HMM. with these stats, what colleges are in my reach?!

Applying to College
1

<p>Hi, I'm a CA junior attending a very crappy high school. It's so crappy that the API index is lower than 5, that's how bad it is.
Nevertheless, I have strived for the best in high school and now I'm asking for your help to chance me. Any input would be much appreciated.</p>

<p>STATS
Junior
Asian (Mixed - Viet, Chinese, Singaporean, Korean)
GPA: 3.97 UW/4.61 W
Schedule:
AP Bio Sophomore year (only AP given for sophomores)
AP Chem/AP US History (only 2 AP's given for juniors)
Taken the most rigorous courseload offered at school.
Senior Courseload:
AP STATS
AP CAL BC
AP PHYSICS B
AP ENGLISH LANG.
AP SPANISH LANG.
AP GOVERNMENT
AP ECONOMICS</p>

<p>AP Test Bio: 3
AP Chem - predicting 4,5
AP US History - for sure 5
AP World History - 5 (self-studied)</p>

<p>Now on to SATs scores, I'm a bit low
SAT: 600 CR, 620 M, 640 W 11 Essay
I know, I know, I'm horrible on the SAT's =[
okay..</p>

<p>now to Extracurriculars. I hope I stand out as not being asian.
NHS (9,10, 11) - member
CSF (9,10,11) - member
Founder/President of Model United Nations (10, 11) - raised over $5,000.
Link Crew Leader - (10, 11)
City's Committee (10, 11) - Helps make decisions for youth of the city
Senator's Campaign Intern: 150+ hours, lots of precinct walking
Play in an OC Chinese Ballars League (10, 11) - Point Guard
^ I do not play sports in school, it's very frustrating when everyone wants to hog the ball and no teamwork is involved
Title of Mr. Friendly (10, 11) - go around, promote friendships (haha)
Volunteering at Library - tutors innercity youth (9, 10, 11) - 500+ hours
Boys and Girls Club Mentor - (11)
Attended Leadership Conference at UC Regents (10)
Attended Asian Leadership Conference in Sactown (11)
Will Start Mock Trial/Speech Club next year (I love communications)</p>

<p>IMPORTANT EC TO ME
Member of HS Academic Decathlon Team (11) School won 1st Place in County, went to State for first time in school's history and was top 20 at state.
Not sure if I want to pursue this next year, it took away my passion of dancing.</p>

<p>MOST IMPORTANTLY
Founder/Leader of Musik Breakdancing Crew (9, 10, 11)
^ I am heavily involved in this. We do shows at local festivals and celebrations. </p>

<p>AND... SOMETHING WITH A HOOK?
I was elected Mayor of my city for one day.
So I acted as the mayor for a day, and was televised on tv and all that good stuff.
^ Will use this for essay</p>

<p>Work Experience:
Macys' Sales Associate (9,10)
Work 15+ hours at Abercrombie: Sales Associate (11)
Girlfriend? (She's a full time job)</p>

<p>AND.... MY SUMMER IS PACKED WITH...?
BOYS STATE CA
UC COSMOS Program
UCLA Summer Law Institute</p>

<p>Essays: I consider myself a strong writer. Will write a good essay. </p>

<p>Major: Political Science
Minor: East Asian Studies (I'm so white-washed I want to learn more about my various backgrounds)</p>

<p>Family Income: Below 10,000
So I need some blind-based schools since I am hella poor</p>

2

<p>There is something ironic about someone who is dirt poor working at Abercrombie.</p>

<p>So evaluating: Asian, not really a good thing. You have a great GPA. Try the ACT test- not common in California, but you might do better. Try to improve on the SAT, and maybe add depth to some of your ECs. </p>

<p>You have as good a shot as anyone at an Ivy, and a great shot at any other school, in my opinion, assuming you can bring up those test scores.</p>

3

<p>to redknight:
haha thanks. well yeah, i get discounts at abercrombie so it's really nice. i dress nice but im hella poor. hahaa</p>

