Is my future already set? D: /chance me

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Hi, I'm a female Asian (Korean).</p>

<p>Right now, I'm in my sophomore year of high school. So far, my average grade is an 87.98, which only accounts for my freshman year and the first half of sophomore.</p>

<p>My freshman year courses are as followed:</p>

<p>Honors Biology (90)
Double Advanced Geometry (85)
Grade-level English (88)
Grade-level History (92)
Honors Level 3 French (83)
Orchestra (95)</p>

<p>My sophomore year courses are as followed:</p>

<p>Honors Chemistry (83)
Double Advanced Algerbra II (85)
Grade-level English (82)
AP World History (77)
Honors Level 4 French (81)
Orchestra (95)</p>

<p>*all grades are unweighted</p>

<p>What I expect Junior year courses will be:
Honors Physics
AP Chem
AP US History
Double Advance Precalc
Grade-level English (I'm working on getting into honors... Teacher said she wanted me to be in honors but my grade is slacking due to inconsistent work completion)
AP French
Orchestra</p>

<p>My extracurriculars are as followed:
Clubs: Art Club, French Club, Math Team, Animation Club (co-president), Science Club (co-president)
Instruments: Violin (not in any orchestras... will be joining next year with great aspirations to be near or in 1st chair)
John Hopkins Center for Talented Youth, this summer will be my fourth year</p>

<p>Official Test Scores:
SAT II Bio M 700 (should I retake this? I'm confident that I can get at least 50 points higher)
ACT around 26-29... Took it in 7th grade</p>

<p>Future Tests:
SAT I and SAT II Chem</p>

<p>I'm also taking the entrance exam for Columbia Science Honors Program. We'll see how that'll work out.</p>

<p>These are my concerns:
My GPA is wrecked. Not only is it very low (around 3.2 -3.4) but I have a limited amount of time to fix it. If I get all A's for the next semester and next two years, I'll have around a 3.95. Ahh with AP classes this is nearly impossible.</p>

<p>I might not get into Honors English next year, which means I took grade level English for three years straight. The colleges would probably think poorly of me because of it.</p>

<p>My first SAT score was terrible. 700/800 is not nearly sufficient. I'm hoping I do well on the SAT I and SAT II Chem this time around, but only time will tell.</p>

<p>I have very little ECs. I plan on volunteering in the summer and around my junior year, plus I'll have Columbia's Science Honors program to add to my list. The violin is becoming a larger part of my life and perhaps one day I'll be able to play in a public concert (sometime next year).</p>

<p>I don't have any <em>special</em> achievements. I've never gone into a competition and I've never won anything. This is a major problem.</p>

<p>My goal is to go into ivy. I plan on being a surgeon of sorts, or something in the medical field. Obviously with scores this low I wont be able to get anywhere. But is there anything I can do to improve my chances??</p>

<p>I feel that my unsatisfying resume is because of a lack of knowledge, not a lack of ability. If I had known I could take two math courses in freshman year, I would be taking calculus next year. If I had known that programs like Columbia Science Honors program existed in freshman year, I would have taken it this year. If only I knew these things two years ago!!</p>

<p>Also, do colleges like sob stories or more light-hearted ones (in the essays)? Because I've been struggling with depression for the past two years, which destroys my self-motivation for a few months, thus bringing my average down. Do you think mentioning this to the admission staff would help?</p>

2

<p>Before I say anything, please don’t take my advice offensively. </p>

<p>I would say that you are off to a good start; colleges really like to see that you have improved. Try not to fall off anything less than a “B” range, especially when you are aiming for the Ivies. Also, show a trend of improvement over the next two years, and do try to be optimistic. Self-confidence and optimism really do help you showcase your talents. </p>

<p>Since you mentioned that you are planning to enter the medical field, I would suggest you to take any sort of challenging science courses- AP/IB/Honors Biology/Chemistry/Physics. You are more likely prepared for college and for medical school if you start challenging yourself with more advanced sciences. </p>

<p>Regarding your test scores, they’re not bad. However, since you are aiming for the Ivies, many people do have perfect scores across the board, so I would suggest you to retake those exams. Maybe you would score much higher on the ACT than in the 7th grade? It all depends on your work load and how much you are motivated. For the subject tests, try to aim for 750+ scores. </p>

<p>For your EC’s, they’re good, but there may be 100s of people out there who have the same credentials as you do. The tweak about EC’s is that you show a level of commitment over a long period of time (preferably three to four years). I would suggest you to continue with what you have, and start showing some commitment. Also, you should participate more in sports (either JV/varsity); it would show that you are interested in science, French, art, math, music, and some team spirit. </p>

<p>Regarding the personal statement (or the college admission essays), it doesn’t matter whether it’s a sad/lighthearted story. The point of the personal statement is to let colleges know you more apart from your academics, EC’s, teacher rec’s, etc. You could explain your struggle with depression, but decide whether that would really let colleges know you more. </p>

<p>I hope this reply helps. Try to keep up with the good work, and be optimistic!</p>

3

<p>Before I say anything, please don’t take my advice offensively. </p>

<p>I would say that you are off to a good start; colleges really like to see that you have improved. Try not to fall off anything less than a “B” range, especially when you are aiming for the Ivies. Also, show a trend of improvement over the next two years, and do try to be optimistic. Self-confidence and optimism really do help you showcase your talents. </p>

<p>Since you mentioned that you are planning to enter the medical field, I would suggest you to take any sort of challenging science courses- AP/IB/Honors Biology/Chemistry/Physics. You are more likely prepared for college and for medical school if you start challenging yourself with more advanced sciences. </p>

<p>Regarding your test scores, they’re not bad. However, since you are aiming for the Ivies, many people do have perfect scores across the board, so I would suggest you to retake those exams. Maybe you would score much higher on the ACT than in the 7th grade? It all depends on your work load and how much you are motivated. For the subject tests, try to aim for 750+ scores. </p>

<p>For your EC’s, they’re good, but there may be 100s of people out there who have the same credentials as you do. The tweak about EC’s is that you show a level of commitment over a long period of time (preferably three to four years). I would suggest you to continue with what you have, and start showing some commitment. Also, you should participate more in sports (either JV/varsity); it would show that you are interested in science, French, art, math, music, and some team spirit. </p>

<p>Regarding the personal statement (or the college admission essays), it doesn’t matter whether it’s a sad/lighthearted story. The point of the personal statement is to let colleges know you more apart from your academics, EC’s, teacher rec’s, etc. You could explain your struggle with depression, but decide whether that would really let colleges know you more. </p>

<p>I hope this reply helps. Try to keep up with the good work, and be optimistic!</p>

4

<p>But honestly… I won’t get into any good colleges? Even if I started to do more things now, it wouldn’t be helpful since, like you said, they like to see long-term commitments.</p>

5

<p>If you could score 26-29 on the ACT in 7th grade, you can definitely get a high score (33+) now (especially if you do some practice tests beforehand).</p>

6

<p>I apologize for posting twice. I agree with augustus1, if you really can score 26-29 on the ACT in 7th grade, you really have a high chance of getting a 33+ right now (given that you really do study beforehand and you do take it seriously). </p>

<p>Another thing: If you really want to get into Honors English, I really do suggest you to start turning in your homework in on time. Colleges really do want to see a trend of improvement, and getting into Honors English after taking three years of Grade English IS an improvement. If you really do want to get into a good college, then don’t let your hopes down. It’s not too early, but it’s not too late either. You still have two years to bump up your application, and your junior year is the most important year of high school. Start studying, have a positive frame of mind, and maybe even get some help from your counselor. Good luck. :)</p>