Math and Computer Nut

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Hi, I was wondering my chances for your typical set of Ivies plus Stanford, Caltech, UChicago, and Carnegie Mellon.</p>

<p>Asian Massachusetts male, attends one of the top New England boarding schools.</p>

<p>3.82 gpa out of 4 unweighted. Consistent As in math, science, Spanish, with one term's exception. Consistent Bs in English, History, with one term's exception.</p>

<p>Three APs so far, 555 in Compsci, Chem, BC Calc. Will end up with at least 8 by senior year: physics B, C, biology, history, English, maybe Micro and macroeconomics, Spanish.</p>

<p>SAT score unknown, but PSATs from last year were 80-80-74 with writing being the worst. SAT IIs in chem, math 800-800.</p>

<p>Three time AIME qualifier (expected) (by September of my senior year), one time USAMO qualifier (expected)</p>

<p>Summer programs show dedication to mathematics and computer science. A mentorship project on machine learning with distinguished professor from a top 20 US News university. Hope to enter Intel STS with it. A project on artificial intelligence.</p>

<p>Numerous math awards from the school, the region, the state and one national first place finish when I was in 6th grade. Member of two time New England champion math team.</p>

<p>I also have a certificate with 30 credits in computer science at a local college that I began when I was 8.</p>

<p>Am I a likely candidate for the Ivies plus Stanford, Caltech, UChicago, and CMU?</p>

2

<p>Based on your PSAT scores, I'm sure you'll excel at the SATs.</p>

<p>Are you in the top 10% of your class?
Are you a member of any clubs?</p>

3

<p>No way to tell for UChicago until you tell us why you're doing these things, how well you write, and whether or not you've looked at the Common App and really, really liked it.</p>

4

<p>You expect to be a USAMO qualifier? If you've never qualified for it before, it's definitely not something that you can expect. And what do you mean by September of your senior year? The AIME is in February and the USAMO is not until April. By that time, your college admissions will already have been decided.</p>

<p>I would have to say that at your current state, HYPSM and Caltech are reaches for you. MIT especially, which you seem to be well-suited for, is especially difficult given the fact that you are an Asian male. If you are a math/compsci nut, I would strongly recommend you look at Carnegie Mellon.</p>

5

<p>Yeah, you can never expect to pass AIME if you have never passed before. You don't know how many careless mistakes you'll make or what types of problems show up.</p>

6

<p>AIME will be okay. On practices I usually get 9 to 11 now.</p>

<p>You're right about not expecting to pass AIME. It's true for any test though. All I can say is that I have a very good chance of making USAMO. I've missed by one AIME question for two years now.</p>

<p>I am a rising junior.</p>

<p>I am treasurer for econ club, cofounder of robotics club, on the board for science team. I also do compsci club, math club, tech club.</p>

<p>Since I have a year until I apply, what would you identify as my problem areas, and how do I work on them?</p>

<p>I am rather naive; I don't understand why being an Asian male disadvantages me for MIT; aren't they supposed to take candidates irregardless of gender or ethnicity? They all have disclaimers to this effect.</p>

7

<p>They do not. Ethnicity and gender both matter, as colleges strive for at least some kind of diversity on their classes. Asian males are typically the strongest in the areas of math and science that technical colleges emphasize, and thus it is most difficult for them to be accepted. You typically need something remarkable in the sciences or to demonstrate a strong passion for math and science.</p>

<p>Qualifying for the USAMO is a wonderful achievement, and will strongly help you out for MIT (less so for Caltech, and even less so for the Ivies and Stanford). You do know that it is much more difficult to qualify as a junior/senior than it is for lower grades, right? When you are a sophomore or younger, you simply need a certain AIME score. When you are a junior or higher, you must have a certain index score (calculated based on AMC 12 and AIME score), and it requires a high AMC 12 score and typically a higher AIME score as well. Even so, an 11 is excellent.</p>

<p>I would say that your chances for Stanford are very low, as Stanford emphasizes talent in athletics, the arts, and in leadership much more than the Ivies do. You really are suited for the technical colleges, and were it not for the unfortunate fact that Asian males have it tough in college acceptances, I would say that you are a match for MIT and Caltech (which are slight reaches for you).</p>

8

<p>What is your class rank?</p>

<p>Although you expect that you will have those math competitions, assume the worst for now, that you don't have them yet.</p>

<p>Are you actually applying to every single Ivy League?</p>

9

<p>No. I will definitely NOT apply to every single Ivy league. Remember I am going into my junior year of high school, so I still do not yet have enough research done to choose. I posted this thread as just a baseline way to see what I've done so far and to identify areas that I need to work on.</p>

<p>My class rank is probably top 6 or at worst 15 at a very selective boarding school.</p>

<p>Is the whole "need-blind admissions" thing also just rhetoric as well? If I am to consider attending colleges, I would probably require almost full aid if not full aid. I'm willing to work as much as I need on campus though.</p>

<p>I play the clarinet, although I am not distinguished in this area. I hope to make orchestra this year, and have worked hard all summer. The chances are low since I have only played two years.</p>

<p>I don't know if this helps, but I am a Jack Kent Cooke foundation scholar. I am not sure how much this will influence my application, but it is a selective program that awards extracurricular support for the top 35 low income students in the country. This program has made possible my study of the clarinet, among many other things. Would this be a minor boost in my app, or should I emphasize this?</p>

<p>Yes I understand about it being more difficult to make USAMO this year. I will try my best.</p>

<p>I highly appreciate the help. What would you say is my #1 weakness right now, and how can I address that?</p>

10

<p>My motives for the things I am involved in are probably much clearer if I tell you that I hope to eventually run my own business in computing. This is why I am treasurer for econ / entrepreneurs club and I hope to take the economics courses my school offers.</p>

11

<p>
[quote]
AIME will be okay. On practices I usually get 9 to 11 now.

[/quote]

Don't be so sure. I could normally get 11ish on AIME practices but when the real thing came, I only got a 7, due to large number of counting problems (which I suck at) on the AIME 1 and a stupid mistake on #5. And the pressure of the real thing is obviously greater than that of a practice. Thankfully 7 + decent AMC score was good enough for USAMO last year. But you do definitely have a good shot at it.</p>

12

<p>You practice for the AIME?</p>

<p>I think I'm going to go cry now.</p>

<p>You're in line for admission to uberelite schools, but Chicago is going to want to see your writing, as well as your interest in a core curriculum.</p>

13

<p>Many people practice for the USAMO and IMO. Ever heard of the Art of Problem Solving?</p>

<p>...Needless to say, there are some pretty hardcore kids out there.</p>

14

<p>My friends and I saw AIME as playtime. I knew my scores weren't going anywhere anyway-- in high school, I passed as a math nerd, but my heart was really in humanities. I also wasn't really all that good in math-- I just think it's cool.</p>

<p>I only have a friend or two who made it on to USAMO-- neither studied for it (they were familiar with the challenge level of the problems, but didn't do practice tests and the like), both did quite well.</p>