I am painfully aware of a very average GPA that is actually closer to 3.7. I speculate that I can raise my SAT score to 2300+ and am confident in a 35 on the SAT. I am apprehensive because I spent a lot of my time focusing on extracurriculars and it has taken a toll on my GPA. I go to a very challenging private high school (consistently ranked 1st by an extremely dodgy Washington post poll but was deemed “the best school in the world…” by the College Board in 2006), which only adds .25 per AP class on a 100 point scale. I am very apprehensive about the admissions process as there is much pressure by my parents to get into a top-class university. Any help is appreciated! Thank you!
Goal:
Tier I (Reach): University of Pennsylvania (Early Decision), Cornell, Brown, Dartmouth, Johns Hopkins, WashU, Northwestern, U Chicago, (Stanford—might not apply due to the likelihood of getting in)
Tier II: Reed College, Emory, Pepperdine University, UT Honors
Tier III: Trinity (Scholarship)
Statistics:
Year: Junior
SAT I: 2290 (Math: 750; Reading: 760; Writing: 780)
ACT: Expected score of 35 (judging by ACT PLAN scores)
SAT II: Bio-M (800); Math II (800); Physics (770)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.8
Rank: Highschool does not rank
AP (place score in parenthesis): Bio (5); Environmental (5); APUSH (5); AP English (5); AP European (5); AP World (5);
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.):
1st Grand Award (EV): Intel International Science and Engineering Fair
3rd Award I-SWEEEP
MUN Distinguished Delegate
Permanent Collection Artist
Subjective
Extracurriculars (see above for awards):
United States World Team Pentathlete:
Top three finish at Nationals, Poor performance at World Championships
B Rank Fencer- In touch with Ivy Coaches, Potential (A) rank
1st Team All-State Varsity Soccer
Captain and co-founder of Varsity Baseball team.
Job/Work Experience: (paid)
400 Hours Paid Intern Work at a private Biotechnology Institution
Volunteer Work
200 Hours Community Service (Camp Camp/ Assorted)
Note*: Essays and Recommendations are speculative
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
I feel confident with Common App Essay, will most likely be a 9 as writing is my strong suit.
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
These are predictions because I am fairly certain I know the teachers well enough.
Teacher #1 7/10: AP Biology teacher, I got a good grade but didn’t have a personal connection with her.
Teacher #2 9/10: Tenured English Teacher, exceptional letter
Optional Rec: 9/10: Chief Scientific Officer of aforementioned Biotechnology Company
Counselor: 7/10: Described me as an awesome student, but told me that perhaps I was being too ambitious
Other
Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Biology
Intended Grad Program: Law School
State (if domestic applicant): TX
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Private: 32 Student Graduating Class
Ethnicity: Caucasian/Asian
Gender: M
Income Bracket: ~ 80k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None
If you are wondering why Biology and Law School (an odd combination), I was projecting a career as an IP Attorney.
Thanks Again!
-Apprehensive Student