Junior - Chance for Ivy Leagues

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>I'm currently a junior and am very interested in attending an Ivy League College, specifically Harvard University or University of Pennsylvania. Other schools I'm interested in: Columbia University, Stanford University, Dartmouth University, Princeton University, Georgetown, University of California - Berkeley. </p>

<p>Please let me know my chances and what you think I should work on between now and when I apply for college!</p>

<p>Personal
-Indian
-Female
-From California</p>

<p>GPA/Courseload
GPA: 4.0 UW [school does not weight grades or rank]
Honors Courses: Chemistry Honors, Pre-Calculus Honors, Spanish 4 Honors
APs/Intended APs:
Junior Year:AP Calculus BC, AP Chemistry, AP Psychology, AP Language and Composition
Senior Year: AP US Government & Politics, AP Spanish, AP Statistics, AP Economics (both), AP Literature, AP Biology</p>

<p>Standardized Testing
SAT I: 2290 [780 math/780 writing/730 critical reading], retaking in January
SAT IIs: just took Math II in December, Chem in May, Lit in June, Spanish in Oct; hopefully 700+</p>

<p>Extracurriculars
Future Business Leaders of America: National President's Assistant, California State Parliamentarian, Local Chapter Vice President
Spanish Honor Society: Treasurer
Students for Barack Obama: School President & Founder, California State Deputy Director, California Congressional District 15 Director
Key Club: Executive Assistant
Youth Commission: Chair
District 1 Youth Advisory Council: President
Speech and Debate: Deputy Vice President
California Association of Student Councils: Region 4 Goverment Operations at the Local Level Director
ASB: Activities Commissioner
Violin: Co-concertmaster of Private Orchestra, Co-concertmaster of School Orchestra, Music Department Public Relations Officer </p>

<p>Other: Peer Tutoring, Congressman Mike Honda's Intern, Councilmember Pete Constant's Intern, Kumon Teacher, Intern for Barack Obama's Presidential Campaign, Marketing Intern for ScriblNotes, District Guidance Service Committee (student representative chosen by Principal), City Leadership Group (student representative)</p>

<p>Awards/Honors
FBLA:
-Business Achievement Awards: Future, Business, Leader, & America
-Recognition: Internship Project, FBLA Goes Green Project, Champions of Bay, Membership Madness, Membership Mania
-4th place Parliamentary Procedure @ nationals
-2nd place Parliamentary Procedure, 2nd place Introduction to Parliamentary Procedure, 4th place Parliamentary Procedure @ states
-1st place Parliamentary Procedure, 2nd place Parliamentary Procedure @ section</p>

<p>Speech&Debate:
-Triple Octafinalist at the UC Berkeley Invitational Tournament
-Octafinalist at the Great Midwestern Novice Nationals Tournament
-National Champion at the UC Berkeley Invitational Tournament </p>

<p>Spanish:
-Spanish Department Award</p>

<p>Writing:
- Third Place Winner for Homewords Essay Contest
- Published one poem and two articles on TeenInk
- Contributor of “I Just Wanted To Say Thanks…” E-Book</p>

<p>Music:
- Unanimous Superior Recipient for Lynbrook String Orchestra at the California Music Educators Association Festival
- Completed all levels of Suzuki Method
- Solo Recital</p>

2

<p>You broke 2290…I wouldn’t retake unless you really think you could do better. If things go the way they should for you then you should be in at Cal easily and Georgetown. The others are a mystery but I’d say good shot at Dartmouth.</p>

3

<p>thanks for the feedback. any other thoughts?</p>

4

<p>Columbia University- 50%
Stanford University- 40%
Dartmouth College- 50%
Princeton University- 35%
Georgetown- 75%
University of California - Berkeley- 95%
Harvard- 30%
Penn- 55%</p>

5

<p>If everything goes as you plan, then I think youll get into berkeley and georgetown without a doubt…
your application is very impressive and no one can say that you really need to improve anywhere…
however, the ivys, spec the top ones, are so unpredictable that one person might get into harvard and yale but not mit, while another gets into mit but not the other 2… :)</p>

