Honest Chances for Top Schools?

<p>Hello,</p>

<p>Here is some information about me:</p>

<p>Graduation Year: 2010
Gender: Male
Ethnicity: Asian (Indian)
State: Oregon</p>

<p>School: Small international school
GPA: 4.0 (unweighted)
Class rank: 1 out of 20
SAT: 2400, 12 essay
ACT: 35 composite, 8 essay (I think most schools will disregard this in favor of the SAT score?)
SAT Subject Tests: Math 2, Chemistry, Biology (I plan to take these soon)
Courses: IB diploma candidate
[ul]IB English HL
[<em>]IB History HL
[</em>]IB Biology HL
[<em>]IB Math HL
[</em>] IB Chemistry SL
[li]IB Mandarin SL (I've heard that this makes my application unique... does it?)[/li] <a href="IB">*</a> Theory of Knowledge[/ul]</p>

<p>Recommendations: Good at least, probably pretty good.</p>

<p>Extracurricular activities:
[ul]Model United Nations - 4 years - Founder, President/Ambassador all four years
[<em>]Student Government - 3 years - Founder, Public Relations Officer
[</em>] Boy Scouts - 7 years - Eagle Scout
[<em>] Jazz Band - 3 years
[</em>]School Newspaper - 2 years - Founder, Editor-in-Chief
[li] Interact Club - 1 year - Founder, President[/ul]</p>[/li]
<p>Awards:
[ul]National Honor Society
[<em>] Eagle Scout
[</em>]AMC 10/12 school winner - 3 years running
[li] National Merit Semifinalist (PSAT 223)[/ul]</p>[/li]
<p>This summer, I will be working at a renewable energy company. I will also be working as an intern at Portland State University, researching solar energy.</p>

<p>Please give me honest chances for:
[ul]University of Washington
[<em>]University of California, Berkeley
[</em>]University of California, Los Angeles
[<em>]University of Southern California
[</em>]University of Texas, Austin
[<em>] Carnegie Mellon University
[</em>]Cornell University
[<em>]University of Pennsylvania
[</em>] Massachusetts Institute of Technology
[li] Stanford University[/ul]</p>[/li]
<p>Thank you very much!</p>

<p>Were you applying as a domestic applicant, you would not even need this chance thread. As such, you may run into a spot of trouble with stanford and MIT but the rest should be unquestioned acceptances. Good luck!</p>

<ul>
<li>University of Washington - accepted

<ul>
<li>University of California, Berkeley - accepted</li>
<li>University of California, Los Angeles - accepted</li>
<li>University of Southern California - accepted</li>
<li>University of Texas, Austin - accepted</li>
<li>Carnegie Mellon University - accepted</li>
<li>Cornell University - accepted</li>
<li>University of Pennsylvania - likely</li>
<li>Massachusetts Institute of Technology - waitlist</li>
<li>Stanford University - likely</li>
</ul></li>
</ul>

<p>How were you a president of MUN as a freshman?</p>

<p>@noreally - When you say “domestic”, you mean US citizen, right? I live in Oregon… I think maybe the “international school” caused a misunderstanding. Does that mean I have better chances for MIT/Stanford?</p>

<p>@joshcasto - I started the MUN club at my school, so people thought it would be logical for me to be President. I guess it has just stayed that way ever since then.</p>

<p>if you are a us citizen in the US you are accepted to all of them</p>

<p>what do you mean by “international school”</p>

<p>He probably meant that if you lived in California and had those grades, you would automatically be accepted into the UCs, so you wouldn’t need a chance thread for those.</p>

<p>@wenger402 - My school is really just a public school, but its focus is international. We teach unique languages, host students from other countries, hold intercultural sessions, etc. It’s also very small.</p>

<p>Any other ideas, please?</p>

<p>JoshCasto- I meant he is pretty much accepted to all of the schools he listed</p>

<p>you are HYP material with perfect SAT, GPA, and very strong Extracurricular </p>

<p>but I want to know how you are the founder of student government…your school never had class elections until you came along?</p>

<p>And it looks good to be “founder” and all, but the adcoms will be a little suspicious when you have “founded” all the clubs or ECs you have participated in</p>

<p>@wenger402 - My school was brand new when I started as a freshman. I was part of the highest grade (at the time). There were absolutely no clubs when the school started, so I took part in founding many of them.</p>

<p>Eh, asian american already puts you at a disadvantage. I don’t think oregon/PNW is overrepresented, but it’s not underrepresented. Furthermore, you are looking at alot of OOS privates, so if financial aid is an issue it will be harder to come by. And your ECs, while as a whole good, and you may or may not enjoy them (the latter I’m hoping, otherwise you’d just be a resume whore), they don’t “connect” in a concentrated fashion.</p>

<p>I’m assuming that will be your senior courseload? Or do you mean those will be the final IB classes you’ll take? You have your 4 two-year HL courses, TOK, and then two SLs. As for if chinese will make you stand out, it might, because you aren’t chinese.</p>

<p>Although Eagle scout is a well known EC, even though from what I can collect it’s more of a waiting game than anything else. I’ve been told UC Berkeley likes this quite a bit, though, IDK if it’s still current, every year adcoms and deans change what they want in students.</p>

<p>And luckily you have great scores/GPA while having some ECs.</p>

<p>University of Washington- match
University of California, Berkeley- accepted
University of California, Los Angeles- match
University of Southern California- match
University of Texas, Austin- match
Carnegie Mellon University- match
Cornell University- low reach
University of Pennsylvania- reach
Massachusetts Institute of Technology- reach
Stanford University- reach</p>

