Just another Ivy League Chance Me...please :)

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Hi! I'm currently a sophomore in an EXTREMELY rural public school in Pennsylvania.</p>

<p>I have a 4.0 UW and I'm ranked 1/130</p>

<p>I will be taking all the AP and honors classes our school offers in addition to self-studying at least 11 APs (4 my sophomore year, 7 my junior year, and ? my senior year)</p>

<p>My main EC is Academic Decathlon and I was 2nd in the state as a sophomore and was nationally ranked (#3) in my division. I will hopefully be first in the state the next two years as well as team captain. I am very passionate about this EC. </p>

<p>I am a varsity athlete on the track and field team.</p>

<p>I am a first-chair musician in our school's orchestra.</p>

<p>I will most likely be NHS and Student Council President.</p>

<p>Founder of a Peer Mentoring and Tutoring Group (we will be hosting an SAT tutoring class for my school which includes underprivileged students)</p>

<p>I volunteer at the hospital and will probably have ~400 hrs</p>

<p>I am a white female.</p>

<p>In regards to my potential major I am torn. I could do one of two things.
1. Medical "Focus"
- USABO
- Volunteering @ Hospital*
- NIH/HSHSP/something like that next summer</p>

<ol>
<li>Economics "Focus"</li>
<li>Self-Studied Micro and Macro (and I'm scared I might have only gotten a 4 on
Macro)* </li>
<li>Could do Economics Summer Program</li>
<li>Many Econ medals for Acadec*</li>
<li>Taught Econ to gifted elementary students</li>
</ol>

<p>I will probably end up doing a mixture of these things no matter what and have already done the things marked with an asterisk. I'm sorry if this seems silly but on other chance me threads everyone with a good chance seemed to have a "path" because it seems like that's what Ivy League schools want sooo advice on this? I suppose I could do both....the only conflict would be the summer (Econ vs. Bio Summer Programs)</p>

<p>Summers:
This summer volunteering @ hospital, math classes at nearby university, and camp counselor(?)</p>

<p>Also, would coming from a rural area be a "hook"? </p>

<p>Standardized Testing:
218 on PSAT (taken cold)
Just took a USH SAT II and will be taking the SAT I in October</p>

<p>My dream school is Princeton</p>

<p>Although I would like to know my chances I am more concerned with ways that I could improve...any advice at all would be awesome!</p>

2

<p>Why sophomore??
No SAT? No chances!
Please, come back next year!</p>

3

<p>^ But like I said I was more so looking for ways I could improve :slight_smile: so that advice would be helpful (and better to receive as soon as possible instead of waiting until Junior Year)</p>

4

<p>I would also like to know about Acadec</p>

5

<p>What’s up with everyone volunteering at hospitals? So Cliche.</p>

6

<p>@ Sailor26. I volunteer at the hospital as a candy-striper at the hospital because it gave me an opportunity to explore the medical field and life at a hospital. Plus I think people volunteer there because it aligns with a career. I also volunteer as a Pentathlon (Middle-School Academic Decathlon) Coach and at a local little-league baseball team, but I won’t have as many hours there because there’s always something to do at the hospital while those two things are seasonal. Where do you volunteer :)?</p>

<p>@Sailor26…Do you have any comments on how you think I’ll do/ways to improve?</p>

7

<p>Your ec’s are well balanced, with a sport, leadership, and best of all…aca deca!<----(best class ever) Talk about aca deca in your essay, it sounds like you’re really passionate about it. Also, make sure to have great speaking skills and have a social life, because sometimes, believe it or not, they ask you about it. Besides that, just have perfect grades and a solid sat (2200+) and you’re almost in.</p>

8

<p>^ Ivy admissions is not that simple.</p>

<p>OP’s academic index is a 217, which is a 6 out of 9… low for Ivies.</p>

<p>I will most likely be NHS and Student Council President… Sure?</p>

<p>I am a first-chair musician in our school’s orchestra… Instrument?</p>

<p>Founder of a Peer Mentoring and Tutoring Group (we will be hosting an SAT tutoring class for my school which includes underprivileged students)… Great idea!</p>

