Junior seeking constructive criticism

Colleges and Universities A-Z Emory University
1

<p>Hey guys. I've been researching Emory, and it's really growing on me. </p>

<p>Here are the stats that you guys probably have come to loathe:</p>

<p>Me: White, lower middle-class female from Florida
School: Ranked 6th in the nation [Pine View School]
SAT: 630-CR; 700-M; 720-W [1330/2050] I just took it again on Saturday and am expecting to definitely get over a 2100, because I actually studied this time
GPA: UW: 4.0; W: 4.85</p>

<p>Freshman: Took all honors, minus orchestra and Latin II
Sophomore: AP Euro, all honors minus orchestra
Junior: Biochemistry, APUSH, AP Calc BC, AP Latin, Orchestra, AP Lang, AP Chem
Senior [hopefully]: AP Bio, Multivariate Calculus/Differential Equations, AP Macro/AP Gov't, AP Psych, Orchestra, English IV Honors, AP Physics C</p>

<p>EC:
President of Latin Club [10th, 11th]
Won American Legion Auxiliary Award
Historian National Junior Honor Society [8th, 9th, 10th]
National Honor Society [11th, 12th]
Latin Honor Society [8th, 9th, 10th, 11th]
Prom Director
Mu Alpha Theta [10th, 11th, 12th]
Speech and Debate [10th, 11th, 12th]
Media Task Force Committee [9th, 10th, 11th]
100+ community service hours
Played violin since 6th grade
Played in school chamber orchestra since 10th
Worked at Albertson's for over a year, averaging around 17 hours/wk</p>

<p>How are my stats looking?</p>

<p>What should I work on? I know my SATs are very low and, sorry to say, I'm not on a sports team, nor have I cured cancer.</p>

<p>Be as harsh on me as you can. I definitely need to improve, and want to know how.</p>

2

<p>Hilsa: Academically, your only goal should be to get that CR score up (and increasing math while you are at it couldn't hurt, but CR more important)...</p>

<p>Emory is very big on demonstrated interest; If you can, order the video, visit the school, get in touch with your admissions rep, even get in touch with the academic department that you are interested in.....</p>

<p>net-net: Show Emory the love; the rest is fine and you will have done all you can do....</p>

3

<p>I agree with all Rodney says, plus you need to make sure your community service shows an interest in a particular area. 100+ hours is pretty good, but not if they are spread out among 25 clubs and events. They really want to see that you are committed to volunteering for something.</p>

4

<p>things look very strong here!!!
YAY for you.
1. worked? at Albertson's or presently still working there?
2. talking an ap course is great, but getting 5s or 4s on the exams is even greater; you didn't post scores.
3. the violin is very very important, as emory's music school and a strong passion area will color your app.
4. your sats will go up. no problem. it's only january your junior year.; you don't wanna take them like 6 times though, so do your homework on which sittings will bode best for you (certain times of year, like some fall dates, are when the strongest seniors routinely sit for the sat--and i forget the dates, sorry.
4. make an appointment to see you GC now, after he or she is done with seniors pretty much and start to (if you haven't already) massage this relationship!!!!!
5. besides the emory scholars nomination due November 1, what other scholarships might your GC nominate you for???
6. fine tune your resume so that it's perfectly parallel and easy to add things to for next fall (both).
7. decide who you want (at least 2) to ask to write your letters of reference. before the end of the year, while you're still fresh in their minds, approach them. if they're flattered and delighted to be a reference for you, ask them when they'd like to see your resume. would they prefer to wait until next fall, or would it be easier for them to get a jump start over the summer???
8. look over the common app essay questions and pick the one or two that you think would challenge you to write you best and keep the prompt on your desktop with bullets of thoughts under it. plan on writing the essay in june after a brain break.
that's a start, eh?</p>

5

<p>Hilsa: who are you, where are you going, and why should Emory take you over all the other equally or better qualified candidates? Think about you and your path/goals in relation to what Emory offers, and what you can offer Emory.</p>

6

<p>That gosh darn critical reading score. It really bugs me.</p>

<p>I'm planning on visiting Emory during spring break, and during early summer [my aunt happens to live in Atlanta]. But I'll request some stuff as well. =]</p>

<p>My community service hours are from working at a hospital, helping the elderly, special olympics, etc. Healthcare is my specialty. I'm going to be a pre-med undergraduate student.</p>

<p>Yes, I still work at Albertson's. Although I practically make minimum wage, I totally have tons of fun talking to customers and interacting with my fellow employees. I'm planning on working there until I graduate.</p>

<p>I got a 5 on my AP Euro exam. This year, I'm expecting 4's or 5's on everything else, minus AP Lang. Oy vey.</p>

<p>So will the current common app essays be the same as next year? </p>

<p>Thanks so much for everything you guys. It is muchly appreciated. I really am going to try as hard as I can to get into Emory. =]</p>