"Mediocre" student with high hopes

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>My Numbers:
* Middle Eastern Ethnicity, Currently living in Texas.
* High School Senior
* Age 17
* GPA: 3.4unweighted, 3.95 weighted
* Top Quarter of my Class (Rank 180/~1000)
* PSAT: 216 (SI For my state was 217! Argh!)
* SAT: 2270 (780 Math, 740 Verbal, 750 Math)
* SAT II: Bio 760, Physics 710, MathII n November and Latin in December
* Prospective Major: Biology, Classics</p>

<p>Anyway, AP course load:</p>

<ul>
<li>AP Human Geography (Result: 4)</li>
<li>AP English III (Result: 4) B+ / A</li>
<li>AP Chemistry II (Result: 3) B+ / B+</li>
<li>AP US History (Result: 3) B+ / B+</li>
<li>AP Computer Science I (Result: 5) A / A</li>
<li>AP Latin III (Didn't take due to change in courseload) A / A
(Current Courseload):</li>
<li>AP English IV A</li>
<li>AP Latin IV A</li>
<li>AP Calculus BC B-</li>
<li>AP Biology II A+</li>
<li>AP Physics C B-</li>
<li>AP Computer Science B+</li>
</ul>

<p>Work Experience:
I have worked 15-20 hour weeks for the last four years.</p>

<p>Extra Curriculars (Now and Planned):
* Latin Club (10, 11, 12)(President(Sr), Events Chair (Jr))
* University Interscholastic League (UIL) Science Team
* Internship: Southern Methodist University Mechanical Engineering Dep't, Biomechanics, Robotics, and Telemedicine.
* Mu Alpha Theta (Math Honor Society) (11, 12) (Secretary (Sr))
* Peer Tutoring Society (11, 12)
* Students Organizing Community Outreach (SOCO) (11,12) (Officer of the Founding Board).
* National Honor Society (9-12)
* TURANT (Turkish-American Association of North Texas) (4+ years)</p>

<p>Awards / Distinctions:
National Merit Commended, AP Scholar with Distinction, whole bunch of awards for regional and state latin competitions.</p>

<p>If it counts for anything, my school has constantly ranked one of the top 10 public schools in the nation.</p>

<p>I think my letters of Rec are going to be dynamite; both teachers asked me if they could write one for me. Secondary school report is alright (I am most definately taking the hardest courseload at my school. Essay is good, maybe not breathtaking.</p>

<p>What shot do I have at WashU (ED1), my councelor suggested I apply to Cornell, a lower Ivy, and my Latin teacher very much wants me to apply to Brown. WashU is really my ideal school though, just wondering if I'm in the ballpark there. Thanks.</p>

2

<p>Bump? Please?</p>

3

<p>The only reason why I don't think you'd get into Cornell/Brown or even Wash U is because of your unweighted GPA. You've got everthing else imaginable, but your GPA needs to be about 3-4 pts unweighted higher. Wash U is your best shot, but definitely not a definite...I'd say 50/50. Good luck though</p>

4

<p>Yea i don't think you stand a chance at Brown or Cornell. WashU is a reach also.</p>

5

<p>Everyone wants in on the ivy league; I don't mean to be an *******, but you are going to be in the rejection pile for your tops.</p>

6

<p>I don't really care about Brown or Cornell. WashU is my top. Thanks for the comments, guys. I'd appreciate any more.</p>

7

<p>good scores. i think you'll get into cornell simply because of your SAT scores. they aren't shabby at all</p>

8

<p>Ivy leagues are out of your league (hoho pun), mostly because of your sub-par test scores (AP's and SAT) and your semi-cookie cutter EC's.</p>

9

<p>Your grades seem really good considering you were working for so many hours a week.</p>

10

<p>Thank you, I hope they notice that. I'm going to post a more full resume as soon as I'm done with it. Really my work schedule is only really heavy August-May, as I file Income Tax Returns. After May all our employees get a solid week off before coming in on an "on-call" basis.</p>

