<p>Hey there. I'm from Latin America and I'm a pretty good student. Straight As, IB classes, 4.0 GPA, ranked 1st out of 126 students. </p>
<p>I'm planning on applying to several competitive colleges, among them many Ivies. However, I'm worried about my test scores.</p>
<p>My SAT scores are also good, but I have a big problem moving quickly through math problems. I've already taken the SAT three times and won't have a chance to take it again (nor do I think it'd be wise) so these are my scores:</p>
<p>CR: 780
W: 790
M: 640
Total = 2210</p>
<p>My SAT II scores:</p>
<p>Spanish: 800 (but doesn't really count for most colleges because I'm a native speaker)
Biology: 770
Literature: 710 (will retake)
(I'm also planning to take either French or Math - 1 or 2, I don't know yet - this January)</p>
<p>My IB scores:</p>
<p>Philosophy HL: 7
Spanish A1 HL: 6
English A1 HL: 6
Math Studies SL: 6
Biology SL: 6
Theater Arts SL: 4
TOK/Extended Essay: A/B = 3 bonus pts.</p>
<p>I'm hoping that my strong CR/W and IB scores will make up for my modest math score, but I'm freaking out a little and need some honest opinions. Writing is my passion, so my essays are pretty good, and my extracurriculars are strong too. I graduated last December, worked for seven months in a law firm and am now traveling throughout Asia, so I'm guessing I might be somewhat interesting from that perspective.</p>
<p>I'd really appreciate your input! Thank you!!</p>
<p>you have an awesome shot at even the most selective schools. good luck.</p>
<p>Thank you. That means a lot!</p>
<p>Oh, I forgot to mention that that GPA is unweighted. Don't know if that really makes any difference, though.</p>
<p>Your strength is your class rank. Your SAT score is 1420/1600 CR & math. But, I am a bit confused because you wrote that you have taken the SAT I exam three times, yet only posted one score for each section. Is your posted score from the same exam or the highest score for each section when considering all three test sittings?
Do you have any area of special interest? Something about which you are passionate?
To which schools are you applying?
Based on the limited information contained in your post, schools such as Harvard, Yale, Princeton & Stanford may be difficult. Columbia University is a good option if you apply ED.</p>
<p>Those are my best scores for each section, and I got them all in my last sitting. I am very passionate about literature and philosophy, and I think that that shows in my application, at least. </p>
<p>My main extracurriculars are the Debate Team, the Drama Club, the school's newspaper, the Student Council, the Intercultural Awareness Club (which I founded), Community Service, and creative writing. I was also part of the Editorial Committee of a local magazine for two years, and published a couple of short stories there. This year, I worked at a law firm for seven months.</p>
<p>I already applied Early Action to Yale , I'm afraid, so I can't apply to Columbia ED. I'm applying to Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, Columbia, Brown, Dartmouth, Cornell, Georgetown, Tufts, Amherst, Berkeley and NYU.</p>
<p>Thoughts?</p>
<p>My first thought is that if you were raised in Latin America in a Spanish speaking country you must have studied in an American or British school as your English is perfect & a 780 CR score is impressive.
It is near certain that you will be admitted to NYU. The other schools are tougher to gauge as your information will get your application read, but they are all very competitive universities. Since you are not seeking financial aid, Tufts will likely admit you. Cornell is likely to admit you also.
Your passion seems to be writing & editing. The 780 CR & 790 Writing scores are strong.
Much will depend on how well you write your application essays. you will fit in at Columbia. Harvard is very difficult so your chances are average--which is 10%.</p>
<p>I studied at a bilingual school, but my English is probably better than my peers' because I took English A1 HL, an IB course designed for native speakers and overachieving literature fans like myself. I pick up languages fairly easily too; life's way of making up for my horrible math skills, I guess!</p>
<p>I got into Yale, by the way!! I'm really, really (really!) excited about it. I'll probably apply to Harvard and Princeton to compare financial aid, but I think it'd be bad form of me to apply to the rest when I wouldn't pick them over Yale. I've also applied to Cambridge (UK), so I'll have a hard time choosing where to go if I get accepted there too!</p>
<p>Thank you for your advice, ColdWind!</p>