<p>so anyways.
I'm going to study my ass off for the sats this summer.
and what do u mean by add depth into some of my EC's?
I breakdance? So should I audition for like.
So you think you can dance or something?
ahhahaa</p>

4

<p>Well, with test scores like that you don't have a great shot at an Ivy. Maybe if you get above 2100, you'll move into the fair shot category, with pretty much everybody else, but pretty much no one has a great shot at the Ivies. </p>

<p>I'm going to assume that you stay at these level scores and give you some advice from there. You have tons of extracurricular interest, and it IS impressive that you are maxing out your school's offerings. I would say that you should focus on schools ranked between 20 and 50 on the USNWR list, as well as many of the LACs, excepting the few most selective ones. These schools generally have room for applicants with scores like yours, and your personal qualities/ecs can help you in. However, not all of these schools are need-blind, especially on the University side. It is important that you apply to mostly need-blind schools and/or schools where you are eligible for merit aid. There is a substantial finacial aid forum here, as well as threads that detail merit scholarships won...I'm not by any stretch of the imagination a finaid expert, so that's all the help that I can give.</p>

<p>Edit: Some research time on collegeboard.com can turn up plenty of need-blind choices</p>

5

<p>I wish my resume could be that big :(</p>

<p>Anyway, if Ivy is your thing, maybe retake the SAT. But, if you can be very personal on your essays and in interviews, I'm sure you'd stand a good chance at a number of schools.</p>

6

<p>to advantagious:
Yes, I realized that my test scores are below par for ivies.
Well, now that you mentioned the schools ranked 20 to 50 US NewsWeek list, are they need-blind based?
I personally do not care where i get my political science degree
i just want to go to college for free.
but i dont wanna go to a cal state or a UC.
I feel that they do not offer a strong humanities program.
especially when I'm thinking of majoring in political science and a minor in east asian studies.</p>

7

<p>To R-Lest:
Trust me, compared to all these people on CC, my resume is pretty small. hahaha
And I only want to attend an ivy because I need a full ride.
Thanks for your input.</p>

8

<p>I'm sorry if I came across as mean--I just don't want you to overreach and end up massively disappointed. As far as meeting 100% of demonstrated need, here are the ones that do: </p>

<p>Notre Dame
Georgetown
UVa (? Only half of those who applied for aid got it, so who knows if this is really true)
Tufts
USC comes close
Boston College
University of Rochester
Case Western Reserve comes close</p>

<p>Not that you couldn't get the aid you need at any of the other schools, but these would be your best bets.</p>

<p>Edit: My source was collegeboard.com. It might not be perfect, but it is fast.</p>

9

<p>to advantagious:
Oh don't be sorry. You didn't come off as being mean.
I just realized that my test scores aren't that high anyways.
so if anything, thank you for being straightforward.</p>

<p>Georgetown sounds really good to me, people say it has a great political science program and a law program.
People say I wouldn't get into notre dame because they're more legacy based?</p>

<p>Say I apply ED.
and I get accepted to some school.
Can I opt out of it if they do not provide me enough financial aid?
My EFC is zero dollars because my brother went to UCI 5 years ago and at that time, my mom made 7,000 a year.
So if my EFC is ZERO, will i get a full ride?</p>

<p>Thank you!</p>

10

<p>If you apply ED and do not get enough finaid, you CAN opt out. However, at a school that meets 100% of demonstrated need, it is hard to convince the school that that is the case. The problem is that schools that claim to meet 100% of demonstrated need may expect you to take on a bunch of loans. With an extremely low income, you should go to college for free at a school that meets 100% of demonstrated need--you probably will have to take out $10,000-$20,000 in loans, but although that may be scary to you as a low income student, that is an amount of loans that you can reasonably pay off as long as you take a normal job. You will also have to work during your time at school. Outside scholarships can usually be used to get rid of loans, btw. </p>