11

<p>I'm sorry, but I can't help but laugh that you think you're mediocre.</p>

12

<p>My numbers are mediocre when compared with other applicants. :(</p>

13

<p>sahins SAT scores are high, and anyone who doesnt think so is full of ****</p>

14

<p>My full resume:</p>

<p>Numbers
Rank: 184 / 944. Second tenth of graduating class.
National Merit Commended (Skill Index 216)
SAT I: 2270 ( 740 V / 780 M / 750 W)
SAT II: 760 Biology / 710 Physics / Math II and Latin in December
AP Courses, Scores:.
Tenth: Human Geography ( 4 )
Eleventh: English III ( 4 ), US History ( 3 ), Chemistry ( 3 ), Computer Science A ( 5 ), Latin III (Not taken due to curriculum change)
Twelfth: English IV, Latin IV, Calculus BC, Biology II, Physics C, Computer Science AB</p>

<p>Summer Learning / Independent Studies
2005 – Current
-Auditing School Scientific Research Course (Study of Mechanics and Robotics). 9 hr / week over 16 weeks.
-Internship, SMU Mechanical Engineering Department. An in-depth study and analysis of Robotics, Bionics, and Telemedicine with an emphasis on Semi-Passive Dynamics. 120+ hours scheduled over Fall and Winter 2005.</p>

<p>2003 – 2004
-Completed Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Introduction to Biology (Course 7.012) through MIT's OpenCourseWare free online curriculum program (<a href="http://ocw.mit.edu)%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://ocw.mit.edu)&lt;/a>. 3 hr / week over 4 weeks.
-Self-Educated in Latin II curriculum. Obtained Credit by Exam. 4 hr / week over 6 weeks).</p>

<p>Work Experience
Aug-May 2002 – Current | USA Tax Services | Dallas, TX
IT Networking Technician
I repair and maintain all technological equipment belonging to the company. I've also maintained our digital invoice archiving system and I've attended numerous courses in Income Tax Return preparation and file Tax returns under the direct supervision of a CPA. I deal regularly with Spanish-speaking clients. 15-20 hr / week concurrently with school. Hours vary greatly in weeks preceding April 15.</p>

<p>Summers 2003 – 2005 | Continental Foods, Inc. | Dallas, TX
Technical Specialist
In addition to the standard systems repair and maintenance, I have performed data entry and maintained archives in additional to numerous clerical duties such as filing, organizing, and preparing hundreds of documents for reviews and audits. 40 hour weeks during all available summer time since 2003.</p>

<p>2005 – Current | 3 Brothers Productions | Plano, TX
Co-Founder, Media Specialist
A business established with my twin brother and my best friend in order to earn money. Render services pertaining to a variety of digital media (video and photograph editing, web site design, and desktop publishing services). Clients include several individuals, various small businesses, and small organizations such as the National Junior Olympics gold medalists. 3 to 4 hr / week, over 30 weeks / year.</p>

<p>Extracurriculars
National Latin Honor Society / Latin Club (10th-12th)
Chapter President, 2005-2006. Events Chair, 2004-2005.
-Organized series of meetings, coined The Latin Initiative, with local Middle Schools and Junior Highs in order to visit the student body and inform them about the opportunity for Latin as a foreign language often neglected in our immediate school system. Expecting great increase in projected enrollment numbers for incoming classes.
-Organize and conduct regular weekly and monthly club meetings to address club issues.
-Helped organize and host the regional National Junior Classical League (NJCL) Latin Competition for the 2003-2004 school year.</p>

<p>University Interscholastic League Science Team
Invited Team Member, 2004-2006.
-Written test requiring collegiate-level knowledge of physics, chemistry, and biology.
-One of nine students chosen to participate in the 2004-2005 competition, and will participate in the 2005-2006 schoolyear competition.</p>