<p>good luck though, looks really promising :)</p>

6

<p>No need to re-take SAT’s: Ivys are rejecting 2400’s, so what’s the point? All you would be doing is giving more $$ to College Board coffers, and they are already rolling in it. Meantime, your Ivy slot could go to a 1900 because they have enough 2400’s, and are looking for that “something else.” </p>

<p>Since you have time, and you are in FBLA, think about it from a business angle: Excellence has become a commodity. Admissions offices are awash in it. The Ivy business model is to drive down your value by commoditizing it, and drive up what your parents are willing to pay for a four-year subscription to their premises by creating scarcity— more people competing for the same number of seats, lower acceptance rates, etc. This creates cash flow for endowment (which until recently was on a tear) and improvements (for the USN&WR rankings), which in turn creates more scarcity, higher tuition, etc. It’s a big virtuous cycle, and it looks like you have run the maze exactly as they set it up for you, UNLESS you have a compelling story that says, “The reason I do all this is NOT to get into an Ivy League school, but because this is who I am, and I would have done it anyway.” </p>

<p>This is that “something else” which admissions officers are looking for, because they are swamped with nearly identical applications, need to get their work done, and are looking for kids with an additional dimension. Second, what is their ROI— an Ivy gives your 4 years, so what is their expected return on investment? You don’t necessarily have to quantify, but you need to specify, or you get lumped with all the other smart kids from the suburbs who pushed carts around hospitals or stood at the copy machine and called it an internship.</p>

<p>You’ve got time on your side… and lots of good material. Focus now on building your story. Good luck!</p>

7

<p>just to let you know it dartmouth college not being critical just making sure you know because the love to brag about it in the info sess and campus tour because of their undergrad focus good luck tho…you have a great chance at all but it a real crapshoot with the ivies just make sure you have a focus with the ec which i guess is business to just talk alot about it in your essays then also tell them you have another interest in something else whether it be debate, spanish, writing, or music just to portray that your not a one-note …for the academics you pretty much have the same as anyone else applying to the ivies make sure you so just as great (750+) on the satIIs because some rank them as high as your satI…good luck… you dont need it tho</p>

8

<p>thanks everyone. </p>

<p>@badhaircut, i definitely agree about the part on “building your story” and to be honest, i’m not doing all of this just to go to college. i really care about the activities i’m involved in and i am definitely going to make sure that shines through in my college essays. </p>

<p>any other feedback/comments?</p>

9

<p>lol ttttr? huh?</p>

10

<p>among the highest chances for ivies as there can be</p>

11

<p>don’t restate whats already in your resume. i doubt the congressman doesn’t even care about he does. He’s just been there so long and doesn’t want to vacate the seat/ stop getting cash flow from lobbyists</p>

12

<p>thanks for the feedback. just for an update, i retook my SAT and got a 2340 as well as an 800 on the math SAT II</p>

<p>any other comments? :)</p>

13

<p>you have a really good chance … very strong. </p>

<p>Georgetown and Berk - Match
Lower Ivys - High Match, Low Reach
Ivys/Ivy Pluses - Reach (but it is for all people) </p>

<p>but you are so involved in FBLA which is really good which will defintely raise your chances at all these colleges, but there are a lot of other kids just like you and top ivy’s are very unpredictable… are you also competiting in Parlimentary Procedure again this upcoming school year (because it seems to be a trend). </p>

<p>I also compete in Parlimentary Procedure, got any tips/suggestions anything? I am really interested in it also. (PM me if you could to give me some pointers for questions that I could study or any presentation ideas, thank you!)</p>

14

<p>thanks for all the input. any suggestions as to how i can improve?</p>

15

<p>I’d retake the SAT in January, as you planned. 2290 is excellent, but why not if you can do better? Everything will come down to a) your essays and b) your recs. Find teachers that like you/make teacher likes you, a lot, distinguish yourself, make an impact. Write excellent essays that really showcase yourself. Do that and you have an excellent shot everywhere.</p>

16

<p>thank you! i actually already retook the SAT and scored 2340 on it the second time (800 m, 800 wr, 740 cr)</p>