<p>ND is known to favor legacies. However, as a low-income west coast asian student, you might be more attractive for adding diversity. </p>

<p>Honestly, if money is first and foremost, you should probably apply to a bunch of schools that meet 100% of need. Better to have a school that you can afford to attend, even if it isn't your absolute favorite, than no school at all. Higher test scores would really help you out, because schools that meet 100% of demonstrated need are usually more selective schools. For a low income student, if you got to 2000, you would be within striking distance of a bunch of schools.</p>

11

<p>hmm thanks advantagious.
i am going to apply for this program called
questbridge collegematch program.
it's ED to some of the top ivys, but if they pick you, they have to give you 4 years of money.
is this the same as just applying ED regular to these ivys?
Also, 10,000 to 20,000 loans sound like a lot of money.
and im afraid of taking out loans because
my brother is in medical school right now.
and he's taken out 50,000 in loans already.</p>

12

<p>would you happen to know if any dean's scholarships. chancellor's scholarships depend on SAT scores?
I checked many schools online.
and they all seem to use the sats as a way to distribute scholarships.</p>

13

<p>I know that as a low-income student, that sounds like a lot of loans, but as long as you are gainfully employed after school and don't blow through your money in other ways, you CAN pay it off. Unless you come up with money from your personal work savings or outside scholarships, I can pretty much guarantee you that you are going to have some loans. </p>

<p>I'm not too familiar with Questbridge besides the basic knowledge that it is a scholarship program for low-income students. I am very lucky to be a full-pay student, so we are reaching the end of my financial aid knowledge here, unfortunately :(. There is a very comprehensive financial aid forum here on CC, however, so never fear! There are plenty of people who can help you. </p>

<p>You are correct, however--SAT scores are a big part of receiving merit aid :(. All the more reason to raise those scores...maybe use the summertime for that? I know that you work and are likely very busy during the school year, but raising your SAT scores will give you a lot more options, so I think it is worth it to take the time to study up.</p>

<p>Edit: Also, take the ACT. Some people score WAY better on it....I personally know (these people told me this themselves) of two kids who scored a 2090 SAT and a 35 ACT and a 2130 SAT and a 34 SAT. Those are 250 and 150 point differences, respectively.</p>

14

<p>hmm well.
thanks for all the info!
you've helped a lot!
i appreciate it.</p>

15

<p>i don't think you have that good of a chance at any top tier school with those sat scores, unless they are sat optional (bowdoin, for example). so try your best to raise those! otherwise you look fine (haha i'm iffy bout the abercrombie work experience thing though... lol. a&f isn't exactly known to cater to the most academically intelligent of students are they... :P) </p>

<p>and yes, sats are VERY important in deciding merit scholarships. my gpa is much lower than most of my friends and we got into most of the same schools. however the biggest difference was my sat score was a good 100-200 points higher and i got a LOT of more merit money (10k+) whereas they received almost none. most schools have some sort of equation/point system they use with your gpa/sat/etc to calculate how much merit money to reward you. </p>

<p>best of luck.</p>

16

<p>lol
yeah i didnt get into abercrombie because im academically intelligent
i got hired because of my good looks
hahahahha</p>

17

<p>musicsoulchild, </p>

<p>With your EFC and income, you will get some financial aid but I recommend applying to some of the lower tier schools who will give you some scholarships. With scholarships+financial aid, it will probably cover the tuition you will have to pay and in your financial situation, coming out debt free can mean the world. Personally I dont know what lower tier schools offer many scholarships but if anyone on CC or throguh personal research you can find a few, it may be smart to yeah apply to some top 30 schools but also to some lower schools so you can have many great options. </p>

<p>Raise your SAT 1 to 2100 or ACT to around 31 and you will have a great shot at many top 30 schools.</p>

18

<p>There are threads (on both the finaid and parents forum, I believe) where students and parents post the merit aid they received, their stats, and which school/s they received it at. That would be a great place to start.</p>