<p>Mu Alpha Theta
Secretary Elect, 2005-2006. Card-carrying member, 2004-2006.
-Organize and record meetings for the 2005-2006 school year.
-Meet regularly to participate in noncompetitive testing and discussion of mathematics.
-Met requirements of dedication to mathematics and excellent scores on standardized tests.</p>

<p>Technology / Computer / Robotics Club, Scientific Research
Fundraising Commitee, 2005-2006. Member, 2002-2006.
-Participate in open forum debates on various subjects pertaining to the fields of computing and technology.
-Responsible for raising over $12,000 by means of corporate sponsorships for the 2006 US FIRST robotics competition for our school's first Robotics Team.</p>

<p>Students Organizing Community Outreach (SOCO)
Elected Officer, 2004-2006.
-Organization dedicated to finding opportunities in several fields for students wishing to make a contribution to their community.
-Maintain website, keep track of volunteer hours and keep volunteers on track. </p>

<p>Peer Tutoring Society / West Tutorial Foundation
Invited Member, 2005-2006.
-Part of a community service outlet dedicated to helping students struggling in academic courses or on standardized tests, especially those who can't afford private tutoring.
-Helping to develop the club architecture and lesson plans for this years' and future years' foundations.</p>

<p>Turkish-American Association of North Texas (TURANT)
Lifetime Member, Eight-Year Volunteer at Annual Festival
-Dedicated to promoting cultural education and bringing together the Turkish and Middle-Eastern communities in North Texas. Several thousand visitors over two days every fall.
-Volunteer in all manner of work available. I cook, clean, and even folk dance.</p>

<p>Science Olympiad
Co-Founder, 2005-2006
-Petitioning to obtain funding and build interest for Plano West's first Science Olympiad Team.
-Still in highly developmental stages. Future uncertain. How exciting!</p>

<p>Awards/Distinctions
National
-National Merit Commended (Skill Index: 216)
-AP Scholar with Distinction
-Gold and Silver Medalist, National Latin Test (2004 and 2003).</p>

<p>State
-Silver Medal, State Pentathlon, NJCL competition.
-7th Place State in category Latin Literature, NJCL competition.
-10th Place State in category Latin Oratory, NJCL competition
-10th Place State in category Latin Derivatives, NJCL competition.</p>

<p>Regional
-1st Place Regionals in category Latin Literature, NJCL competition.
-4th Place Regionals in category Latin Oratory, NJCL competition.
-1st Place Regionals, BEST Robotics competition, advancing to State level.</p>

15

<p>OCW biology in 12 hrs....?</p>

16

<p>oh no, that's a typo haha. 3 hr / session, 3 times per week, over four weeks. thanks for catching it.</p>

17

<p>I wouldn't count anything out. A number of schools are impressed by applicants truly interested in the classics. The Ivies are looking for more than just grades, and you have it. I think that you have a chance at Wash U. Brown will like your classics connection, and your uniqueness. Cornell- you have a chance. You should look at University of Chicago. It would be great for classics and biology. However, there is no engineering there, so you would not be able to pursue robotics per se. You could take computer science courses though. You would be a really good candidate for that school and I suspect it would be a safety for you.</p>

18

<p>Thanks for the comments. One last bump for tomorrow's crowd.</p>

19

<p>Since when is a 2270 sub-par? I love it, 2270 is sub-par. HAHAHA</p>

20

<p>Wash U is possible. The gpa will not be a plus but you have a lot of other good things. Plus, they always seem to put a lot of emphasis on scores, and yours measure up. Is there some way you can highlight the creativity and initiative involved in your "business" endeavors within the application? This type of thing is somewhat unusual. If you can somehow communicate why you're doing what you're doing and anything of the interest and passion you have, it would help. </p>

<p>BTW, along teh same line, I definitely wouldn't say you established the business just to "earn money"... Was this money stashed away for college? Or was this an activity you're especially interested in? Try to communicate some of this to the adcoms.</p>