HELP! What are my chances?

Colleges and Universities A-Z California Institute of Technology
1

<p>I really want to get into Caltech. However, in recent months, I've been discouraged by my recent SAT scores and some other things. I don't think I even have a chance right now. Could someone please give me an opinion?</p>

<p>Here's what little I have :(</p>

<p>I'm going to be a high-school senior in the fall.
Ethnicity: African-American (Parents born in Nigeria)
GPA: Weighted: 4.55, Unweighted: 3.97 (I got a B+ in sophomore honors English >_<)
Class Rank: 5 out of 749</p>

<p>Best SAT:
Critical Reading: 740
Math: 670 (FAIL)
Writing: 760</p>

<p>Best PSAT:
Critical Reading: 70
Math: 70
Writing: 67</p>

<p>SAT Subject Test Scores (FAILLL):
Chemistry: 710
US History: 680
Mathematics Level 2: 740 </p>

<p>Haven't gotten my AP scores yet, but I took AP Chemistry, AP English Language and Composition, and AP US History. In the fall, I'll take AP Biology, AP Latin, AP English Literature and Composition, AP Physics (covers Physics B), AP Government, Honors Economics, and AP Calculus (Calculus BC)</p>

<p>Honors and Awards:
• Summa Cum Laude (Gold Medal) on the National Latin Exam 3 years in a row
• Freshman year, 1st place in Entomology in regional Science Olympiad competition
• Participated in school Honor Guard (only top 40 juniors can participate)
• Recognized by the National Merit Scholarship Program</p>

<p>Extracurricular Activities:
• A member of our school's Academic Decathlon team in Sophomore and Junior years, was Treasurer for half of Junior year
• Helped a friend form a school Art Club (now disbanded) in Junior year, was Secretary
• In my school's "Rotary Interact Club", I...
o Participated in the "Bulldogs in Service" 2009 Cemetery Cleanup
o Participated in the Rancho Cucamonga 2009 "Relay for Life"
o Helped make blankets for a hospital in "Project Linus"
o Made "Get Well Soon" cards for sick children in a local hospital
o Participated in a Food Drive for a local "Second Harvest Food Bank"</p>

<p>• In my church, I...
o Work as a volunteer
o Am an active member in our Youth Church's "Boys to Men" program, a youth mentorship program. We participated in a "Homeless Outreach", in which we provided food, clothing, foot-washes, showers, manicures, pedicures, and hair-washes for less-fortunate people.</p>

<p>Artistic Activities:
• I like to draw (Saru-Ninja</a> on deviantART)
• Was in band for 4 years, was 1st chair Bass Clarinet in County Honor Band in 8th grade
• I am hoping that I will be able to take private violin lessons this summer</p>

<p>Athletic Activities (none of them are actually important...I probably shouldn't even post them):
• - Do parkour as a hobby (YouTube</a> - Parkour Rush)
• - Play tennis as a hobby</p>

<p>Right now, I think my chances are slim-to-none; my SAT math scores are horrible, and I don't have anything very impressive to show. I love science, but I'm afraid I haven't shown it enough. I applied for Caltech's YESS program, but I was waitlisted and eventually didn't get in.</p>

<p>Any input is appreciated.</p>

2

<p>Based on what you’ve shown, I would guess that you are at a disadvantage because of your school (since you have As in math but a low SAT math) and would take that into consideration. On the other hand, a good portion of Caltech is getting through math and physics CORE, which I would be concerned about in your case because of the low math score and the lack of AP Phys C. </p>

<p>I would study and retake the SAT I. Aside from that, its important you show your passion for science in your essays. Also make sure the teachers you get to write recs know you pretty well. Don’t get discouraged; if Caltech is what you really want, then go for it.</p>

3

<p>wow, you do parkour?
that’s completely badass. how do you even get started with that kind of thing?</p>

<p>also you should probably retake some of those tests
but you do get points for being awesome</p>

4

<p>Slim…but parkour for the win.</p>

5

<p>I had that exact same SAT math, not that I’m saying that it’s a particularly good score. I’d probably retake it after studying, but only once, you don’t need another SAT after that. And your SAT II Math II might help compensate. After that, show your passion, and you have a shot, but only if you apply. Don’t be discouraged to not apply, if you are admitted, then you can get through CORE, and the only guarantee is that you won’t be admitted if you don’t apply.</p>

6

<p>Ah, thanks for the replies guys! I really appreciate it.
I just talked to a student who went to my high school and got into Caltech, and he gave me a good in-depth response, even comparing his SAT scores and class load to mine. He said I’ve got a lot of good stuff going for me, based on what I showed him (I shared a bit more with him, e.g. teaching myself C++…). And I plan on getting those SAT math scores up!</p>

<p>@IMSAgeek, It’s not exactly that my school doesn’t have good math teachers…it’s more just that I tend to use slower methods of solving my problems to make sure I get them right rather than using shortcuts, so I run out of time on the SAT. I guess I’ve got to work on that. Thanks for the information!</p>

