Junior

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>White
Public High School- sends about 2 to Ivy Leagues every year
Major: Biology or Chemistry- Premed, might apply as Mathematics</p>

<p>GPA- 4.0 unweighted
SAT- 2050- 800 math, 710 writing (11/12 essay), 540 CR</p>

<ul>
<li>I have done the most prep I can do- please don't say raise your SAT. I am perfectly fine saying your SAT is not good enough, but please don't say start to read more newspapers and learn vocab cards- I have learned hundreds.</li>
</ul>

<p>SAT II's- Pending- Math II, Physics, US History- I should get 800s in all of them, might get a little less on some.</p>

<p>Junior Course Load APs (3)- Calculus BC, US History, Physics B
Senior Course Load APS (next year (5))- Stats, Biology, Government and Politics, College English, College Spanish (skipping a year).</p>

<p>Course Load Rigor- Most I could do and I have the hardest in school.</p>

<p>Extra-curriculars-</p>

<p>University of Washington Medical Center Volunteering- 200 hours as escort since 2007</p>

<p>Harvard University Summer School- Calculus I and Fundamentals to Music (A, A) - 2008</p>

<p>•Academic Honors:
oMathematics State Qualifier (11, 10)
oAwarded Mathematics 2nd Place Topical Problems (11, 10)
oParticipated in regionals for Mathletes (11,10,9)
oParticipated in regionals for National History Day (9)
oAcademic Student of the Year (8)</p>

<p>•Key Club (11,10)
oJunior Key Club Representative (11)
•Tutoring (11) Chemistry, Algebra III-IV, and Sciences – 4 hours per week
• Wind Ensemble – Alto Sax(11,10)
o Academic State Champions (10)
o Earned 1st place Sweepstakes Award at Disneyland (10)
o Toured throughout US and Canada – Victoria, Disneyland, Moscow, Idaho (Lionel Hampton Festival)
• Pep Band (11,10,9)
o Alto Sax – play at all varsity basketball and football games
• Jazz Band (11,10)
• Other instruments
o Also plays clarinet, acoustic and bass guitar, soprano sax </p>

<p>ATHLETIC ACTIVITIES
• Varsity Tennis (11,10, 9)
o 2nd Best Team In State (10)
o No. 2 singles/doubles on team (11,10,9)
• USTA Tennis (11,10, 9)
o Travel to sectionals, national tournaments
• Taekwondo Black Belt </p>

<p>EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
• Seattle Biomedical Research Institute
o Global Health 101
• DECA (11,10)
o State qualifier in the Financial Analysis division (11, 10)
• Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) (11, 10, 9)
o Elected Secretary (10)
o State Qualifier in the Economics division (10) Business Calculations (11)
• Mathletes Club (11,10,9)
• Chess Club (11,10)
• National Honor Society (11,10)</p>

<p>My essay I have already started in April and will be working extremely hard on it so it dazzles.</p>

<p>Teacher Recs- Pretty Darn Good- short of amazing though.</p>

<p>Schools:</p>

<p>UCLA
Harvard
Stanford
USC
Dartmouth
Cornell
Princeton
Duke
Johns Hopkins University</p>

2

<p>In: UCLA, USC, JHU
Waitlist: Cornell (accept), Duke (reject)
Reject: Harvard, Stanford, Princeton, Dartmouth</p>

3

<p>Thank you very much, I really appreciate it.</p>

<p>Bump</p>

4

<p>Are you thinking thse schools will overlook the CR score? Please talk to your counselor and draw up a list of reasonable schools given the score.</p>

5

<p>Congratulations on your astounding GPA and ECs. While I know you don’t want to hear it, your SAT score is going to significantly hold you back at almost all your choices, with the exception of USC and UCLA. You have the GPA and ECs to get into top schools, so I think you should seriously consider retaking the SAT in the fall of your senior year. However, if you are firm in your decision to not retake it, then I think you are in at USC and UCLA and rejected from the rest. Best of luck!</p>