<p>If you are looking to stay close to home, I’d suggest looking at Reed College. They have an 89% med-school acceptance rate if you are interested in the medical field.</p>

<p>@Poseidenj - Yes, those are the classes for which I plan to take IB exams. I’m already taking all of them except IB Mandarin SL. Somehow, my school managed to stretch IB Chemistry SL into two years XD</p>

<p>I know my EC’s don’t necessarily make sense together. Let me assure you that I’m not doing any of those activities just for college applications - I wasn’t even thinking about applications when I founded/joined those clubs. Although I’m not completely fond of all of them, I am passionate about a couple. MUN, for example, is something that’s really important to me. As a freshman, the program really opened my eyes to global politics and current world issues. I couldn’t believe how much stuff we’re missing every day. As I got older, I made it my goal to help younger students have that same experience.</p>

<p>Would my passion for MUN be a good topic to write about on the essays? </p>

<p>Also, do you really mean that my chances at Cornell are lower than my chances at UPenn, MIT, and Stanford?</p>

<p>no, low reach means you have to “reach” less, as in, it’s closer to a match.</p>

<p>In<low match<match<high match<low reach<reach<high reach.</p>

<p>Also, does that mean your chemistry is a two-year HL program? As in, it would be an HL science 2nd year? And yes, something which has affected you in some way would be something legit to write about.</p>

<p>No - as crazy at it sounds, it’s really just IB Chemistry SL for two years. We just learn everything slower and a little more in-depth, I guess. It’s really unfortunate for me, because I want to major in chemical engineering. I would have rather taken a legitimate IB Chemistry HL class.</p>

<p>that’s pretty cool. What 6th-subject IB courses does your school have? And does your school have pre-ib? Anywho, by no means are you a bad candidate, you are more than qualified for these colleges. But sadly, competition is always there, and there are only so many spots available. But, a 2400 (superscore? One sitting?) SAT can differenciate you, but I don’t think it’s a hook, as long as you aren’t a book worm (which it’s clear you’re not). As well as a 4.00 with the full IB diploma. I can assure you if you keep this up, you will get into at least half of these colleges, if not more. Also, will you be applying for financial aid? <em>redoing this because it annoyed me after a while</em></p>

<p>University of Washington- accepted
University of California, Berkeley- accepted
University of California, Los Angeles- accepted
University of Southern California- match
University of Texas, Austin- accepted
Carnegie Mellon University- match
Cornell University- low reach
University of Pennsylvania- reach
Massachusetts Institute of Technology-high reach
Stanford University- reach
<em>note I changed MIT because they do factor in if you are an insanely qualified math/science person, so often times things you’ve done/research/such clubs are factored into this. IDK how your’s stack up</em></p>

<p>chance me?</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/719138-chance-junior-without-perfect-grades.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/719138-chance-junior-without-perfect-grades.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>@PoseidenJ - For Subject Area 6, my school offers IB Art HL, IB Music SL, and IB Chemistry SL (substitution for an art). </p>

<p>2400 was in one sitting, luckily enough!</p>

<p>I’m pretty sure I will be applying for financial aid. Will it make a significant difference?</p>

<p>Also, in response to your statement about MIT preferring math/science people - will it help if I do some good research at PSU this summer? I’ve been talking with a professor, and I think I’m going to have an actual solar energy research project.</p>

<p>Oh cool, but I guess since your school is new/small, by logic it would offer fewer 6th subjects. Our 6th subjects are IB philosophy, chemistry, music theory, visual arts (which taken a 2nd year can be an HL apparantly), film, psychology, and computer science. I really wish we had IB economics though.</p>

<p>And wow, a 2400 in one sitting is amazing. I think that will put you out a little farther.</p>

<p>And to the public schools, yes, financial aid will make a difference. At alot of privates though, it won’t, because they adhere to a need-blind admission. Google/wikipedia “need blind admission”, and “no loan financial aid”, but I am sure MIT, Stanford, Cornell, and Upenn all adhere to the former at least. Do you know what your income situation is?</p>

<p>And ya, I saw that, idk how well that would stack up to other MIT applicants though. but you are doing independent research, and work, so you won’t be out of the running there, especially if you make something. For MIT I am pretty sure you will want to send in a portfolio for that, IE, say you made a solar powered laptop.</p>

<p>Yeah, I wish we had IB Economics too. But then again, I don’t have any time in my schedule to take it! XD</p>

<p>My mom doesn’t work, and my dad is a consultant who doesn’t have a fixed income. He gets money whenever he gets clients. I think this year is going a little slow for him, so we’ll probably end up having a pretty low income for the FAFSA next January. What does that mean for my admissions chances?</p>

<p>I don’t think I’ll be creating any sort of amazing product (like a solar powered laptop), but I will be at least doing research. For example, one of the projects that the professor has proposed is to study the light absorption/reflectivity of building materials (the professor is a mechanical/civil engineer, so building materials have to be in there somewhere). I think I would definitely have some sort of research abstract, though. So it would definitely be good to send it in? To the admissions committee, or directly to a professor?</p>

<p>“I’d suggest looking at Reed College. They have an 89% med-school acceptance rate if you are interested in the medical field.”</p>

<p>Um, not quite that high. Overall 74%, 84% with an average (for Reed) science GPA or better and at least a 28 MCAT. [REED</a> COLLEGE MEDICAL SCHOOL ACCEPTANCE](<a href=“http://web.reed.edu/ir/medschool.html]REED”>Medical School Acceptance Rate - Institutional Research - Reed College)</p>