<p>@fizix2, thanks…it’s not like crazy David Belle stuff, but we do what we can :smiley:
It’s not like one day you “start” and say “OMG, LET’S DO PARKOUR!”
I think it’s more of an instinct to do something that you wouldn’t normally do, or try and get to some place that you normally wouldn’t try to get to. Or you’re just tired of walking down the ramp, and you decide to hop the railing :slight_smile:
I’m definitely retaking the SATs (but probably just the SAT I and the Math 2 SAT II)</p>

<p>@cicero_oratore, Thanks. Latin FTW :smiley:
I still have a lot of work to do, but I think I can get my scores up a bit and add a bit more community service between now and December.</p>

<p>@lordofnarf, I took the SAT I twice and got that same math score, but my other 2 subjects increased by 40 and 50 points x<em>x
I should probably start doing some practice tests and such.
And yes, I’m definitely applying…I just don’t want to get my hopes up too high and then get shot down by a rejection -</em>-</p>

<p>@elementmb1, <em>sigh</em>:

  1. I said I do it as a HOBBY. I don’t care how WELL I do it, because it’s FUN.</p>

<ol>
<li><p>My friends and I don’t “train”. We never officially “started” parkour. We’ve just been jumping off of walls and railings and stuff since middle school, and then we found out it was called “parkour”.</p></li>
<li><p>We’re extremely limited by our location; we can only do that at our school, and our school has very few places to do any of that stuff at, hence the repetition of stunts in the video.</p></li>
<li><p>I’m not going to believe that you can “do all that stuff easily” unless you can prove it. When we watch the video, we’re disappointed by how simple and easy it looks. But believe me, even the first stunt in that video isn’t that easy. The fence is about 6.5 - 7 feet high, so it takes quite a high wall-kick to get over it. The stunt at around 1:07 would be the equivalent of diving onto a surface that’s your height and rolling out of it. Most people can barely high jump their own height. And the bar we kept grabbing at the beginning? It’s 12 feet off the ground. Also, try hurdling a 6-foot long table that’s 4 feet off the ground.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>As the common saying goes, “It’s harder than it looks”.</p>

<ol>
<li><p>The video wasn’t meant to show how “AMAZING” we are or how “DIFFICULT” the stunts are. Most of them were simple things, e.g. broad-jumping 7 feet. Rather, it was meant to show the different parkour-able (?) things at our school. And it was meant to show how much fun we can have with simple school obstacles and such.</p></li>
<li><p>Every person who says “THAT’S NOT HARD” has yet to prove that they can do the equivalent, or better. I hate it when people do that. You’re not proving anything. I would respect you a lot more if you at least showed that you could do better. I always make it a point to not tell someone that I can do better, or that THEY could do better, unless I have some sort of evidence or authority or reasoning behind my statement. I don’t see exactly what you’re gaining by telling me that I suck, and that you’re better. It’s about as immature as saying “MY DAD CAN BEAT UP YOUR DAD!”</p></li>
<li><p>I didn’t ask you to critique my athletic ability (or lack thereof). I asked what my chances of getting into Caltech are. So if you’re not going to help me or give me useful advice, then don’t post at all. It was quite uncalled-for. I’m not going to college for parkour.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>/end annoyed rant.</p>

7

<p>Saru~ I wasn’t trying to say that your teachers were bad. I was just saying that high grades in math and low-ish SAT math scores can indicate poor preparedness for the SAT, which is in some cases the fault of the school. This is obviously not true in all cases, but admissions readers have limited information and have to try to make sense of it.</p>

8

<p>Ah, sorry. I misunderstood you. Thanks for clarifying.
I totally get what you mean. That makes a lot of sense.
But again, when it comes down to it, it’s mostly just that I work slow…most of my friends have 700+ on math, citing how “easy” it is compared to the English sections of the SAT… -___-</p>

9

<p>That’s part of the thing Saru, if the math SAT is so easy, people are prone to conclude that one should ace it. On the contrary, when a test is curved according to how easy it is, it is possible to get a very poor score despite finding the thing easy, so it’s simply silly logic most people employ. I had a pretty sold math SAT, and a perfect SAT II, and can tell you neither indicates anything at all about my potential to handle college work, except that if either were intellectually a huge challenge for me, I’d have been smashed by college work.</p>

10

<p>Hmmm…</p>

<p>Well, I got my AP scores back…
AP Chemistry - 5
AP English Language and Literature - 5
AP US History - 4</p>

<p>Should I still retake the SAT II Chemistry?</p>

11

<p>colleges don’t really consider ap scores, except if they give you credit. they do look at sat II’s. retake it.</p>

12

<p>I’m not sure where you got that information, zinja, but that’s definitely not true. Caltech does consider AP scores in the admissions process–in fact, they can be very important.</p>

13

<p>I wouldn’t bother retaking the SAT II chemistry. You score is already reasonable, and the 5 on the AP bolsters it.</p>