<p>I am a varsity athlete on the track and field team… No hook</p>

<p>Volunteering @ Hospital… no hook</p>

<p>Also, would coming from a rural area be a “hook”? … no hook</p>

<p>My main EC is Academic Decathlon and I was 2nd in the state as a sophomore and was nationally ranked (#3) in my division. I will hopefully be first in the state the next two years as well as team captain. I am very passionate about this EC… Good!</p>

<p>There. SAT scores are very important.
Can’t really say anything until you get them</p>

9

<p>^ Great thank you lebronjames! How can I improve my Academic Index and what exactly is that? I play the flute and piccolo so nothing special. I’m pretty sure about the NHS and Stuco. Do you have any ways I can improve? Thanks again for your help!!</p>

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<p>Get 800s on SATIIs</p>

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<p>YAY @ dannav147!!! Another Decathlete!!! I’m so excited :slight_smile: haha I’ve just never met anyone in Decathlon on here believe it or not! Have you graduated or will you be doing it next year? How do you feel about the Great Depression? I LOVED last year but this year will be alright… GoW is pretty sweet. </p>

<p>And thanks for your help Dannav147!</p>

12

<p>@ BuddyMcAwesome…I found the USH test really frustrating and I’m not counting on an 800 but USH isn’t my best subject so I was planning on s-s APWH over the summer and then taking that test at the beginning of the school and then taking the two Bio tests later on (you are allowed to take both right? just not at the same time?) and I am hoping for 800s :slight_smile: Are they really that important? I have heard some people say that they’re merely used for placement, while others say that they’re a very important admission factor…I tend to lean towards the latter</p>

13

<p>I read somewhere that the dean of Harvard said that SATIIs are more important that the SAT. If you are planning on majoring in anything sciency, it is definitely a blip on your application to top-top schools if you don’t have an 800 on Math2 since 10% of test takers do.</p>

14

<p>Thanks for the tip…I am taking college courses in math (PreCalc and Intermediate Algebra) over the summer so that will help with Math II because our math dept. at my HS is very awful. Even though I’m focusing in Bio I still should have the Math II?</p>

15

<p>definitely take Math II. It’s the easiest to get an 800 on. And also, i don’t think colleges will like you taking both bios just like they won’t like you taking both Math 1 and 2</p>

16

<p>Oh great thanks!</p>

<p>So here are my Subject Tests:

  • WH (I’ll do this just in case I’m not happy with my Bio or Math Score)
  • USH (…if I do well…which i probably won’t… grr)
  • Bio M
  • Math II</p>

<p>And here are my APs in case anyone is interested:
Sophomore:

  • APUSH
  • AP Micro*
  • AP Macro*
  • APHuG*
    Junior:
    - AP Physics B*
    - APWH*
    - AP Comp Gov*
    - AP US Gov*
    - AP English Lang*
    - AP Bio
    - AP Euro
    - AP Environ Sci*
    - AP Pysch
    Senior:
    - AP Calc
    - AP Chem
    - AP Lit
    - Spanish IV (will take AP exam)
    - Then three Independent AP Study Classes that I haven’t decided on yet
  • denotes Self-Study</p>

<p>Oh and I’m attending HOBY in two weeks :)</p>

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<p>^ To what degree will self-studying APs help me? I’m taking all the AP classes our school offers so I was just trying compensate for my school’s dearth of AP classes. Plus I really enjoy it :slight_smile: no busywork, just learning…it rocks. And it gets me out of some req’d general classes (well…pending…but it should)</p>

18

<p>i never self-studied any APs, and the only kid at my school to do so didn’t get in Princeton… so I have no idea how much, if any effect it has…</p>

19

<p>Thanks for your help BuddyMcAwesome you are…well…Awesome :slight_smile: haha. </p>

<p>Any other suggestions on ways I can improve?</p>

20

<p>yeah… stop worrying, you’re a sophomore</p>

<p>and do something awesome over junior year summer to write all your essays about</p>