, Atikokan</p>

<p>Chemistry Club- (Going to run for position next year, will almost surely get one)</p>

<p>Math Team</p>

<p>Ryken Service Club- (Will run for position) Very good source for service hours if you need them. Meets once per month to discuss opportunities and officers are expected to be active.</p>

<p>Intramurals- My HS has the 2nd largest intramural program int eh state after UofL. I've done kickball, football, and basketball. 4th in kickball, 2nd in football</p>

<p>Peer Leaders- I go to grade schools and talk about drugs. I can probably make a bigger deal of this than it actually is when I apply.</p>

<p>Volunteering- I would guess around 100 hrs so far. This includes BSA, tutoring disadvantaged kids, NHS, etc.</p>

<p>I'm going to some weird, state-sponsored college thing over the summer that will let my go to college at a very reduced price. It's a 5-week program and you learn things you are interested in.</p>

<p>I'm basically guaranteed NMSF.</p>

<p>So, these are quite weak. I've compiled a list of things I want to do to improve my rather mediocre subjective stats.
(Take Math Oylmpiad qualifying tests. I think I can pass AMC, not AIME)
(Take Chemisty Olympiad qualifying tests. I really like chemistry so I should do well here.)
I am about to start self-studying AP Stat for this year.
I have started trying to open a MAO chapter at my school. I'd probably be president.
(My dad knows some people at a lab that specializes in an up-and-coming technology *related to chemistry. Write letter asking for internship over summer.)
[Want to get a normal job over summer.]
[If I get that internship, ask them for ideas for an Intel STS project. Since it's a newer field than most, it could be quite interesting. Independent research is always a plus, too.]
[If I don't get the internship, start some sort of service/charity organization for hourz and so I can show leadership].</p>

<p>I like to think that I'm a good writer, but everyone thinks that they are good. I know I will ask many different people to review my essays.</p>

<p>I don't know if these will cut it, though. Please tell me if you have more ideas and areas I could improve.</p>

<p>I'd appreciate tentative chances for:
Harvard
Yale
Princeton
Stanford
MIT
CIT
UCAL-Berkely</p>

<p>Not sure about midd-ish schools.
Centre
Purdue</p>

<p>Safety: UK, I get to go for free.</p>

<p>I know most of these are crapshoots for everyone, but I'd appreciate if you told me if they were worth the money and time and what I can do to increase my chances. Sorry if this is really unorganized, and thanks in advance!</p>

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<p>Bump 10char</p>

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<p>“Intel STS if I’m lucky”
It will help you a lot.</p>

<p>As of right now, you have great chances at UCB.
All other are reach schools since you do not have any hook.</p>

4

<p>You are on the right track, but your community service is still weak and the elite schools really like to see leadership roles in community service work. I would seek out an opportunity where you can implement decisions to fill an unmet need; create your own if you can’t work independently with an established group. Just logging hours is meaningless for these schools.</p>

5

<p>Thank you all so much. I was thinking about possibly writing about my brother, who got very very sick when I was a frreshman. His appendix ruptured before he had surgery, so he was in and out of the hospital for two months and almost died. His bowels stopped functioning and he had to go on TPN. I was thinking of using that as my hook, since I like chemistry. I want to try to say that I want to go chemistry so that I can develop drugs to help people in my brother’s situation.</p>

<p>I don’t really have any other hooks, but I think that one could work okay. I could mention going through finals and two months basically on my own, coming out pretty well.</p>

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<p>i think you have pretty great chances at any of the schools you listed. it certainly helps that you’re from Kentucky, your EC’s are fairly strong although fairly scattered (although i am a hypocrite for saying so). also, i do agree with what has been stated about service, but it looks as if you know what to do in that area. i think you’ll get into berkeley and at least one of the others.</p>

<p>best of luck!</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1409730-chance-me-top-schools-thanks.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1409730-chance-me-top-schools-thanks.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>“i think you have pretty great chances at any of the schools you listed.”</p>

<p>Simple answer! NO!!!</p>

<p>OP has great chances at UCB. That is about it</p>

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<p>You have a shot at all those schools. </p>

<p>Harvard - reach for almost anyone. But you have a chance with good enough essays/recs.
Yale - reach
Princeton - reach
Stanford - reach
MIT - low reach
CIT - low reach
UCLA, Berkeley - matches</p>