6

<p>The problem is if I take my SAT again I know my CR will be higher, let’s say 100 points, but I won’t do as well on the writing, especially the essay, and maybe even the math.</p>

<p>I know they are super-scoring, but do you think i should do that because I will have to do it in the fall of senior year so I can still apply early</p>

7

<p>I think you should study CR over the summer and retake it in the october. It doesn’t matter if you do worse on the other subjects because they are superscoring.</p>

8

<p>Thank you so much.</p>

<p>Also I am bumping for more opinions.</p>

<p>What do you think CR should be 640?</p>

9

<p>Yes, you should do it. IMO you have virtually no shot at any of these schools with your present CR score. CR measures comprehension and analysis, critical skills for college.</p>

<p>At most of your schools under 3% have a CR score in the low 500’s. Given that 40% of the class are recruited athletes, URMs and legacies, it would be virtually impossible to be one of those accepted with that score without a hook.</p>

<p>In all honesty, you probably have no shot at any ivy with a CR score below their 25th percentile which is 700 at HYPS level ivies and about 660 at the rest.</p>

10

<p>Your chances at the Ivies will more than double if you increase your CR score by at least 100 points.</p>

11

<p>Very discouraging.</p>

12

<p>Stanford, look at the common data sets of these schools and this year’s acceptances on the boards here. Hopefully you came here for truth.</p>

<p>The truth is successful candidates without hooks at HYPSD have high 700 scores across the board. And most candidates with those scores don’t get in. After that it takes exceptional EC’s. If you’re good in math/science they are looking for major awards, competitions you’ve won, Intel and Siemens winners and those with other major accomplishments.</p>

<p>You need to get your score to the mid 600’s, a reasonable gain, and then look at reach schools in the range of CMU. USC and UCLA (only if you don’t need aid). Cornell would be the ivy worth a shot if you can get that extra 100 points or so. The others are just probably out of reach.</p>

13

<p>Very Discouraging.</p>

14

<p>bump …</p>

15

<p>have you sent those scores to schools? if not, super scoring is not an issue.</p>

16

<p>I have not sent those scores to schools.</p>

17

<p>why not try the ACT in the fall?
you might do really well in all areas for that, and then you won’t have to dread over your SAT.</p>

18

<p>If I took the ACT and did bad, would I have to send in those scores, or can I just send in my SAT?</p>

19

<p>My advice is rather similar to everyone’s but I think you should.</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Retake SAT and have faith in the idea of superscoring. If you want an example a student in my class this year recieved a 2290 the first time around with an 800 in CR and a 720 in Math, retook and received a 790 in math but only a 680 CR. This student was still accepted to Yale. </p></li>
<li><p>Take the ACT. For most people the test seems to be easier than the SAT and consequently they receive better scores. If you get a 34+ on the ACT and 800s on all the SAT lls you should be in good shape regardless of the SAT score.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>One a side note though. I would not be discouraged by the advice provided by hmom. She has been the resident CC party pooper since day one, exemplified by the arrogance of her name (hmom = harvard mom?). I wouldn’t take any of her incredibly pessimistic advice completely seriously. She cant physically stop you from applying to HYPS, and personally I know a few kids who she gave literally a 0% chance of being accepted who were with slightly subpar scores (1400s) and no truly mindblowing awards. If you have the money to apply go for it! But as she suggests, don’t take the rejections as a surprise.</p>

20

<p>Thanks for the intro Rferns. I suppose a dose of reality behind the kids who post here saying SATs don’t matter because colleges take a holistic approach does feel like part pooping. But I encourage everyone to look at the common data sets for schools they want to apply to, they don’t lie. If they tell you under 5% of kids with yoour stats got in, or even 30% it’s time to seriously reevaluate. Hopefully kids look, see the odds, and construct realistic lists of schools they can love.</p>

<p>No Harvard here, I went to Wharton and my kids attend MIT, Amherst and Dartmouth. I also worked as an admissions officer at Penn in the Dark ages. So while not the Harvard elite, I’ve been around the block a few times where admissions is concerned.</p>