<p>I certainly expect you to make it to at least one ivy.</p>

9

<p>Wow, thanks Bubbles! Everyone, please keep in mind that I haven’t done all of these things yet, and if you think my time would be better spent elsewhere, say so. I want to be able to go to these schools, and if that means padding my resume (let’s be honest, nobody does Intel for fun) then that’s what I will do.</p>

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<p>Your chances are good but no guarantees. Yes, UCB and UCLA should be a given (as they uses computers/formulas to score their applicants). Have you consider USC, Georgetown, Rice, Vandy, Emory, Columbia, UPenn and Cornell? Don’t limit yourself to just Ivy and Ivy plus school. Yes, those are great school, but there are plenty equally great but perhaps not as “famous” schools around (I am going to get lots of hate PM for saying USC, Georgetown, etc as not as famous as Harvard).</p>

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<p>I have considered Cornell, NW, UChicago, and Vandy but I figure if I want to go to a top 50 school I could just go in-state to Centre for very cheap. I know the very best schools usually only charge you about 10% of what your parents make, but I’m not sure about some of those schools that aren’t quite the top.</p>

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<p>Whatever you do, please don’t start your own nonprofit organization.</p>

<p>We’ve had other students who wanted to do it. They had no idea how much time the administrative aspects of starting, running, and recordkeeping will take. By the time you got everything up and running, you’d be ready to leave. You’d need money for consulting, accounting, and legal fees. You’d be immersed in things other than the organization’s program.</p>

<p>Instead, approach an organization that already works in this area and ask to become a project of that organization. Then you’ll get supervision, insurance, tax coverage, and the other things you’ll need, and you’ll be free to concentrate on the program you want to do.</p>

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<p>What if I tried to go into Android App development? I have some friends that have suggested doing that over the summer, but we have limited programming experience. Would that be good as a sort of self-initiative-demonstrator?</p>

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<p>b is for bump</p>

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<p>Good chances everywhere, are you out of country? If so it just got alot more difficult. Anyways HYPSM are reaches for everyone, but i think you have a very good chance at UChicago (stellar essay), Brown, or other lower ivies :)</p>

<p>Chance me back please?
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1431003-chance-me-top-schools-i-chance-back.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1431003-chance-me-top-schools-i-chance-back.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>You might have missed that I’m from Kentucky.</p>

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<p>

</p>

<p>Good grief. A person no more has to form a formal IRS-approved non-profit to do good deeds than he or she has to legally incorporate a business to make a part-time income reselling stuff on ebay.</p>

<p>What do you need to start a program to fulfill an unmet need in your community? An idea, a phone, computer access, friends, time and maybe ten bucks total to print up flyers to post in strategic places. </p>

<p>What can you do? Get a room on Saturday in a church basement and offer English classes to new immigrants. Get a group of pet-loving students together to visit a local nursing home to meet with seniors and create a “pet day encounter.” Ask your library for a presentation room and do dramatic read-alouds for poor elementary school kids. There are thousands of possibilities – find something that fits your interests and your talents.</p>

<p>My son created a program to bring together non-profit organizations with high school volunteers. What we discovered is that established large organizations are not particularly efficient at doing “small” projects and a lot of needs fall through the gaps. If you can find someone philosophically compatible with your goals and in a position to mentor you then go for it. But our experience was that these groups will put you through endless meetings and discussions and treat you like a mindless intern, making you jump through their internal hoops which have nothing whatsoever to do with the project at hand.</p>

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<p>Your scores and GPA are great, but then again, so are the other applicants’. You have really excellent chances at UCB, and reaches are reaches. Something that no one really emphasizes are the essays, which hold a HUGE amount of power at the Ivies (a friend met with a Cornell Admissions rep, and he said they make or break an app) and the other top schools (not just Chicago). I know that MIT and Harvard really love awards, so I would try as hard as possible to get national/international recognition. I know it might be daunting to hear “all reaches” but that doesn’t mean you don’t have a shot. You’re a strong applicant, and all you need is to find a way to really separate yourself from all of the others. Good luck! :)</p>

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<p>U is for up to the front page</p>

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<p>M is for meet my financial need</p>